The Bay River Pottery history and location, Candace Young, Norm Czuchra


Bay River Pottery	Candace Young

107 s. water st., p.o. box 394 / bayboro, nc 28515-0394 / (252) 745-4749

The Bay River Pottery

The Bay River Pottery is located on the Bay River in Bayboro, North Carolina. This river winds and widens as it slowly flows to the junction of the Pamlico Sound and the Neuse River, about 15 miles away. The kayaking is wonderful on our river and on many other rivers and creeks in Pamilco County. We are 6 and a half hours East of Asheville, NC, 3 hours east of Raleigh, NC, 1 hour NW of Morehead City, NC and 2 hours NE of Wilmington, NC. The nearest city, is 14 miles to the west on Highway 55. New Bern was the Colonial Capital of North Carolina, is sister city to Bern, Switzerland, and home of the Tryon Palace, a historical site and tourist attraction. The city lies on two rivers, the Neuse and the Trent and has a world of charm. Oriental, 10 miles to the south is a quaint fishing village which according to the residents is the "sailing capital of North Carolina". It is right off the Intercoastal Waterway and is host to scores of boaters as they move south in the winter and north in the summer. The studio is also located within ten miles of Camp Sea Gull, Camp Seafarer, Camp Caroline and is 14 miles from Fairfield Harbour. Rural in flavor, the area depends on farming, fishing, tourism and has a large number of retirees and working artists.

Studio Hours The studio is open to the public whenever we are at home. When we're working, we're open and enjoy showing the methods we've developed over the years to make the different types of pots. Just call for hours. We do have a formal Open House in December which has become a local holiday event.


Directions From New Bern, take Highway 17 North across the Neuse River Bridge, getting off at the first exit; Highway 55 East to Bayboro From Highway 55 in Bayboro, bear left on Highway 304 (Vandemere Road), go three blocks to the Bay River Pottery sign, which is on the right. Turn right; go towards the River and down the driveway to the studio. From Oriental, take 55 West to Bayboro, turn right on First Street, right at the Stop sign, go 2 blocks to the Bay River Pottery sign on right, turn right, go towards the River and down the driveway to the studio.

48 cuft sprung arch kiln built in 1985 (click on image to enlarge)

The Bay River Pottery began in 1976 when we bought property in Bayboro, but was actually located first in New Orleans, LA, Raleigh, NC and Oriental, NC. We began building in 1981 and finished in 1983. A new 24 X 30 foot studio, completed in 2004, with a small display area, 2 propane gas kilns, a 48 cu.ft sprung arch kiln, a raku kiln, and a new 10 cu.ft. L&L electric kiln. This is a photo of the stoneware kiln Norm built in 1985 and at 20 years old, was moved in 2005 to the new location and been rebuilt and test fired successuflly. See Flying Kiln and Rebuilding the kiln for pages showing the process.

The pottery has hosted Raku workshops in previous years, and hopes to continue this tradition sometime in the near future.