The Hilfinger Pottery Decoration Tradition

During the mid-19th century, decorator John Hilfinger appeared to work for all of the Fort Edward, New York, potteries and in potteries elsewhere in the Northeast, including in West Troy and Utica, NY; Keene, NH; and here in Bennington with the Norton Pottery Company. In this presentation, Paul McCarty will examine the Hilfinger family’s role in regional pottery production beginning with John in the 1850s and continuing into the 20th century with his own father’s and uncle’s involvement during World War II.

Paul McCarty is the Executive Director of the Old Fort House Museum (1981-present), the Fort Edward Town & Village Historian (1975-present), a NYS Certified Public Historian and a retired secondary school teacher. He is a life member of the Fort Edward Historical Association and oversees the Hill Collection (housed in the SUNY ACC Library). Paul is also the great-great grandson of John Hilfinger (stoneware painter and subject of this presentation). Along with being a local historian, he has studied pottery production and the history of the Fort Edward potteries.