There were at least two Haun potters in Tennessee, Lewis M. Haun and Christopher Alexander Haun. Both were born in Tennessee. Lewis M. was born in 1835. Christopher Alexander was born in 1821 and hung in Knoxville in 1861. He was one of the Greene County "bridge-burners" the Confederate Army put to death.[1]  He also was quite possibly the finest earthenware potter Tennessee has ever had.

In the 1850 census for Greene County he was 29, married, listed as a tenant and living one household from master potter William Hinshaw. Several other known potters were living in the surrounding area.

By 1860 he had moved and was listed as a farmer. He lived one household away from Lewis M. Haun, his younger brother by 14 years. Lewis was listed as a master potter. Other known potters lived nearby.

The only documentation for the fact that C.A. Haun was a potter comes from a letter he wrote to his wife from the Knoxville Jail one day before he was hung. Part of his instructions to her were "Have Bohannan Hinshaw or Low to finish off that ware . . ." Simon Bohannan, William Hinshaw and J.A. Low were all potters. He also wrote "You can sell my shop-tools, lead oven, glazing mill, clay mill and lathe and so on . . .".

By all accounts he was a remarkable man, as well as a talented potter. He created beautiful earthenware jars with copper oxide decoration (green) and coggled designs around the shoulders. Occasionally "C.A. Haun" appears as part of the decorative coggled motifs.

His pottery rises far above the commonplace. He was an artist-potter making wares for a utilitarian market.

[1] For information on the Greene County "bridge-burners" see "Broken Vessels, The Story of the Hanging of the "Pottertown" Bridge-Burners November-December, 1861" by Donahue Bible, Dodson Creek Publishers, Mohawk, Tennessee.

Note: The background image is a large earthenware jar attributed to C.A. Haun.

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