Submitted Photo Laura Taylor Hughes chose subjects which fascinated people and modeled authentic characteristics of their living counterparts in her pottery. A collector has shared the pottery with Prairie Village Museum.

One display I encourage our visitors to plan to take in is our recent acquisition of a large collection of Rosemeade Pottery that was made in Wahpeton, N.D. This keepsake display was collected over a lifetime (1960s to 2015) by Joyce Carlson Young, whom many of us refer to as Aunt Joyce.

Aunt Joyce last lived in Byron, Minnesota, was born 5/13/1935 and died 3/14/2025, and was an aunt to one of our Society’s avid members, Dan Caswell.

Rosemeade Pottery started out as Wahpeton Pottery Co. in January 1940. The name was changed to Rosemeade Potteries in 1953 and stayed in business until closure in 1961. Though many other pottery companies of that era did not survive, the name change to Rosemeade Potteries in 1953 helped for better name recognition and remained successful. After World War II all pottery sales declined as cheap pottery was being imported from Japan.

It is a popular collectible today because its creator, Laura Taylor Hughes, chose subjects which fascinated people — animals, birds and fish — and modeled very authentic characteristics of their living counterparts. Laura (d. 1959) was born in Rosemeade Township in Ransom County, N.D. Many of the naturalistic designs reflected the native flora and fauna of her North Dakota farm childhood.

Rosemeade pottery was easily recognizable by way of metal oxides painted under the glazes fired into colorful hues using what was called a “swirl process.”

Aunt Joyce was a very avid artist and painted many, many pictures over the years. In the early ’60s, she and her husband, John, moved to Wahpeton, N.D., where John operated a TV and radio repair business. This is when her passion for Rosemeade pottery started. Aunt Joyce’s collected over 300 pieces, mostly from flea markets, estate sales, thrift stores, antiques stores and garage sales.

You will find the pottery collection on the second floor of our Samuelson House at Pioneer Village Museum. Weather permitting, we have moved up our opening day to May 7. Lastly, we welcome you to tour our facilities and encourage all ages to consider becoming volunteers and new members.