Hadley Pottery - Part of Our Brand

Hadley Pottery came into our lives sometime in the 1980s. Several times a year I was Ohio’s representative at meetings at the American Printing House for the Blind in Louisville, Kentucky. I don’t recall if someone told me about the pottery or if I saw it in a hotel gift shop. 

However it happened, I fell in love with the stoneware and the fact that you could buy almost perfectly good seconds at the factory in Louisville. I looked over the various patterns and it became my mission to collect a full set of Hadley Pottery’s “Country Collection.” Every time I went to Louisville, I’d go to the factory and buy more seconds, usually 3 or 4 pieces at a time. It took me years but I eventually amassed a set of plates and bowls of various sizes as well as mugs. I don't think I bought anything at full price. I was very patient. 

We like the animal designs in the Country Collection - cat, dog, pig, horse, chicken, cow, lamb, and duck. It’s been fun to watch grandchildren’s reactions to the pottery over the years. Some children insist that each of their pieces match – can’t have a pig mug and lamb bowl. Others like to mix things up. 

The stoneware is amazingly durable. I’m sure something has broken over the last 20+ years but I can’t remember what it was or when it happened. 

Interestingly, my friend uses this same Hadley stoneware and pattern. We weren’t aware of each other’s love of the dishes until years after we’d each started accumulating it. 

Here’s more about Hadley Pottery from their website – 

“Mary Alice Hadley was born into a family of clay tile makers where her knowledge of working with clay first developed. Exhibiting an early interest in art and design, she ultimately became a widely recognized painter, winning numerous awards and acclaim from New York to Los Angeles. By the late 1930’s Mary Alice Hadley began melding her artistic talent with her knowledge of clay ware. In 1939, Mrs. Hadley made dishes for her houseboat on the Ohio River. The creative result was a set of a custom dishes that caused such a stir among her friends and acquaintances that the idea for a business was born. Supplying those early requests provided wide circulation for her hand-crafted pottery and soon orders began to arrive from across the country. With the help of her husband, George, the Hadley Pottery Company was formed early in 1940." Source

Hadley pottery is made from clay from a pit in Indiana. The clay is found sandwiched between two 3 foot layers of coal. Each piece is hand painted. Each piece is signed "M. A. Hadley" on the bottom. Click here to read more about how Hadley Pottery is made.

Our pieces are from the Country Collection. These are the first designs used by Mary Alice Hadley for the dishes for her Ohio River houseboat.  

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Additional pieces - additional stories 

I was part of a group of people who administered state resource centers to distribute braille and large print books to blind and visually impaired students. We formed a national organization to deal with state and national issues connected with resources needed by these students. I served in the organization for quite a few years, one year as president. When I left my job to go on our mission, my colleagues presented me with a special plate from Hadley Pottery - they all knew of my love of the pottery and trips to the factory whenever I was in Louisville.

Another story - 

T & J gave us salt and pepper shakers and a bowl. It was a thank you gift for letting J live with us one summer. J and T met at college in Utah. J lived in California. He drove out to Ohio to work for the summer because he didn't want to be apart from T. He stayed with us.

Another piece -  

One of Mary Alice Hadley's designs was a beautiful rearing horse. You can see her painting it here. I had a wall plaque of that horse hanging in the kitchen at North Street. I liked the colors and the spirit of the horse. Here's a platter with the rearing horse. 

Another story - 

This platter has a recipe for Hot Browns. The Hot Brown is a specialty sandwich created by the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky. As a teenager Joe's mother, Mary Elizabeth (Betty) Neely, attended dances at the Brown Hotel and ate Hot Browns. 

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We love this pottery. When I asked Joe to review this post, he commented that Hadley Pottery is part of our "brand." "It's something people will always associate with us," he said.