Few things in this world are as pretty as the compound called glass. Webster's Dictionary defines it as "a hard, brittle substance, usually transparent or translucent, made by fusing silicates with soda or potash, lime, and, sometimes, various metallic oxides." Just when man began making this unique material is not known for certain. But glass beads have been found in Egypt that are believed to be some 4,000 years old. Job, the Biblical character who lived more than 3,000 years ago, listed glass alongside gold for preciousness, when he stated that gold and glass could not be compared to wisdom.

The Egyptians were skilled in the molding, cutting, grinding and engraving of glass, and they even knew how to imitate the colors of some of the precious stones. The Greeks and Phoenicians were accomplished glassmakers, as were the Romans, who further developed the craft of glass cutting. 

So for many centuries man has known how to make things from glass that have form and beauty, both for useful purposes as well as decorative. Glassware is a very collectable commodity. Its sparkling, eye-catching quality has long endeared it to the hearts of millions of collectors the world over.

The forming of glass into the shape of insulators is certainly one of the most beautiful arts accomplished by man. And Hemingray is no doubt a familiar name to anyone involved with insulators. Whether you put insulators up on poles distribute, manufacture, or collect insulators, you know the name Hemingray. Their insulators are of unsurpassed quality, beautiful of design, and varied in form. Probably every general insulator collection has at least one Hemingray in it, while several collectors have chosen Hemingray glass as their specialty. A complete Hemingray collection would be a beautiful sight to behold.

The Hemingray Glass Co. produced a huge volume of insulators during their years of operation. The Hemingray No. 9 (CD 106) may have been made in more numbers than any other insulator, and the Hemingray No. 42 (CD 154) may have run a close second.

Within that immense quantity of insulators was also a diversity of shape and color. There were over 90 different designs available in the Hemingray line, with every color of the rainbow (except red) represented. And some additional colors found in Hemingray insulators are not readily seen in the rainbow, such as smoke, clear, and the many shades of amber. Hemingray also made insulators over a longer period of time than any other insulator-producing company.

The Hemingray Glass Co. was in business from 1848 until 1933, a span of 85 years. Within that time frame the company was known under six different names and underwent three location changes. 

THE CINCINNATI YEARS 

When the company was first formed in 1848, it was called Gray & Hemingray. Ralph Gray and Robert Hemingray established a small glassmaking business on the east side of Hammond St., a one-block street between 3rd and 4th. Ralph Gray and his brother Anthony, along with Robert Hemingray and his brother Samuel, had all arrived in the "Queen City of the West" the previous year. At present little is known of the four before their move to Cincinnati. Ralph Gray was born in England in 1815, and Anthony was born in Pennsylvania seven years later. Samuel Hemingray was born in England in 1817, while Robert was born four years later near Johnstown, PA. Anthony Gray and Robert Hemingray married sisters, Susan and Mary Carroll, of Pittsburgh.

Williams' Cincinnati Directory and Business Advertiser
1850-51
(Courtesy of Glenn Drummond)

It must be assumed that they had a working knowledge of glassmaking and sufficient capital to build a glass works from scratch and make it a success. It is interesting to note that during the first three years, the brothers shared dwellings adjacent to the glass works. With the exception of Samuel, who was listed as bookkeeper in the 1853 directory, it is unknown what role each played in the early years of the business. 

The potential in this area for a successful business venture was great, for in 1848 Cincinnati was the fifth largest city in population in the United States, with slightly over 90,000 residents. Only New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and New Orleans were larger. Because of its extensive commerce, Cincinnati was an objective for the rival telegraph companies fighting for control of the West at that time.

With the advent of the telegraph in the Cincinnati area in 1847 and the railroad's coming there soon after, the company of Gray & Hemingray was "in on the ground floor" where the burgeoning industry of insulator production was concerned. During these early years the company made both threadless telegraph, and lightning rod insulators. It is known that the telegraph line built between Cincinnati and Louisville used glass blocks. Nothing has been found, however, to suggest that the blocks were made in Cincinnati. While it is probable that the original Spratt lightning rod insulators were made by the Cincinnati Flint Glass Works, that house closed with the death of John Jukes, the proprietor. A noticeable change in glass characteristics suggests that Gray & Hemingray may have produced the later Spratts, especially after J. H. Weston acquired the Spratt works.

THE COVINGTON YEARS 

The company's first move came about five years after its inception. By 1853 Gray & Hemingray had transferred their business across the Ohio River to Covington, Kentucky. This new location right along the riverfront was more practical, as in those days river barges were an economical means of transporting coal and the other heavy materials used in glassmaking. The river also provided a low cost method of distributing the company's products, as the barges could come up to within feet of their doors. Hammond St. in Cincinnati was up the hill about five blocks from the river and at least three blocks from the railroad tracks. The subsequent move gave immediate access to the railroads and the river.