Teco pottery

The American Terracotta Tile and Ceramic Company was founded in 1881; originally as Spring Valley Tile Works; in Terra Cotta, Illinois, between Crystal Lake, Illinois and McHenry, Illinois near Chicago by William Day Gates. It became the country's first manufactury of architectural terracotta in 1889. The production consisted of drain tile, brick, chimney tops, finials, urns, and other economically fireproof building materials. Gates used the facilities to experiment with clays and glazes in an effort to design a line of art pottery which led to the introduction of Teco (pronounced TĒĒ - CŌ ) Pottery. American Terra Cotta's records are housed at the University of Minnesota and include original architectural drawings.^[1]

The smooth, micro-crystalline, matte "Teco Green" glaze of Teco art pottery was developed independently and wasn't an attempt to copy the famous Grueby green.