Over the last 6 months Burley has tirelessly worked to bring back to life a kiln from the 1930’s, known as the “Cadillac of Kilns”. The Allied Kiln was originally built for Nelson McCoy Pottery. McCoy used this kiln for decades until they closed their doors in 1990. The kiln, sitting silently in the back of what is now Burley Clay, has waited for its day to shine once again and produce beautiful ceramic products.
The Allied Kiln is a massive circular kiln that operates 24/7, continuously and slowly moving forward on a track firing stoneware as it goes. Each one of the 22 cars takes 44 hours to come full circle back to where it started through a round tunnel. Right now, Burley is averaging about 5000 pieces of pottery a week from this kiln with plans to increase the speed in order to increase amount of fired pottery.
Burley is the largest producer of stoneware birdbaths and planters in the US. While pottery trends have changed and shifted over the years, we are seeing a dramatic increase in demand for quality handmade products that are made right here in the USA. With the pandemic outbreak, the garden industry has experienced a huge shift to gardens and greenspaces both indoors and out, presenting Burley with the opportunity to produce private label planters exclusively for STUMP and Greendigs companies.