When modern man gave up on communicating by smoke, drum beats, yodeling, runners and pony express, the best means of communicating messages was by wire. Wire of necessity had to be insulated from the ground, and thus was born the insulator industry which is still flourishing to this day and time. Glass has, from the start, been the most efficient material for insulators, and the original telegraph wire used two glass plates to hold the wire in a notch on the crossarm, mounted with glue and very unreliable. From this humble beginning the industry progressed by leaps and bounds.

Following the telegraph lines in rapid growth came the telephone and electricity. Every conceivable shape and design came out of the glass companies to produce the most efficient, reliable and reasonably priced insulators. This display is but a small cross section of the different shapes and designs used and with an emphasis on the many beautiful colors that are available. 

The majority of these colors were accidental, in that they were not made in any particular color on purpose, with the exception of carnival glass and the applied ambers. The different shades of aqua and green were a result of the local sand mixture, purple or sun colored amethyst is a result of adding chemicals to the glass mixture which under sunlight turn the glass SCA, and the other odd colors were obtained by using whatever color glass mixture the company had left over from the day's pouring to make more glass insulators. 

The first insulators were threadless, simply being pressed onto the pin with glue or shellac. In 1865 Mr. Cauvet patented the method of forming threads inside insulators which revolutionized the industry. Within a few years all insulators were threaded. At least two of the threadless types are included in this display.

With the expansion of this nation to the west, the need for telegraph, electrical, and telephone lines increased dramatically, creating a tremendous market for the insulator manufacturers. At least twenty major suppliers have been identified and unknown manufacturers in small rural areas. Some of the more common manufacturers are: Hemingray, Whitall Tatum, Pyrex, California glass insulator co., Brookfield, R. Good Jr. co., California Electric co., Locke, H. G. Co., Thomas Edison Co., McLaughlin, Maydwell, Armstrong, Boston Bottle Works, and Lynchburg. 

As power lines expanded, larger and stronger insulators were needed. They varied in size from one inch tall to huge giants weighing 50 lbs or more. They were designed to increase efficiency, to eliminate arcs from developing in wet weather, and strong enough to carry the weight of the high power cables. Untold millions have been made, many are still in use, but underground cables and the micro-wave have caused the demise of the glass insulator. Collectors of insulators are doing their best to preserve this bit of Americana, and this display from two collectors shows some of the reasons the hobby is so popular and widespread. This display contains: American, Australian, Canadian, Belgium, Vietnam and Mexican insulators and, as we know, the best is yet to be found.