Undated
BB
Short freehand initials without a surname, circular border or written place.
incised · glazed pottery · Bybee, Madison County, Kentucky, United States
Pottery & porcelain
Bybee Pottery marks
Bybee Pottery marks include incised “Bybee / by / Walter Cornelison / 2007” on glazed pottery in Bybee, Madison County, Kentucky, United States.
- Country
- United States
- City / region
- Bybee, near Waco, Madison County, Kentucky
- Products
- storage crocks, bowls, mugs, pitchers, pie plates, baking dishes, candleholders, decorative art pottery
- Marks
- 6
Cornelison pottery was active in the later nineteenth century. The historic shop suspended operations in 2011, but reduced family production continued in 2019–2020.
What to look for
- Read the full base inscription before comparing the glaze. BB is a short factory signature; WLC / Bybee, PLC and a written Walter Cornelison name identify individual Cornelison family potters.
- SINCE 1845 or SINCE 1809 wording refers to a claimed founding date, not the year a pot was made. A separate handwritten date such as 2007 can identify the particular example.
- A Kentucky-outline stamp reading GENUINE BYBEE belongs to the separate Lexington concern. Do not merge that mark into the Cornelison factory timeline.
Dated marks & timeline
6 marks
Undated
CORNELISON POTTERY / HAND MADE / BY / CORNELISON / SINCE 1845 / BYBEE KY
Full name is recessed into clay, with HAND MADE and SINCE 1845; distinct from the simpler printed circle.
impressed · glazed pottery · Bybee, Madison County, Kentucky, United States
Undated
CORNELISON POTTERY / SINCE 1845 / BYBEE KY
Circular ink border and curved company name; the image preserves SINCE 1845 while some central letters are worn.
printed · dark blue · glazed pottery · Bybee, Madison County, Kentucky, United States
Undated
Bybee / by / Walter Cornelison / 2007
Full written name, Bybee and 2007 distinguish this dated example from the abbreviated WLC signature.
incised · glazed pottery · Bybee, Madison County, Kentucky, United States
Undated
WLC / Bybee
Individual WLC signature includes Bybee below; distinguish it from the factory BB and Paula’s PLC.
incised · glazed pottery · Bybee, Madison County, Kentucky, United States
About Bybee Pottery
Bybee Pottery grew from the Cornelison family’s pottery-making business in Madison County, Kentucky. James E. Cornelison and his son Walter were important figures in the region’s later nineteenth-century pottery production. The works used local clay and occupied a log-built pottery in the village of Bybee, near Waco. Its earlier salt-glazed storage wares were followed by colourful glazed household and decorative pottery.
Successive generations made bowls, mugs, pitchers, pie plates, baking dishes and candleholders. Walter Lee Cornelison worked at a wheel in the old log shop and supervised an operation that also used slip casting and jigger turning. The pottery’s substantial forms, bright glazes and sponge decoration became particularly popular during the 1980s. Members of the next generation, including Jimmy, Robert and Paula Cornelison, also worked in the family business.
The historic retail operation suspended activity in 2011. Jimmy Cornelison and Ron Stambaugh continued making smaller batches, sold through Little Bit of Bybee; Jimmy was still working at the pottery in 2020. Factory stamps occur alongside handwritten BB initials and individual family signatures. The separate Lexington company’s Genuine Bybee and Selden-Bybee lines belong to a different business history.
Also known as: Cornelison Pottery · Cornelison family pottery · Cornelison Pottery / Bybee Pottery
Look-alikes & how to tell them apart
Genuine Bybee and Selden-Bybee, Lexington
These names belong to the separate Lexington Bybee Pottery Company. Its Kentucky-outline marks and GENUINE or SELDEN wording distinguish those wares from the Cornelison family’s BB and Cornelison-name stamps.