Todd Johnson Heritage Center and Museum Director

On Saturday, May 17, the Johnston County Museum will host a book-signing and one-day exhibition of pottery made near Smithfield from 1927 to 1942. Stephen Compton of Raleigh will bring a sampling of his vast collection of Herman Cole’s Smithfield Art Pottery. He will also sign copies of his book, North Carolina’s Hillside Pottery and Smithfield Art Pottery: The Pottery With Two Names, which is currently for sale in the museum’s gift shop. Located near the banks of the Neuse River on Highway 301. Cole’s roadside operation shipped out as many as 2,000 pieces each week and did a booming business with passing motorists in the days when 301 was a main traffic artery between New York and Miami.