Gypsy Road Trip: Burley Clay produces a variety of ceramic products
Burley Clay Products is the only company in the United States that still makes ceramic birdbaths and their passion is pottery. However, they make other things that may surprise you.
Burley Clay began in 1923 on Maysville Pike in Zanesville when brothers Zane and Dr. Samuel Burley became interested in the clay industry. In 1984, the business was sold to Steven McCann, who began looking for a larger facility when in 1998 McCoy Pottery closed its doors leaving everything inside the plant as it was when work finished that day.
After much cleaning and removal of items, Burley Clay opened its factory at the old McCoy Pottery plant in Roseville in 2000, according to Vice President Rick Emmert.
Emmert began his Burley Clay career in 1987 as an engineer. His grandfather owned a ceramic factory in the area and Emmert often went to work with him. That led him to earn a degree in ceramic engineering from The Ohio State University.
“I think it's cool to make things from clay,” Emmert said.
On the wall in his office, a World War I surplus propeller reminds him of the early days of Burley Clay when it was at the Maysville Pike facility. A dozen of these propellers ran during the night to dry the clay gradually.
The item his grandfather made is still being made at Burley Clay today. It is a ceramic piece, called a saddle, that is used in industrial towers to help stop pollution. These are made mechanically today by the thousands and they have orders that carry them through January.
A fingerprint pad has become important for use in foreign airports. Another item used at airports around the world is an earplug that regulates air pressure while flying. Burley Clay makes the ceramic part while another company finishes the rubber addition. They have thousands of molds that they work with.
One machine, an Allied model, from McCoy Pottery days is still in use. It is a round kiln that operates 24/7 on a continuous track firing pottery. It is known as the Cadillac of kilns and produces about 5,000 pieces a week.
A clay field just about a mile from the facility provides the fire clay they need. When mined, the clay looks like very hard rocks. Then it is mixed into a liquid so they have a slab of clay.
Approximately 70 people run the plant today. Family tradition plays a big role in the company's success. The birdbaths and planters are still all made by hand. Emmert admitted, “We still like to do things the old-fashioned way.”
Today you can buy things in the Burley Clay store or at one of the stores they supply. Their products are sold all over the country mostly in mom-and-pop stores or nurseries. Items can also be ordered from their website. They ship to about forty states, most of them being in the northeast.
Burley Clay is well known in the area for its community involvement. Many festivities will find a Burley Clay birdbath or planter contributed as part of the raffles or prizes.
This year the 56th Crooksville-Roseville Pottery Show will be held at the Roseville Village Park in front of the Burley Clay offices July 14 to 16. It will also include pottery displays, pottery pitch, beer garden and helicopter rides weather permitting.
Next year Burley Clay will celebrate its 100th anniversary.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Jeffersonian: Burley Clay produces a variety of ceramic products
