Travel Guides
Pottery Itinerary for the Seagrove Area -- Groundhog kilns
Though today’s Seagrove potters use a variety of kilns and fuels to fire their pots, one of the most traditional forms in this area is the groundhog kiln. So named because of its resemblance to a tunneling animal’s burrow, groundhog kilns are long, arched brick chambers, built outside at or just below ground-level, and are just tall enough for a man to crawl into.
When it is time to fire a load of wares, the potter and his or her helpers load the kiln with pots that have been thrown (formed on the potter’s wheel), bisque-fired (a preliminary firing that hardens the clay), and coated with glaze. When the kiln is fully loaded, a fire is built at the entrance, and the opening is sealed. The firebox is slightly lower than the main body of the chamber, so heat travels all through the kiln, baking (called “burning”) the pots on its way to the chimney at the opposite end. Wood is fed through openings in the entrance, gradually bringing the interior temperature to 2,000 to 2,500 degrees. The glaze with which the pots were covered melts into a glasslike surface, sealing the clay (effectively making the pots both watertight and sanitary for food storage and serving) and bringing out the decorative colors and applied designs. Much of a pot’s individuality comes from particles of ash or other substances circulating in the kiln, which bond to the glaze and, as they burn, create unique streaks and speckles on the pots’ surface.
A groundhog kiln firing usually lasts about two days. When the fire is finally allowed to die out and the kiln cools, which takes another couple of days, the pots are unloaded. The potter inspects the finished product, and gently sands the bottoms and sides of any pots that have attracted pebbles or acquired other rough spots during the burning. Smooth and cool, the pottery is ready for the showroom or the dinner table.
Photo: Interior of groundhog kiln at Luck's Ware. This kiln was built by Sid Luck and his sons, and is partially constructed with bricks from his great-grandfather's kiln -- which show years of salt-glaze build-up, visible in the lighter bands of brick on the kiln's ceiling. Photo by Sarah Bryan.