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John Sims, potter


In the spring of 1848 a group of hopeful English settlers boarded the ship “Gypsy Queen” in Liverpool, England bound for land grant properties in north Texas. This group included John Jackson and his family, Lionel Simpson, Joseph Hildreth, and Thomas Sims. They were to form the foundation of what would become known as ‘the English Colony’ in northern Dallas County, all claming Peter’s Colony land grants in the Farmer’s Branch area.

Thomas Sims arrived alone to claim his land, near the elm Fork of the Trinity River, with the intention of sending back to England for his family after getting settled. After staking his land claim and constructing a log home, Thomas Sims became seriously ill and died in mid-1849, before his family had even left England. In the summer of 1850 his eldest son, Edward, arrived in Dallas County with his widowed mother Mary and claimed his father’s land.

During the next five years Edward Sims invested much of his available capital in building a large new farmhouse and out buildings on the property. By 1857 it had become obvious that the land selected by Thomas Sims as the family homestead was no well suited for agricultural use as it sat too near the river and had shallow soil over a limestone base. The Sims, who had exhausted their money building a fine home, found it increasingly difficult to afford paid agricultural labor and their English Presbyterian morals did not condone slavery. Thomas Sims began to write letters trying to convince his younger brother, John, to immigrate from Staffordshire where he had been serving an apprenticeship as a potter.

John Sims, 23 years old, arrived in Dallas County in April of 1860. Faced with the unprofitable agricultural work for which he was ill suited John soon located a clay bank along the family’s river property and set up a small pottery shop in a carriage house behind their home. A groundhog kiln was constructed and soon he began producing household ceramic for family use and the local market.

Political tensions in the county grew at a fevered rate following the July 1860 fire, blamed on a feared slave uprising, which destroyed most of the city of Dallas. By early 1861 most of the county was caught up in the discussion over secession and state’s rights. When Texas secession occurred, in early march 1861, and the call for troops went out many non-native residents like the Sims family found themselves in a conflicted position. Some, like Edward Sims, had a strong bias against secession as they were only newly United States citizens. Others, as relative newcomers to this country, did not feel that this was really their fight from either viewpoint. While Dallas County voted for secession, Denton and Collin Counties voted against the proposition. The Sims family found its property in the midst of a political powder keg.

When President Lincoln made his first call for troops in April 1861 Edward Sims headed toward the northern states with the intention of joining a Union unit. Since his departure his family in Dallas County has heard no news from him and his whereabouts is not known.

After the departure of his older brother a lack of funds or labor to operate the Sims property as a viable farm caused John Sims and his mother to turn almost completely to their small pottery business to support themselves. Mrs. Sims began selling an assortment of items to the community out of her home. Jon Sims unwillingness to take up either side of the Secession issue has left both Confederate and Union factions in the county suspicious of the family. With their livelihood uncertain 1861 is a very unsettled year for the Sims family.

The move from an urban setting in the English midlands to the rural setting of the Texas frontier has proved less than satisfactory for John Sims. His disappointment in the family farm, his brother’s defection to join the Union Army, and his neighbor’s less than friendly attitude towards his apolitical approach to Secession have left him a little bitter about where life has led him. Working with clay seems to provide his only real satisfaction.

History of the Pottery


This small barn was built at the rear of a residential lot in Gainesville, Texas, and used to house a horse and carriage. Today, it is the work place for Dallas Heritage Village's resident potter, who demonstrates late 19th-century methods of pottery making. Typically potters erected simple wooden sheds near good sources of clay, water, and firewood.



















The firing of the groundhog kiln is quite a sight to see. The fire must be constantly tended for 24 hours and when the kiln is up to temperature flames shoot out the chimney!




The kiln is packed very carefully to maximize content.