Museum of Ceramics

Museum of Ceramics is at 400 E. Fifth St. in the renovated 1909 post office building. The Beaux Arts structure features decorated domed ceilings, antique glass pendant lamps, and marble and terrazzo floors. Exhibits trace the rise and decline of the ceramics industry in East Liverpool 1840-1930 and its effects on the town and its people. Since the late 19th century, area potteries in the town have been producing more than half of the nation's ceramic products. The ceramics collection spans three centuries. The collection features WPA-era paintings and a large display of Victorian Lotus Ware porcelain, which won the gold medal at the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago. A 10-minute video introduces the history of East Liverpool and the pottery industry. Life-size dioramas include a jigger shop, kiln and a decorating shop while photographs, charts and maps trace local history. Also displayed are an 1850s two-person potter's wheel, murals and paintings from the 1930s and early 1940s, six rare 1900s Craven Art Pottery objects, a 1930s Fiesta Ware tray with Art Deco handle and a 1940s Hall China Donut Teapot. Guided tours are available with advance notice, depending on staff availability. Guided tours are available.