Born: 1896, United States
Died: 1971
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Ethel Hill
The following is republished with permission from the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail.
Ethel Hill Henderson (1896-1971) managed the kiln at the Dorchester Pottery Works factory. The kiln building is a designated Boston Landmark and is located on Victory Rd. in Dorchester.
Ethel Hill was born in Pennsylvania in 1896 and married Charles Henderson in 1919. Their marriage certificate lists her occupation as a schoolteacher. He was a manufacturer and son of George Henderson, who founded the Dorchester Pottery Works. Ethel and Charles assumed the running of the business when George died in 1928. Ethel had been a clothing and design teacher at Dorchester High School and eventually became the superintendent of the kiln. The Dorchester Pottery Works began as a producer of commercial stoneware used in industry and farming. After sales of such items as mash feeders, chicken fountains, and acid pots and dipping baskets used to manufacture jewelry suffered due to the Great Depression, the company focused on making its signature blue and gray stoneware. Ethel decorated tableware items such as those seen above with traditional New England motifs. After the death of her husband in 1967, she continued to oversee the business with the help of family members. A number of other artists decorated the pottery as well. Ethel died in 1971, and a fire destroyed the family’s living area and part of the business quarters in 1980. Attempts by the Clam Point Neighborhood Association to purchase the remains and create a museum at the site were unsuccessful.