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Blue Ridge China
Blue Ridge is a type of American dishware manufactured in Erwin, Tennessee, by Southern Potteries Inc from the 1930s until 1957. Well-known in their day for their underglaze decoration and colorful patterns, Blue Ridge pieces are now popular items with collectors of antique dishware. The underglaze technique made the decorations more durable, and while basic patterns were reused consistently, the fact that each piece was hand-painted means that no two pieces are exactly alike
Although the plant closed in 1957, Blue Ridge dishware remained a popular collectors' item throughout the 1960s and 1970s. In the early 1980s, the Blue Ridge Collectors Club was formed in Erwin, and began documenting the 4,000 or so patterns used by Southern Potteries over the years. The china pieces, stamped with "Blue Ridge Handpainted Underglaze" or a similar variation, are the most popular items among Blue Ridge collectors. Pieces with patterns showing people, animals, or farm scenes are also popular (most pieces show floral patterns). The rarest Blue Ridge pieces are limited edition artist-signed pieces, among them the "turkey hen" and "turkey gobbler" platters and the Paul Revere character jug. One of the most well-known Blue Ridge artists was chief designer and Erwin native Lena Watts. Other Southern Potteries artists who are known to have signed Blue Ridge pieces include Mae Garland, Frances Kyker, Ruby Hart, Nelsene Calhoun, Mildred Broyles, Alleene Miller, Louise Guinn, and Mildred Banner.
An excellent site designed to be a gathering place for Blue Ridge collectors, an avenue of information for upcoming Blue Ridge events and a place to start your new collection or add that Blue Ridge piece you have always been looking to own.
