Brush-McCoy Pottery
The Brush Pottery Company was founded in Zanesville, Ohio in 1906 by George Brush, and its early history is closely tied to the better-known, McCoy pottery. The first Brush Pottery operations lasted only a few years until it burned down. George Brush went to work for the J. W. McCoy Pottery Co. and became general manager and shareholder 1909. In 1911 The J.W. McCoy Pottery Company changed its name to the Brush-McCoy Pottery Company. The McCoy name and interest in the company continued until J.W. McCoy's death. Shortly after McCoy's death the name was changed in 1925 to the Brush Pottery Company.
In April of 1910, Nelson McCoy, his father J.W. McCoy, and other shareholders including J.B. Owens, formed The Nelson McCoy Sanitary and Stoneware Company. The company was located in Roseville, Ohio, and began to manufacture and sell functional and decorative stoneware. The company also mined, bought and sold clay. This part of their business provided clay to many of the other potteries in the area for several years. In 1925,the company began a substantial expansion program. This expansion was both in increased products manufactured and larger facilities with more modern equipment. A new tunnel kiln over 300 feet long was constructed which was the first of its kind in the area. This increased their production capabilities and allowed them to expand into the specialty art pottery products for the more affluent population. Such items as the Jardinieres, Pedestals, Umbrella Stands, Vases and other decorative products began to command more of their efforts.
During the late 20's and into the 30's the Pottery produced products that were fired with blended glazes and the designs were predominately dominated by, leaf and berry motifs. These glazes were earthy tones of brown and green. Many glazes were limited to the green and were more common and less expensive. They made these in mass throughout the 30's, reproducing the same successful designs which were functional which had an appeal to the public because they were inexpensive, attractive and every day usage pieces.
In the mid 30's an English immigrant, Sydney Cope joined the company and by 1936 was the Lead Designer for McCoy. Mr. Cope shaped the future of the art pottery style for which Nelson McCoy Pottery is best known. Such familiar pieces as the series of planters produced: The Hunting Dog, The Wishing Well, the Village Blacksmith, Down by the Old Mill Stream. While these were functional pieces they were also works of art.
The McCoy Pottery Company survived the the depression and World War II, continuing to produce both functional and decorative art pottery. From about the mid 40's, the 50's, and even 60's the company produced a line of cookie jars, which is a major interest of McCoy collectors.
For most of its almost 100 years of existence the McCoy family maintained ownership of the company and the president of the company was a McCoy through 4 generations. In 1967 the company was sold to The Mount Clemens Pottery Company and again in 1974 it was sold to The Lancaster Colony Corporation.
Finally, in 1990 the McCoy Pottery Company ceased operation after a number of declining years of sales and profit.