In early America, red pottery with a shiny lead glaze was common because clay was easy to find, but it was fragile and hard to ship. So, local potters sprung up to make everyday items like bowls and jars from nearby clay.

In what is now West Virginia, six redware potteries were active in the late 1700s and 1800s. Potters like Samuel Butters and the Day brothers made this style.

Some areas had better clay for stoneware, which was stronger and sometimes decorated with blue designs. About 34 potters made stoneware in the 1800s in towns like Morgantown and Parkersburg. A well-known potter was A.P. Donaghho.

To compete with English pottery, American potters made yellow ware with a brown glaze called Rockingham. From 1848–1857, the Larkin brothers in Newell used this style and learned new methods from potters in East Liverpool, Ohio.