Kiln Firing Day | Genesee Country Village & Museum
When
Where
Genesee Country Village & Museum
1410 Flint Hill Road
Mumford, NY 14511
Mumford, NY 14511
Get Directions
Contact
info@gcv.org
585-538-6822
Experience a traditional kiln firing!
Guests who join us on Saturday, November 15, will have the chance to see something very special happening in the Potter’s Shop located in our 19th-century Historic Village – we’re going to be firing the wood-fired kiln!
Genesee Country Village & Museum is the only living history museum in the northeast that fires salt-glazed stoneware in a wood-fired kiln as it was done in the 19th century. Join us on this exciting day to experience this unique historical happening!
Firing the kiln
Starting early in the morning, the kiln (filled with newly-crafted ceramic pieces) will be bricked up and lit. The flames will be stoked continuously throughout the day.
The end temperature will reach nearly 2300°, which will mature the clay, turn the cobalt decoration into the traditional blue, and create a glazed surface by introducing salt into the firebox during the last hour of firing.
After cooling for quite some time, these brand-new pieces will make their way to the Flint Hill Store and Village Mercantile, where they will be available for purchase!
Explore the history of stoneware production in NY State
When you visit on Kiln Firing Day, make sure to head upstairs in our Town Hall building to explore an exhibit on 19th-century stoneware in the Genesee Valley and Greater Rochester Area! Then, as you make your way around our historic homes and functional kitchens, keep your eye out for repeated shapes, motifs, and uses of stoneware, red ware, Bristol, and Albany slip.
Take home a piece of history
Village Potters Kate Hevers and Mark Presher work on-site during the Museum’s high season (May – October) crafting unique ceramic pieces and educating visitors about their materials and methods.
Salt glazing has its origins in Germany around 1520, and the technology was brought to this region by German potters. Stoneware vessels were a kitchen essential used primarily for long-term storage of food as well as everyday use. Each piece of GCV&M pottery is unique, and the potters produce a variety of styles including Salt Glazed Stoneware, Albany Slip, Bristol, and Redware. The materials used to create the pottery are locally sourced, and each design featured on pottery references historical markings on ceramic pieces from the New York State region in the 19th century.
Ticket Information
Museum Members | FREE
Adults | $16
Seniors (62+) and Students age 13 – 18 | $14
Youth (4 – 12) | $10
Age 3 & Under | FREE
