Our little tiny claim to historical fame (or at least the main one I've heard so far) in Stafford Springs would be our two mineral springs. Once sources of a famous spa destination and a subsequent bottled beverage endeavor, both springs are within eyesight of my back windows.
In the first couple of months of being here, one of my (many, many, many) ideas for the pottery was to somehow incorporate the water from the iron spring into a unique Stafford-Springs-only glaze formula. I found an analysis report of the minerals and knew they would do SOMEthing cool, and I made plans to experiment.
Long story short, now almost exactly a year later, we have an absolutely unique iron oxide stain for our pottery. It's a deep, velvety red-brown that highlights texture like nothing else. You can find the first prototypes in Middle Ground on some coffee cups, and now in the shop on some little plates. (Mugs are coming soon).