Chris Murphy said: "Does anyone know off hand the date for the beginning of the
use of terra cotta drain pipe in the U.S.?  I am referring to the commonplace
red body pipe which is glazed on the outside with a purplish red glaze and comes
in short sections that fit together with a flange on one end of each section. My
attempts so far to gain a date for the introduction of this common artifact have
proved fruitless.  My guesstimate is early 20th century, but that is not as
precise as I would like and may be altogether wrong. Any information or
bibliographic leads will be appreciated."

Chris,
A handy reference to the history of the agricultural uses of ceramic pipe is a
treatise on farm drainage written by French (as in a "French Drain") in the late
1840s.  Sorry I don't have a full reference here at work.  The book has been
republished many times and probably can be found in many libraries.  A fellow
archaeologist, Macon Coleman, brought French's book to my attention.  The book
had been part of the Coleman family's farm library since the nineteenth century.

My notes are at home, but if I remember correctly French reported that drain
pipes were first used by British agricultural reformers in the early 19th
century.  French gives a basic chronology of the evolution of drain pipe from
multi-part "tiles", to flat bottomed pipes, to truly tubular pipes by the
mid-19th century.  French's book made a big impact and by the late-19th century
brick and "tile" manufactories are common on the landscape in the Middle
Atlantic states.  A the Buchanan farmstead (reference below) in New Castle
County, Delaware we uncovered an extensive network of ceramic pipe "tile lines"
or "tile field" that drained  a 19th century farm yard.  I discuss the history
of tile lines in the report, although French's original may be more helpful.

You mention that your ceramic pipes are covered in a "purplish-red glaze."  The
majority of the tiles at the Buchanan farmstead were unglazed and of a clay like
that used in the common flower pot.  Although, if I remember correctly there was
a short section of 2-inch redware pipe with a glaze like that applied to redware
food storage pots.

Hope this helps,

Michael Scholl, RPA
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Scholl, Michael D., Angela Hoseth, and David J. Grettler
1995 Transportation and Agricultural Changes in Blackbird Hundred: Final
     Archaeological Investigations at the Buchanan-Savin Farmstead, Green
     Springs, New Castle County, Delaware.  Delaware Department of
     Transportation Archaeology Series No. 106, Dover.