W. D. SUGGS--STONEWARE 4-GALLON CHURN--SMITHVILLE, MISS--PICTURES TELL THE STORY----
Through the years I have bought and sold many pieces of Southern Stoneware, including several pieces of Suggs Stoneware. This one speaks to me more than any of the others pieces. In the past, I would only buy pieces of stoneware that were in excellent condition. However, through the years pieces like this one have taught me many things about the hard times of life in the South. One of the obvious things is the wear on the bottom rim. This churn has been pushed and shoved many times to show the wear that it has endured. Obviously, the handle has been gone for many years. The churn itself weighs roughly 16 pounds emply. Imagine the weight when full. It's no wonder that the handle is missing. My favorite part about this churn is how the "old timers" learned to repair / stabilize items that were headed for disaster, but were well loved and often needed. Appearance was not an issue. Repair and preservation for future use was paramount. The old timers needed something to keep the churn intact and a good piece of bailing wire did the trick! As the pictures show, this churn had three rings of wire around it to hold it together. The churn does not appear that it was completely broken. Appears that is had a real bad crack that was awaiting the final blow. The three wires kept it together and at some point, the middle and bottom wires were either removed or simply fell off of the churn. The most important wire is at the top, under the collar, and it was twisted tightly. Obviously, it was what is known in the country as "getting a good scald" as it preserved the churn and it remains intact today. I have been buying and selling stoneware for just over 45 years, and the most valuable lesson that I learned early on is "how to repair and to preserve broken pieces of stoneware. I have employed this technique many times through the years. Makes for a good story and a good lesson learned. Enjoy!
Buy It Now!
Measures 19.5" h x 9.5" dia.