Question:
I have recently acquired several butter churns ? from a University of Michigan employee that I am trying to determine the manufacturer. This employee claims the churns were used to store fish specimens in alchohol for the university museum. All these churns are glazed inside and outside in a reddish brown, glossy albany glaze. The bottom of the churns and underside of the lids are unglazed. All the churns are straight sided with wire bale and wood handles. The sizes range from 2 to 10 gallon. I have never seen 7-8 (7 liquid gallons to the underside of the lid and 8 gallons full capacity) or 10 gallon churns before. Deminsions of the 7-8 gallon churns is 23 inches tall, 12 inch outside diameter, and 10 3/4 inch inside diameter (10 gallon-22"H, 13"od, 12"id, 11 3/4" diameter lid). The lid is 10 1/4 inch diameter and rests on the churn inner lip. I was told that sometime around 1940 some 1400 of these churns were purchased to store museum specimens (fish). The lids were fitted with a clear plastic lid inserted in the dasher hole and then wax sealed to the churn. In the 1980′s a different storage container was used and all the stoneware containers were disposed of and many apparently were taken by employees. A retired employee stated that he was witness to the original purchase and recalls the manufacturer as being the Redwing Sewer Pipe Company. Can you confirm this provenance or suggest where these churns were produced. Thank you. Ron Blom

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