The Pfaltzgraff Co.
Our History
It Began With a VoyageAs
Elenora packed the steamer trunk
with clothes and possessions,
she wondered what their life in
America would be like. She had
just married her husband, Johann
George Pfaltzgraff, and now they
were moving to America. Johann,
a potter by trade, wanted to be
free to use his talents,
practice his trade and join
other relatives already residing
in America. They boarded the
Brig Charles Ferdinand in
Germany in May 1833 and arrived
in Baltimore, Maryland almost
four months later. During their
long voyage across the Atlantic
Ocean, they dreamed of their new
life. Their American relatives
were also potters and had
established a pottery business
in 1811 in York County,
Pennsylvania. It is this pottery
that formed the foundation for
The Pfaltzgraff Co. as we know
it today.
Our
First
Products
Johann George was aware of the
needs of the farmer (a main
occupation of the time) as well
as the needs of the general
community. He produced products
such as pitchers, plates and
mugs to meet their domestic
needs. He also produced
utilitarian storage vessels like
crocks, jugs and jars, which
were necessary for food storage
and preservation. In 1870, the
manufacturer’s census reported
that the Pfaltzgraff & Son
Pottery (most likely Johann
George and his son Henry),
produced $1,000 worth of pottery
using three “turning wheels”
powered by “horse and hand”. The
pottery employed two male
workers.
Throughout the course of the
year, over 20 tons of clay, 1,000
pounds of red lead and 30 cords of
wood were used for a total
production of 10,000 gallons of
ware.
Hand-throwing on a potter's
wheel similar to this was the
primary method of manufacture
through the end of the 19th
century.
A
Move
to
Town
 By 1839 Johann George and Elenora Pfaltzgraff had four small children, ages five, four, two and newborn. The pottery business had grown, too. Both family and trade demanded more space. So Johann George packed up and moved to Freystown, a semi-rural neighborhood east of York City, but closer to the town’s growing markets. The move marked an important change in the lives of the Pfaltzgraffs – their income would be based more on their pottery business than on agriculture.
There are no known samples of the wares produced by Johann George at the Freystown Pottery. Historians believe that he continued to make simple red clay pottery similar to the products he had learned to craft in his native Germany. The family remained at the Freystown site until 1848 when they moved back to a more rural location north and west of town. Johann George’s nephew Henry Miller eventually purchased the Freystown pottery. Four pieces of redware attributed to Miller have survived. However, as part of a research project into the history of The Pfaltzgraff Co., an archeological dig unearthed pottery shards that could date back to Johann George, and confirmed the exact location of the historic site.
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