The Brookfield Glass Company was once located in Old Bridge, New Jersey. At the present time, an apartment complex is under construction on the site where the factory once stood. The foundation of the factory and the land around it is being dug up to install drainage pipes, curbs and sidewalks. As a result, ruins of the factory in the form of scrap glass and insulator rejects are being uncovered daily to the excitement of collectors. During the past year I have been visiting the site regularly to see what is being unearthed. The following is a report of observations that I would like to share with collectors.

1) Despite the fact that the factory was located in New Jersey, I am amazed at the sheer number of insulator fragments with the New York embossing I have found at the site. I wonder if Brookfield had any sales offices in New York while they were manufacturing insulators in New Jersey. It is possible also that when Brookfield moved to New Jersey, they brought with them many good molds that still carried the New York embossing. However, I doubt this theory because it doesn't explain the quantity of insulators found at the site nor the number in existence which we know came from Old Bridge because of the characteristic green color.

"Apparently David is not aware that Brookfield always had offices in Manhattan. Business was never transacted through the Old Bridge location, nor the Brooklyn location except possibly in the very earliest years. The familiar 55 Fulton St., 45 Cliff St. and 83 Fulton St. were all in Manhattan. In 1987 offices moved to 220 Broadway; and in 1898 the business was incorporated as Brookfield Glass Company. In 1908 the office moved to the US Express Building at #2 Rector Street where it was to the end. The company's address was never at Old Bridge." -- N.R. Woodward

2) Although "B" embossed insulators are known to be made by Brookfield, I am hard pressed to find any insulator fragments at the Old Bridge site that have the "B" embossing aside from the CD 162.5 PRR and the CD 1105 spool.

3) The CD 145 "B" is an insulator commonly found in light aqua. This light aqua glass common to some later Brookfields is also hard to find at the site. Almost all of the insulator fragments and scrap glass I have found have been dark green or a medium aqua filled with white snow. This white snowy fibrous material which I have found in large chunks at the site is believed to be asbestos. I have found some of the prettiest yellow olive green glass at the site but no sun-colored amethyst glass aside from some old bottles.

4)1 have found a great number of unembossed spools similar to CD 1081, 1081.7, 1104.1 and 1105. Some smaller varieties with a tapered top (See Milholland's page 436 top right) have also turned up in great quantities. I have a couple of theories as to the quantity of spools at the site. Either: (A) Brookfield made a great number of these. (B) They had a lot of trouble with the process of making them or (C) They had a great deal of inventory when the factory closed down.

5) The CD 101 must have been a difficult insulator to make because I have found so many of them with the head popped off.

6) One day in the early spring of 1987, I found a spot where bulldozers had just raised a concrete driveway and uncovered 38 CD 318 Locke 19's. All of these were recently broken. If only I could have been there sooner!

7) The following is a list of the CD numbers which I have found in Old Bridge. Because almost everything found there is broken, I will not specify embossings unless different from Brookfield. Most of these are Brookfield-New York or just plain Brookfield.

CD 101, 102, 104 New Eng Tel & Tel, 110, 112, 115, 121 including U.S. Tel. Co. in olive green and Am. Tel. &Tel. Co., 133 later versions, 134, 145, 147, 152, 160, 162, 162.1, 162.5, 164, 185 Jeffery, 205, 210, 211 with insert, 260, 263 Columbia, 287 Locke, 297 Locke, 318 Locke, Brookfield Miniatures (see Milholland page 437) Front dome: Western / JAN; Front skirt: BROOKFIELD; Back dome: ELEC. CO.; Back skirt: STANDARD. Color is light aqua.

"Insulators embossed BROOKFIELD/NEW YORK were probably all made at Old Bridge, and possibly also the skirt embossed W. BROOKFIELD)/NEW YORK. The "W" in W. BROOKFIELD would have been dropped from new molds after incorporation; but old molds would continue in use until they wore out.

During its operation at Old Bridge (probably Brooklyn as well) Brookfield used tremendous quantities of cullet. Any unsuitable insulators would have been thrown right back into the cullet pile. It is more likely that most of the broken glass being found was left-over unsold stock that was crushed as buildings and premises were later cleared. The writer does not mention what use has been made of the land (if any) between 1920 and the present. If it has been used for any purpose it has likely been bulldozed one or more times and anything that was left at the site would have been crushed." -- N.R. Woodward