White and Company's Goose Lake Tile Works
Also known as: Jugtown Tile Works site; 11gr70
Why it's listed
This archaeological site near Morris, Illinois, preserves the remains of the tile-making half of White and Company's Goose Lake works, one of two industrial sites about 230 meters apart. William White, a potter from New York, joined Chicago financier Charles Walker in the mid-1850s to exploit clay deposits along the west edge of Goose Lake. The operation was unusually large for Illinois at the time. Each of the two facilities had its own workshop, drying sheds, three kilns and worker housing, unlike the single-kiln farmer-potters of earlier years. Because no nearby community existed, White created a company town, Jugtown, which held roughly 114 people in 21 households around 1860. Many residents were potters, drawn from New York and from Europe. The firm stopped production in 1866. Archaeological work in 1991 and 1993 identified concentrations of broken tile, kiln furniture and clinkers. The site was listed for what it can reveal about early industrialized ceramic production, and it lies in state-owned land used as a park.
Significance in brief: The site is significant under Criterion D for its potential to yield information on early industrialized pottery and tile production in Illinois. White and Company built a large, capital-backed operation with a company town, Jugtown, that differed sharply from traditional farmer-potter workshops. The remains document workshop organization, multiple kilns, and community life from 1855 to 1866.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 98000976, listed August 6, 1998. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 5010 N. Jugtown Rd., Morris |
|---|---|
| County | Grundy County |
| Listed | August 6, 1998 |
| Reference number | 98000976 |
| Resource type | Site |
| Period of significance | 1855-1866 |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Historic - Non-Aboriginal |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Now state-owned land within a natural area, with current function listed as landscape/park; the works ceased production in 1866. |
| Acreage | 2.7 |
| Coordinates | 41.34552, -88.31736 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
Sites (archaeological sites, battlefields, landscapes) are often listed with a restricted address to protect them from looting or disturbance. Listing is honorary for private owners; federal undertakings on or near the site go through Section 106 review, and state laws may protect burials and artefacts regardless of listing.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 98000976.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q14688247
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.