06/17/2026
🫖 NEW ACQUISITION: An 18th-Century Teapot with Deep Monmouth County Roots
We are proud to announce the addition of a stunning silver teapot handcrafted by John Albert Schanck (1774–1864), a silversmith who worked right here in Middletown Point (present-day Matawan). Dating to approximately 1795, the teapot features an oval body with delicate engraved floral swag decoration, a pineapple finial on the domed lid, and a graceful ebonized wood handle — hallmarks of the refined Federal-period style.
The piece bears the maker’s marks on its base: J.SCHANCK in a rectangle, flanked by the eagle and date letter punches typical of American coin silver from this era. A virtually identical teapot by Schanck is in the permanent collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Now Matawan has one too.
This teapot joins two other Schanck-connected treasures already in the MHS collection: a silver loving cup also made by John Schanck, and a beautiful sampler (piece of textile art) created by his niece Marie — featured in a past MHS newsletter.
But the Schanck family story doesn’t end with silversmithing. John’s father, Captain John Gerritsen Schenck (1745–1834), was the militia officer who led the famous whaleboat raid on Brooklyn in retaliation for the British attack on Burrowes Mansion during the Revolutionary War. MHS has also recently confirmed that John Jr.’s last known residence in 1850 was 203 Main Street — the building still standing in Matawan today, long remembered as the former office of Dr. Larry Young.
A silversmith. A Revolutionary War legacy. A building still on our streets. This is exactly why local history matters — and why we keep collecting it.
This piece will be on display in the near future. Come see our growing collection at Burrowes Mansion Museum!
