Iron Mountain Stoneware (IMS) opened in 1965 and operated in the community of Laurel Bloomery, Tennessee for 27 years, until it's closing in 1992. Nancy Patterson opened the factory in a partnership with Albert Mock and hired local community residents to be the employees in the manufacturing process. Ms. Patterson married Harold (Joe) Lamb during the early years of the company and he assisted her in creating a successful business using his experience as a ceramics machinery engineer. During the time the company was in operation, Nancy Patterson was joined in the artistic creations by her sister, Sally Patterson, and James (Jim) Kaneko, an art professor from the American River College. Nancy, Sally, and Jim produced many one-of-a-kind pieces by painting hand-built pieces with glazes of their own creation. The company was reportedly producing eleven different patterns of stoneware in 1975, but later in 1988, a factory seconds pricelist listed twenty-three different patterns, six of which were produced only every other year. The company ceased production and the contents of the operation were sold at auction in 1992.
From the Eagle newspaper, Reading, PA, June 26, 1975 (article entitled She's a Living Legend of Iron Mountain by Joan O'Sullivan)
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| Article from the Reading Eagle, Reading, PA - June 26, 1975 |
From the Elizabethton Star, January 8, 2008 (article about the William King Art Center exhibition of Iron Mountain Stoneware)
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| "Shaping the Earth" Exhibition, William King Regional Arts Center |
Would love to provide some information to your blog! You can contact me at emorycarty@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were married on May 7th, 1977. Before our wedding while we were visiting my husbands parents in their hometown of Bolivar TN, I ran across the Iron Mountain "White Top" Pattern in a small gift shop there. I fell in love with it and quickly chose it as our every dinnerware...and almost 40 years later we're still using it every day. I love it even more now !!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Sherry!
DeleteOur dear friend, Michelle had a fatal accident a year ago, and we wish to honor her memory by continuing to publish information on her blog.
i am the originator/designer of IMS and greatly appreciate your comments.
Nancy
I first learned about Iron Mountain Stoneware when I was working for the Office of Economic Opportunity in 1966. It was viewed as an example of excellent economic development which was desperately needed (and still is) in Appalachia. I first purchased a few pieces when I got married in the late 1960's, and use them to this day. I just decided I was tired of my tea set, so replaced it with some Iron Mountain, in the same pattern, Roan Mountain, a classic from the early days. The later patterns are wonderful as well. Glad many of them can still be found in great condition.
ReplyDeleteHello, Please read my comments on the posting above. We dearly miss Michelle.
DeleteThank you very much for your kind words about the stoneware. All of us at iron Mountain had many marvelous years together, and I have always felt a connection to those who bought the ware.
Over the years from the early 70"s, I have collected 50-60 pieces and still use them all. The look is timeless and I see each one as an individual piece of art. I am pleased to know the history.
ReplyDeleteKen
My bride and I and our infant daughter visited the pottery in 1970, and purchased a number of mugs and a serving plate. My bride died last year, but the pottery lives on!
ReplyDeleteHi Ms. Lamb. I received some great pieces on e-bay, including a teapot! I love my Iron Mountain Stoneware and the lady who had the dream and ingenuity to accomplish it.
ReplyDeleteyour pal,
cindy
I have 60 pieces of Whispering Pines that I bought at Laurel Bloomery about 40 years ago. Each piece is signed but I don't know the artist. I am preparing to downsize my world and am thinking about either giving the set (for 8 plus serving pieces) to my children, or selling it. But I must say that I've enjoyed my IMS, piece by piece. Thank you, Ms. Lamb, for the pleasure.
ReplyDeleteI have 2 Winterlight coffee cups with the usual markings, an F and 81.
ReplyDeleteAny idea of artist.
Love them!!
In 1967 someone gave us a plate - the Roan Mountain pattern - as a wedding gift. Over the next 5-10 years I collected a complete set. We loved including Laurel Bloomery in any trips we made between Richmond and Chattanooga. I was sad to learn that it closed. I think it was part of the Kennedy Anti-Poverty Project and is still needed.
ReplyDeleteI have a large set of Whispering pines (service for 16) that I have enjoyed for the forty two years that we have been married. While friends have bought several sets of dishes, I have always marveled in the uniqueness of each piece and loved the way my Whispering Pines lived through the years. Recently I replaced the dishes at our second home and shortly after they began to chip. One thing I don't deal well with is chips! After looking at Replacements to replace a small Whispering Pines bowl I broke, I discovered White Top. I have through Ebay purchased a set of White Top for our second home. It is perfect for the mountains of Lake Tahoe. How lucky I feel to have found another "perfect" pattern of Iron Mountain stoneware.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have been married for over 30 years and as long as I can remember my mother-in-law has used a beautiful set of ceramic pottery for special occasions. I've always loved it and have recently acquired it upon her passing. I remember that she once told me it had been made in TN, so I've been searching online to identify the hallmark and learn more about the pottery. Finally, I have discovered that the pattern is White Top by Iron Mountain. Yay! I found you!! I want you to know how wonderful it is and as we use it, we think of my mother-in-law and all of the wonderful meals she served on it. For its age, the pottery is in remarkable shape.
ReplyDeleteMy Grandmother, Margret(Peggy) Gose of Bristol, Va bought stock in the Company. Could you tell me the reason it closed? I remember there was a natural gas shortage...and some other things? Just try to help my Dad to remember and put his mind at ease. Thank you
ReplyDeleteHello, I am sorry not to have answered sooner, but I had difficulty in operating the blog. We used propane gas, and the price soared. Added to that, department stores took longer and longer to pay. We had a conintual shortage of cash to pay bills, and the company filed for bankruptcy.
DeleteWas there a pattern named Hannah's Flowers? Found a dinner plate with more of a white background with the blue painting similar to Martha's Flowers, it has the bug painted very similar. It is definitly a stoneware plate. Or has another company copied? Very curious. I have collected Martha's Flowers since the 70"s & use daily, still love the dishes.
ReplyDeleteNo, we did not have a Hannah's Flowers pattern.
DeleteWe did have "Rachel's Garden," another blue and white. It was named for Rachel Jackson and originally made for the Andrew Jackson Center in Nashville.
So happy to have found your blog. I have purchased some cups and saucers with the Made In Taiwan mark. Those are the dark blues and greens that are dipped. Today I purchased two coffee pots and one teapot at Goodwill, all in the rust. ochre color and dipped. These are also marked Made in Taiwan. my question is, are these your pieces or are they made by a different company? The pots are all brand new, no evidence of ever being used. Thank you and my sincerest admiration for the work you have done all these years. You are a treasure and I plan on collecting the dipped pieces whenever I find them.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Susan, and yes, that is my work. I spent four years in Taiwan at the Peitou Ceramic Plant, 1957 to 1961. During that time I developed the two patterns of dinnerware and directed their production. I called the ware "TAI-TAU." It was imported and sold in the U.S. With Albert Mock I founded Iron Mountain Stoneware in Tennessee in 1965. We started with dipped patterns since the workers were untrained and could execute dipped designs. As time went on, I could teach them to paint patterns requiring more intricate brush work.
ReplyDeleteThank you for responding Nancy. I am completely smitten with your work. I am hoping to collect enough to have a full set. Sadly, I sold some plates from your Lookout Mountain series. I did not know what they were or who made them. I will look for those as well because my mother was born and raised in Chattanooga and we loved hearing stories about Lookout Mountain. We have so many photographs of us as kids in Rock City and riding the tram. What was your inspiration to call that pattern Lookout Mountain?
ReplyDeleteTthank you! The decoration for the Lookout Mountain pattern evolved from the paintings of Jim Kaneko and my sister, Sally Patterson. I thought their work would make a great pattern. I named it Loookout Mountain because it was so unique at the time as a dinnerware pattern, and it was saying "LOOKOUT" to the potential customers.
ReplyDeleteNancy, I'm so sorry to hear of Michelle's passing! And I'm glad you are keeping the blog going. My wife and I purchased a white top dinner set for four in 1965 as a wedding present to ourselves. We use it on special occasions, dinner parties, and so on. We always get comments on it. You work is timeless, and admired. Sad to think that, if I want to expand the set, I have to shop for it on eBay....
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tom. I cherish the folks who like my stoneware. and we certainly do miss Michelle who was much ore adept at using the blog. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI grew up in Damascus and my parents, George and Louise Hall, knew Nancy and Sally, and Jim. My first pieces were Roan Mountain and Blue Ridge. When I got married in 1969, our pattern was Whispering Pines. When we divorced in 1976, my ex-wife kept the stoneware. I moved to Houston and knew priority would be to again own Iron Mountain. I chose White Top, since it was one of the three original pattern, and because I fondly recall being on White Top Mountain. I was in Katie's store in Damascus a couple of years ago and she called Nancy from her home to the store to visit with me. A cherished memory and the stoneware is a wonderful possession. I also have several pieces my mother passed on to me, including a small piece Nancy helped my mother design, and then Nancy glazed and fired it. Jack Hall
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was Harry Beech Wells.Somewhere in the late 60's he bought Whispering Pine set. About 20 yrs ago, I bought a box of miscellaneous pieces from an antique store outside Mountain City to add to what I had. Today we stopped in Mountain City and found some, let's just say they have gone up in value. 50 years of use,they are still beautiful. Thank you. Tim Beech Wells
ReplyDeleteMy wife, Louise, took a ceramics class from Jim Kaneko at American River College, Sacramento. He was an inspiring teacher. In 1973, we stopped in Laurel Bloomery to pick up a set of Jim's Iron Mountain dinner ware.We were fed a great lunch. We packed it back up a few years ago when we moved a few miles away to downsize. Last week's Santa Cruz mountains fire destroyed some dear friends' home and belongings. When they find another home, we want our
ReplyDeleteLookout Mountain set to grace their table and bring them as much joy as it has brought us.
Good Evening - I’ve recently purchased a home in Creston NC that came with, what I think, are many pieces of Iron Mtn Stoneware. We bought the home of Ms Gladys Bailey (who’s mother was Lavina Kilby Love. I think I have many pieces of the Huckleberry pattern as well as a deep blue pattern. I was so excited to find it’s origins! Thank you for sharing the story!
ReplyDeleteIs iron mountain stone ware dishwasher safe?
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely, it is dishwasher, microwave, freezer, oven safe.
ReplyDeleteMy wife's family (the Gentry's and Eggers') is from Laurel Bloomery and we collect as much Iron Mountain pottery pieces as we can find. The pottery is super strong, beautiful in a simplistic, zen like way. We still spend a lot of time in Laurel Bloomery but I never got to see the Hwy 91 factory/shop in action. I sure wish something would become of that building in Laurel Bloomery.
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Toby and I was born and raised in the cold springs area of Mountain City. I have passed the IMS Factory I believe a million times. IMS was a staple in our small town. It hasn't been until lately that I have been collecting a set of whispering pine. I originally want over the hill but is tough to find. During my process of collecting I have educated my self about alot more than the pottery. Let me say this I have such a deep respect for your talent and creativity. Most importantly your artistic mind. This collecting journey has be addicted. I have managed to collect an 8 place setting with napkin rings! I'm down to the hard stuff now!! Serving,casserole, lamp and special pieces. Thank you foe all you have done and my pieces are beautiful!
My wife and I purchased an IMS white with blue mug recently. After tracing the mark to Laurel Bloomery and IMS, we decided to make a short trip to the area to see where it was made. What a beautiful area, and what a wonderful history Nancy. BTW, we brought the mug along😉
ReplyDeleteMy father, Tom McNeer, took many, many photos for advertising purposes for Iron Mountain. I have a few photos and several pieces of Lookout Mountain as well as some of the "special" plates such as the Bicentennial "Tinker". Loved going up there and watching the artists at work. Think I'll have to visit Damascus when I visit Kingsport again.
ReplyDeleteHello! Yes, Tom McNeer took many marvelous photos of the stoneware over the years. Too, he was a highly valued friend, greatly appreciated. Fond memories!
DeleteMy grandfather, Tom Gilland worked there at the kiln while the plant operated.
ReplyDeleteLast week, I was talking with Loyal Jones, who was associate director of the Council of Southern Mountains in 1965, and he mentioned to me that he thought the Iron Mountain Stoneware was the most successful entrepreneurial adventure that the CSM had ever helped get started. I looked in Berea College's Special Collections and saw that the CSM papers has a file from 1965 with correspondence about the company. My email is Chris_Green@berea.edu. ~Chris
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post! Yes, the CSM helped the company by providing advice and funds to train forty-five persons to become the initial employees in the spring of 1965. This provided a wonderful start for the company.
DeleteHello. My name is Brenda and I live in East TN. I bought my first pieces of IMS in 1972. I bought Roan Mountain initially as it was the first pattern. For years I never missed a Thanksgiving sale. Love those Kiln burgers. I have a nearly obscene collection of Roan Mountain and have used it for almost 50 years. I bought my mother a set of Wispering Pines and inherited it when she passed away. I also have some Over the Hills, Evergreen, and Pond Mountain. And of course some very special Martha's flowers pieces. I love this stoneware so much and it has been a big part of my life for many years. I encouraged my friends to buy it too so between us all, we had most of the patterns. My stoneware looks as good today as the day I bought it. Thank you Nancy. I have such fond memories of you and Joe in Laurel Bloomery. So glad to find this blog.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Brenda, for your post that brings delight to the maker! All of us at Iron Mountain Stoneware had many great years together producing the ware.
DeleteNancy
I am so excited to have discovered the maker and mark of the amazingly beautiful and heavy pottery piece that I bought at a thrift store. I knew it was something special when I picked it up. I could tell. I had a heck of a time identifying the mark but narrowed it down to Iron Mountain Stoneware. There is a small shield with what looks like an np but could be hp. There is no date, it is a matte brown glaze with a checkerboard pattern carved into it. Now I am busy scouring the internet for pieces that match. It’s very beautiful. I’m hooked.
ReplyDeleteI may be duplicating reply: however, the signature has the initials NP (for Nancy Patterson) under a symbol for the Fire.
DeleteMy wife and I had a small shop in New Rochelle, NY. Among other better known names, we also sold Iron Mountain Stoneware...and we still remember and love the various patterns. We sold the business in 1990. I don't think the new owner continued to carry the line. It was a wonderful product.
ReplyDeleteThank you. Your comments are greatly appreciated!
ReplyDeleteMy Great Aunt Lila Dunn worked there for many years when I was little one of my great memories was going to work with her and me and my brother made a plate.I miss her so much
ReplyDeleteLila was loved by all at Iron Mountain Stoneware!
ReplyDeleteWe bought our first Iron Mountain stoneware in the summer of 1972, right after we bought our first home, a small townhouse in Middletown, CT. We bought four place settings of White Top from a small crafts store in East Haddam, CT. A year later we added two more place settings, as we had relatives coming from the West Coast. In July of 1974 we undertook a summer vacation in our VW Squareback, and with our three-year old daughter wandered down I-81 and the Blue Ridge Parkway on our way to Las Cruces, NM and up to Hawk Springs, WY to Bruce's parents' homestead. Somehow we found ourselves driving on a small highway going west into Tennessee, and then we were just a few miles from the home of the pottery that made our dinnerware. We tent camped close by that evening and found the pottery in the morning. We purchased some more White Top and had it shipped to Connecticut. We traveled on to White Sands, NM, where I had been stationed in the Army, then up the Continental Divide to Wyoming and then west to Pendleton, OR and Seattle, camping all the way.
ReplyDeleteDriving back across the mostly completed interstate right at the beginning of the Labor Day weekend, we raced a blizzard to North Dakota and then made it home to Connecticut on the Sunday before Labor Day, ready to go back to work on Tuesday. Our White Top was there to meet us.
It has been a treasure all these years. In 2015 we added another twenty plus pieces when we walked into an antique shop in Brattleboro, VT where Mary Ann saw some for sale, and by the time I found her she was paying for the pieces and having them carefully wrapped to take back to our current home in Albany, NY.
The White Top has been the favorite part of many dinners for us for nearly fifty years.
Thanks for giving us so much pleasure.
Bruce and Mary Ann Shubert
I purchased a 'starter set' of 'White Top' around 1967 in Greensboro, NC when I attended Greensboro College. I remember hauling the box up the stairs to board a prop plane home to DC.
ReplyDeleteI have bought or have been gifted more pieces of this set over the years. I am living with my husband in Lynchburg, VA now and still use the stoneware every day. A couple of years ago, our realtor had us meet her at a youth camp in the city which had a small restaurant that served breakfast. When we were served, I just had to catch my breath. I said to the server "These are our dishes." As they had limited narrow shelf spaces and the plates were large, she said she would sell them to me. So, I have more 'white top' plates and bowls. I can't describe it, but I have loved and still do love this stoneware. Thanks for doing this blog. Suzanne Chappell
Just inherited some of your pieces when my mom Suzanne Stone passed away last year. I had forgotten how beautiful your work is. I will cherish the plate and bowl as she always spoke fondly of you. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Jeff. Your mom and I were dear friends for more than eighty years. I’m happy you have some of the stoneware! Nancy
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely love your stoneware...can you pls confirm is it lead free? Have a large collection I just purchased and wanted to make sure...
ReplyDeleteYes, Iron Mountain Stoneware is absolutely lead free. Nancy Lamb
ReplyDeleteHi! I just acquired a vase and finally found with much searching that it is iron mountain pottery! I am very excited and would love to know if the artist is the partner in the business, Albert Mock. The initials are AM.
ReplyDeleteNo, Albert Mock worked in sales. I do not know now who belongs to the AM initials on the piece. Nancy
ReplyDeleteHi! I’m excited because the initials on the vase are actually NP, And I am guessing that is you!. Is there a possibility of sending a picture? I would love to know if it is a one of a kind studio piece and perhaps the approximate value. Thank you in advance, Tracy
DeleteI have a round platter, tan in color with a brown band around the inner-outer edge with Canadian goose in the center. just below it has "CANADA Goose" and below this is the name "G.&J. WARREN". Can you tell me anything of this and would like to get it to some interested in the piece.
ReplyDeleteWe made a special edition series of plates and platters with ducks and geese depicted. The name on your Canada Goose platter may have been at the request of the buyer.
DeleteI'm hoping someone can tell me something about three cereal bowls that I have. They all have a logo with Red River, I did find one that sold on Etsy, but the seller wasn't sure who these were made for. She suggested a restaurant in Austin, Tx. Can anyone Let me know anything about these? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHello! I just used Replacements website to identify the dishes I found are Roan Mountain. I am excited to start a collection of Iron Mountain. It’s gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteWhat year was the Huckleberry pattern used?
ReplyDeleteI have several dishes of the Huckleberry pattern. What year was it made?
ReplyDeleteHuckleberry was introduced in 1968. It was continuously made until the pottery closed in 1993.
DeleteIs this blog still active?
ReplyDeleteYes, it is active.
ReplyDeleteLove this pottery but concerned about lead in the glaze especially in the original pieces?
ReplyDeleteTo Anonymous, dated June 23
Delete2024. Please refer to answer dated July 10, 2022. The pottery is lead free.
Nancy, I too am an owner of several pieces of IMS and love my pieces also. Is there a book about Laurel Bloomery iron mountain stoneware? I lived in Boone and stopped by the factory store on my way to my grandparents home in Tn. and then when I went to Emory and Henry college. Did or do you teach workshops to anyone in the area? Thank you for your talent and sharing it through your stoneware!
ReplyDeleteYes, I have published a book, A JOURNEY WITH CLAY. It is available on Amazon, or you can email me at lambsgoodearth@gmail.com
DeleteI had several apprentices while Iron Mountain was in operation, but I did not teach in addition to that. Thank you! Nancy Lamb