The commercial production of clay products began in Red Wing, Minnesota in 1861 by a German potter by the name of John Paul. For the next 116 years, clay products were made commercially in the City of Red Wing by a number of companies and individuals, with a wide assortment of products from art pottery to water coolers and everything in between. The industry started with the basic products used everyday by people; bowls, jugs, flower pots and ended when the last sewer pipe, drain tile and brick cap were produced for construction use. 

In this 106 year period, companies with names such as:
Philleo and Williams Pottery
The Red Wing Terra Cotta Works
Minnesota Pottery
Red Wing Stoneware Company
Minnesota Stoneware Company
John H. Rich Sewer Pipe Company
North Star Stoneware Company
Union Stoneware Company
Red Wing Sewer Piper Company
Red Wing Union Stoneware Company
Red Wing Potteries, Incorporated

Produced clay products in both large and small quantities. These companies were major employers in the city and contributed greatly to the fabric and history of the City of Red Wing, Minnesota. The accompanying sections of this web page provide a few examples of the wide variety of products produced by these companies.

Examples of Red Wing clay products can be seen in person at the Red Wing Collectors Society Foundation Museum daily located in the Pottery Annex building across from the former Minnesota Stoneware building in Red Wing, and at the Goodhue County Historical Society in Red Wing during regular business hours.