This 144-page books consists of a compilation of the history notes on the earlier glass factories of 65 Indiana towns, gathered from many sources over a 25-year period. The factories are arranged alphabetically by town, and in chronological order, allowing readers to easily understand each factory's history -- their location, how long they existed, what companies operated them, and what products they made. The most accurate and comprehensive reference on Indiana glass companies every published. Includes many fruit jar manufacturers: e.g., Ball Bros. Glass Mfg. Co., Greenfield Fruit Jar & Bottle Co., Hemingray Glass Co., Marion Fruit Jar & Bottle Co., Swayzee Glass Co., etc. illustrations include letterheads, maps and advertisements. Appendixes include an index of each factory, an index of each town (with appropriate county given), and a list of selected references on the subject. $40.00 per copy ppd. Orders to: Acorn Press, 607 Driskell Street, Paris, IL 61944

Preface

The purpose of this book on Indiana glass factories is to provide a publication vehicle for the massive number of data files I've accumulated on this subject over the twenty five plus years I've been researching the fruit jar and glassmaking fields. These data have been painstakingly abstracted from hundreds of different sources, many of which are no longer available -- or their present locations have been lost in obscurity.

As my mortality becomes more apparent each year, I'm concerned that these data not become lost, and that all of my work need not be repeated in the future by other workers. As published, the data includes all that I know about the subject up to the time of issue. But, since I hope to continue with my research for some years, new data will be found as time passes by.

I hope that this book will become a readily-available and a useful reference tool for anyone presently interested in Indiana glass factories, and to future workers in the field. After the discovery of natural gas in east central Indiana in the 1880s, glassmaking played a very important role in the industrial history of the state. And, it still continues to playa role, if a somewhat reduced one. The history of the industry certainly deserves preservation.

This work does not attempt to cover every company that ever made glass in Indiana, only the many whose history I've studied. Why these particular towns and factories and not others? Simply because I took an interest in researching their histories! It would take much more than my lifetime to compile the complete data on all of the Indiana glass factories that ever existed -- probably more than several worker's lifetimes.

I've tried to concentrate my efforts on the earlier factories, and have left for other workers much of the history of the modem companies. A large part of my success with this task was made possible by having the privilege of studying a series of letters written in the late 1800s and early 1900s by various glass companies to the Gill Clay Pot Co., of Muncie, Indiana, who supplied the glasshouses with the glass melting pots they needed. 

The letterheads upon which these letters were written have provided an incredible source of information on many very obscure glass companies. Without the letterheads, I suspect that the history of many of these companies would have been lost forever. Fortunately, after the Gill company closed down, the letters were rescued by a Muncie glass historian, Dennis Donovan, who kindly allowed me the privilege of photocopying them for research purposes. 

And I was very lucky to acquire, at an early stage, a complete set of Glass Factories Directories - from their beginning in 1904 to 1973. These directories have greatly helped in determining the puzzling succession of glass factories from one owner to another over the years. 

Please note the dates listed in brackets alongside the individual town titles. They represent the last date of data entry made to each of the lists, and show how recently many additions have been made to data first collected over 20 years ago. As significant new information is found in upcoming years, I plan to publish revised editions to bring the lists up to date. 

My goal has been to avoid hearsay reports, and to stick to listings from primary and secondary sources only. Most of the listings are documented, whenever this has been possible. However, in the early years of my research work, I sometimes failed to carefully record the references, and thus they are now missing. Photocopies of most of the paper materials listed reside in the author's collection. 

When the appropriate materials could be located, and space was available, photocopies of letterheads and maps have been included along with the town listings. Others have been added wherever open space was available -- with page references given in the town listings.

Appendix A consists of an alphabetical list of all of the glass companies covered; while Appendix B lists these same companies by towns, including their respective counties. A list of reference works used is given in Appendix C.

If anyone can add further information to the lists in this book, it would be most helpful to the historical record, and very much appreciated. Despite my best efforts at proofreading, I'm sure there will be some errors and typos; so I'll be happy to receive any corrections to the lists. I also welcome communications from any serious students of the history of glass factories.

I wish to thank all of the officials of the Ball Corporation who, over a period of twenty years made it possible for me to closely study their historical holdings. These holdings included older company legal documents, as well as diverse materials on competitors gathered for many years by George A. Ball, one of the five founding brothers.

I'm also deeply indebted to the late Robert McAfee, of Pittsburgh, who spent many hours at the Pittsburgh library laboriously searching microfilms and transcribing by hand pages of pertinent entries from the Commoner & Glassworker, an early journal of the glassworking trade. Without Bob's help, much of the data contained herein would not have been found. Although many people have contributed to this store of knowledge, I am especially indebted to the following people who have made major contributions to my research work.

Thomas Caniff, Steubenville, OH
Richard Cole, Muncie, IN
David Dale, Muncie, IN 
Louis Ebert, Marion, IN

Hemingray Glass Co. / Owens-Illinois Glass Co.
[Macedonia Ave. & Belt R.R.]

28 Jan 1888 - The removal of the Hemingray Bottle Factory from Covington to Maumee [sic - Muncie] will add about 1,500 to the population of the latter town. Four hundred & fifty hands will be employed.
[Commoner & Glassworker, Jan 28, 1888]

1891/92- Hemingray Glass Co., cor Macedonia Ave. & Belt RR, Muncie, listed under Glass Works. 
[1891/92 Muncie Business Directory, p. 285]

9 May 1892 - Hemingray Glass Co., Muncie, IN, are running one 14-pot flint furnace making fruit jars, lantern and electric light globes and insulators. 
[Commoner & Glassworker, May 14, 1892]

20 Jun 1892 - Fire at glassworks at Muncie, IN. At the Hemingray glass works everything but office, batch room & pot room totally destroyed.
[Commoner & Glassworker, June 20, 1892]

27 Nov 1897 - Hemingray Glass Co., Muncie, IN, 1 furnace, 14 pots, two 25-ton tanks, among Flint Glass Factories list.
[Commoner & Glassworker, Nov 27, 1897]

4 Mar 1899 - Hemingray Glass factory, Muncie, IN, ... making cuspidors of glass. First of week, they will make amber fruit jars. 
[Commoner & Glassworker, Mar 4, 18991

1904 - Hemingray Glass Co., Muncie, IN, R.G. Hemingray, pres; D.C. Hemingray, sec. & treas.; J.C. Gray, mgr. 3 CTs, 18 rings; 1 furnace. Pressed & blown tableware; novelties; insulators. (Plant sold in 1933 to Owens-Illinois Glass Co. 
[1934 reprint of 1904 Glass Factory Directory, p. 151]

30 Mar 1905 - At Hemingray Plant, Muncie, IN, they have installed two new machines to make their famous Globe jar.
[Commoner & Glassworker, Apr 1, 1905]

22 Apr 1905 - The Hemingray Glass Co;, Muncie, IN, laid off their lamp & iron mold shops to make room for more insulator and jar shops.
[Commoner & Glassworker, Apr 22, 1905]

1907/08 - Hemingray Glass Co., so. end Macedonia Ave., listed under Glass Manufacturers.
[1907/08 Muncie City Directory, p. 871]

1909/10 - Hemingray Glass Co., so. end Macedonia Ave., listed under Glass Manufacturers.
[1909110 Muncie City Directory, p. 813]

1920 - Hemingray Glass Co., Muncie, 3 CTs, 42 rings, 1 DT, R.G. Hemingray, pres; A.C. Shinkle, v.p; W.E. Evans, see; Charles Berger, treas; glass insulators.
[1920 Glass Factory Directory, pp. 18 & 19]

1930 - Hemingray Glass Co., Muncie, 3 CTs,25 rings, P.W. McAbee, pres; A.C. Shinkle, v.p; W.P. Zimmerman, sec.-treas; glass insulators & bottles.
[1930 Glass Factory Directory]

29 Sep 1931 - TM #285,930 for H B for Glass Bottles registered by Hemingray Glass Co., Muncie, IN. Used since Feb 3,1931.

1933 - Hemingray Glass Co. sold to Owens-Illinois Glass Co. 15 Jul 1972 - Owens-Illinois Glass Co. Muncie plant closed down.
[Muncie Evening Press, June 20,1972, p.1]

Roger Lucas, Columbus, Indiana, secured permission from Dick Roller to submit the information on Indiana Glass Factories Notes and, in particular, the listings on the Hemingray Glass Company of Muncie, Indiana.