Today, we continue our discourse into the past of the American glass industry. We already spoke about the Broken Column design and the way gas set the stage for the rapid evolution of the glass industry in the U.S. Today, Mesa Glass wants to focus on the history of one particular company – United States Glass Company, which is claimed to be one of the central elements in the advancement of the glass industry in the U.S.
The United States Glass Company is well known far beyond the borders of the U.S. The company was founded in 1891 and was the result of a merger. Several glass companies located in Pennsylvania, Indiana, West Virginia, and Ohio united to form a large glass conglomerate. As a result of the discussed consolidation, two new plants were formed. Mesa Glass professionals have found that one factory was formed in Gas City, Indiana. That was a fully automated glass manufacturing system. Another facility was formed in Tiffin, Ohio. That was a hand-making facility dealing primarily with customized glass products.
The Gas City factory focused on the production of kitchenware and dinner glass. The company’s factories in Pittsburgh produced tableware, colored glass, crystal glass, and decorated lamp wares. However, by the middle of the 20th century, the United States Glass Company had lost most of its manufacturing facilities, and only one production site at Tiffin, Ohio was left operating.
Despite the difficulties faced by the United States Glass Company during the Great Depression, its products were always of high quality, unique and memorable. This is why we at Mesa Glass value the glass heritage left by the company through the century of its profitable work. Today, the United States Glass Company works hard to cope with the growing demand for its products. Good quality antique glass has always been popular, and the United States Glass Company has its own market niche. This is one of the brightest examples of stability and profitable growth over years in the American glass market.
