Lew Reese and the rebirth of Scio Pottery

This photograph of Lew Reese is from the Harrison County Historical Society collection. Information is drawn from the article Trial by Fire by H. Lee Jones, published in the December 1948 issue of Good Business magazine.

Lew Reese purchased what would become known as the Scio Pottery in 1932 after acquiring the property for back taxes. The pottery had originally been built by the Albright China Co. in 1919 and operated until shutting down completely in 1927.

Jones opened his article by writing, “This is a love story, the business-life story of a man whose love for his fellow men has lifted him from poverty into possession of the world’s most modern pottery, an enterprise worth millions.”

Lewis P. Reese was a potter from New Cumberland, West Virginia. While visiting Harrison County on a hunting trip in 1932, he discovered the abandoned pottery. He purchased it at a sheriff’s sale and borrowed $8,000 from his life insurance policy to make the down payment.

Through hard work, help from others and strong backing from the village, Reese transformed the dilapidated plant into a successful operation. On Dec. 11, 1947, firemen from eight towns battled a major fire at the pottery. The facility carried no insurance.

“Standing ankle-deep in water on that bitterly cold day, Lew Reese looked upon the wreckage,” Jones wrote. “Remembering that in the ashes lay the means of livelihood and the hopes of a whole community,” Reese said simply, “We’ll build her up again, better than before.”

With the help of volunteers, suppliers and the village of Scio, Reese rebuilt the pottery, and it continued operating until 1985.