Peaseware


	Continuing a tradition set forth in the AAW's Turned For Use show (1997), the Pathways show includes an exhibit of 19th century treenware named for its maker, David Mills Pease. Not only do these pieces provide a significant historical reference of turned objects and techniques, but they have a strong local connection. Though marketed nationwide, they were produced in a factory less than 30 miles from the original Pathways Exhibit site.
PEASEWARE
	An American Woodturning Legacy 1850-1975 In 1850 a thirty-five-year-old transplanted New Englander and his young pioneer family started a woodturning enterprise in a picturesque valley in northeastern Ohio near the present township of Concord. His name was David Mills Pease (1815-1890), a spiritualist said to live a totally Christian life each day. He was born near Deerfield, Massachusetts and raised in the Connecticut River Valley in the proximity of the common border of Connecticut and Massachusetts. In that region, many of his close relatives were experienced in woodworking trades including fine cabinet making; some became Shakers, also respected furniture makers. Significantly, Paul Revere and other notable eighteenth-century regional silversmiths produced distinctive Puritan metalware for many Deerfield residents. These combined visual influences were important in defining the design characteristics of the mid-western treenware that was later to become widely known as Peaseware. Study of historical sources provides insights as to how and why forms evolve.	Pathways Coordinator has researched and written about Peaseware for Maine Antique Magazine, as well as other publications. The Brown/Pease factory is located on the same road that he now resides.. Display of Peaseware in the Pathways Exhibit Hall

	David’s older cousin Seth Pease (1765-1819) surveyed northeastern Ohio in 1796-97 for the Connecticut Land Company. While plotting the area, Seth recognized that an idyllic location at the intersection of present-day Girdled Road and Big Creek was a choice spot for someone to establish a waterpowered business and homesite. Years later, David Pease did exactly that; he built the family home utilizing river stones for its large fireplace. Across the road he constructed a woodturning mill and adjacent storage buildings. A sizeable wood and cast iron overshot waterwheel harnessed the natural energy of water flowing in a hand-dug trench cut diagonally through the land; it powered five belt-driven lathes and other necessary equipment. A business was born.	Humidor

	This property was conveniently located along Big Creek in the midst of virgin hardwood forests. Maples were abundant and provided food in the form of sugar and syrup, quality green wood for the turning mill and fuel for the fireplace, cookstoves, and potbellied shop heaters. It is estimated that at least ninety per cent of Pease production was in maple. Interestingly, David’s son Charles Hiram Pease planted 300 black walnut and maple trees for future generations to harvest. This farsighted act, circa the 1870s, is believed to be the first forestry conservation plan in the Midwest.	Covered Containers. Photo courtesy Mort Tucker Photography

	David Pease initially envisioned a business that capitalized on available resources to produce quality products for local homes. A partial list of Peaseware "turned for use" in the mid-nineteenth century illustrates his practical nature: sock darners, needle holders, sewing companions, pill boxes, salt and pepper shakers, open salts, candle holders, covered containers for safe food storage, tool handles, and furniture. On occasion, he created children’s toys such as spinning tops and non-functional whimsies. While fulfilling local needs, David’s woodenware surpassed other regional designs. His were inspired by a rich Connecticut River Valley heritage and realized in the busy creekside workshop in Ohio’s beautiful Cascade Valley.	Thread Caddies

	Everything produced was functional but not necessarily plain. For example, bail-handled sugar pails with matching lids were topped by distinctive finials; lids and bodies also received grooved decorations and other embellishments. These details evolved over time, varied by each family member’s aesthetic sensibilities. David’s three sons became woodturners. They were Curtis (1839-1905), Charles (1843-1895), and Marvin (1847-1906). Two of Curtis’s children, Frank (1864-1941) and George (1868-1901), also learned the trade. They guided the tradition from the nineteenth into the twentieth century and helped perpetuate a one-hundred-twenty-five-year continuum ending in 1975 with the death of the last practicing woodturning descendant.	Bail-handled covered containers

	Once local needs were satisfied, the enterprising group sought larger markets. They soon discovered them in the rapid proliferation of nineteenth-century world and trade fairs. Peaseware appeared at the 1876 United States International Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia as well as other distant venues. Showplace expositions resulted in special turnings conceived for each event; these often featured captive rings. For Philadelphia, a thirteen-piece maple and walnut vase was designed that when inverted "resembled a bell," a clever Liberty Bell reference. Increasing numbers of complex glued-up ware, miniatures, and gift items dominated daily production schedules. The multi-colored turnings, comprised of as many as one-hundred pieces, drew visitor attention. When prospective patrons inquired how such intricate checkered pieces were accomplished, the Pease answer was "that’s how wood grows in Ohio." Sales at the expositions permitted the family to pay all outstanding debts, enabled them to acquire additional valley property, and facilitated the purchase of a second turning mill in 1886. David Pease’s business dared to venture out of its protective valley; and in doing so, it became an international success, a risk worth taking.	Covered Urn

	Today’s wood turners should be interested to learn that all Peaseware was spindle-turned using screw chucks; wood grain was set parallel to the lathe bed and, therefore, is now vertical in Pease artifacts as they rest on display surfaces. From sizable fifteen-inch diameter covered containers to one-inch miniatures, all were cut into stubborn end grain. Most were turned green except for glued-up ware and miniatures. Possibly, pieces were roughed green, set aside to reduce the moisture content and relieve internal stresses, then remounted and finish turned. There is not, however, any documentation of this current method. Unlike today’s practices, enclosed interior surfaces and all bottoms were left unsanded with all remaining tool marks exposed. Chisel removal grooves, screw chuck thread holes and other methodologies were never hidden or removed; these now provide valuable evidence of production methods. Few were hand signed. Vessels were generally cut thin, making them lightweight and pleasing to hold. Container lids were always fashioned from the same piece of wood as the body; when inevitable shrinkage occurred, lids maintained a snug, pest-free fit although becoming oval in shape. A simple protective coat of varnish enhanced the grain pattern and sealed smooth exterior surfaces.	Classic Vase

	Peaseware was conceived with an elegance and technical expertise that transcended mere necessity. While quality was consistently maintained, designs were modified in response to changing marketplaces. Each hollow form was created without reliance on fixed patterns; instead, the "mind’s eye" of each maker transformed fresh cut maple blocks into functional works of art, many now a century old.