Two enslaved men played major roles in Boston's pottery industry
BOSTON – Archaeological digs around Boston have been able to pinpoint important findings of the past.
In early Colonial times, pottery was big in Boston. There are two unlikely figures who were the reason why.
"One of the calling cards of the Parker Pottery where Jack and Acton worked are these kinds of arches." Joe Bagley, Boston city archaeologist said, pointing to one creation.
Enslaved to the Parker family in Boston in the 1700s, Jack and Acton were two slaves who played major parts in the region's pottery business.
"The wares that they were making, not only influenced the region in which they were making pottery in Charlestown, but their actual wet vessels turned up," Bagley said.
The Parker family was basically the who's who in New England Pottery at that time. Their wares traveled miles.
"All up the east coast from Nova Scotia, all the way down to South Carolina. So we have a presence of a very large deposit in a very large archaeological site," Bagley said.
There are no known pictures of Jack and Acton. All that's been recorded is an inventory in probate.
"If it weren't for that one document, we may not even know that Jack and Acton existed," Bagley said. "One of the challenges in working on enslaved history in Boston and the surrounding areas is that the times that enslaved people are mentioned tend to be marriage records and death records."
As the digs happen is Charlestown and around the city, there are certain features that point back to the Parker pottery and Jack and Acton.
"For Jack and Acton's work specifically, it's pretty easy to tell because they are so specific as far as the Charlestown type of pottery so you have the bars and swags," project archaeologist Lauryn Sharp said.
"Jack and Acton were instrumental in making the pottery, decorating the pottery, throwing the pottery and moving the pottery around," added Bagley. "Jack and Acton, these enslaved potters, are the reason why there is such a big industry in Charlestown and they themselves are part of that success story of Charlestown pottery."
