Red Wing’s First Stoneware Pottery
English-born David Hallum had come to Red Wing by way of East Liverpool, Ohio around 1872 to work at the terra cotta works, where he became foreman. In April of 1875, he and coworkers Henry Mitchell and L.P.W. Bowman went into business for themselves under the name of Minnesota Pottery in the back yard of Hallum’s residence on the corner of 3rd and Minnesota Streets. There they made utilitarian stoneware, using clay from the same Goodhue beds used by John Paul. An early business Card lists all three of the founders, but, a later city directory listing names only Mitchell & Hallum; existing examples of their ware bear the stencil: Minn. Pottery, D. Hallum.
The company struggled against competition from larger, more established firms in and around Akron, Ohio, which, at the time was the most prominent stoneware center in the nation. The potential for a successful business, given the necessary capitalization, was recognized by local businessmen, who came together to discuss the possibility of establishing a company to manufacture stoneware on a large scale.
Soon after the Red Wing Stoneware Company was incorporated in February, 1877, Hallum sold them his interests and was retained to aid in experimentation toward building their first kilns before he moved back to East Liverpool.
The Minnesota Pottery operated in the back yard of David Hallum’s residence on 3rd St near Minnesota St. When Highway 61 was rerouted in the early 1950s, excavation for the new route exposed shards of his ware.
