Of all the insulators ever made, the H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives are among the most beautiful. And, like many other objects of beauty, they are surrounded by mystery and controversy. When were they made? Where were they manufactured? What does the "H. G. Co." embossing mean? And what is the explanation for the many colors in which these beehives are found? In this dissertation we shall discuss these questions, as well as other matters pertaining to the H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives. But, no matter what our individual feelings and beliefs are on some of these controversies, these insulators truly make a most delightful and colorful collection.

The idea of a double petticoat beehive insulator was developed over a period of several years. On December 19, 1871, Robert Hemingray was issued a patent covering a "distinctly different" method for the molding of threads in an insulator. So he no doubt was producing insulators with a threaded pin hole around this time. Samuel Oakman was issued a patent for an inner skirt (or petticoat) on November 13, 1883; and about that same year, double petticoat insulators (of styles other than the beehive) began appearing in the H. G. line. On February 12, 1884, Oakman was issued another patent, this time covering the "beehive" design. But, because the mold line on these H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives ends just above the wire groove, this indicates that they could not have been made before 1890. Production probably began that year or shortly thereafter.

These early Hemingray units were most likely made at the company's plant at Covington, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, Ohio. It was situated near the river at Second and Madison. The Covington plant operated for 61 years, or from about 1858 until 1919, when it was destroyed by a flood. The Muncie, Indiana, plant had already been in operation for about four years when the 1893 patent came along covering drip points (which were added to most Hemingray insulators made from then on). So most units with drip points were probably manufactured at Muncie, and the smooth-based H. G. Co. Petticoats no doubt continued to be produced at Covington until the flood of 1919, when molds and all were swept away. When the main portion of the Hemingray Glass Company moved to Muncie about 1900, some of the H. G. beehive molds might have been moved to the new location. However, that very many were transferred there is doubtful, since it is known that later units made at Covington (just before the flood) were embossed "H" or "H. G. Co.". Also, these same embossings appear only on the earlier insulators made by Hemingray. The Muncie plant wasn't in operation in their early years, but the Covington plant was. Therefore, it seems that the H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives were produced for about 29 years, or from about 1890 until 1919 -- at Covington.

Due to the strategic location of the factory, these beehives were widely distributed throughout the United States, and some even made their way to Canada and Mexico. But, it seems that the greater majority wound up in Missouri, Kentucky and the midwestern states. Having been manufactured during the formative years of the Midwest and West, they played an important role in the expansion of these areas.

There are two opinions (that I know of) as to the meaning of the "H. G. Co." embossing. Some say it stands for Hemingray Gill Co., and others say Hemingray Glass Co. Let's consider the first opinion. James C. Gill was an associate of Ralph Hemingray at the time the May 2, 1893, patent was issued to them for drip points. Yet all the H. G. Petticoat beehives I have ever seen or heard of are smooth-based. And, since Gill's name appears with the beginning of drip points, I feel he comes along too late in Hemingray history for the "G" in "H. G. Co." to represent his home. Insulators embossed "H. G. Co." had been made as early as 1883, long before Gill entered the scene. Also, the fact that his name appears along with Hemingray's on a patent, is not reason enough to name a company for him, nor to emboss insulators with his initials. Hemingray was associated with several others whose names were never incorporated into the company name; nor were their initials included in the embossing of their insulators.

Now let's consider the second opinion. The company's name had changed by 1874 to Hemingray Glass Co., and this was the company's name until 1933, or for nearly 60 years. This was long before and far beyond the Hemingray-Gill association. As additional proof, a patent issued to V. G. Converse on April 25, 1899, specifically names him (Converse) as assignor to "THE HEMINGRAY GLASS COMPANY, OF COVINGTON, KENTUCKY". This was the company's name even during the Hemingray-Gill association, for only six years had passed since the patent for drip points had been issued to them. So it seems logical to conclude from the evidence that the "H. G. Co." stands for Hemingray Glass Co.

There is a surprisingly wide range of colors found in these insulators. This is partly a result of using scraps of waste glass (cullet) when making up batches of glass. However, at the time of their manufacture, they could also be special-ordered by the customer in almost any color. Additionally, after completing an order for other glass products in a certain color, the glass manufacturer would use the left-over glass to make insulators. Usually there was only enough glass left for about 50 to 100 insulators. For this reason, the deep colors are harder to find than the natural glass color of blue-green (aqua).

Listed on the next page are the major colors I presently have in my collection. In column 3, I have listed colors I do not have, but which I have seen in other collections or have heard are available. One can readily see that there is almost every color of the rainbow (except red) represented in the H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives.

There is a theory which links the color variations in these insulators to a late manufacture date (1920 or after). Those who support this idea say that color variety was rare in Hemingray glass before that date, and that most units were of a blue-green color, with very few exceptions. It is noteworthy, however, that despite the many colors listed above, each falls into one of just four basic color categories of blue, green, amber and purple. Colorful as they appear on the shelf, each insulator is just a variation of one of those four colors.

There is another argument against using color variety as proof of a later manufacture date. Remember that these beehives could be special-ordered in many different colors. Specimens of the same color are often found in the same area, giving evidence of a special order at one time. For example, about ten sapphire blue H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives have turned up, and they were all found in Grant City, Missouri. Backtracking on most of the deep lavender beehives leads one to Mexico. Many of the greens originated from Canada, Washington and Oregon; and many ambers also came from the Pacific Northwest. There may be other locations which yielded other colors, but these few instances seem to prove the special order idea. This, in turn, would show that many colors could have been made for special reasons prior to 1920.

There are other factors which point to a manufacture date of earlier than 1920. At least four of the five purples in my collection (plus the smoke and the pink) are all sun-colored. This denotes the presence of manganese in the glass. This was a chemical used in glass manufacturing to make glass clear. It later turned purple after long exposure to the sun. So, because of their manganese content, these beehives had to have been made before 1914. After that year manganese was not available from Germany, due to the start of World War I.

There are a few clear beehives which will not "solarize" or turn color, but these are not at all common in the H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives. They might have been made between 1914 and 1919. Or, when the company moved most of its equipment from Covington to Muncie about 1900, a few molds could have been taken along, and they would have escaped destruction from the flood in 1919. From these few molds could have come the clears and the "newer-looking" glass in some units. However, the quality and the appearance of most of the H. G. Co. Petticoat glass is that of "older" glass. Many pieces contain large bubbles, small rocks, bread-like impurities, and straw marks, and all of the amber shades have a froth or snow effect. This was not a characteristic of glass made after 1920, as a rule. But, in the early years of glass manufacturing, the atmosphere in most of the plants was one of extreme discomfort and confusion. The air was hot, and was filled with smoke, dust, steam, toxic gases and noise. Fires were common, and so were injuries to the workers. The working conditions were certainly not ideal. The miracle is that ANY insulators produced in those early days managed to emerge without impurities. As time went on and conditions and methods improved, so did the quality and the appearance of the glass.

There is a belief also that the H. G. insulators were a second-best line of glass by Hemingray, and that the smooth-based ones were for customers who preferred such over drip points (perhaps because they were less expensive). Since the production of both Hemingray and H. G. Co. insulators overlapped for a number of years, this could be very true. Once the Muncie plant became operative, Hemingray beehive insulators became the more popular of the two, and although H. G. Co. beehives were kept in production, it was probably at a slower pace. When the flood at Covington ended all production of them there, some might have been made at Muncie for awhile, as was mentioned earlier.

All H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives are embossed "H. G. Co." on the front of the skirt. On the back is embossed the word "PETTICOAT". The embossing on these insulators comes in various sizes. On some units it is quite large, but very small on others. Some of them have petticoat letters which appear either on the front or back. Backward N's and upside down L's show up frequently. Crown top letters also are common; but I've never seen any petticoat or crown top NUMBERS on these insulators. (However, that doesn't mean that they don't exist!). These letters were a means of identifying the mold in which the insulator was made. For instance, if insulators with a crown top or petticoat letter "A" began coming out imperfect, this was an indication that something was wrong with mold "A". Since the interior of the mold itself was not visible, the problem could be detected simply by inspecting the insulator which that mold had made. Every letter in the alphabet is represented in petticoat letters, and several collectors have acquired them all from A to Z.

For those of you who are new to the insulator world, a word about the term "petticoat" might be in order. H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives are called "double petticoat" insulators. Interestingly, this term does not mean that the insulator has two inner skirts. Rather, the inside petticoat is counted as one, and the outside skirt or base is counted as the other. The purpose of a petticoat is to add an extra band of glass, thus creating a greater non-conducting surface between the wire and the wood pin. Not only that, this surface is protected from the weather by being underneath and inside the insulator. By increasing the distance from the wire to the wood pin, this eliminates electrical leakage.

These beehives are of a very good quality for the time in glass manufacturing history in which they were made. The beehive design has proved to be a very efficient one, both electrically and mechanically. The sloping sides direct moisture outward and away from the wood pin; and the wire groove is positioned perfectly, minimizing strain on the insulator from the wire. Incidentally, it has been said by experts in the field of design, that the giraffe, the equilateral triangle and the small Coke bottle are the only perfect designs known. This is because their form is pleasing to our conscious and subconscious eye. Also, they all have perfect weight distribution. I feel that the H. G. Co. Petticoat beehive should be added to that list. Not only is it an eye-pleaser with its clean, uncomplicated lines, but its weight is evenly distributed due to the precise placement of the wire groove. While other beehives may appear either top or bottom heavy, this is not true of these beehives.

H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives are usually regarded as communication insulators only. They can be found along the railroad on telegraph and signal lines, as well as on telephone circuits. These colorful little bits of history have put in many years of faithful service, and well deserve the rest they are now getting on the shelves of collectors all over the nation.

I certainly don't claim to have all the answers in connection with the H. G. Co. Petticoat beehives. Your comments and/ or criticisms are welcome. Is there anything with which you don't agree in this article? Do you have any further or better information you could add? If so, please feel free to write to me, H. G. "Bea" Hyve, in care of Crown Jewels. If anything interesting or new turns up, I will include your information in another treatise on the subject in a few months.