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A Century of Toledo Glass, June 1988- September 1988
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A CENTURY OF TOLEDO GLASS The accomplishments of the entrepreneurs, inventors, and craftsmen who made Toledo glass possible are highlighted in "A Century of Toledo Glass," an exhibition commemorating the one-hundredth anniversary of the arrival of the New England Glass Company in Toledo. The symbol chosen for the exhibit is the glass key made by the Libbey Glass Co. and traditionally presented to distinguished visitors to the city.• In a more abstract sense the glass industry is one of the keys to Toledo, internationally known as the "Glass City." Though local glass manufacturing has declined in recent years, Toledo remains the world headquarters for Owens-Illinois Corp. (and its operating division, Libbey Glass), Libbey-Owens-Ford Co. (now a division of Pilkington Ltd.). and Owens-Corning Fiberglas. The industry continues to be a major contributor to the local economy and is still one of the area's largest employers. Moreover, one of the world's great glass collections resides at the Toledo Museum of Art. Toledo glass has had a considerable impact on the national lifestyle. It has found its way into millions of automobiles and the windows of the Empire State Building. It made the "glass wall" style of architecture possible. Billions of disposable glass beverage containers are produced by a Toledo-based company, and handmade Libbey Glass has graced White House dinner tables. Toledo glass was prominently displayed at the Columbian Exposition of 1893 and the World's Fairs of 1934 and 1939. The Canaday Center exhibit focuses on the early years of the glass industry, the development of glass technology, and the men and women who made major contributions to the industry. The story begins with the arrival of the first New England Glass Co. workers from Massachusetts on an August day in 1888. We go on to examine the early years of Libbey Glass and its triumphs at the 1893 Chicago Exposition. Special attention has been given to the developments in glass technology which originated in Toledo or were perfected there, such as the Owens bottle machine and the Colburn process
for drawing sheet glass. The exhibition also attempts to show how the current (and sometimes confusing) multiplicity of glass companies which developed out of the original New England Glass Company. The three Utans of Toledo glass-Edward Drummond Libbey, Michael Owens, and Edward Ford-are well represented, as are lesser known but significant figures in the history of glass technology such as Irving Colburn, Richard La.France, and Edward Danner. Nor has the importance of glassblowers, cutters, finishers, grinders, moldmakers, and other skilled craftsmen of the Toledo factories been ignored.
comprehensive history of the glass industry in Toledo. Like the exhibit, it focuses by design on the industry's early years and its "founding fathers" and gives relatively little attention to postwar product lines and company executives. *In recent years, the City of Toledo has given out the glass key only to VIPs of the highest rank; others receive a glass goblet made by Libbey Glass. The three versions of the glass key in use since 1950 are on display in this exhibit.
"A Century of Toledo Glass" draws upon unusual materials, some never before displayed, from corporate archives and private collections. Included in the exhibit are original documents of the Libbey Glass Company and its successors, deposited by Libbey-Owens-Ford Co. and theTRINOVACorp. in the Canaday Center. The first piece of glass to emerge from the Colburn sheet glass machine on Thanksgiving Day 1913, the original test bottles from the Owens Bottle Machine Number Two, rare photographs of Messrs. Libbey and Owens, and a fiberglass space suit made for NASA have been lent by LOF, Owens-Illinois, and Owens-Corning Fiberglas. The American Flint Glass Workers Union, whose international headquarters is in Toledo, has contributed photographs and other memorabilia.
Ubbey Glass trademark plaque used at 1904 St. Louis Exposition. (Collection of Carl Fauster)
Specially featured in the show are Libbey Glass items lent by Carl Fauster, the author of Libbey Glass Since 1818. The handmade glass from Mr. Fauster's collection includes pieces engraved by Louis Vaupel, the master craftsman of the New England Glass Co .. Other Libbey products of note are examples of ruby Amberina glass, souvenirs of the Libbey glass factory at the 1893 exposition, including a glass fiber vest and tie, and samples of the Nash and Modern America patterns from the 1930s and 40s. The centerpiece of the exhibit is an iridescent Blue Grotto punchbowl set made by Libbey in the 1930s. Our thanks are extended to Mr. Fauster, the corporate lenders, and other parties acknowledged at the end of this brochure. The chronology which follows is intended to be a useful complement to the exhibition; it is not by any means a
Te st bottles from an early version of the Owens bottle machine, dated November and December 1899. Thanks toMichaelJ. Owens, the production of bottles became thefr.rstfully automated process in the glass industry. (Owens·illinois Corp.)
Erratum The captions on the last page of the introduction should be reversed.
TOLEDO GLASS INDUSTRY CHRONOLOGY
A TOLEDO GLASS INDUSTRY GENEALOGY
1818 The New England Glass Company of East Cambridge, Massachusetts is founded. New England Glass produces high-quality blown and pressed glass for home use. Its engraved glass becomes a particular specialty. 1843, January 21 Edward Ford born in Greenville, Indiana, son of "Captain" John B. Ford (1811-1903). 1854, April 17 Edward Drummond Libbey born in Chelsea, Massachussetts, son of William L. Libbey, later manager of New England Glass.
LIBBEY GLASS
1859, January 1 Michael J. Owens born in Mason County, Virginia (now West Virginia). 1867 Captain John Ford and his sons Edward and Emory establish their first plate glass plant in New Albany, Indiana. 1878 The American Flint Glass Workers Union founded in Pittsburgh.
Corning Glass
LIBBEY - OWENS-FORD
1880 The Fords organize a new plate glass company at Creighton, Pennsylvania following failure of New Albany venture; the original company name was New York Plate Glass Co .. later changed to Pittsburgh Plate Glass. 1883 William L. Libbey dies; Edward takes over manage~ ment of New England Glass.
OWENS CORNING FIBERGLAS
1887 Falling sales of decorative glass and labor troubles lead Edward Drummond Libbey to visit other cities in search of less expensive natural gas and labor; he comes to Toledo late in the year and reaches <;igreement to move the factory there. 1888, August Michael Owens begins work at Libbey Glass Company and becomes a supervisor three months later. 1888, August 17 First glass workers from East Cambridge arrive at Toledo's railroad station and are warmly greeted.
1890 New England Glass begins production of electric light bulbs for General Electric. The large contract improves the company's gloomy financial picture. 1892 New England Glass changes its name to The Libbey Glass Company. 1893 Libbey gambles on a $250,000 investment in a model glass plant at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago. The Libbey factory attracts nationwide attention and improves sales of Libbey glass.
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1906, August Colburn Machine Glass Co. formed. The company installs drawing machines at two factories in 1908 but the company goes bankrupt in 1911 before the technology is perfected. 1907 First machine-blown glass tumblers. 1907 Nicholas Building becomes headquarters for Libbey Glass and Owens Bottle. 1912 Improved "AR" type bottle machine with 10 arms introduced.
1895, December 17 Toledo Glass Company incorporated, to exploit early semi-automatic glass-blowing machines of Michael J. Owens.
1912 Toledo Glass Company buys Colburn's patents: Colburn hired soon after.
about distributorships. Edward Ford decides to open a new plate glass factory in Toledo.
1913, November Work begins on refining Colburn process at Toledo Glass experimental plant. On Thanksgiving (November 25) the first draw of sheet glass at Toledo Glass Co. takes place.
1898 Construction started on Ford plate glass plant in Rossford, Ohio.
1916 Libbey-Owens Sheet Glass Company organized.
1899 Owens designs wheel-mounted bottle machine (desig-
1917 First Libbey-Owens plant opened in Charleston, West Virginia.
1897 Fords leave Pittsburgh Plate Glass Co. over dispute
nated as "Machine Number Two") and produces the experimental bottles displayed in this exhibit.
1917 First machine-made glass tubing produced by process developed by Edward Danner in Toledo.
1899 IrvingW. Colburn(l861-1917). a Pennsylvania inventor, begins experiments which result in a sheet-glass machine. 1899 Production of plate glass at Edward Ford's Rossford
plant begins: Edward Ford Plate Glass Company incorporated November 11. 1902 Owens and associates complete work on first fully successful automatic bottle-blowing machine (known as "Machine Number Four"); within a few years the machine's successor ("Machine A") revolutionizes the glass container industry. 1903 Owens Bottle Machine Company incorporated. 1904 American Flint Glass Workers Union headquarters moved to Toledo.
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1919 Owens Bottle Machine Company changes name to Owens Bottle Company. 1920 Edward Ford dies; son George Ross Ford becomes President and Treasurer of Edward Ford Plate Glass Company. 1923, December 27 Michael Owens dies in Toledo. 1925 Libbey-Owens Sheet Glass begins investigating laminated safety glass processes. 1925, November 13 Edward Drummond Libbey dies in
Toledo. 1926
Ford Plate Glass obtained license for Bicheroux
process for casting plate glass through water-cooled rollers. 1928 First laminated auto safety glass produced by LibbeyOwens-Ford. 1929 Illinois Glass Co. of Alton, Illinois absorbed by Owens
Bottle Co.; the new corporation is known as Owens-Illinois Glass Co. Over the next several years, Owens-Illinois, now the largest glass company in the world, purchases several smaller glass companies. 1930 Edward Ford Plate Glass Company and Libbey-Owens Glass Company merge to form Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company. 1930-31 Empire State Building constructed using LibbeyOwens-Ford glass. 1933 New line of tableware designed by A. Douglas Nash introduced by Libbey Glass; discontinued in 1935 because of poor sales. 1934 Owens-Illinois exhibit at Chicago Century of Progress fair features a glass block building with a fifty-foot tower. 1935 Owens-Illinois moves into former Ohio Savings Bank and Trust Co. building on Madison Avenue (the large illuminated 0-I sign was installed in 1955).
Owens-Illinois Glass Company acquires assets of Libbey Glass, which becomes a subsidiary and later an operating division. 1935
1938 First machine-blown .glass stemware produced by
Libbey. 1938 Owens-Coming Fiberglas Corporation formed by Owens-Illinois and Corning Glass Works to pursue research and development of fiberglass. Company headquarters established in Toledo, although manufacturing operations are located elsewhere. 1939 Owens-Illinois and Libbey-Owens Ford exhibit at New York World's Fair.
1940 Modem America series of tableware, the last line of handmade Libbey Glass, released; discontinued 1943 because of war restrictions. 1941 First continuous flow tank furnace started operations at Libbey-Owens-Ford plant in Rossford. 1943 Lib bey Glass becomes an operating division of OwensIllinois. 1946 Libbey-Owens-Ford Thermopane factory opened to manufacture insulated window glass. 1951 Declaration of Independence and Constitution sealed in Thermopane glass at National Archives. 1959 Owens-Illinois selected as one of the thirty Dow-Jones Industrial Average stocks. 1960 Libbey-Owens-Ford's new headquarters building opens in downtown Toledo. "Glass wall" architectural style used. 1964 Spectraglass technique for making glass containers in a range of colors announced by Owens-Illinois. 1966 LOF licenses float-glass process for production of plate glass from Pilkington Ltd. 1968 Libbey Glass celebrates 150th anniversary. 1969 Fiberglas Tower, headquarters building for OwensComing Fiberglas Corp .. completed. 1971 Plasti-Shield softdrink bottles with foam covering testmarketed by Owens-Illinois. 1982 Owens-Illinois moves into new world headquarters building at One Seagate. 1983 Owens Bottle Machine chosen as an International Historic Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
1985 Glassmaking operations of Libbey-Owens-Ford acquired by Pilkington Ltd.; LOF's other divisions are split off and become TRINOVA Corp. 1987 Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company acquire OwensIllinois; the Libbey division's name is changed to Libbey Glass Incorporated.
A CENTURY OF TOLEDO GLASS EXHIBITION PREPARED BY: Nola Skousen Richard Oram Nancy Burnard CHRONOLOGY BY: Nola Skousen Richard Oram ASSISTANCE PROVIDED BY: Barbara Floyd Marjorie Schradie Barbara Shirk Marie Eaton Joyce Erhart Kay Ford Michelle Thomas LENDERS: American Flint Glass Workers Union Marty Clark Carl U. Fauster Libbey-Owens-Ford Company (a member of the Pilkington Group) Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corporation Owens-Illinois Corporation Jack Paquette Toledo-Lucas County Public Library TRINOVA Corp.
NEW ENGLAND GLASS COMl'ANT'S WORKS, l!l!BT CAMBRIDGE, MASS
