Charleston,West Virginia
I chose Charleston WV as my glass town based on two observations:
1. I noticed this is the closest to Fayette County (where I grew up) as glass gets for our states history therefor I'm very interested to see if southern coal became a major importance for the glass boom in our capital city and how that effected both industries. and
2. Based on the WV map, the main concentration of "glass houses", as they were called, were along the Ohio River. I'm interested to learn more about the transportation demands and the effects on the community in Charleston.
According to Dr. Dean Six, in order to have successful glass factories you must have an abundance of raw materials, an energy source supply, transportation and a workforce. Charleston fit the bill for all of the criteria.
Raw Materials: Silica Sand- (Oriskany Sandstone) directly transported in from the east.
Metals
Energy- Southern Coal fields
Natural Gas- (First found in Kanawha county...on accident)
Transportation: Charelston is considered to be a central location in WV where all directions of transportation routes meet.
Kawaha River- Leads to the Ohio
Elk River
Railroads
Work Force- According to the WV Encyclopedia, in 1900 Kanwha County had the largest population in the state with 54,696 residents. Work Force was not an issue.
Major Companies: Charleston's major glass role was in window glass production.
information about pieces of glass or the company.
Banner Window Glass-1907 to ~1922
Charelston Window Glass 1910 to 1923
West Charleston Glass 1911 to ~ 1924
Invention of Glass Making Machine- Michael Owens
The Libbey-Owens Sheet Glass 1917 to 1927- Worlds Largest Window Glass
Owens Bottle Machine Company- 1918 to 1919
Owens Bottle Machine Company No. 6 1919-1929
Libbey-Owens-Ford- 1927-1980 Longest lived Glass in Charleston.
Owens- Illinois Glass -1929-1962
Observations for further research:
Smaller companies died out in the 1920s. Why?
WV was Henry Fords Supply Bank- He bought Nuttallburg in 1920 for the coke oven industry and
joined forces with sheet glass in 1927. What else did WV supply for Ford?
Great Sites about related information.
Owen-Illinois Glass Bottle Markings- How to know if you have a bottle from Charleston!
General Bottle Dating
Hi Danielle,
ReplyDeleteI loved the pictures you found to go with your post. I never really associated Charleston with glass, but your post shows that it has been an important industry for the city. It seems to have been more in the residential and automotive area. I really liked the window banner.
Good to see you include human resources in your available resources. They seem to be forgotten many times in looking at reasons why an industry would locate in a particular area. In looking at the Buffalo Toyota Plant for example, it was not only the available land, state tax incentives, location to their Georgetown, Kentucky plant or available interstate, railroad and water transportation that drew them to West Virgina. It was also a workforce that was or could be easily trained to perform the skilled tasks they needed.
ReplyDeleteWow Danielle! Your glass town post on Charleston is extremely informative.I love the format you used to explain the role Charleston played in WV glass history. It was easy to follow and used many visuals to emphasize the significance of the town. I also agree with Rick,that the photos you selected for your post are great examples. I really appreciate you posting your glass town information early. You have provided an amazing example that will help me better understand how to complete my glass town project.
ReplyDeleteYour glass presentation was interesting and informative. Thank you for sharing the glass industries of Charleston with us.
ReplyDeleteGreat presentation that is informative and covers many details that other websites may not cover. Great job Danielle, your blog is becoming an excellent resource.
ReplyDeleteGreat presentation... I love how you researched the criteria for your town to explain how and why Charleston became a successful glass town. While other materials could be brought in by river, it's interesting to look at the types of glass produced in that region due to the materials present in the area.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your presentation! Also, I like how you set up your post. It is very informative and easy to follow.
ReplyDeleteWow. Great presentation. I grew up in WV my whole life and never thought of Charleston with glass. This clears it up. I will use this when I teach my students. Thanks Danielle!
ReplyDelete