Cambridge glass

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Although attempts were made to establish a glass factory in Cambridge, Ohio as early as 1873, the business that became the well-known Cambridge Glass Company was not incorporated until 1901. The area had an abundance of silica sand, gas, and coal -- all necessary to glassmaking.

The first directors, who also owned the National Glass Company in Pennsylvania, selected Arthur J. Bennett, an experienced glassmaker, to manage the factory.

Despite the profits from their Ohio investment, the National Glass Company went into receivership in 1907. Bennett took his life savings, secured a loan from a local bank, and purchased the Cambridge Glass Company for $500,000.

By 1910 the company had purchased another plant in a nearby town and was making etched patterns. The 1920s saw the introduction of colored glassware and full dinner settings. In the 1930s Cambridge introduced popular lines such as Caprice, Rose Point, and Statuesque.

In 1939 Bennett sold the company to his son-in-law, W.L.Orme.

At its peak, Cambridge Glass employed 700 employees who kept 56 pots of glass going. It owned its own coal mines and gas wells.

Business declined in the 1950s due to changing tastes, and in 1954 Orme closed the factory. The company was bought and sold again. Some glass was made until 1958, when production ceased forever. The molds were sold to the Imperial Glass Company. Many, though not all of the molds, were bought by the National Cambridge Glass Collectors club.

Cambridge glass was high quality, hand-made glass. Popular patterns include Rose Point, Diane, Elaine and Gloria. Crown Tuscan, a cream-like color of varying hues, was available in many Cambridge blanks and brings a premium. Charleton, glass hand painted by a New York decorating firm, is also very desirable.

An early trademark employed the words "New Cut," but the most familiar trademark consists of a C enclosed in a triangle. Crown Tuscan had its own trademark. Most Cambridge glass is not marked.

Standard references include The Cambridge Glass Book by Harold and Judy Bennett (Wallace-Homestead),Colors in Cambridge by the National Cambridge Collectors (Schroeder), and The Cambridge Glass Company (Collector Books). The National Cambridge Collectors also maintain a musueum in Cambridge.

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