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The week’s What’s New Wednesday celebrates the utilitarian crock. From before the Revolutionary War, crocks originated in France. When it became a popular trade item especially with England and Germany, Americans started to produce the earthen stoneware products. The production of crocks started in the Northeastern part of the U.S. and became quite popular there. At one time, virtually all households in the US owned a crock in one form or another.

In the days before refrigeration, crocks provided a waterproof means to store, preserve or ferment food. Made of certain types of clay, they required a less than 2% waterproof rating to be considered stoneware. Before firing, stencils, décor and other designs were added, usually but not always in cobalt blue. These stoneware goods usually had a salt glaze created during firing in a kiln. The sodium in the salt reacts with the silica in the clay providing a shiny coating, giving the distinct traits of the crocks. 

The Union Stoneware Co of Redwing, Minnesota was in production from 1894-1906 when it merged with the Red Wing Stoneware Co. to form the Redwing Union Stoneware Company. Red Wing Stoneware is a well-known brand of crockery, still producing stoneware as of 2024.

According to the donor, Harold Johnson, this large 30-gallon Union Stoneware crock was used for storing brined meat. It was kept in a hole in the ground and covered with a cloth. Other uses for stoneware included fermentation of cabbage (sauerkraut) and cucumbers (pickles), or to store butter and other goods needing to stay cool. Crocks were quite versatile and highly useful in households across the nation and globe. 

SDAHM 1995:033:0001 Donated by Harold Johnson