For the past eight years or so, I have been blessed to visit Colonial Williamsburg for its annual conference, the Williamsburg Antiques Forum. The program, now in its 75th year, is fantastic, covering topics ranging from antiques, decorative arts, museums, historic sites, material culture, administration and the like. It is a time when like-minded folks can get together and talk antiques and innovations in the field.

It is always a good trip for me because I feel rejuvenated after, and it inspires me to dig deeper into the field. This year, however, I was not able to attend in person but rather did so virtually. There were some noticeable differences attending at home rather than in person. The forum is famous for having rich refreshments during break times, such as coffee, tea, scones, a variety of tea sandwiches and desserts, with their famous lemon curd. I always leave the conference with more than I started with.

Attending from home, I did miss out on these treats, although my wife worked hard to make it especially special for me, which I appreciated very much. A few evenings were spent, after the children were tucked in, watching the quality presentations with some of her culinary treats to enjoy. And this year she joined me, which was the best treat of all.

When we look at material culture — that is the stuff that is produced by humans — we can generally classify objects into categories. The Encyclopaedia Britannica classifies material culture as tools, weapons, utensils, machines, ornaments, art, buildings, monuments, written records, religious images, clothing and any other ponderable objects produced or used by humans. By studying these objects, one could become aware how to identify and classify the material culture to fit into specific narratives.

For example, the pyramids in Egypt are part of the material culture of the ancient Egyptians, and by the construction technique and the style, we can fit these monuments into a certain timeline when we believe these structures were built. If we encounter other structures or monuments built in the same style and technique, we can assume that they were made roughly around the same time and by the same school of craftspeople. The same is true when one studies decorative arts or antiques.

More urban areas that have been studied extensively have distinctive styles attributed to the objects being produced there, but in smaller areas, there isn’t much of a collection of objects that still exists that can be brought together to create a school of style, so to speak, for a particular area.

In our area, being that it is closely located near Western Pennsylvania, I would expect our history of material culture to mirror what is going on in Pittsburgh around the same time. If you were to visit the Land Office at Historic Fort Steuben, you can see a copy of the first page of the land book kept by the agent David Hoge. He recorded that some of the first settlers in Jefferson County were from Washington County, Pa., so there is that history to consider as well.

The question stands though, how can we look back in time and see who was making things in our area in the past. Luckily, I was introduced to a database, by going to the antique forum for many years, that scholars use to determine just that. The program in question is one that is provided by the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. Don’t let the name fool you — there are lots of objects and craftsmen that are in the database that are not just from the South. What I enjoy from the database is discovering just how many craftsmen were working in our area around the turn of the 19th century.

In Steubenville, there is an impressive list of folks working in the city doing jobs that one would expect in a more urban area. To name just a few, according to the database, Solomon Stone was one of the early blacksmiths working in Steubenville right around 1815-20. He advertised his services in the Western Herald and Steubenville Gazette often, but in November 1817, he advertised that he would pay a 6 cents reward for the return of an apprentice, a fellow by the name of George Dancer, who ran away in March. I’m not sure if Dancer was ever found.

Apprentice issues were common among craftsmen of the day. Bricklayers and makers were common as well as carpenters. Cabinet makers, or those who produced furniture, were abundant, and it begs the question, what sort of furniture was being made in Steubenville around the turn of that century? I am surprised that around 1810-20 there were a few clock and watch makers in Steubenville creating fine movements.

In 1811, Michael Johnston and Samuel Fenton advertised that on Third Street next to John Hinkson’s Tavern they would be operating an apothecary, but also a watch, clock and engraving enterprise as well. Johnson was a resident of Baltimore before coming to Steubenville, so it could be assumed that things created in his shop would be reminiscent of those made in Baltimore.

We are lucky to have an example of Johnston’s work that still survives. A tall case clock from his workshop sold at auction in 2011 for $4,000, offered by Brunk Auctions of Asheville, N.C. The case is decidedly federal being made, according to the auction description, out of mahogany and tiger maple with cherry and pine secondary wood. Likely the case was made in a local cabinet maker’s shop in Steubenville.

Another surviving example of a Steubenville clock is one made by the firm Paxton and Hill. Arundel Hill was a clock and watch maker as well as a silversmith operating on Market Street around 1817 or so.

Surviving examples of Hill’s silversmithing work survive in flatware, but a clock is much rarer. Arundel Hill’s longcase Steubenville clock sold in 2018 from Brunk Auctions for $2,400, and it was offered again in 2022 from Akiba Galleries and sold for $2,000. If one finds a Steubenville clock, it is worth hanging on to.

All in all, craftsmen working in our valley at the turn of the 19th century were numerous. They brought their knowledge of craft from their homes into the Ohio Valley shaping our material culture and inspiring historians like me to follow their trail. I hope that one day, enough material is found to contribute to a study of decorative arts and material culture from the upper Ohio Valley.

Until then the hunt is still on.