stage and thrived, albeit briefly. It was in 1841 that British-born potter James Bennett settled here, drawn by accessible clay deposits and the sense that he could make a better living than in Jersey City where he'd worked at the Henderson Pottery Company since immigrating in 1839. Bennett's hunch turned into a family affair - he sent for his brothers in 1845 - and soon expanded. Within four years the family's successful pot-throwing operation had spun off a host of competitors. In 1849 there were