Texas

Piecing Together the Story of Texas’s First Black-Owned Pottery

Published

11 months ago

January 30, 2025

Piecing Together the Story of Texas’s First Black-Owned Pottery

I chase ghosts! That is, I investigate the forgotten spirits and legacies of enslaved and free potters in Texas during and after the Civil War in the United States of America. This journey began with a 1991 conversation with my graduate advisor John Brough Miller, professor of ceramics at Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, during which he shared the legend of John McKamie Wilson and enslaved potters in Seguin, Texas. Nearly a quarter century later, in 2014, an internet search led me to the website of the Wilson Pottery Foundation, created by the descendants of Hiram, James, and Wallace Wilson, the founders of H. Wilson and Co. Pottery. Three years later, in 2017, I attended the annual Wilson Pottery Show at the Sebastopol House in Seguin and was surprised by the amount of Wilson antique pottery on display and the number of collectors of it. I left the show with a heightened interest in the Wilson Potters.

In 2018, Tarrant County College District, where I was an assistant professor of Ceramics, awarded me faculty leave to research the H. Wilson & Co. Pottery, which is located in Capote, Texas, approximately 48 miles east of San Antonio and 12 miles east of Seguin. A search on Ancestry.com led me to a database of United States craftspeople ranging from 1600 to 1995, which lists Hiram Wilson as the founder of H. Wilson and Co. Pottery. Hiram was formerly an enslaved potter at the Guadalupe Pottery owned by John McKamie Wilson from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina. Scholars believe H. Wilson and Co. Pottery was the first business owned by an African American in Texas.

A deeper dive led to the other Wilson Potteries (designated as sites by the Texas Historical Commission, which identifies them by number) in the Capote area, including the aforementioned Guadalupe Pottery (41GU6), which was the first Wilson pottery site operated by John McKamie Wilson and his enslaved potters. H. Wilson & Co. (41GU5) was the second site, started by formerly enslaved potters from the Guadalupe site. The third Wilson pottery site (41GU4) was the Durham-Chandler Pottery, owned by Marion “MJ” Durham, a White man, and John Chandler, a formerly enslaved potter trained in the acclaimed Edgefield District of South Carolina. (These sites are often referred to as “First Site,” “Second Site,” and “Third Site” by collectors to help differentiate the pottery produced at each. Second Site pieces, for instance, are more valuable than First Site pieces.) After Hiram died in 1884, H. Wilson & Co. was believed to have merged with Durham-Chandler to become Durham-Chandler-Wilson. According to the United States Craftsperson Files database, Durham-Chandler-Wilson was founded in 1870, which may indicate that Hiram worked at the third site with James, Wallace, and other itinerant potters.

I propose that the relationship between these three sites might stretch back further than folklore holds. What if Marion “MJ” Durham and John McKamie Wilson’s families knew each other in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina? What if Durham was one of the primary investors in the Guadalupe Pottery with John McKamie Wilson? A partnership with Durham would support Wilson’s decision to build a pottery company in Capote. As a member of the Durham potting dynasty in South Carolina, the former certainly possessed the knowledge and pottery production skills to ensure a sound investment.

During my faculty development leave, I visited local historical societies, which were warm and informative. Some locations were rich in artifacts, whereas others had a wealth of documentation supporting the local community. On top of attending the 2018 pottery show at the Wilson Pottery Museum in the Sebastopol House in Seguin, I interviewed Wilson’s descendants, collectors, and others who shared various stories that led them to the show. One gentleman shared his salt-glazed one-gallon H. Wilson & Co. stamped pot he purchased at a thrift store in Austin, Texas. One notable takeaway from this interview session was how often collectors referenced San Antonio-based Texas pottery scholar and pediatrician Dr. Georgeanna Greer. She helped rediscover the Wilson potteries after the sites had been dormant for over 50 years; I discovered the depth of her research when I visited historical societies in East Texas. I was overwhelmed and excited to find letters written by her to local archivists requesting or sharing information on local pottery sites.

In 2020, I curated a solo exhibition in the Carillon Gallery at Tarrant County College South Campus in Fort Worth, Texas, which suggested a narrative and timeline to these potters by tracing the development of certain techniques. The centerpiece of the show, however, was not the ceramic pieces inspired by the Wilson potters and created for the exhibition, but rather the research identifying those who worked at one or more pottery sites seen via posters, including James and Wallace (and possibly Hiram) Wilson. Pots attributed to the first site, Guadalupe Pottery, suggests that Isaac and George Suttles, potters from Ohio, may have introduced the salt glazing technique found on pieces attributed to the first site’s pottery, as the practice originates from those trained in the North. The Suttles brothers later opened a pottery near Lavernia, Texas.

The discovery of this extensive pottery community in Capote redirected my focus toward East Texas, known as the entry point of Texas westward expansion. A visit to the William J. Hill Texas Artisans and Artists Archive was crucial to helping me collect information on East Texas potters. A visit to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston’s Bayou Bend Collections and Garden was also helpful in allowing me to examine Wilson Pottery from all three sites. Through the former, I located a “Checklist of Texas Potters ca 1840-1940,” compiled by Bob Helberg. This list provided names of formerly enslaved potters in the East Texas region, such as Milligan Frazier, A. Prothro, Elix Brown, and Joseph Cogburn. This in turn opened up another world of research possibilities. What if the pottery of the shops praised for their magnificent work such as Guadalupe Pottery were actually produced by trained enslaved laborers instead of the shop’s namesake? In other words, did the early Texas potters continue the industrial enslavement system that made the Edgefield District community in South Carolina famous?

This research is just a start. As I journey from central Texas back to Edgefield, South Carolina, searching for pottery families who migrated west before 1860 with their enslaved labor, bits and pieces of sherds are coming together to recreate the life stories of these potters. A beautiful mosaic is beginning to emerge.

Left: Earline M. Green, exhibition poster of Durham-Chandler Pottery with spiritual renderings of Marion “MJ” Durham, John Chandler, George and Isaac Suttles based on non-photographic biographic documents; right: Earline M. Green, exhibition posters of Durham-Chandler Pottery, with likenesses of James and Hiram Wilson drawn from photographs

Left: Jug made by Thomas M. Chandler (image courtesy the Bayou Bend Collection); right: Jug attributed to Guadalupe Pottery Company (courtesy the Bayou Bend Collection)

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Texas

Frigid air moves across North Texas Sunday ahead of mid-week warmup

Published

7 hours ago

December 14, 2025

Press Room

Frigid air moves across North Texas Sunday ahead of mid-week warmup

Jeff Ray

Updated on: December 14, 2025 / 8:06 AM CST
/ CBS Texas

Yes, it was just two days ago that DFW enjoyed temperatures in the 70s. However, cold winds arrived overnight to push that December warmth away, and frigid arctic air took its place.

Coats, gloves and hats are needed if you head out to support your family or friends in the BMW Dallas Marathon on Sunday morning. Temperatures will start right around freezing with wind gusts around 25 mph.

Bitter cold wind chills are expected throughout the day.

It seems every other year that North Texas gets a winter start to the Dallas marathon. The race starts with mostly cloudy skies, but the skies will clear by Sunday afternoon.

Highs will top out in the low 40s – one of the colder days DFW has had so far this season.

Lows Sunday night dip down into the 20s for the first time at DFW since last February.

The cold air is not sticking around. North Texas will quickly warm up.

After the coldest morning so far this season on Monday, it will be back in the 70s by mid-week. It will also be near record highs by next weekend.

Long-range models show the warm air is lasting until Christmas.

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Texas

Why Texas A&M’s former Heisman winner was a generational dual-threat

Published

19 hours ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

Why Texas A&M’s former Heisman winner was a generational dual-threat

On Saturday night, the 91st Heisman winner will be announced, as Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin, Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia, and Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love are the four finalists who will contend for the most prestigious award college football has to offer.

All four players led their teams to double-digit wins. At the same time, Mendoza and Sayin are headed to the College Football Playoff after Indiana’s Big Ten Championship win over the Buckeyes vaulted the Hoosiers to the No. 1-seed, receiving a first-round bye in the CFP.

For Texas A&M fans, former star quarterback Johnny Manziel, who won the program’s second Heisman Trophy after his historic 2012 redshirt freshman season, was back in the news after Bleacher Report revealed back-to-back rushing comparisons to Jeremiyah Love’s prolific 2025 rushing production, which led to him becoming a Heisman finalist.

Manziel threw for 3,706 yards and 26 touchdowns, while rushing for an incredible 1,410 yards and 21 touchdowns on 201 carries, averaging seven yards per carry. Love, whose entire job is running and catching the ball, ran for 1,372 yards and 18 touchdowns on 199 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per carry.

This takes nothing away from Jeremiyah Love’s incredible season, but is just another reason Johnny Manziel’s 2012 season is still regarded as the most outstanding Heisman-winning campaign, outside of former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton’s 2010 Heisman season.

After throwing for 2,932 yards and 25 touchdowns, Texas A&M star QB Marcel Reed did not make the Heisman finalist cut.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

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2025-26 college football bowl game schedule, scores, TV channels, times

Published

1 day ago

December 13, 2025

Press Room

2025-26 college football bowl game schedule, scores, TV channels, times

Here’s the complete college football bowl schedule for the 2025-26 season, which begins Saturday, Dec. 13. Games continue through the College Football Playoff title game on Monday, Jan. 19.

This article will continue to be updated as bowl games go final.

2025-26 college football bowl game schedule, scores, TV channels, matchup information

(all times ET)

Saturday, Dec. 13

Celebration Bowl
South Carolina State vs. Prairie View A&M
12 p.m. | ABC
Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Atlanta, Georgia

LA Bowl
Boise State vs. Washington
8 p.m. | ABC
SoFi Stadium
Inglewood, Calif.

Tuesday, Dec. 16

Salute to Veterans Bowl
Troy vs. Jacksonville State
9 p.m. | ESPN
Cramton Bowl
Montgomery, Ala.

Wednesday, Dec. 17

Cure Bowl
Old Dominion vs. South Florida
5 p.m. | ESPN
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Fla.

68 Ventures Bowl
Louisiana vs. Delaware
8:30 p.m. | ESPN
Hancock Whitney Stadium
Mobile, Ala.

Thursday, Dec. 18

Xbox Bowl
Arkansas State vs. Missouri State
9 p.m. | ESPN2
Ford Center
Frisco, Texas

Friday, Dec. 19

Myrtle Beach Bowl
Kennesaw State vs. Western Michigan
11 a.m. | ESPN
Brooks Stadium
Conway, S.C.

Gasparilla Bowl
Memphis vs. NC State
2:30 p.m. | ESPN
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Fla.

College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 8 Oklahoma vs. No. 9 Alabama
8 p.m. | ESPN, ABC
Memorial Stadium
Norman, Okla.

Saturday, Dec. 20

College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 7 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 Miami (Fla.)
12 p.m. | ESPN, ABC
Kyle Field
College Station, Texas

College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 6 Ole Miss vs. No. 20 Tulane
3:30 p.m. | TNT, HBO Max, truTV
Vaught-Hemingway Stadium
Oxford, Miss.

College Football Playoff First Round Game
No. 5 Oregon vs. No. 24 James Madison
7:30 p.m. | TNT, HBO Max, truTV
Autzen Stadium
Eugene, Ore.

Monday, Dec. 22

Famous Idaho Potato Bowl
Washington State vs. Utah State
2 p.m. | ESPN
Albertsons Stadium
Boise, Idaho

Tuesday, Dec. 23

Boca Raton Bowl

New Orleans Bowl
Western Kentucky vs. Southern Miss
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Caesars Superdome
New Orleans, La.

Frisco Bowl
UNLV vs. Ohio
9 p.m. | ESPN
Ford Center at The Star
Frisco, Texas

Wednesday, Dec. 24

Hawai’i Bowl
Cal vs. Hawai’i
8 p.m. | ESPN
Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex
Honolulu, Hawai’i

Friday, Dec. 26

GameAbove Sports Bowl
Central Michigan vs. Northwestern
1 p.m. | ESPN
Ford Field
Detroit, Mich.

Rate Bowl
New Mexico vs. Minnesota
4:30 p.m. | ESPN
Chase Field
Phoenix, Ariz.

First Responder Bowl
FIU vs. UTSA
8 p.m. | ESPN
Gerald J. Ford Stadium
Dallas, Texas

Saturday, Dec. 27

Military Bowl
Pitt vs. East Carolina
11 a.m. | ESPN
Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium
Annapolis, Md.

Pinstripe Bowl
Clemson vs. Penn State
12 p.m. | ABC
Yankee Stadium
Bronx, N.Y.

Fenway Bowl
UConn vs. Army
2:15 p.m. | ESPN
Fenway Park
Boston, Mass.

Pop-Tarts Bowl
No. 12 BYU vs. No. 22 Georgia Tech
3:30 p.m. | ABC
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Fla.

Arizona Bowl
Miami (Ohio) vs. Fresno State
4:30 p.m. | The CW Network
Arizona Stadium
Tucson, Ariz.

New Mexico Bowl
No. 25 North Texas vs. San Diego State
5:45 p.m. | ESPN
University Stadium
Albuquerque, N.M.

Gator Bowl
Missouri vs. No. 19 Virginia
7:30 p.m. | ABC
EverBank Stadium
Jacksonville, Fla.

Texas Bowl
LSU vs. No. 21 Houston
9:15 p.m. | ESPN
NRG Stadium
Houston, Texas

Monday, Dec. 29

Birmingham Bowl

Tuesday, Dec. 30

Independence Bowl
Coastal Carolina vs. Louisiana Tech
2 p.m. | ESPN
Independence Stadium
Shreveport, La.

Music City Bowl
Tennessee vs. Illinois
5:30 p.m. | ESPN
Nissan Stadium
Nashville, Tenn.

Alamo Bowl
No. 16 USC vs. TCU
9 p.m. | ESPN
Alamodome
San Antonio, Texas

Wednesday, Dec. 31

ReliaQuest Bowl
No. 23 Iowa vs. No. 14 Vanderbilt
12 p.m. | ESPN
Raymond James Stadium
Tampa, Fla.

Sun Bowl
Arizona State vs. Duke
2 p.m. | CBS
Sun Bowl
El Paso, Texas

Citrus Bowl
No. 13 Texas vs. No. 18 Michigan
3 p.m. | ABC
Camping World Stadium
Orlando, Fla.

Las Vegas Bowl
Nebraska vs. No. 15 Utah
3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Allegiant Stadium
Las Vegas, Nev.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 7 Texas A&M/No. 10 Miami (Fla.) winner
7:30 p.m. | ESPN , WatchESPN
AT&T Stadium (Cotton Bowl)
Arlington, Texas

Thursday, Jan. 1

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 4 Texas Tech vs. No. 5 Oregon/No. 24 James Madison winner
12 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
Hard Rock Stadium (Orange Bowl)
Miami Gardens, Fla.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 1 Indiana vs. No. 8 Oklahoma/No. 9 Alabama winner
4 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
Rose Bowl (Rose Bowl)
Pasadena, Calif.

College Football Playoff Quarterfinal
No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 6 Ole Miss/No. 20 Tulane winner
8 p.m. | ESPN, WatchESPN
Caesars Superdome (Sugar Bowl)
New Orleans, La.