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The History of the JW McCoy & Brush-McCoy Potteries [Revised February 2009] By Dewayne Imsand

J.W. McCoy Pottery in 1899

J.W. McCoy was born in Zanesville in 1848, and was married in 1870. In 1871, J.W. and his wife, Sarah (Sade) Elizabeth Brown, moved ten miles to the south to the community of Roseville, Ohio. He then entered into about a five-­year partnership with his father-in-law, James E. Brown in a general merchandise business, which was called Brown & McCoy.

In 1876, J.W. opened a General Merchandise store. In 1886, he entered into a partnership and established the Williams and (J.W.) McCoy Pottery Co. After about four years of operation a new partner was taken and the pottery was renamed the Kildow, Williams and McCoy Pottery Co. According to, The Business Review of Muskingum County, “This plant was one of the most extensive in the valley and produced all kinds of common stoneware and a variety of culinary utensils.”

Then in 1890, after about two more years of operation, the KW&M pottery was renamed again, and was called the Midland Pottery Co. By 1892, J.W. was not only involved in pottery manufacturing, and retail pottery sales, but he had become a pottery jobber, selling bulk wares to wholesale dealers.

In 1898, following about six years of operation under the name the Midland Pottery Co., the pottery was sold to the Roseville Pottery Co. This ended the partnerships J.W. had in the pottery business.

Since very few pieces from these early potteries that J.W. was affiliated with have been found, it is most likely that most of them were unmarked.

As discussed in, The History of the W. Nelson McCoy Pottery, Wilber F., the cousin of J.W., was a partner in the Zanesville Hardware Company. The date that Wilber’s part-ownership in the store was established is uncertain, but it was probably between 1870 and 1875.

In 1899, J.W. along with several investors, formed a pottery solely under his name, the J.W. McCoy Pottery Co. He must have devoted much of his time to his new pottery, for in 1901, he turned the management of his general store over to his son Arthur.

For several years, the J.W. McCoy Pottery Co. concentrated on the production of the more simple, utilitarian stoneware pieces. However, around late 1902, or early 1903, the pottery branched out and began to include the production of art pottery. The art pottery production consisted of elaborately designed, decorative items such as jardinières and pedestals, various other flower containers, umbrella stands, and sand jars. The production of these attractively glazed pieces proved to be a very successful undertaking.

year before a fire destroyed the entire plant. The Brush Pottery was not rebuilt. Later in the year his pottery burned, George Brush became the Manager of the Globe Stoneware Company, and the Crooksville Clay Products Company.

Within two years after joining the J.W. McCoy Pottery, George Brush had become the General Manager of the pottery , but he retained the remaining assets of the Brush Pottery. In October of that year, the directors of the McCoy pottery decided to expand by the purchase of the Globe Stoneware Co. (1901-1911).

During August of 1911, George Brush, acting on behalf of the Brush Pottery interests, purchased the old J.B. Owens Pottery, Plant Number One in Zanesville (1883-1909), along with the equipment and molds.

Late in 1911, the officers of the J.W. McCoy Pottery, at the suggestion of George Brush, agreed to combine the assets of the company with those of the Brush Pottery, and rename the pottery, the Brush-McCoy Pottery.

In 1912, the Brush-McCoy Pottery purchased the equipment and molds from the A. Radford Pottery, which was located in Clarksville, WV.