In 1975 Phil Schaltenbrand, Westerwald Pottery’s founder, was asked to design a few “appropriate” pieces of pottery for the America’s upcoming bicentennial. At the time Phil was a 33 year old university art professor and a little known maker of artistic, one-of-a-kind pottery products. The professor drew on his knowledge of early Pennsylvania stoneware to fashion a few simple pieces that he inscribed with town names and embellished with traditional colonial-flavored decorations.
The genius of Schaltenbrand’s idea was so simple it is hard to believe it was not conceived decades earlier. Westerwald offered potential customers the opportunity to order products that could be inscribed with specific names, dates, images etc. As soon as an order was placed Westerwald’s craftsmen started production from scratch. Not only were pieces individualized, no two were exactly alike. On the shelves of retail shops customer emotion made Westerwald’s pottery hard to resist.
June has a selection of Westerwald pots with military base names personalized on them. It’s a lovely collection for anyone, including the military family. If your post or name is not at the Cottage, June is happy to order your personalized pot for you.
