ZIONSVILLE PA – An annual festival celebrating the art of Pennsylvania German redware pottery returns Oct. 5 (2024; Saturday).
The one-day Fall Pottery Festival of the Stahl’s Pottery Preservation Society will open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., rain for shine, for its 17th year at the pottery site, 6826 Corning Rd., Zionsville. The location is the original 1934 production facility of redware potters Charles Stahl and his descendants, Thomas, Isaac, and Russell Stahl.
Redware pottery is made from clay, often reddish-brown in color when fired and considered similar to terracotta. Pieces were occasionally decorated and glazed. It is described by Connecticut Country Antiques as utilitarian “pioneer pottery,” first made by settlers in the 1600s.
The society has operated events heralding the Stahl family’s creations, and that of other potters, for 37 years. The fall festival features tours of the site, a 30-vendor sale of contemporary pottery, and a variety of food. Admission costs $5 per person (those younger than 18 are admitted free), and parking also is available and free.
Tours, activities, and pottery sales
The tour includes visits to the clay storage room, and the workroom where potters labored until 1956. The site’s round, stone, beehive wood-fired kiln, where pieces were fired, is a popular photographic attraction. Turning on a pottery wheel and raku firing will be demonstrated throughout the day.
Inside the adjoining Thomas and Alice Stahl house museum, visitors will “discover unique pieces” redware pottery made on the site by Thomas, Isaac, and Russell Stahl. It also displays “family furnishings and traditions,” the society says. The home and the pottery facility lie within “the country setting in the hills of Powder Valley.”
Festival vendors are offering “unique creations to view and purchase,” it adds. An assortment of redware ornaments will be available at its collectibles stand, as well as hats, T-shirts, and books. A new 2024 ornament, introduced during the society’s summer festival earlier this year, and will be available too. A drawing is scheduled, in which participants can win a piece of handmade pottery.
On-site refreshments include homemade beef and turkey barbecue, fresh-cut French fries, and home baked goods. Visit the to view a collection of redware pottery made on the site by Thomas, Isaac, and Russell Stahl.
About the society
Descendants of Thomas Stahl purchased the Stahl’s Pottery site in 1987, formed the non-profit society, and have held annual pottery festivals ever since. The society’s goals are to “preserve the historic site” and “educate visitors about the art of Pennsylvania German redware pottery.” All funds raised during its festivals are used for preservation and interpretation of the site.
For more information about and directions to the festival, call the society at 484-306-3868; or reach it by postal mail at Stahl’s Pottery Preservation Society, PO Box 154, Hereford PA 18056.
Photos provided to Travels With The Post by the Stahl’s Pottery Preservation Society
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