On Sunday, July 12, 2009, the 200th Anniversary of the Beginning of the Edgefield Pottery Tradition will be celebrated with a program which will be held at Piedmont Technical College's Edgefield Center.
Jointly sponsored by the Old Edgefield District Genealogical Society, the Edgefield County Historical Society and Piedmont Technical College, the program will begin at 3 p.m. in the Auditorium in the main building.

In conjunction with this program, there will be a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Groundhog Kiln at Piedmont Tech's Center for Creative Economies Pottery School.

On July 15, 1809 the following notice appeared in the Augusta Chronicle:

NEWS - Doctor (Abner) Landrum has lately discovered a chalk in Edgefield District, S.C. which is represented to be of superior quality - equal at least to that which Edgeworth manufacturers near Liverpool - there is a great body of this chalk substance in said district, and will soon become highly useful to the country and profitable to the proprietors.

This notice is generally acknowledged to be the first definitive evidence of the interest of Dr. Abner Landrum (1785-1859), an Edgefield physician, in the manufacture of pottery from native clays.

Dr. Landrum subsequently developed the techniques for manufacturing the pottery and established a manufacturing operation near his home about a mile and a half north of the Village of Edgefield.
By 1826 when Robert Mills published his book Statistics of South Carolina, Dr. Landrum's efforts had resulted in a substantial enterprise. Wrote Mills:

"There is a village of sixteen or seventeen houses, and as many families, within a mile and a half of Edgefield court-house, called the Pottery, or Pottersville, but which should be called Landrumville, from its ingenious and scientific founder, Dr. Abner Landrum. This village is altogether supported by the manufacture of stoneware, carried on by this gentleman; and which, by his own discoveries is made much stronger, better, and cheaper than any European or American ware of the same kind. This manufacture of stoneware may be increased to almost any extent; in case of war, &c. its usefulness can hardly be estimated."

The program will feature an overview of the history and significance of Edgefield pottery with highlights of the lives of Dr. Landrum, Dave Drake and other potters, as well as a discussion of the evolution of manufacturing techniques and pottery products.

Presenters will include Bettis C. Rainsford, Historian of the Edgefield County Historical Society, Stephen Ferrell, Master Potter at the Old Edgefield Pottery and Leonard Todd, author of the recently-published and highly-acclaimed Carolina Clay: the Life and Legend of the Slave Potter Dave.

Gary Clontz who heads Piedmont Tech's pottery school will describe the groundhog kiln at the groundbreaking ceremony which will follow the formal program.

The public is invited.