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Transforming what had previously been a gas station into their pottery workshop and showroom, they began producing kitchen and dinnerware items decorated in Blue Ridge patterns.
Surprisingly, it wasn't until the early 1990's that she made her first cookie jar, a plump gold-toothed mammy she called "Squatty Mammy," from a mold she had purchased from Acme Craftware when they closed their doors in 1969. She doesn't remember why she hadn't used the mold but remembers clearly what caused her to start making cookie jars.
"A stranger came into my shop one day and asked me if I had any black mammy cookie jars. I told him I didn't, but I did have a mold and I could make him a cookie jar."
Thrilled with the first cookie jar, the gentleman ordered more.
"Pretty soon we were making a lot of cookie jars and it was all word of mouth, 'cause we never did any advertising. Then a collecting book came out with pictures of some of my jars, and we started getting calls from all over. We even sold cookie jars to a lady in Puerto Rico, that's how far the word had spread."
Eventually, Negatha would produce two versions of the original Squatty Mammy. The second version, which incorporates the same lid as the first version, has a slimmer taller base and a slightly narrower A-line shaped apron. Negatha named her "Tall Mammy," but Squatty Mammy remained the most popular of her cookie jars.
"I used other molds, too, all of them decorated with Blue Ridge patterns. My favorite pattern was French Peasant."
Some of the other molds she bought were copies of vintage cookie jars, including Regal China's Goldilocks, Mosaic Tile's Mammy, and Metlox's Washtub Mammy. In the early 1990's fakes were not yet a major problem for cookie jar collectors nor was Negatha trying to imitate or pass off her jars as being made by the original pottery companies.
"There weren't any Blue Ridge cookie jar molds and since customers wanted variety, I bought some other molds. I didn't know they were copies of vintage cookie jars, I just liked the way they looked and I knew I could decorate them with Blue Ridge patterns."
In addition to the mammys, Negatha produced three male black Americana cookie jars. An Uncle Moses, a tall chef, and a short chef.
Ham and Eggs Sassy Mammy and Uncle Moses
(c) Ellis/Parkinson Collection
Negatha also did a series of eight holiday-themed jars that included Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year's, Valentine's, Easter, and St. Patrick's, along with matching salt and pepper shakers. The shakers are the hardest to find, because most of her time was devoted to making and decorating the cookie jars.
"Halloween was my favorite. I'm not sure why. Maybe it had something to do with my childhood. I worked sixteen to eighteen hours a day. The cookie jars were more difficult to work with and took the most time, but I really enjoyed it. I loved my work."
And the love for her work shines through, whether it be in the delicate whiskers of a bunny on one of her Easter themed cookie jars, or in the clean simple brush strokes of a crab apple on one of her more traditional Blue Ridge decorated jars. The jars retailed for $125.00 from her showroom but she's not surprised to see them selling for $350 or more today.
"At first I was shocked that people would pay that much for my cookie jars, but now I expect it because everything Blue Ridge has climbed out of reach of most folk."
Negatha's husband Earl passed away in early 2005 and that was when she decided to close Erwin Pottery and to sell off the equipment and molds.
"Earl's passing really tore me up. We were married 59 years and I just lost interest in making pottery. He was so much a part of it that I knew it wouldn't be the same without him."
Many of her molds went to Gary Smith, along with the Erwin Pottery name and ink stamp used for marking the bases.
But you won't confuse them with Negatha's jars because they don't have Negatha's signature on them.
Negatha Peterson/Erwin Pottery cookie jars are clearly marked with the round Erwin Pottery ink stamp. Additionally, she painted the words "By original Blue Ridge Artist" in black script on their bases, although she did sometimes leave this off when she had a large order to complete or was especially busy. One thing she never left off was her signature on the lower left side of the base.
"At first, I signed Negatha Peterson, but that's a long name and it took up too much room. So, I shortened it to Negatha P. and all of my cookie jars are signed that way. I never just used my initials on the cookie jars. Always Negatha P. Oh, except on one. A little granny with a big sunbonnet covered in flowers. There wasn't any room for my name, so I just used my initials."
Although she no longer produces pottery, Negatha remains active in promoting local potters. Like her dear friends Albert and Betty Story, whose cookie jars carry their B & B Pottery name on their bases. She has passed along to them her techniques and the patterns of this wonderful and all-American art form that was born in the misty Blue Ridge Mountains of Tennessee.
"Betty was a good student and she worked very hard. I have two of her cookie jars and she does beautiful work. She paints them in traditional patterns and even some with the holiday themes, but in her own style."
When I had nearly completed this article, I called Negatha to let her know that I had just purchased my first Negatha Peterson cookie jar. When I told her how it was decorated (purple dots on its lid with yellow dots on its base) she told me the decoration wasn't right and that the lid and base had been married.
"Someone probably broke the original lid or base and found another one to replace it with. I never put different colored dots on the lid than I did on the base. If the dots were yellow on the lid, I painted yellow dots on the base. Same with the stripes, and I never mixed dots and stripes on the same cookie jar."
Fortunately, the seller hadn't shipped the jar and I was able to cancel the transaction. Realizing my disappointment, Negatha directed me to three different people in Erwin who she knew had some of her jars, and I was able to purchase a matched Mammy and Uncle Moses set decorated with the "Ham and Eggs" Blue Ridge pattern.
"That's a real cute pattern. There's a little pig on one side and a rooster on the other." Fortunately, I never told Negatha I initially thought ham and eggs meant the jar would be decorated in slices of ham and fried eggs.
If you're ever in Erwin, Tennessee for the Blue Ridge Pottery Show held every year the first week in October, you'll find Negatha helping her friends sell their Blue Ridge decorated pottery from tables she sets up in front of her home. Stop by and say hello. You'll be glad you did, because you would be hard pressed to meet a more affable and charming lady as Negatha Peterson, a true American artist and potter.
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