The Master Potter

 

    On a Sunday morning a few years ago, I read an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer about the Winold Reiss mosaic murals that graced Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, some of which were later moved to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. In reading about the murals, 16 mosaics that portrayed Cincinnati industry, I first encountered the name Ruben Earl Menzel. Earl, as he wished to be called, was featured in one of the murals. He worked at Rookwood Pottery and lived in Fairfax in 1931 at the time the photo the mural was based upon was taken. My interest was piqued.

    I learned that Earl and his family lived on Carlton for several decades. I asked my mom, who lived on Carlton a couple of blocks from him for a few years. She had never heard of him. I went to church and asked a couple of longtime former Fairfax residents, neither of whom had heard of him. Time for me to start digging to see what I could learn!

    Ruben Earl Menzel was born August 19, 1882 to John Jacob Menzel, Sr. and Albertina Flinker Menzel. At the time of his birth, his family lived in the Over the Rhine/West End area of Cincinnati, but later moved to the East End. Earl’s father was the master potter at Rookwood Pottery, which operated out of a converted schoolhouse on Eastern Avenue. Rookwood relocated to Mt. Adams in 1892 and the Menzel family moved there, no doubt to be closer to the Pottery. Earl left school after the eighth grade and apprenticed with his father at Rookwood. His mother, Albertina died when he was 12 years old. 

    On August 30, 1909, Earl married Agnes Smith of Cincinnati and they made their home in Mt. Adams with Agnes’ family. A little over a year later, the Menzels had their first child, Lucille. Unfortunately, Lucille sustained a brain injury at birth that resulted in paralysis of multiple parts of her body. In 1911, Earl’s father John passed away and Earl took his place as Rookwood Pottery's master potter. In 1916, the Menzels had a son, John.

    There was a building boom in Fairfax in the 1920s and the Menzel family moved to a home on Carlton Avenue in 1924. This sketch that appeared in the August 7, 1928 Cincinnati Post shows Earl throwing a pot at Rookwood Pottery:

 

   In early 1930, Earl and Agnes lived in the house at the corner of Carlton and Elder with their children Lucille and John and Agnes’ sister Katherine. Sadly, in May 1930 Lucille Menzel died at home from pneumonia at the age of 19. The funeral mass was held at St. Margaret of Cortona church.

    In 1931, artist Winold Reiss took a photograph of Earl at the wheel at Rookwood Pottery to use in the creation of the industry mosaic murals which were installed at Union Terminal in 1933. Below are the original photo and Earl as immortalized in mosaic: 

    Unlike many of the murals, Earl’s was never relocated to the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport. It remained at Union Terminal and can be found in the Machine Tool Gallery at  the Cincinnati History Museum.

    Not surprisingly, the Great Depression hit the Rookwood Pottery hard. For a time, Earl accepted no salary from the Pottery so his coworkers could keep their jobs. Despite his sacrifice, by 1932 Rookwood’s workforce was down to three, including Earl. He continued to work at the Pottery three days per week, sometimes decorating pottery to keep himself busy. By 1941, Rookwood Pottery was bankrupt, but continued production.

    The Menzels’ son John served in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. In an April 22, 1943 article in the Cincinnati Post, Earl explained that he was buying extra war bonds, in excess of 10 percent of his earnings, “to keep him and the other boys supplied with fighting equipment.”

    In addition to throwing (forming on a potter’s wheel) the pots, Earl was also able to design and decorate pieces. He chose to focus on throwing because it was the best paying job. A former coworker remembered Earl as a quiet man who was proud of his work. He liked to follow the Cincinnati Reds and listened to the Reds on the radio at his work station.

    In the mid-1950s, Earl produced some of his best-known pieces. In 1955, he made a pair of elephant bookends for President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Later that year, he made a tablet to be placed in the cornerstone of the new Procter & Gamble world headquarters in Downtown Cincinnati. The tablet was inscribed with the first line of the book of Genesis translated into 43 languages. In 1957, he created a plaque of Fountain Square based on a pen and ink drawing by artist Caroline Williams. This plaque was later reissued in 2008 for the rededication of Fountain Square. (I would love to have one of these, if anyone can find one and is feeling very generous!)

    Ruben Earl Menzel retired in 1959 when Rookwood Pottery ceased production. He worked at the Pottery for 63 years, longer than any other employee.

    Agnes Menzel died on June 4, 1965 and the funeral mass was conducted at St. Margaret of Cortona. Later in life, Earl went to live with his son John in Anderson Township and he sold his home on Carlton in 1970. He passed away at his son’s home on August 21, 1971 at the age of 89.

    My beloved babysitter, Frieda Greenstein, was a faithful member of St. Margaret and lived on Simpson, just a block from the Menzels. She also had some Rookwood pieces. Earl was a member of the Catholic Arts Association and, presumably, also of St. Margaret. I wonder if they knew each other. I wonder if Frieda’s pieces were thrown, decorated, or designed by Earl. I’ll probably never know.

    In doing historical or genealogical research, I often find myself wishing I could speak to my subjects. This is the case with Ruben Earl Menzel. He seemed like a humble man, yet obviously proud of his work. He experienced highs and lows in life. He lost his mother when he was only a boy and then lost his daughter before she reached the age of 20. He created pieces for a president and one of the largest corporations in the world. And he chose to live here in Fairfax.

Sources

Ancestry.com. Ohio, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1774-1993 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016. Year Range: 1909

Ancestry.com. 1900 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Year: 1900; Census Place: Cincinnati Ward 4, Hamilton, Ohio; Page: 9; Enumeration District: 0036; FHL microfilm: 1241274

Ancestry.com. 1910 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006. Year: 1910; Census Place: Cincinnati Ward 4, Hamilton, Ohio; Roll: T624_1189; Page: 10B; Enumeration District: 0052; FHL microfilm: 1375202

Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Year: 1930; Census Place: Columbia, Hamilton, Ohio; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 0327; FHL microfilm: 2341552

Cincinnati Enquirer, 5 June 1965, Page 16

Cincinnati Enquirer, 17 June 2013, Page B3

Cincinnati Enquirer, 29 December 2013, Page J9

Cincinnati Post (online), 7 Aug 1928 2 ‹https://infoweb-newsbank-com.research.cincinnatilibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A13E376E28E0F8354%40EANX-NB-1675EEAAB4999771%402425466-16754F8D50F40D19%401-16754F8D50F40D19%40›

Cincinnati Post (online), 22 Apr 1943 3 ‹https://infoweb-newsbank-com.research.cincinnatilibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A13E376E28E0F8354%40EANX-NB-167BB433A6C700D5%402430837-167A3D942043459D%402-167A3D942043459D%40›

Cincinnati Post (online), 14 Apr 1947 13 ‹https://infoweb-newsbank-com.research.cincinnatilibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A13E376E28E0F8354%40EANX-NB-167DFB6F4929291E%402432290-167C58A24A07BC70%4012-167C58A24A07BC70%40›

Cincinnati Post (online), 21 Sep 1955 39 ‹https://infoweb-newsbank-com.research.cincinnatilibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A13E376E28E0F8354%40EANX-NB-167F2C3E6373F4A4%402435372-167EB417B38BCC66%4038-167EB417B38BCC66%40›

Cincinnati Post (online), 21 Aug 1971 11 ‹https://infoweb-newsbank-com.research.cincinnatilibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A13E376E28E0F8354%40EANX-NB-1691919F06ED381F%402441185-169182306B3B7AA9%4010-169182306B3B7AA9%40›

Cincinnati Post (online), 12 Jul 1985 12 ‹https://infoweb-newsbank-com.research.cincinnatilibrary.org/apps/news/document-view?p=EANX-NB&docref=image/v2%3A13E376E28E0F8354%40EANX-NB-16B350AAA3C3C7B4%402446259-16B305895D4A3819%4011-16B305895D4A3819%40›