History
Wheeling and Bellaire
The history of Belmont Glass Company began in Wheeling, West Virginia, as much of the company's glass-making talent came from that town. Wheeling was an early glass producing center in the American "west", where glass was first made in the 1820s. [1] This success, supported by low cost fuel and the Ohio River as a transportation resource, encouraged other firms to make glass in Wheeling. One of the larger glass works on the south side of town was purchased by the Hobbs family in 1845, and operated under various names. [2] This firm was still in operation in the 1880s under the name of J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company. [1] [Note 1]
The community of Bellaire is located in Belmont County, Ohio, along the Ohio River and not far from Wheeling, West Virginia. [4] Belmont County is located in the Ohio coal belt. [5] At one time, steamships traveling down the Ohio River knew Bellaire as the last stop for coal until they arrived at Cincinnati. [6] In 1866, the town had railroad service from the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad and the Cleveland & Pittsburg Railroad. [4] [Note 2] The National Road also ran through Bellaire. [8] Given the town's transportation resources, fuel resource, and experienced workforce nearby, Bellaire was an excellent location for a glass manufacturing plant. [9]
Beginning
In August 1865, a new glass manufacturer called Barnes, Faupel and Company was organized in Bellaire, Ohio, as a cooperative. [10] The association was started by 18 men from Wheeling and Pittsburg who had glass making experience. [11] Directors were W.G. Barnard, Henry Faupel, Charles Henry Over, John Robinson, and David Carr. [12] [Note 3] Others involved in the early years were George B. Barnes as business manager and financier, Henry J. Leasure as factory superintendent, C.T. Cowan as superintendent of packing and shipping, James W. Gill, H. Robinson, B. Robinson, John Crimmel, and Henry Crimmel. [10]
The Belmont Glass Works was Bellaire's first of many glass plants, and the second in Belmont County. [9] The company helped the community become a major glass-making center. In 1880, the state of Ohio ranked fourth in the country in glass production, and Belmont County ranked sixth among the nation's counties. [15] By 1881, the town had 15 glass factories, and was known as "Glass City". [16] At the beginning of the next decade, the state of Ohio was ranked second in the nation in glass production based on the value of the product. [17]
Operations
Manufacturing began in January 1866, and products were sold in Wheeling, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. [10] [Note 4] Although the company name was Barnes, Faupel and Company—the glass making plant was called Belmont Glass Works. [20] Products were blown and pressed glassware, including wares blown into molds. One product was lamps, which were used for home lighting. [Note 5] Other products were goblets, bar goods, and tablewares including salt shakers. [26] By the end of 1867, the glass works had more orders for glassware than it could produce. The products were considered superior, and a major reason for the high quality was that the main workers were the owners of the business. [27]
In 1868 the company was incorporated under the name Belmont Glass Works. [28] [Note 6] The incorporators were Henry Faupel, Levi Cassell, James S. Gill, Charles Henry Over, John Robinson, John Crimmel, and Thomas J. Fleming. [33] An 1871 directory provides a glimpse of some of the skills of the early work force and company founders. Henry Faupel is listed as president of Belmont Glass Works, and William Gorby as treasurer. [34] Levi Cassell is listed as the Belmont Glass Works manager. Charles Henry Over, John Robinson, and John Crimmel are listed as glass-blowers. [35] "G.B. Barnes" was listed as a machinist. [36] Jacob Crimmel worked for several periods at Belmont Glass, and was very active during the early days of the American Flint Glass Workers' Union. [37]
In 1872, the plant's capacity was expanded, and its employee count reached 150. [16] That same year, Charles H. Over, John Robinson, and Henry Faupel patented a seamless chimney mold—an improvement to the current version that left seams on the glass. [38] By 1884, Belmont Glass (listed as Belmont Glass Works by the state of Ohio inspectors) employed 225 men, 25 women, and 100 minors. [39] During the 1880s, the company was producing sophisticated novelty items such as salt shakers with zipper patterns and translucent striped opalescent glass. [31]
Decline
Several issues contributed to the eventual closing of the Belmont Glass Works. The company lost some talent as early as 1876, when John Robinson, C. H. Over, and William Gorby left to start the Bellaire Goblet Company. A bigger problem was the discovery of natural gas in northwest Ohio. In early 1886, a major discovery of natural gas occurred near the small village of Findlay. [40] Soon communities in the area were enticing glass companies to relocate with promises of free fuel, free land, and cash. [41] The new glass factories typically needed experienced glass workers to run the factories, and many of them came from Wheeling and Bellaire. A final blow to the Belmont Glass Works was the U.S. economy, which suffered through three recessions between 1882 and 1891. [42] These factors affected all glass factories in the region. The city of Bellaire, which had 17 glass furnaces in 1884, had only have 3 furnaces remaining by 1891. [43] By 1888, the Belmont Glass Works was down to 185 male employees, plus 20 woman and 30 minors. [44] The Belmont Glass Works closed in 1890, and the plant was torn down. In 1893, the Novelty Stamping Company began operating in a new building constructed on the site of the former glass works. [45]
