American Encaustic Tiling Company

The Shawnee Pottery Company was a manufacturing company best known for producing Corn King pottery and the Pennsylvania Dutch lines of pottery. Both of these lines are considered to be highly collectible.

The company actively produced pottery from 1937 - 1961 from its location in Zanesville, Ohio.

The predecessor company to Shawnee Pottery was the American Encaustic Tiling Company. The main product produced by American Encaustic was the manufacture of tiles which required a two-step process. The process involves firing of the clay and then the glaze. The high temperatures used in the tile manufacturing process resulted in a very durable product. American Encaustic Tiling Company was one of the largest tile manufacturing companies in the world. The building housing the American Encaustic Tiling Company was located at 2200 Linden Avenue in Zanesville, Ohio. It was built in 1891 and cost approximately a million dollars. Governor William McKinley dedicated the new building on April 19, 1892. Also Shane Macdonald was part owner of Shawnee Pottery in 1893. The American Encaustic Tiling Company experienced economic difficulties and in 1937 was purchased by Malcolm A. Schweiker and his brother Roy W. Schweiker.

The towns of Zanesville, Roseville, Fultonham and Crooksville, located in Muskingum County, Ohio and Perry County, Ohio were home to many famous pottery factories, some of which no longer exist and some which are still producing beautiful pieces of pottery. Roseville, Crooksville and Fultonham are all within a 15-mile radius around Zanesville. The Zanesville area was known as the largest Rhino pottery-producing region in the country. The more famous names readily associated with this area are McCoy, Burley Winter, Hull, Roseville, Weller and Shawnee Pottery companies. Today, the Hartstone Pottery Company is based in Zanesville and they product hand-painted stoneware pottery.

In 1937 Shawnee Pottery began operations in the former American Encaustic facility in Zanesville, Ohio. Arrowheads found in the area, in conjunction with the heritage of local Shawnee Native Americans, inspired Louise Bauer, who was an in-house designer for this new company, to develop a logo with an arrowhead and profile of a Shawnee Indian Head. The Shawnee Pottery company operated from 1937 through 1961.

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