PAMPLIN AREA PIPE FORMS
The pipes are illustrated natural size. The largest and the smallest pipe of each form available to us are shown. In many instances this difference in size is not great; however, it does illustrate that minor variations often existed in different molds for the same pipe form. The diameters for the stem openings have not been included since they have proved useful only in consideration of the earlier integral-stem clays, and not for consideration of the “short-base” pipes of the type and time included in this report (Wilson, 1971:2).
| TABLE NO. 1. | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sources of Pipes, and Relative Numbers Available for Examination. | ||
| Total number of pipes inspected—4,451. | ||
| Plate. | Source. | Number of Examples. |
| [13] A. | Both | Many |
| [13] B. | Home | 2 |
| [13] C. | Home | 11 |
| [14] D. | Home | 4 |
| [14] E. | Home | Many |
| [14] F. | Both | Many |
| [15] G. | Factory | Many |
| [15] H. | Home | 3 |
| [15] I. | Factory | Many |
| [16] J. | Factory | Many |
| [16] K. | Both | Many |
| [16] L. | Factory | Many |
| [17] M. | Both | 37 |
| [17] N. | Factory | 1 |
| [17] O. | Factory | 1 |
| [17] P. | Both | Many |
| [18] Q. | Both | Many |
| [18] R. | Home | 10 |
| [18] S. | Both | Many |
| [19] T. | Home | 14 |
| [19] U. | Home | 2 |
| [19] V. | Factory | 1 |
| [19] W. | Surface | 1 |
| [20] X. | Factory | 1 |
| [20] Y. | Both | 2 |
| [20] Z. | Factory | 4 |
| [20] AA. | Factory | 4 |
| [21] AB. | Factory | 1 |
| [21] AC. | Home | 1 |
| [21] AD. | Factory | 1 |
| [21] AE. | Factory | 1 |
| [22] AF. | Factory | 2 |
| [22] AG. | Factory | 1 |
| [22] AH. | Factory | 1 |
| [22] AI. | Factory | 2 |
| [23] AJ. | Factory | 1 |
| [23] AK. | Factory | 1 |
| [23] AL. | Surface | 1 |
| [23] AM. | Home | 2 |
| TABLE NO. 2 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Identifications Appearing On Certain Pamplin Pipes. | |||
| Plate: | Source of Pipe. | Designation. | Lettering. |
| [13] A. | Both | Original | Impressed |
| [13] B. | Home | Original | Impressed |
| [17] M. | Both | Original or Florence | Impressed |
| [18] Q. | Both | Hayiti | Impressed |
| [18] R. | Home | Genuine | Impressed |
| [19] V. | Factory | 117 | Raised |
| [20] Z. | Factory | Catlins | Raised |
| [20] AA. | Factory | 103 | Raised |
| [21] AC. | Home | Original | Impressed |
| [21] AD. | Factory | Powhatan | Impressed |
[Plate 13] A. Slightly Acute Angle. Made both in the factory and in the home. Many examples. All are a deep, dark, glossy red, except 9 pipes which were a light brown. Plain round bowl, octagonal base. It was made in at least 12 slightly varying sizes, there being that many variations between the large and the small pipe illustrated. This was the Pamplin Company’s “Original” Powhatan, and it was no doubt one of the Company’s leaders in production and sales. The word “ORIGINAL” is impressed in the right side of each base, with the exception of one single pipe, and the lettering appears in at least three different sizes, there being no correlation between the letter size and pipe size. This is a sturdily made pipe.
The Company emphasized in its publicity that the Indians had originally demonstrated to the early settlers the method of making the Powhatan and so had enabled them to make this exact form, thereby inferring that this model should have been of particular interest and worth. No doubt at some time and place in our history a happening of this nature may have occurred. However, the Powhatan is a usual form which has been found in aboriginal sites, with some modifications and of varying materials, over a wide area.
Many of these pipes appeared, both from the factory site and among those made by local women and retrieved from the basement of the Thornton General Store. Mrs. Betty Price said that this form was a standard product of the local Home Industry pipe makers before the factory ever came to Pamplin and one of the earliest made in the area. All of the pipes available to us carried the designation “Original” except one.
The making of clay pipes was an old and well established business at Pamplin; whether the impressing of the word ORIGINAL on the base of this pipe was an innovation of the Pamplin Smoking Pipe and Manufacturing Company, or whether this had been long done by the Home Industry is unknown.
[Plate 13] B. Slightly Acute Angle. Home. 2 examples. Dark red. Plain round bowl, octagonal base. Quite similar to “A” except both bowl and base are shorter, and diameter of bowl proportionally larger. “ORIGINAL” is impressed on right side of base. A very sturdy pipe.
[Plate 13] C. Slightly Acute Angle. Home. 11 examples. Glossy dark red. Round bowl, octagonal base. Upper part of bowl plain, lower front portion decorated with a series of raised dots. The dotted area is divided into two triangles, as well as separated from the undecorated area by raised and rounded bands. The mold marks in the undecorated area have been almost entirely smoothed. It would seem that all pipes of this form came from the same mold, in contrast to the fact that at least most other Pamplin pipe forms seem to have come from a number of different molds.
The two pipe forms “C” and “B” are quite similar, except that “C” has decoration as well as a slightly longer base, and is not marked “Original” Both are sturdily built, with thicker than average bowl walls, and both were retrieved from the Thornton Store site; no examples were found at the factory site. They are probably the product of the same individual woman working at her home.
[Plate 14] D. Slightly Acute Angle. Home. 4 examples. This is a black pipe. The deep, solid color was probably intentionally achieved by allowing portions of the burning wood of the kiln to fall into the iron kettles which were used as saggers for the firing of pipes in the Home Industry. The bowl and base are round, with diagonal cross-hatched decoration on bowl, separated from the same decoration on remainder of base by a narrow rounded band. Flat band at both top of bowl and end of base. The right and left halves of the pipe are separated from each other, front and back, by a broad smooth ridge covering the mold mark.
[Plate 14] E. Slightly Acute Angle. Home. Many examples. Bright red. Bowl and base decoration similar to “D”, but this form is somewhat smaller than “D”. Double band at both top of bowl and end of base, the outside band broad and flat, inside band narrow and rounded. Only slight variations in size.
[Plate 14] F. Right Angle. Both. Many examples. Dull red. The Company called this their “Akron Hamburg”. The diagonally cross-hatched bowl decoration is separated from the diagonal line base decoration by a rounded band. Double band at both top of bowl and end of base, the outside band broad and flat, the inside band narrow and rounded. The right and left halves of the pipe are divided from each other, front and back, by a broad smooth ridge covering the mold mark. Only slight variations in size.
[Plate 15] G. Right Angle. Factory. Many examples. Dull red. Diagonal line decoration on bowl runs at right angles to that on base. Double band at top of bowl and stem end of base, outside band flat, inside band narrower and rounded. The right and left halves of the pipe are divided from each other, front and back, by a broad smooth ridge which covers the mold mark. Two slightly different sizes.
[Plate 15] H. Acute Angle. Home. 3 examples. Dull, dark red. Spiral decoration on bowl, plain hexagonal base. Double band at top of bowl, upper flat, lower rounded. Large rounded band at end of base.
[Plate 15] I. Right Angle. Factory. Many examples. Dull, dark red; a few are light brown. The Company called this model their “Ole Virginny Shaker”. Grooves of decoration run vertically on bowl and curve toward the bottom to stop at a rounded band, then continue horizontally to stem end of base. Double band at top of bowl, upper flat, lower rounded. Double band at stem end of base, inside band rounded; the outside band may be either rounded or flat; if flat, the end of base is noticeably swelled. Five slightly varying sizes.
[Plate 16] J. Sharply acute Angle. Factory. Many examples. Dark red. Broad grooves of decoration run from top of bowl and curve toward bottom to continue to stem end of base, or curve back around bowl. Double band at top of bowl, upper flat, lower rounded. Prominent rounded swell at stem end of base. At least 4 different sizes.
[Plate 16] K. Acute Angle. Both. Many examples. Dull red to dark brown. Quite similar to “J” in form and decoration except that lines of decoration are more narrow and the bowl does not set at such an acute angle to base. Only slight variations in size.
[Plate 16] L. Obtuse Angle. Factory. Many examples. Dark red to brown. Round undecorated bowl and round tapering base. These pipes are somewhat similar to early stemmed clay imports except that the base is cut off rather short, to form a flat vertical face, instead of terminating in a stem which was an integral part of the bowl and base. The opening in the end of the base is quite small and does not have the usual taper. All of the pipes of this form are nearly identical in size.
[Plate 17] M. Acute Angle. Both Home and Factory products, 37 examples. Bright, light red. Plain round bowl, hexagonal base expanding to a bell-shaped swell at stem end of base. The flat bottom extends around and under the bowl. “ORIGINAL” is impressed in the right side of base of some examples and “FLORENCE” in others, while some have no wording. The factory examples that we saw were marked either “ORIGINAL” or “FLORENCE”, as were some of those of home manufacture; however, 16 pipes of home manufacture had no wording. At least three sizes are represented.
[Plate 17] N. Acute Angle. Factory. One Example. Dull, dark red. Similar to “M” except heavy rounded band of beading around near top of bowl, no wording. Hexagonal base expands to a bell-shaped swell at stem end. Mold marks are more distinct.
[Plate 17] O. Acute Angle. Factory. One example. Dull, dark red. Plain octagonal bowl, with planes continuing along base to large rounded swell at stem end. From deep in the dam at factory site.
[Plate 17] P. Obtuse Angle. Both Home and Factory. Many examples. Dull, dark red or brown. Octagonal bowl and base. No decoration. Base expands slightly towards stem end. Relatively small pipe, three slightly varying sizes.
[Plate 18] Q. Obtuse Angle. Both Home and Factory. Many examples. Glossy, light red to deep red. Plain round bowl and base: the base terminates in rounded and swelled end. “Hayiti” impressed on right side of base. At least three sizes of lettering. A few of these pipes are right angled. A similar pipe, except that it had one small rounded band of beading near the top of bowl, the Company called theirs “Powow Smooth Shaker”.
[Plate 18] R. Very Acute Angle. Home. 10 examples. Dark, glossy red. “Genuine” is impressed on the right side of base, except one example which had no lettering. Plain round bowl and base, terminating in rounded and swelled base end. All apparently from same mold except one which was not marked “Genuine”.
[Plate 18] S. Acute Angle. Both Home and Factory. Many examples. Glossy, dark red. Plain hexagonal bowl which expands towards the bottom. Plain, slim round base tapering towards stem end. These pipes usually carry a high glossy finish. Two slightly different sizes.
[Plate 19] T. Slightly Acute Angle. Home. Fourteen examples. Uniform light tan color. Undecorated round bowl and base. Bowl tapers uniformly from top to bottom and base expands uniformly to stem end. Two slightly varying sizes. No mold marks, but some evidence of smoothing.
[Plate 19] U. Right Angle. Home. Two examples. Uniform, light pinkish tan color. Quite similar to “T” except bowl diameter is slightly larger and does not have the extreme taper, but rounds towards the base. Two slightly varying sizes. Probably made of the same clay by the same person who made “T”. No evidence of mold marks, but some evidence of smoothing.
[Plate 19] V. Acute Angle. Factory. One example. Dull red. Round bowl and base. Two bands of rounded beading encircle mid-portion of bowl, base expands towards stem end. “117” in raised figures appears on the left side of the base near stem end.
[Plate 19] W. Right Angle (A Surface find). One example. Dull red. Except for its angle, this pipe is quite similar to “V” with its two bands of rounded beading encircling the bowl.
[Plate 20] X. Slightly Acute Angle. Factory. One example. Salmon pink color. Ten-sided bowl and base. A rounded band of beading is near the top of bowl, the base end is simply cut off flat.
[Plate 20] Y. Acute Angle. Both Home and Factory. Two examples. The bowl is decorated by narrow upright grooves and ridges which extend from the base up to and lightly across a rounded band which encircles the bowl near its top. The hexagonal base flares somewhat toward the stem end. This the Company called “Wigwam Shaker”.
[Plate 20] Z. Acute Angle. Factory. Four examples. Color ranges from pale red to light orange, though two are very dark, probably from having lain long in the stream bed. The round bowl is encircled by a band of rounded beading near the top. Below this, on each side of the bowl, appears “CATLINS”. The base is hexagonal and its planes merge into the lower portions of the round bowl. The top plane of the base seems to be divided into two narrower planes which give the base a seven-sided appearance; this however is probably due to lack of trimming of the mold mark. The base terminates in a large rounded stem end. This was probably a specialty pipe, and apparently all the pipes of this form had these characteristics.
[Plate 20] AA. Acute Angle. Factory. Four examples. Color ranges from pale red to light orange to medium red. The 14 upright panels which constitute the bowl, with its two encircling rounded bands near the top, give the effect of a wooden bucket whose staves are held by hoops. The raised number “103” appears on the flat bottom. In one example a metal ferrule, apparently of brass, is still in place around the stem end of base. Other examples of this pipe no longer retain the ferrule; however, the discolored pattern of the ferrule was present to show that each had originally had one in place. All pipes of this form seem identical and evidently came from the same mold.
[Plate 21] AB. Right Angle. Factory. One example. Dark Red. Round undecorated bowl and base. Stem end of base has an inside taper to hold a small reed stem.
[Plate 21] AC. Slight Obtuse Angle. Home. One example. Glossy, dark red. Similar to “AB” except the angle of bowl and “ORIGINAL” is impressed on the right side of the longer base.
[Plate 21] AD. Obtuse Angle. Factory. One example. The plain bowl and base have a uniform high glossy red finish. “POWHATAN” is impressed on the right side of base. The stem end of base has been broken off, and it is possible that this base terminated in a clay stem which was an integral part of the pipe. In that event it would have followed the pattern of some of the old white clay imports. There are no spurs or projections of any nature at the bottom of the bowl.
[Plate 21] AE. Probably Obtuse Angle. Factory. One example. Glossy medium red. This is a form similar to some early white clay imports. While the only example available to us was badly broken, it seems to have its own integral clay stem, and it definitely has one spur below the bowl.
Roll of Fired Clay. A portion of a roll of fired clay was found in the fill on the Factory site. It evidently had been prepared for molding, and some clay had been broken from each end. It could have been a test firing of the clay, or the piece may have unintentionally gotten into the kiln.
[Plate 22] AF. Right Angle. Factory. Two examples. Colors are light orange and red. A flat band encircles the top of the bowl, and below this is a more narrow rounded band, whose lower edge is here and there lightly cut in line with the grooves below. The vertical grooves of decoration on the bowl continue, or merge with a lesser number of horizontal grooves and ridges which run to the stem end of the base. These grooves, in part at least, extend over the large rounded swell at stem end of base. These two pipes illustrate the minor differences that may exist in different molds used in making the same basic pipe form.
This and the following three pipe forms seem to represent a transition from the earlier, rather heavy, sturdy and relatively thick side-walled clay pipes, to a pipe lighter in weight, which is more representative of the form in use by what might be considered the last generation of regular clay pipe smokers.
[Plate 22] AG. Acute Angle. Factory. One example. Color is gray. This piece was among the eight pipe sherds, still sufficiently intact to give an indication of the original pipe form from which they had come, that were picked up by us on the driveway of the Pamplin Smoking Pipe and Manufacturing Company in July 1969. Some were heavily glazed and of a different character from the pipes dealt with up to this point, and seem to have come from pipes resulting from the change in style mentioned under “AF”.
This pipe fragment has some characteristics similar to “AF”. The bowl decoration towards the top is unknown, but vertical lines of decoration occupy the bowl, and only those on the front of the bowl continue along the base; those on the sides terminate upon joining the front lines. The stem end of the base is also somewhat different, being decorated by a rounded and finally a flat band. This sherd carries a moderately heavy glaze and it is the first pipe form presented which actually shows evidence of a salt glaze.
[Plate 22] AH. Right Angle. Factory. One example. Color pale yellow to light brown. Round bowl and base, double rounded band of beading around top of bowl and stem end of base. Bowl decorated with raised dots in cross-hatched pattern. Spiral decoration on base. Prominent mold marks, thin sidewalls. Heavily glazed.
[Plate 22] AI. Right Angle. Factory. Two examples. Color ranges from deep red through light orange to yellow. This lighter pipe with thin sidewalls has two narrow rounded bands encircling the top of bowl, which is otherwise plain. A large rounded band is at stem end of base. These pipes are well glazed.
[Plate 23] AJ. Right Angle. Factory. One example. Dark Red. This is a version of the Company’s novelty “Tomahawk Pipe”, decorated to order for special occasions. The pipe illustrated was made specifically for sale at the Chicago World’s Fair and has “Century of Progress, Chicago” in raised letters on the left side. “1833—(likeness of an Indian)—1933” is on the right side of bowl.
[Plate 23] AK. Right Angle. Factory. One example. Color light tan. This was the Company’s standard novelty pipe, recommended for all occasions, and it was shaped like a tomahawk. A likeness of Washington appears on the right side of the bowl, with the name “Washington” in raised letters above. On the left side is the likeness of an Indian wearing a Plains headdress, and above it in raised letters is the name “Powhatan”. A wide flat band encircles the stem end of base.
The Pamplin Company’s literature stated, Tomahawk Pipe-Novelty, molded from hand engraved brass die, of finest clay, hard-burned and glazed. An attractive item for carnivals, conventions, fairs, etc. Packed 200 to a box with 5″ reed stems. Price $13.50 per box. This pipe was a regular sales item for festive occasions ([Plate 11]).
[Plate 23] AL. Right Angle. (A surface find). One example. Deep red. Most Pamplin pipes of home manufacture were made by women; however, Miss Wilsie Thornton and Dr. C. G. O’Brien said that a Mr. Rodgers, about 1938, made pipe molds and pipes of unusual form as a hobby. Miss Thornton mentioned two forms that he made—an Indian Head, and a Woman’s Leg, the calf being the bowl and the foot being the base, with the toes at the stem end of base. This pipe is credited locally as being of his manufacture.
[Plate 23] AM. Right Angle. Home. Two examples. Deep glossy red. The decoration on the lower portion of the round and expanding bowl reminds one somewhat of a peach seed; this decoration is separated from the upper part of the plain upper bowl by a rounded band. The base is undecorated, and terminates in a smooth enlarged stem end. The second pipe of this form was a surface find.
If the Factory had Nos. 103 and 117 how many more numbers may they have had?
Impressed identifications, usually put on the base of the pipe with a stamp after the pipe came from the mold, appear on pipes from both the Homes and from the Factory. It is of interest that apparently identifications in raised lettering came only from the Factory.