Bohls Pottery

McDade, Texas

 
In September of 1953, Donald w. Bohls and wife Lilly Spears Bohls originally from San Antonio, were in the San Marcos area on their way to McDade.  They had great expectations of taking over their new business,

which was to be the Bohls pottery, newly acquired of Willie Taylor.  The move required several trips to get all their belongings to McDade and to their new home. 
     Mr. Bohls was an educated man.  He received a degree in Electrical Engineering, and held several patents to his credit while living in San Antonio. Mr. Bohls had a brilliant mind, so pottery making would be no problem.  It was McDade, the place of an abundance supply of quality clay and success seemed to lie ahead, but this business did not flourish.  As the family was in the process of moving, something dreadful happened that changed all the pottery plans for the Bohls family.  Their youngest son Edward, then a teenager, was helping with the move and Edward had the family dog with him in the back.  Edward opened the van door about the same time Mr. Bohls began to pull out and the dog caused Edward to fall forward and out the door of the vehicle.  The vehicle driven by Mr. Bohls ran over Edward killing him at once.   The Bohls tended to their son’s death then continued the move to McDade but their hearts were so grieved that the pottery business was a total failure.  

       Only one item is known to have been saved that was produced at the Bohls pottery, it is a little girl and her cat figurine, a rather inferior piece but it is precious as it is the only one we have.  Mrs.. Bohls preserved her figurine and presented it to her friend who placed it in the McDade museum.  This failure brought to an end their pottery dreams and the many years of pottery making in McDade.

     Their new home, a tiny tile house built by Mr. Baker Sims, who was almost blind at the time he built it, was not a comfortable place but it was home for a number of years.  Mr. Bohls struggled with his grief.  To help he became the leader of the local boys scout troop.  He was well liked by the young boys in the group and used the big warehouse that had been used for storing the pottery by Mr. Taylor, for instructing the scouts on how to built a metal boat.  Merle Rother and John Antone Dube were two of the boys who enjoyed Mr. Bohls instructions and company. 
    Mr. Bohls found employment with pathfinder products, a business that made oil well equipment at camp swift, located near McDade and Lilly became the local Avon lady.  He engaged in the making of such items as night sticks for the department of public safety, bridle bits for horses, molds, dyes, lathes and shapers.   While still in San Antonio he made double-headed coins for the gamblers.
     Mr. Bohls, a cousin to pastor Alvin Bohls of faith Lutheran church came to worship at faith from grace Lutheran, Missouri synod, in Elgin.  In 1980 Mr. and Mrs.. Bohls are pictured in the church directory of faith as members.  Mrs. Bohls was a faithful member of the altar guild, choir, women of the church, and attended the adult Sunday school class, and served as Sunday school teacher.  She was a member of the McDade home demonstration club.  She enjoyed being the Avon lady making her rounds and visiting with her many friends regularly.  
    Then, on July 12, 1967, they received more sad words of the death of their oldest and last child, captain Donald Bohls.  He was a pilot in the United States airforce.  
On June 2, 1981, cancer took the life of Lilly, leaving her husband Donald w., a daughter-in-law Clarice the wife of captain Donald, and three grandchildren to survive her.  On Sept 25, 1985, D.W. Bohls died and he is buried beside his wife and son in capitol memorial park cemetery in Austin.
   The lot where the old pottery had been was cleaned up in the 1980’s by   frank brown who had helped his father, Robert Brown Sr. build the pottery for Willie Taylor some twenty plus years earlier, and now he worked to remove it. Frank bulldozed the tank, a water source for the pottery, covered up the old well, and
removed all the remaining brick from the lot, making it ready for what comes next, a new section to the McDade cemetery.