Pitcher

This custom-made ceramic pitcher was specially commissioned by merchant John Gray Blount to showcase his business venture—Shell Castle Island. The detailed artwork on the pitcher captures a bustling commercial port that included North Carolina’s first known lighthouse, making this the earliest surviving image of a lighthouse in the state.

Today, Shell Castle Island lies completely underwater, claimed by the Atlantic Ocean. This pitcher serves as one of the few remaining visual records of this once-important North Carolina port, preserving the memory of a place that played a crucial role in the state’s early maritime commerce.