Hi all. I'm looking at tobacco pipes from the Johannes Kolb site. This 
has a historic occupation that begins with Kolb, a German immigrant who 
lived in Skippack NJ before coming south in 1737. He lived at the site 
until the early 1760s. A second occupation begins after the American 
Revolution and continues through most of the 19th century. These were 
likely enslaved seasonal work groups engaged in agriculture. After 
emancipation they and their descendants were likely employed as 
agricultural laborers and loggers.

This is a two part question. I am finding the usual integral stem ball 
clay pipes, but also a fair number of stub stem (reed stem) pipes. A few 
of these are glazed, obvious 19th century examples, but about 98% are 
unglazed and crude looking enough to argue they are home made. Gottfried 
Aust brought the practice of making reed stem pipes to the Moravian 
pottery at Salem, NC in the early 1760s. My question is, did he 
introduce the practice in the Mid Atlantic at that time as well, or were 
German settlers making reed stem pipes at home before then? That is, 
could Kolb or one of his neighbors have made these pipes?

Part two. Three ball clay stems are modified. Two are sharpened to a 
point, which I interpret as being done to allow them to be fitted into a 
reed, extending the use life of the bowl. A third looks as if its owner 
chomped down on it with his or her front teeth so they could smoke hands 
free, perhaps while working. Has anyone seen evidence of this behavior 
in skeletal remains?

Thanks,
Carl