Welcome
How the museum came into existence
A brief history of Red Wing Pottery
Red Wing Salt Glaze Pottery
Red Wing Stoneware
Red Wing Art Pottery pieces
Red Wing Dinnerware Patterns
Cookie jars made by Red Wing
New pieces acquired by the museum
The museum mission of preserving history
How to contact the museum and schedule a tour
Map and directions to the museum
Interview with Louise Schleich
Red Wing Organizations
Building A Dream
Jerry thinks he is unique with an obsessive/compulsive disorder, but the same can be said about most all collectors. I will agree his sickness is a bit more extreme then most, but it developed into one of the finest and most complete Red Wing collections in the country.
Steve Splittgerber, Museum Curator

This one-of-a-kind museum located in Lincoln, NE grew out of the desire to preserve an important part of American history. Jerry and Louise Schleich’s love for Red Wing Pottery started innocently enough in the 1970’s with the purchase of a 3-pound pantry jar. Louise bought the jar in a part of Lincoln known as Bethany where she had grown up. That $40.00 Red Wing pantry jar would inspire Louise to do some research and discover that the jar was worth at least what she had paid for it. Over the years Jerry and Louise’s interest in Red Wing Pottery would proliferate, covering salt glaze pottery, stoneware, dinnerware, cookie jars, and art pottery.

In October, 2001 after two years of planning and design, Jerry and Louise realized their dream of establishing the Schleich Pottery, Dinnerware, and Stoneware Museum in Lincoln. The largest museum of its kind displaying over 5,000 pieces, the museum chronicles the history of Red Wing Pottery with the mission of preserving the Red Wing legacy for future generations. Covering 1,700 square feet, the museum takes visitors on a tour of the nearly 100 years of Red Wing history as the pottery evolved from stoneware pieces and art pottery to the dinnerware manufactured by the company until its closing in 1967.

Since our opening, hundreds of collectors and pottery enthusiasts alike have experienced Jerry and Louise’s magnificent collection and their desire to share with others the craftsmanship and Americana that was, and is, Red Wing Pottery.

 


Jerry and Louise Schleich open the Schleich Red Wing Pottery Museum in October, 2001.

  
 

In Memoriam
Dedicated in loving memory of
Jerry Schleich, 1932-2005