Paris, Tenn.–The history of ball clay mining in west Tennessee will be the topic when the Jackson Purchase Historical Society meets in Paris Saturday. The session will be held at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Paris-Henry County Heritage Center on N. Poplar St. in Paris.
The speaker will be Erik Nordberg, Dean of the Paul Meek Library at the University of Tennessee at Martin. An archivist by training, Nordberg is former director of the Walter Reuther labor archives at Wayne State University and holds a PhD in Industrial Heritage and Archaeology from Michigan Technological University. He is a past president of the Mining History Association and currently serves on the board of the Society for Industrial Archaeology.
Those attending should comply with current state and local public health guidelines for gatherings. The meeting room is large and will allow ample social distancing. Masks will be available for those who wish one. The Society continues to monitor the regional public health situation and may make appropriate adjustments. For updates, consult the Society webpage: www.jacksonpurchasehistory.org
The program will also be available via ZOOM for those unable to attend in person.
Register in advance to attend via ZOOM. Registration is not necessary for in person attendance for this meeting. Register in advance for ZOOM here:
https://us02web.zoom.us/
https://us02web.zoom.us/
Ball clay was first shipped in economic quantities from an open pit mine in Henry County, Tennessee, in October, 1894. Distance from eastern potteries, poor transportation infrastructures, and a lack of scientific analysis of regional clays initially hampered development. Nordberg’s research documents the work of Tennessee’s State Geological Survey to encourage additional mining and manufacturing industries through systematic study and publication about these world-class ball clay resources. Although initial hope to establish pottery and other ceramic industries in the immediate region did not materialize, ball clay production has continued to expand in response to new markets and applications.
Photo: Ball clay mining in Henry County, 1939. Tennessee State Library & Archives photo.