You might want to put Seagrove, N.C., on your bucket list

Keep your eye on Seagrove in Randolph County, N.C. It’s a little town in the middle of the state with a “rural quality of life” that’s out the wazoo. 

Seagrove is peaceful, pretty and quiet…yet quirky. Its residents include a slew of creative artists who make and sell decorative pottery. Seagrove claims to be the “home of America’s largest community of working potters.”

 

The official population of Seagrove hovers around 240, but the place rocks during the peak of “arts and crafts tourism season” – mainly October-December.

 

Ben Owen III

Seagrove might be suggestive of an ocean view, but Randolph County is a good hike from the coast – about 230 miles west of Morehead City. 

The town was meant to be named after Edwin G. Seagroves, a civil engineer who was employed by railroad investor Allison Francis Page. Seagroves was tasked to oversee construction of 56 miles of railway between Aberdeen and Asheboro in 1896. 

A train depot was planned to be built near Henry Yow’s general store, and it needed a name. Page was so enamored by Edwin Seagroves’ work that he chose to make this depot his namesake. 

However, the sign painter failed to “plan ahead” and ran out of space – dropping the ‘s’ from the end of the name. The error was never corrected. The depot as well as the town have been “Seagrove” ever since. 

The early Seagrove potters capitalized on Randolph County’s thriving moonshining industry during the Prohibition era. Somebody had to make all those liquor jugs for the moonshine still owners. 

The late Dr. George W. Troxler, an Elon University history professor, credits Jacques and Juliana Busbee of Raleigh with “saving the pottery industry in Randolph and Moore counties from extinction” in 1921 when they opened Jugtown Pottery near Seagrove. 

“Jacques Busbee had studied art and design in New York City,” Dr. Troxler said. “His wife, Juliana, a photographer and illustrator, had actively promoted folk crafts as chair of the art department of the Federation of Women’s Clubs of North Carolina.” 

For several years, the Busbees collected work from local potters and shipped those items to New York, selling the pottery at a tearoom in Greenwich Village operated by Juliana. 

“They hired and trained young potters to preserve the traditional shapes and glazes. Several Jugtown potters later started their own pottery studios,” Dr. Troxler said. 

Two of Seagrove’s best master potters spent time at Jugtown – Charlie Teague and Ben Owen. 

Jugtown is now owned by Vernon Owens and his wife, Pam Owens. Their children, Travis and Bayle (from the fifth generation of family potters), are carrying on the legacy.

 

Travis Owens

Today, the North Carolina Pottery Center in Seagrove is basically a state “welcome center” devoted solely to pottery. 

The center will celebrate its 25-year anniversary in 2023, with a goal of reinforcing its stature as the “gateway through which visitors enhance their appreciation of North Carolina’s world-class clay culture.”

Crystal King

 

Visitors are encouraged to tour North Carolina’s “Pottery Road Scenic Byway” (N.C. Route 705) that connects about 100 ceramic shops, pottery studios and galleries in the area. 

American pottery guru Jack Troy says North Carolina rules. “No other state has such a highly developed pottery-consciousness,” he remarked. 

A “suburb” of Seagrove is Why Not. This settlement dates back to 1860. Residents got together to try to select a name. Lots of names were suggested. Why not name it this and why not name it that? 

Alfred Yow finally spoke up: “Let’s name us ‘Why Not’ and let’s go home.” They did…and they did.