Belmont Glass Works

The men who organized the Belmont Glass Works included glassmakers with experience gained from the Hobbs, Brockunier and Company glassworks located in Wheeling. Their new company made glassware such as chimneys (the glass surrounding the wick in a lantern), lamps, and bar goods. Originally the products were blown glassware, but later pressed glassware was also produced. Products with intricate patterns such as Zipper were also made, and are valued today by collectors. Belmont Glass Works ceased operations in 1890. The economy at that time proved difficult for many manufacturers. In addition, many glass makers began moving to northwest Ohio in the late 1880s, lured by promises of free land, fuel, and cash.

Belmont Glass Works made a strong contribution to the American glass manufacturing industry, both during its period of operation and after the plant was closed. The company was Bellaire's first glassworks, and the second located in Belmont County. Bellaire soon attracted more glass manufacturers and became known as Glass City. Belmont County ranked sixth in the nation as a glass manufacturer by 1880. Men who gained or refined their glassmaking expertise working at Belmont Glass Works continued to grow the American glassmaking industry, even after Belmont Glass Works closed, as they helped start more glass factories in Ohio and Indiana.

History

Wheeling and Bellaire

The history of Belmont Glass Company began in Wheeling, West Virginia, as much of the company's original glassmaking talent worked in that town. Wheeling was an early glass producing center in the region west of the Appalachian Mountains, where glass was first made in the 1820s. 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 glassworks on the south side of town was purchased by the Hobbs family in 1845. This firm operated under various names, and was still in operation in the 1880s under the name of J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company.

The Ohio community of Bellaire had fuel and transportation resources, and laborers with glassmaking expertise lived nearby in Wheeling. Bellaire is located in Belmont County, Ohio, along the Ohio River and well under 10 miles (16 km) from Wheeling. Belmont County is located in the Pittsburgh coal seam. At one time, steamships traveling down the Ohio River knew Bellaire as the last stop for coal until they arrived at Cincinnati. During the 1850s, the town had railroad service to Columbus via the Central Ohio Railroad (acquired by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in 1866), and service to Cleveland and Pittsburgh via the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad. The National Road also ran through Bellaire.

Beginning

In August 1865, a new glass manufacturer called Barnes, Faupel and Company was organized in Bellaire, Ohio, as a cooperative. The association was started by 18 men from Wheeling and Pittsburg who had glassmaking experience. Directors were W.G. Barnard, Henry Faupel, Charles Henry Over, John Robinson, and David Carr. 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. At least three of these men were American Civil War veterans: Henry Crimmel, Charles Henry Over, and John Robinson. The same three men had worked previously at J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company in Wheeling, and all three eventually became plant managers.

The Belmont Glass Works was the first of Bellaire's many glass plants, and the second in Belmont County. The company helped the community become a major glassmaking 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. During the early 1880s, the town had about 15 glass factories operating at full capacity, and was known as "Glass City". 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, and also ranked second in average number of glass employees.

Operations and incorporation

The new glassworks began manufacturing in January 1866, and products were sold in Wheeling, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and Cincinnati. Although the company name was Barnes, Faupel and Company, the glassmaking plant was called Belmont Glass Works. Products were blown and pressed glassware, including wares blown into molds. One category of products was lamps, which were used for home lighting. Other types of products were goblets, bar goods, and tablewares including salt shakers. By the end of 1867, the glassworks 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.

In December 1868, the cooperative was incorporated under the name Belmont Glass Works. The incorporators were Henry Faupel, Levi Cassell, James S. Gill, Charles Henry Over, John Robinson, John Crimmel, and Thomas J. Fleming. 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. Levi Cassell is listed as the Belmont Glass Works manager. Charles Henry Over, John Robinson, and John Crimmel are listed as glass-blowers.

1870s

Directors elected for 1870 were Henry Faupel, Levi Cassell, Charles H. Over, General George Washington Hoge, C. Hess, John Robinson, and Henry Carr. Faupel was company president. By February 1870, the company was producing about $200,000 (equivalent to $5,092,105 in 2025) worth of glass per year, and was considering adding to its capacity. A new furnace was in operation by November 1870, giving the factory two furnaces and more than double the original capacity.

In 1872, with the plant's capacity expanded, its employee count exceeded 150. That same year, Charles Henry Over, John Robinson, and Henry Faupel patented a seamless chimney mold for lamps—an improvement to the current version that left seams on the glass. James Hobbs, of Wheeling, was elected president in 1873. William A. Gorby was secretary.

At the beginning of 1875 General George Washington Hoge was elected president of the company, and William A. Gorby secretary. A newspaper noted that $500 (equivalent to $12,094 in 2025) of the company's original stock was worth $3,125 (equivalent to $88,925 in 2025), and called the company "one of the most reliable and flourishing establishments in the country".

E.G. Morgan became president in 1876. During the year, many of the company's directors began selling their company stock. This portion of management submitted resignations in August. E.G. Morgan (president), William A. Gorby (secretary), Charles Henry Over (manager), John Robinson, and others formed a new (and separate) glassmaking venture called Bellaire Goblet Company.

1880s

During the 1880s, the company was producing sophisticated novelty items such as salt shakers with zipper patterns and translucent striped opalescent glass. The board of directors elected for 1880 were Julius Armstrong, John Crimmel, L.C. Stifel, Jacob Wise, S.O. Cummins, James S. Gill, and George Wise. Armstrong was president, and Matthias Sheets was secretary.

By 1884, Belmont Glass Works employed 225 men, 25 women, and 100 minors. Charles H. Tallman became company president during the year. Tallman died in 1888, and was succeeded as president by Matthias Sheets. Original incorporators John Crimmel and Henry Faupel died in 1888, and 1889, respectively.

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 began focusing on their new glassworks. It also lost some leaders with the deaths of Tallman and Faupel in the late 1880s. Faupel's death was unexpected.

A bigger problem was the discovery of natural gas in northwest Ohio, and later the Indiana gas boom in East Central Indiana. In early 1886, a major discovery of natural gas occurred near the small village of Findlay. Soon, communities in the area were enticing glass companies to relocate with promises of free fuel, free land, and cash. The new glass businesses needed experienced glass workers to run the factories, and were willing to entice them. Henry Crimmel, who had been plant manager of Belmont Glass Works in 1883, left the company in 1887 to manage Fostoria's new glass factory in northwest Ohio. Later in the year, 20 skilled glass workers from Bellaire left to join him in Fostoria. A final blow to the Belmont Glass Works was the U.S. economy, which experienced three recessions between 1882 and 1891.

By 1888, the Belmont Glass Works was down to 185 male employees, plus 20 women and 30 minors. In January 1890 it was noted that the Belmont Glass Works and the Union Window Glass Works did not pay dividends for 1889's business. Belmont Glass was said to have "one of the finest lines of tableware in the country", but had to sell its products at low prices to meet competition—resulting in no profits. The city of Bellaire, which had 17 glass factories in 1884, had only three remaining by 1891. Shareholders of the Belmont Glass Works decided to cease operations during June 1890. In 1893, the Novelty Stamping Company began operating in a new building constructed on the site of the former glassworks.