Billy Joe Craven

John V. Craven opened the original Craven Pottery in White County, Georgia in 1850. Several generations later, Billy Joe Craven (b. 1947) returned to the family tradition and established the current Craven Pottery in 1971.

From one of the oldest potting families in the South, Billy Joe is a descendant of Peter Craven, who set up a pottery business in North Carolina as early as 1760. Billy Joe learned to turn from members of the Hewell family and is now a leading producer of unglazed gardenware in the region. While Craven Pottery continues to produce outdoor decorative and functional pottery, Billy Joe finds time to continue the tradition of creating face jugs in his own unmistakable style.