To give a complete history of the making of glassware in this country would take far more time and space than we have at our disposal. So these articles will attempt to give the highlights of the types of glass made during various periods as well as important companies.

The glassmaking industry enjoyed a great; deal of success from about 1828 up to the Civil War. Both manpower and materials were needed for the war effort. Since all the lead that could be mustered was needed for bullets, flint glass had to be discontinued for the duration of the struggle.

In 1861, just, before war broke out, the Hobbs, Brockunier Company opened in Wheeling, West Virginia. Located on the upper Ohio River, this company had access to less expensive river transportation as well as to the railroads. Coal had been found to fire the furnaces and a good source of silica sand was available for making the glass. This company was very successful for a long time, making a variety of high quality glasswares. Later the designers and chemists at this site pioneered in new types of glass, which will be discussed in more detail later. Many fine examples of Hobbs Brockunier products may be seen in the Oglebey Park Museum just north of Wheeling.

Up to the Civil War there were numerous factories that made only bottle and window glass, called "green glass". Patent medicine bottles soon became a thriving business and provides an interesting and challenging category of collectables today. Other important green glass items were the historical and pictorial bottles and flasks, which were richer in variety of design, decorations, color and interest than any other division of American blown-molded glass.

William Lieghten, who came from the New England Company to work for Hobbs Brockunier in Wheeling perfected a way to make lime glass in 1864. This type was far cheaper to make than lead glass and was considered the most important contribution to the industry since the hand pressing machine in 1827.

The Wheeling area soon became a large center for glassmaking. Martins Ferry, Bridgeport, and Bellaire were on the west bank of the Ohio River in Ohio directly across from Wheeling and a bridge had spanned the river since 1851. Each of these towns had one or more major glass factories making either tablewares, art glass, fruit jars or window glass. People often lived in one state and worked in another.

The close proximity of good quality clay deposits to the Wheeling area was an important factor as clay is used for making the melting pets where the batch of glass is heated. Soon natural gas was discovered in the Ohio Valley, providing a cheaper, cleaner source of heat. It is the heat that performs the "miracle" of melting sand, alkali and other materials into glass. The essential elements of glass are many and a miracle it is that such diverse materials should, under the influence of temperatures as high as 2,700° F., become the beautiful scintillating objects of utility and art that grace our homes today.

After the Civil War, medicine bottles, window glass, fruit jars and flasks made up a high percentage of the output. New patterns in tablewares were introduced frequently. The La Belle Glass Company of Bridgeport, Ohio (1872) is remembered for four outstanding patterns: "Queen Anne" (also known as "Old Man of the Woods” and “Bearded Man"); "Two Band”; “Ruby”; and “Actress”. The Central Glass Company, also in Bridgeport, was responsible for numerous patterns including the “Log Cabin” line. The Mosser Glass Company of Cambridge, Ohio, has reworked the molds for the “Log Cabin" sugar and creamer and is currently making these in crystal, cobalt; blue, and chocolate slag.

This photo is an example of pressed glass from Central Glass Co., Wheeling, WV. It is the Coin Glass candy Jar, dated 1892.

The 1876 Centennial celebration created an interest in historical and souvenir items. Gillinder and Sons built an exhibition factory right on the grounds of Fairmount Park in Philadelphia and turned out thousands of handsome pieces. Many of these, treasured as family keepsakes, have been passed down from parent to child, surviving to finally attain the status of an antique. Of major interest to collectors are the six-inch busts of Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, made in milk glass, clear glass and clear frosted glass. A “Lion Head” paperweight, a bust of Shakespeare and a figure of “Ruth the Cleaner” were made also. 

Toothpick holders, Victorian slippers, match holders, hand vases, glass baskets and many other trinket-type items were carried home from this important celebration. All kinds of dishes with animals on the lids seemed to capture the fancy of visitors. Milk white glass had become popular and many different designs can be found in this opaque white glass, now referred to as "milk glass”.

Glass manufacturers took into consideration that little girls loved to imitate their mothers, and made many of, the pressed glass patterns in sets for children to play with. It is hard to complete a set, today in some patterns but a lot of grown up “little girls” keep trying.