As was mentioned in the first article of this series, progress in glassmaking as a stable industry was slow until freedom was won and subsequent trade agreements rid the new nation of English intimation. In 1803 President Jefferson had completed the purchase of the Louisiana Territory opening up the West and a United States port in New Orleans. In 1807 the steamboat was invented, a revolu­tionary means of transportation and communication. Then in 1827 Deming Jarves invented a hand pressing device for making glass. The operation of this machine took only two men instead of the three or four needed to blow glass into a mold.

These accomplishments seemed to provide the boost necessary for the glass industry to thrive. Soon many glassworks sprang up and by 1840 they numbered 100. The hand press put the Sandwich Company way ahead and a new trend was started. Complete table settings were available at prices the average person could afford. Patterns began to be named. However, some patterns had only numbers to identify them and were later named by researchers of pattern glass.

Literally hundreds of patterns were made between 1828 and 1890. And many hundreds (one quote was "over 2,000") of these have names and are catalogued in books on pattern glass. Yet, patterns keep surfacing that no one has seen before. Companies copied each other's designs, sometimes making just, enough variation in a pattern to get, by patent, rights, resulting in much confusion today for collectors and dealers alike.

Many pressed patterns had engraved decorations on bands or panels. However the earlier pieces were covered with intricate lacy designs with lots of stippling. Because the contact of the hot glass with the cold mold caused wrinkles on plain surfaces, designers turned to patterns that covered the entire piece producing a "lacy" effect. These lacy patterns are diligently sought by collectors today. Technological improvements eventually eliminated these wrinkles and patterns became simpler in the 1840's.

This photo shows a Comet bowl, pressed glass, Lacy sandwich, Sandwich Glass Co. c 1840, Showing the underside of the bowl.

Colored glass from this period is much more rare than the clear crystal, although several colors are known to have been made including amber, green, blue, vaseline, amethyst, ruby and cranberry. Also some opaque glass in green, blue and clambroth were made.

It was common for glassworkers to move from factory to factory as work was available. For instance, a mold maker might, finish a job for one company and be without work unless he moved to another company needing his skills. In this way many secrets were carried from one company to another.

Some of the leading glass companies during the pre-Civil War period were the Boston and Sandwich Company on Cape Cod, The New England Glass Company in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Benjamin Bakewell Company, later known as Pittsburgh Flint, Glass Works of; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Atterbury and Company, Hobbs Brockunier of, Wheeling, West Virginia and Central Glass Company of Wheeling. There were many others but these seemed to have made wares that had wide appeal in their day as well as being popular with collectors today.

Bakewell's glasshouse was the largest in Pittsburgh for many years, shipping glass East and West" to Mexico and the West Indies. From 2,400 inhabitants in 1800, Pittsburgh grew to 9,600 in 1815. Though the citizens worked hard and could afford few luxuries, they considered owning some fine flint, glassware an earmark of success. The year 1817 marked the beginning of a national as well as a local reputation for superlative glasswares at Bakewell's. It appears that they had the distinction of being the first manufacturer of American made glass to provide the White House with glassware. In 1817 President, Monroe ordered a complete set, of tumblers and wine glasses for his own use. In 1829 President Jackson ordered a large table service of fine cut glass which captured the attention of the larger newspapers.

Early pressed glass contained lead oxide and will "ring like a bell" when tapped. It is referred to as "flint" glass; it was and still is considered to be superior in quality to the later soda lime glass. The older established companies took great pride in the quality of what they produced.

The New England Glass Company located at Cambridge, Massachusetts also produced fine flint glass, cut, and enamel decorated. Although we hear more about the Sandwich Company, The New England Glass Company was undoubtedly the leading producer of high quality glasswares on the East Coast. This company, established in 1818, has a long history, being reorganized in 1888 as The Libby Glass Company and moving to Toledo, Ohio.

The Atterbury Company, established in 1858, is best remembered for the novelty covered dishes made there. Many of these had animals on the lids. Pressed tablewares, lamps and bottles provided the bulk of their production.

After 1800 glass gradually became the most important medium for lighting devices, especially lamps. When the whaling industry was so important in New England, the production of free-blown and pressed whale oil lamps was a mainstay of the glass business. All through the Victorian period glass companies devoted much time and ingenuity to designing light fixtures. Elegant chandeliers graced every public hall of any importance and all fine homes.

Later, a whole new glass industry was born in the wake of the discovery that kerosene could be refined from petroleum. The oil boom in the Mid-west and the rising price of whale oil provided the incentive for creating new and varied types of lighting devices. There were 141 patents granted for lamp chimneys and shades between 1855 and 1873.