The Stability of Glass

The City of Tiffin provided the finest quality of glass manufacturing. Natural gas was found in abundance in northwest Ohio, including Tiffin, and would be the perfect place for a factory. A.J. Beatty & Sons glass factory originally from Steubenville, Ohio, came to Tiffin after the city offered five years of free natural gas and $35,000 in cash for the company to build their factory in Tiffin. The United States Glass Company bought A.J. Beatty & Sons Company in 1892 which became Factory R of the nineteen factories controlled by the company. By 1927, Tiffin Glass had such a good reputation that all wares of the U.S. Glass Company were marketed as Tiffin, whether they were made in Factory R or not.

The factory endured a setback when it caught fire and burnt down, however it was rebuilt and glass manufacturing continued. During the Great Depression, Tiffin’s factory stayed open while other factories closed, resulting in the move of the United States Glass Company offices from Pittsburg to Tiffin in 1938. Duncan & Miller Glass Company closed in 1955, and the U.S. Glass Company bought a lot of their molds and glass making equipment, and some Duncan & Miller workers moved to Tiffin to work. The Tiffin factory remained open despite financial problems and continued manufacturing glass.

In 1966 the U.S. Glass Company changed their name to the Tiffin Glass Company, Inc. Tiffin tableware was distributed to many companies as early as the 1930s, including Sears, then forty years later, their stemware was sent to Tiffany’s and Macy’s. Actress Grace Kelly, wife of the Prince of Monaco, ordered tableware from Tiffin Glass, and Elvis Presley bought a set of Tiffin Glass tableware as well. Tiffin glass can be found all over the world, and is hunted down by the most enthusiastic glass collectors.

Tiffin’s factory provided jobs for the city and gained worldwide recognition. The factory closed in 1984, and its legacy is remembered by a museum in downtown Tiffin, celebrating the factory’s history and preserving many of the company’s products. Even the small town of Tiffin is known across the globe, and the locals can have pride and appreciation toward their city for its contributions.

By Julie Hale

Sources:

Haugh, Paul. Personal Communication, March 2016.

Hemminger, Ruth, Ed Goshe, and Leslie Pina. Tiffin Glass 1940-1980: Figurals, 

       Paperweights, Pressed Ware. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2001. Pg. 6.

“History of Tiffin Glass.” The Tiffin Glass Museum. Accessed April 28, 2016, 

       http://www.tiffinglass.org/tiffin-glass-museum-history/.

The Tiffin Glass Collectors Club. U.S. Glass Company: Decorated Satin Glass and Lamps of the 

       1920s. Atglen: Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2004. Pg. 6, 11.

Photos: Tiffin Glass Collectors Club and Museum. https://www.facebook.com/pg/Tiffin-Glass-

       Collectors-Club-Museum-1430739667173311/photos/?ref=page_internal.