Friday, June 24, 2011

Westmoreland Glass Company

In 1889 a group of men founded a company which produced it's wonderful glass until 1984, it was Westmoreland Glass Company. This group of men came from the Speciality Glass Co. in East Liverpol, Ohio and migrated to Grapeville, Pennsylvania.

The property had a large source of natural gas. The company was run by two brothers, George and Charles West. Its main production was pressed glass tableware lines, mustard jars, and candy containers.

In 1921, George West left and Charles West became president. Charles West changed the company's name from the Westmoreland Specialty Company to Westmoreland Glass Company. In the 1920s and 1930s, Charles West created a large decorating department at Westmoreland and they began to produce high quality hand-decorated and cut glass.

In 1937, the company changed hands from the West family to the hands of the Brainards. In the 1940s, the Brainards phased out the high quality hand-decorated glass and began to mass produce milk glass. The Brainards then sold the company in 1980 to David Grossman, a St. Louis businessman who did not have any prior experience with Westmoreland. As a result, the company went out of business in 1984 and was sold for $75,000 to George Synder, who converted the property into a storage facility.

Those men didn't just start a company. They touched all of our lives by giving us the beautiful handmade glassware we all collect and cherish. Some patterns are Della Robia, Thousand Eye and Waterford.



This is just one example of Westmoreland Glass, this pattern is amber Thousand Eye.  http://us.ebid.net/for-sale/westmoreland-glass-thousand-eye-amber-plates-bowls-45667124.htm


1 comment:

  1. I love the look this style/era of glass has. Your photos are always a pleasure to look at! : )

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