I’d like to introduce three lovely china patterns – Rosalee, Duchess, and PCP19*. They all came from a small town in West Virginia that was farmland until the early 1900s. Perfectly situated on the Ohio river for industry and commerce, Paden City arose, and, as the saying goes, “if you build it, they will come” – and they did – industries, workers, and the maker of these pretty dishes, Paden City Pottery.
My interest in Paden City Pottery was sparked by a gift from a dear friend. She had uncovered a few pieces of the pattern, American Rose, and asked if I’d like to add them to the SVT collection. Roses and gold on creamy china – you probably can guess what my answer was, huh?
After researching patterns made by Paden City Pottery, I realized we had a small collection of different designs made by this WV company. So “down the rabbit-hole” I went to learn more about this American dinnerware company,
The story begins in the 1790s when Obediah Paden, whose Dutch Quaker family had migrated from Padenburg, Scotland to Pennsylvania (some sources say New York), bought a parcel of land from Robert Woods near the Ohio River on the edge of the northwest corner of West Virginia. Obediah built a home, began his life as a farmer. and, with his wife, raised their family.
Fast forward to 1901. A group of businessmen from Pittsburgh were searching for land along the Ohio river to establish a new town and industrial center. They found the perfect site and purchased it from one of Obediah’s descendants. It went through several name changes – Paden Valley Land Company, then Paden City Land Company, and finally in 1916 it became known as Paden City.
According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, many industries quickly settled in Paden City in those early years, including a glass company, bottle factory, cement company, and a steel company. Another company that opened its doors was Paden City Pottery.
The year was 1911 and over the next 5 decades, the pottery company grew from 50 to over 400 employees. They produced over 400 different patterns in many different styles, shapes, and colors. (To see some of their products, take a look at an article written in 1939 about Paden City Pottery on the website, Laurel Hollow Park.)
One of their accomplishments was being one of the first dinnerware companies to produce an oven-proof line. Finally, unable to compete with cheaper Japanese imports, Paden City Pottery closed its doors in 1953.
Today Paden City’s two major industries are glass companies – the Paul Wissmach Glass Company, established in 1903, and relative newcomer Marble King, a maker of glass marbles, which arrived in Paden City in 1958. From a population of less than 10 in the early 1900s to the current population of more than 2,500, this quaint historic town is now on my list of places to visit!
One last gem of a story, handed down through the years, explains how Obediah came to own an island in the Ohio River, just west to Paden City. It wasn’t part of the original purchase of Obediah’s but he did become its owner in a most unusual way…
Today Paden Island is part of the Ohio River Islands Natural Wildlife Refuge, which I think would please Chief Munsie. So, as the Paden Island story conveys, dream on, dream big, and dreams do come true!
Sources:
Welcome to Paden City
West Virginia Encyclopedia
Laurel Hollow Park
History of Wetzel County, West Virginia By John C. McEldowney
The WPA Guide to West Virginia: The Mountain State By Federal Writers’ Project
- After creating many different patterns and naming each one, many pottery companies started using their company’s initials followed by a number. So PCP stands for Paden City Pottery, Number 19.
