From the middle of the 18th century through the early decades of the 20th, potters of North Carolina produced thousands of sturdy, utilitarian earthenwares and stonewares. The bulk of their output—jars, jugs, milk crocks, and churns—was used for the preservation of home-grown meats, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products. Other forms, such as baking dishes or pitchers, were designed for the preparation of foods and their consumption at the table. The potters also maintained a broad sideline of flowerpots, pipes, grave markers, chamberpots, and other useful wares.