Mercer Pottery Company

The Mercer Pottery Company was started in 1868 by James Moses in Trenton, New Jersey and ran successfully until the 1930s. It claimed to have made the first semi-porcelain ware in the United States. They operated four kilns and employed 120 people with an annual revenue of $150,000 per year. In 1900, the plant faced a strike by its jiggermen who claimed the company paid unfair wages. The issue was brought to a committee formed by parties on both sides to settle the matter, but workers decided that the committee was not deciding fast enough. Despite the strike, the plant continued to operate and the issue remained at the committee. A decade later, the plant threatened to shut down due to, what it considered, unreasonable demands by city inspectors.