The Edgefield man was sculpting clay into ``voodoo'' jugs, vessels with African faces on them, used for storing food, water and vinegar.

With gentle hands and the keen eyes of an artist, a simple mound of clay is transformed into a work of art with a $125 price tag.

Mr. Ferrell is a self-described mud lover, whose first hobby, collecting bottles, led him to discover the unusual pots and jugs, which he later learned were produced in Edgefield.

For nearly three decades, Mr. Ferrell has preserved a part of history that few know existed, thanks in part to the invention of the Mason screw-top jar.

Inspired by the beauty of the art and wanting to learn more about its manufacture, he attended the Museum School of Art in Greenville.

Since then, Mr. Ferrell has fascinated thousands with his art and teachings on South Carolina pottery techniques.

On Saturday, he did just that, giving a demonstration at Redcliffe Plantation in Beech Island.

He has published many articles and continues to conduct personal research on early South Carolina pottery techniques. In 1976, he organized the first museum show of Edgefield pottery, which traveled to Gibbs Gallery in Charleston, the Columbia Museum of Art and the Greenville County Museum of Art.

The Edgefield area has a rich and storied history of potters and has been dubbed the crossroads of clay because of its resources, including massive deposits of kaolin, sands and pine trees - all necessary for making pottery. Beginning shortly after 1800, the Landrum family started true pottery factories to supply the South Carolina back country with kitchen and smokehouse utensils.

The tradition grew to an all-time high in 1850 when five potteries, employing 35 people produced more than 100,000 gallons of pottery, Mr. Ferrell said.

Reflecting the contribution of the many slaves and freed blacks who worked in the industry, Mr. Ferrell said the objects produced in these factories often incorporated African designs and techniques.

Time, unfortunately, became an enemy to pottery.

The death knell of potters across the country came with the invention of the Mason screw-top jar in 1858. Combined with mass migration to cities and the end of the slave-plantations economy after the Civil War, this caused the pottery tradition to decline in the South, he said.