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All the United States Mississippi McCarty’s Pottery
AO Edited

McCarty’s Pottery

Founded in 1954 by a husband-and-wife duo, this ceramics studio carries on a powerful artistic legacy.

Merigold, Mississippi

Added By
Aaron Joel Santos
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Lee and Pup McCarty first set up shop in an old mule barn.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
Lee and Pup McCarty first set up shop in an old mule barn.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
Find dreamy, one-of-a-kind ceramic masterpieces here.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
For more than half a century, this ceramic workshop has been the pride of Merigold.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
Look for the sun-dappled old barn.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
Lee McCarty and his wife Pup first got into the ceramics business in the 1950s.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
In life, Lee and Pup McCarty showed their work in galleries across the nation.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
Jamie and Stephen Smith have been carrying on the business since the late ’90s.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
Each piece carries a signature flourish: a black line representing the Mississippi Delta.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
This ramshackle exterior hides a celebrated ceramics workshop.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
Leave room in your car for handcrafted ceramic pots.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
All sorts of remarkable pieces are for sale here.   Aaron Joel Santos for Atlas Obscura
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About

The pottery studio sits hidden in leafy foliage on a small side street in a small town just north of Cleveland. It’s unassuming and reserved, an oasis masked in plain sight. Inside, vases, serving plates, light fixtures, hanging baskets, and other items adorn every spare inch of space, alongside paintings by Mary Sims and Terra Hamblett, all a testament to artistic vision, to a life lived creating and collecting.

Lee McCarty and his wife Pup began studying pottery in the 1950s while in Oxford, Mississippi, finding their first bit of fortune in a clay-filled ravine at Rowan Oak, William Faulkner’s historic home. Soon afterwards, they moved back to Merigold, setting up shop in an aunt’s old mule barn. By the 1960s, they had made a name for themselves, and had shown their work in numerous galleries across the south.

Today, the legacy of McCarty Pottery endures. Although Lee and Pup have passed away, their godsons Jamie and Stephen Smith still carry on the trade to this day. Visitors can still admire the original glazes developed by the couple, known as their three primaries: nutmeg, cobalt blue, and jade. Each piece also carries a signature flourish—a slender black line winding downward. It symbolizes the mighty Mississippi River, an enduring thread woven into the studio’s story.

But the line, the river, is more than just a design element. It’s a call to home, a nod to the ancient waterway that shaped this region and gave it life. In every piece here, the spirit of the Mississippi Delta flows, tying the artistry to its roots and preserving its legacy for generations to come.

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Artists Crafts Art Ceramics

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The studio is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

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Aaron Joel Santos

Published

March 28, 2025

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McCarty’s Pottery
101 St Mary St.
Merigold, Mississippi, 38759
United States
33.838628, -90.730918
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Nearby Places

Grammy Museum Mississippi

Cleveland, Mississippi

miles away

Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center

Glendora, Mississippi

miles away

Red’s

Clarksdale, Mississippi

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mississippi

Mississippi

United States

Places 65
Stories 14

Nearby Places

Grammy Museum Mississippi

Cleveland, Mississippi

miles away

Emmett Till Historic Intrepid Center

Glendora, Mississippi

miles away

Red’s

Clarksdale, Mississippi

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Mississippi

Mississippi

United States

Places 65
Stories 14

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