by Rob Kinney

    John Raab was born on May 10, 1829, in Austria. His family had been distinguished potters in Silesia for over five generations. As he grew up, he served as an apprentice for several master potters until 1851. [1] Raab married Johanna Greger that year, and they had a son, William, on August 1, 1854. On the advice of a younger son who had already immigrated, the Raabs came to America in 1874. They arrived in Philadelphia, but moved to Cedar Falls on the advice of a friend the following year. Here John Raab bought a piece of property at 312 Water St. and opened Raab's Stoneware and Terra Cotta Works. [2] The clay that Raab found in the area proved below his standards, so he imported clay from other states to produce his drain tiles, sewer pipe, stoneware jars, and crocks. In the 1880s, double and triple flue chimneys also became part of the business. Later in his career, Raab concentrated on his talents as an artist and began to create vases, figurines, and other art work. [3] John Raab died on November 4, 1908, at 80.

Footnotes

Bibliography