Parnassus PA Half Gallon Stoneware Cream Crock

Circa 1880: Signed "Stewart & Logan / Parnassus," this diminutive 6.5" tall half gallon cream jar was manufactured in southwestern Pennsylvania probably by one of the potters in Greensboro or New Geneva for merchants Stewart and Logan, both of whose families figure prominently in Parnassus's settlement and development. Parnassus Borough, approximately 20 miles south of Pittsburgh in Westmoreland County, was settled in the mid 1850s when the Allegheny Railroad was being completed, and on April 9, 1872, the Borough of Parnassus was finally incorporated. In 1939, the larger Borough of New Kensington annexed Parnassus, which then simply became one of New Kensington's neighborhoods and was no longer an independent borough. This rare small merchant cream crock from a town that no longer exists is in spectacular condition with no chips, cracks, or repairs and features terrific dark blue cobalt decoration which includes thick stripes and a crisp stencil that contrast beautifully against its gray salt glazed body, making it extremely enticing to the region's stoneware collectors.