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Blenko Glass Company
FormerlyEureka Art Glass
IndustryGlassware
Founded1921 (1921)
FounderWilliam J. Blenko
Headquarters
Milton, West Virginia
Key people
William J. Blenko, William H. Blenko Sr.
Productshand-blown sheet glass, architectural glass, tableware
Revenue$999999 (1877) (equivalent to $4,291,875 in 2023)
Number of employees
9999 (19xxx)

Blenko Glass Company is an art glass company established in 1921 under the name Eureka Art Glass Company. The company was founded by Englishman William J. Blenko (1854-1933), who could made numerous colors of flat glass. Blenko's glass was used by other companies to make stained glass windows. The glass was made using an older method for making window glass called the cylinder method, which utilized glassblowers and cutting a blown cylinder of glass before it was flattened. The small company's biggest challenge was to get purchasers of glass to accept an American-made product. Blenko's son William H. Blenko joined the company in 1923. In 1924 Blenko (William J.) received a patent for a process that produced window glass that looked like the old European glass used in cathedrals. A few years later, the company could replicate most of the glass used in old European stained glass windows, and had the ability to make over 300 shades of antique sheet glass.

In 1930, Eureka Art Glass Company changed its name to Blenko Glass Company. During that decade, the Great Depression in the United States forced the company to offer alternative products because there was no demand for the type of glass used in stained glass windows. William H. Blenko convinced his father to produce glassware, which could be made utilizing the vast skill set the elder Blenko had for making numerous colors of glass. The company's biggest obstacle was their lack of knowledge of the process for making glassware, since all products previously had been flat glass. Two brothers from Sweden, that were already living in West Virginia, were hired to teach everyone how to make glass ware.

During the 1940s the company established the practice of employing a designer, and the designer's creations were sold as art glass. Production of glassware and flat glass also continued. All products are hand blown the old fashioned way as done in the 19th century with little automation. The company is one of only four glass manufacturers still operating in West Virginia, and members of the Blenko family still run the company.

Background

[edit]
man blowing into pipe with glass at the other end
A glassblower at work

Glass is made by starting with a batch of ingredients, melting it, forming the glass product, and gradually cooling it. The batch of ingredients is dominated by sand, which contains silica.[1] Other ingredients such as soda ash, potash, and lime are added.[2] Additional ingredients may be added to color the glass. For example, an oxide of cobalt is used to make glass blue.[3] An additional ingredient in the batch can be cullet, which is recycled glass. Cullet melts faster than the other ingredients, and melts at a lower temperature—resulting in lower fuel cost for melting the batch. A typical batch is 25 to 50 percent cullet.[4] The batch is placed inside a pot or tank that is heated by a furnace roughly to temperatures that range from 2100 °F (1149 °C) to 3090 °F (1700 °C).[5][Note 1] In the glass–making industry, the melted batch is called "metal".[7] The metal is typically shaped into the glass product (other than window glass) by glassblowing or pressing it into a mold.[8] The glass product must then be cooled gradually (annealed), or it will break.[9] An conveyer oven called a lehr, hot at the beginning and room-temperature at the end, is used for annealing.[10]

man flattening cylinder in an oven
Sliced cylinder of glass being flattened in an oven

Window glass production during the 19th century involved blowing a cylinder and flattening it.[11] The crown method and the cylinder method (the latter of which was more advanced) were the two main methods used.[12] For crown glass, a gob of glass is blown into a cylinder. Then it is spun on a round table until it is flat. There are limitations on the size of the window glass made using this method, and the resulting glass has a "bullseye" in the center because of the spinning procedure.[11] The cylinder method for making window glass starts with removing a gob of glass from the furnace, then a glassblower blows the glass into a large cylinder. The cylinders are cut, reheated, and flattened into sheets of glass.[11] At the beginning of the 20th century, Michael Joseph Owens teamed with Irving Wightman Colburn to create a radically different way to produce window glass that was more automated, and it became known as the Colburn process. This process was first used in 1917.[13]

A major expense for glass factories is fuel for the furnace.[14] Wood and coal had long been used as fuel for glassmaking. An alternative fuel, natural gas, became a desirable fuel for making glass because it is clean, gives a uniform heat, and is easier to control.[15] In the United States, gas and oil began replacing coal as a fuel for glassmaking in the 1870s—where it was available.[16] Transportation resources were also important to the glass industry. Waterways provided an efficient and safe way to transport glass, especially before the construction of high-quality roads and the railroad system.[Note 2] By 1880, almost all of the nation's top ten glass producing counties were located on a waterway. Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, (which includes Pittsburgh) was the nation's leading glass producer based on value of production.[18] As the railroad industry developed, it also became an important transportation resource. The first commercial railway in the United States, the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, began work in 1828 to connect Baltimore's harbor with the Ohio River.[19] Its first segment of track was 13 miles (21 km) long, and it opened in 1830.[19] By 1920, there were over 252,000 miles of railroad line operating in the United States.[20]

Glassmaking at Blenko Glass Company

[edit]

Glassware making at Blenko Glass Company is done using methods from the 19th and early 20th centuries, with all products handmade.[21] During the 1950s, there were typically ten glassware production teams consisting of six or seven people led by the glassblower.[22] Glassware production begins with a gatherer collecting a "gob" of molten glass from a furnace using a blowpipe. The blowpipe is given to a glassblower who blows into the pipe to shape the glass. The shaping is assisted by the use of tools, and some glass is blown into a mold. In some cases, separate gobs of glass (such as handles) may be added to the main piece. The glass can be reheated in a small furnace called a "glory hole" to alter its color or shape. Final shaping is done by a finisher who may cut off pieces of glass. The final product is slowly annealed on a long conveyer oven called a lehr that gradually cools the product. At the cool end of the lehr the product is inspected, packaged, and shipped.[21]

Flat glass making at Blenko utilizes the hand–blown cylinder glass method that was common in the 1880s. The process is somewhat similar to its glassware process, but it needs much less shaping. After the gatherer retrieves a gob of glass, the glassblower blows a hollow cylinder into a mold. The cylinder is annealed and then cut on both ends. A cut is then made lengthwise on the cylinder and it is placed in a reheating furnace where the cylinder opens and flattens. The glass is then annealed once again.[21] [23] [24] Blowing the cylinder into a mold is not a normal part of the cylinder method. William J. Blenko received a patent of his process of using an unpolished mold to make the flat glass uniform in size and giving it an appearance that suggests it is old. The patent was called "Art Glass and Method of Making the Same". He filed for the patent on February 26, 1924, and it was granted on May 4, 1926.[25]

Blenko glassware production process part 1
  • man forming hot glass attached to pipe
    Glassblower uses blowpipe to shape molten glass
  • shaped glassware detached from rod
    Glassware is detached from blow pipe for more shaping
  • glassware held in firey oven by pipe
    Glassware is reheated in oven for more work
  • man trimming red hot glassware
    Reheated glassware with color changes is trimmed
Blenko glassware production process part 2
  • man holding finished, but still hot, glassware with stick
    Finished glassware product is ready for lehr
  • glassware at end of conveyer being watched by worker wearing gloves
    Glassware at cool end of lehr
  • Blenko 2024, with unusual font, added to bottom of orange glass bottle
    Blenko mark added to glassware after inspection
  • glassware in unsealed boxes
    Blenko glassware products being prepared for shipping

Blenko history

[edit]

First try

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Further information: Indiana gas boom
old map of gas field in Indiana with Kokomo circled
1895 map with Kokomo circled

William John Blenko, the founder of Blenko Glass Company, was born in London during 1854. At the age of 10 he began working as an apprentice in a London bottle glass works, where he learned the basics of glassmaking.[26] He studied chemistry and learned to produce sheet glass.[27] Producing glass in England, he shipped his product to the United States.[28] Blenko came to the United States in 1893 to start a glass factory. This first attempt was in Kokomo, Indiana.[29] Natural gas had been discovered in a region of Indiana that included Kokomo (Howard County), and manufacturers were moving there to take advantage of the low-cost fuel.[30][Note 3]

Blenko arrived in Kokomo at the beginning of 1893, and he brought machinery for glassmaking. His plant site was on the Belt Railroad, and construction was in progress during January.[31] An 1896 insurance map shows a small unnamed glassworks next to the Belt Railroad. Assuming this glassworks was Blenko's, it was very small compared to the other two glassworks in town shown on the same map.[32] The other two glassworks were Pittsburgh Plate Glass and Opalescent Glass Works.[32][Note 4]

Blenko's Kokomo glass business failed after about ten years.[26] Three reasons are given for the failure. First, the United States was in an economic depression that began in January 1893, and became known as the Panic of 1893.[35] Three more recessions would occur in the next ten years.[36] Second, foreign competition increased because of the Wilson–Gorman Tariff Act of 1894—which caused glass imports to increase 48 percent.[37] Third, for the type of sheet glass Blenko produced, Americans believed that European glass was superior. It is believed that Blenko resorted to shipping his glass to England, and then back, to give the appearance of European glass that appealed to potential customers.[26][Note 5] After the business failed, Blenko and his family moved back to London during July 1905.[39][Note 6] Producing the same glass in England, Blenko was able to sell his imported glass to glass studios in the United States.[41] Blenko and family returned to the United States about 14 months later, and decided to have a permanent home in Pennsylvania.[42]

More tries

[edit]
notice in newspaper about incorporation of Blenko Antique Art Glass Company
Clarksburg - July 1911

Blenko's second attempt to start a glass works in America was at Point Marion, Pennsylvania.[29] A fire insurance map published September 1909 shows a small "Blenko Glass Works" located near the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad line along with several other glass factories.[43] Blenko's third attempt to run a glass factory occurred in Clarksburg, West Virginia, during 1911 through 1913.[29] A local newspaper article dated July 22, 1911, stated that a factory for the Blenko Antique Art Glass Company will start to be built within 30 days. Blenko was one of five investors, and Blenko would manage the factory.[44] The article also said that Blenko would abandon his factory at Point Marion, Pennsylvania, because the new location had better advantages such as cheaper fuel.[44] A significant factor in the 1913 failure of the Blenko Antique Art Glass Company was the Underwood-Simmons Act that reduced the tariff rate on imported glass.[45]

advertisement for Antique glass by W. Blenko
William Blenko advertisement in a glass trade magazine July 1917

After the third failure, Blenko remained in the United States. A 1916 newspaper notice shows that a William Blenko (not identified as William J. or William H.) had a telephone line in Lancaster, Ohio.[46] A stained glass trade magazine for July 1917 contained an advertisement at the bottom of page one that simply said "Antique - if you want any, address W. Blenko" with an address of Follansbee, West Virginia.[47] By July 1920 Blenko was apparently living on Wheeling Street in Lancaster, Ohio. He posted in classified advertising that he wanted a position in glassmaking, and that he could make "every variety of color including opal and opalescent".[48]

Beginning

[edit]
advertisement for Eureka Art Glass Company, manufacturers of antique glass
Advertising for Blenko using original name, Eureka Art Glass, in 1926

In the January 1922 edition of a glass trade magazine, it was noted that a "W. Blenko, of Lancaster, Ohio" recently purchased land at Huntington, West Virginia, and he expected a plant for the manufacture of colored antique glass would be operating by mid-March 1922.[49] Blenko named his new glass business Eureka Art Glass Company.[26] By 1923 the company was listed as an antiques and specialties business, and it had eight employees.[50] A new Eureka employee was William H. Blenko Sr., who joined his father's company during the year.[29] At that time, the entire state of West Virginia had 79 glass factories with 16,577 employees.[51]

Antique glass is made using an older process that involves hand blowing the glass into a cylinder, cutting it lengthwise, and flattening it in an oven. The glass will have bubbles, lines, tool marks, and waves.[52] William Blenko filed for a patent on his process for making art glass that appears old, and the patent was called "Art Glass and Method of Making the Same". He filed for the patent on February 26, 1924, and it was granted on May 4, 1926.[25] By 1926, Eureka Art Glass could replicate most of the glass used in old European stained glass windows.[53]

Work began on a new Milton facility in 1926 that would have three single-pot furnaces that could make over 300 shades of antique sheet glass.[53] Among places using Eureka Art Glass for its stained glass windows in 1927 was the Liverpool Cathedral in England.<need cite from Jackson> Business improved enough that in 1928 plans were made to erect a larger plant. The new glass works had three small furnaces, and the ability to make over 300 different colors or shades of antique flat glass.[53] An economic depression began in August 1929, becoming known as the Great Depression.[54] The economic downturn caused a sharp decrease in demand for stained glass.

Company renamed

[edit]

An advertisement in a December 1931 edition of a newspaper said that "distinctive and different hand made" glassware could be purchased at the Milton factory, and mentioned sandwich glass.[55]

Products

[edit]

Outline

[edit]
map showing factory next to railroad
Blenko factory in 1944
  • Began making hand blown glassware in 1930s because the Great Depression cut demand for stained glass.
  • All glass is hand blown—no pressing or automated production. Hence, simple
  • Persuaded Carbone and Sons Company of Boston, an importer of art glass from Venice and Sweden, to try Blenko. Recruited Louis Miller (a finisher)and Axel Muller (a glassblower) (trained in Sweden, brothers despite different spelling) to produce and train. Because of Carbones, glass sold in major department stores in USA. Pictured in a 1931 Carbone and Sons catalogue, but identified as Kenova glass, made in the foothills of West Virginia.
  • In 1936 given license to produce glassware like that excavated in Colonial Williamsburg - using same materials and methods.
  • Swede Carl Erickson worked for Blenko from 1937 until 1942, left to found Erickson Glassworks.
    • 2nd designer was Wayne Husted from 1954 to 1963
    • 3rd was Joel Myers from 1964 to part of 1971. (most famous and accomplished). Left for Illinois State University.
    • 4th was John Nickerson 1971-1974
    • 5th Don Shepard 1975-1989
    • 6th Hank Adams 1990-1995
    • 7th Matt Carter 1996-2002
  • 1969 William Blenko Jr. become president of company. (After William Sr. died, was president?)
  • 1996 stained glass window for Carnegie Mellon University.
  • 2009 shut down
  • Chapter 11 bankruptcy May 2011
  • Exited bankruptcy 2013
  • No longer produces architectural sheet glass as of 2020?




Newspapers 1

[edit]
  • Newspaper Archive through 2007. No dream
  • During 1932, Blenko glass was used for windows in the American Memorial chapel on the Meuse-Argonne battlefield at Romagna, France. The artists designing the windows preferred the Blenko glass because of the colors available and the texture of the glass.[56]
  • William Blenko died suddenly on November 24, 1933, at the age of 79.[57]
  • In 1937, the company was contracted to produce glassware for the Colonial Williamsburg restoration project that would match the original Williamsburg glass.[58]
  • The Blenko 384 Water Bottle was first designed in 1938. The number "384" means that it was the fourth design during 1938. The bottle's narrow shape was designed to fit in the door of a somewhat new innovation: the "electric icebox" now known as a refrigerator. The bottle has two pouring spouts and an indentation in its center that makes it easy to hold.[59]
  • The company received a new charter on May 1, 1947. The firm was incorporated by William H. Blenko, Marion H. Blenko, and William H. Blenko Jr. with a capitalization of $250,000.[60]
  • A 1950 advertisement by a gift store mentioned that Blenko glassware "is completely handmade" and available, in a crackled or plain finish, in eight colors: crystal, ruby, amethyst, sky blue, turquoise, sea green, chartreuse, and emerald.[61]
  • By 1950 the Blenko glass factory was producing about 280 types of glassware that was sold by retailers throughout the world. It was also producing flat glass in about 1,000 different tints that was shipped all over the United States and Canada. The flat glass was used by Blenko's customers to make stained glass windows. Among places using Blenko glass are the Saint Patrick's Cathedral in New York, the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York, the National Cathedral in Washington, and the Duke University Chapel.[21]
  • The plant employed 115 people near the end of 1950. William H. Blenko Sr. was the president, and his son William H. Blenko Jr. was company secretary and plant manager.[62]
  • By 1957 Blenko antique glass had been used in numerous places such as the windows of Grant's Tomb, Saint Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York; Yale University's Harkness Library; and the Duke Chapel in Durham, North Carolina. It was also used to rebuild the Reims Cathedral in France after World War I.[63]
  • It was noted that in 1958 the Blenko glass works was the only one in the United States that hand blows church window glass. The glass is blown into the shape of a cylinder, its ends are cut off, the cylinder is split lengthwise, reheated, and flattened into a sheet of glass available in about 1100 shades.[41]
  • At least part of the glass used in the Air Force Academy Chapel, completed in 1962 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, was supplied by Blenko.[64]
  • In 1963, Blenko employed about 150 people.[65]
  • During 1963 some of Blenko's competition came from foreign glassware manufacturers, which had lower prices.[65]
  • Near the beginning of 1965, Blenko had 160 employees hand crafting glassware using the same methods used hundreds of years ago in Europe.[66]
  • A tourist center was dedicated in 1966. The two-story building has an outlet on the first floor that sell factory seconds that have minor flaws. The upstairs is a museum with products on display such as stained glass, the Colonial Williamsburg restoration glass, and collectable pieces.[67]

Newspapers 2

[edit]
  • Joel Myers joined Blenko in 1963 as director of design. The company had a reputation as one of the world's top art glass companies. Myers was unique in the United States because he was believed to be the only designer that blew his own glass. He designed about 40 items per year, and 2,000 to 3,000 copies of each design were produced.[68]
  • William H. Blenko Sr., chairman of the board of Blenko Glass, died on March 11, 1969.[69]
  • In 1972, the Blenko Museum was visited by as many as 2,000 people per day during the tourist season.[70] By 1990, the typical number of visitors during the summer months was as many as 1,000.[71]
  • 1974: A major reason glass made by Blenko is used in many church stained glass windows is the "vivid, clear colors" of the glass.[72]
  • Blenko is known worldwide or its window glass used in cathedrals and churches.[73]
  • 1982 was a difficult year for all West Virginia glass makers due to high prices for natural gas and inexpensive imports.[74]
  • By 1990, Blenko was one of the few glass factories still operating in West Virginia. Fostoria Glass, Fenton Art Glass, Kanawha Glass, Pilgrim Glass, and Viking Glass were major glass companies that were all closed.[75]
  • In 1992 Blenko Glass was selected to produce replacement window panes for the White House. To have the replacement windows look similar to the antique windows still in place, the White House needed a manufacturer that made window glass the old hand-blown way that was used to make the existing panes. Blenko was the only domestic manufacturer that still used the method—which dates back to medieval Europe. The company still produces flat glass blown to look antique, and it can create over 1,300 colors.[76]
  • As of 1995, about 30 percent of Blenko's business was flat glass such as hand-blown window panes. The remaining 70 percent was glassware such as bottles, vases, and lamps.[52]
  • As of 1995, Blenko Glass Company employed about 130 workers.[77]
  • Each year, Blenko Glass produces a limited edition piece of glassware that becomes available on West Virginia Day. Production is limited to one for each year the state of West Virginia has existed.[78] For example: in 1998, the state was 135 years old—so Blenko produced 135 pieces of its limited edition commemorative glassware.[79]
  • A PBS documentary called "Hearts of Glass" described William J. Blenko's quest to produce glass in the United States.[80] An additional documentary called "Blenko Retro: Three Designers of American Glass" discusses Blenko's production of glass after World War II.[81] A third PBS documentary is called "Blenko - Spirit of American Stained Glass".[82]

Newspapers 3

[edit]
  • The designs and varied brilliant colors are what makes Blenko glass popular. In 2002, its glassware could cost from $15 (equivalent to $25 in 2023) to several thousand dollars.[83]
  • Water bottles were the most popular item in 2003.[84]
  • In 2003 Dean Six, curator of the West Virginia Museum of American Glass, noted that it was not foreign competition that was causing financial problems for American glass factories. He said the problem was that people "weren't buying glass at all".[85] He also said that plastic did not exist 100 years ago, and people stopped having family meals after World War II.[85]
  • Wayne Husted, who was a designer for Blenko Glass from 1953 to 1963, re-established a relationship with Blenko in 2001.[86] One of his designs for 2002 was called Patriot, which was inspired after the events of September 11, 2001. The handblown pieces were hand-blown with red and blue glass.[87]

Great Depression

[edit]

https://coalheritage.org/page.aspx?id=64



An advertisement claimed that Blenko was the "sole maker in this country of glass for church windows".[88]

Notes

[edit]

Footnotes

[edit]
  1. ^ A 2004 description of the Blenko melting process said the batch is heated to about 2600 °F (1427 °C), and cooked for about 24 hours. Then the mixture is cooled to between 2000 °F (1093 °C) and 2300 °F (1260 °C), making it ready to be blown and shaped.[6]
  2. ^ An example of the importance of waterways can be observed in February 1912. It was reported that because of ice on the Ohio River, 600 barrels of glassware from the Fostoria Glass Company were waiting shipment at the Moundsville wharf.[17]
  3. ^ In 1886, a large quantity of natural was discovered in Indiana. Affecting 25 counties in the state, the amount of gas was large enough that it could be used for fuel. This low-cost fuel attracted glass factories, and by 1893 the number of glass factories in the state had increased to 45 from only one in 1886.[30]
  4. ^ Two Kokomo glass manufacturers reported data to state officials for 1893.[33] Glass products made in Kokomo at that time were plate glass and colored sheet glass.[34] A Sanborn Fire Insurance map for Kokomo as of March 1896 shows Pittsburgh Plate Glass (image 13), Opalescent Glass Works (image 19), and a small unnamed glass factory (image 19) near the Belt Railroad.[32]
  5. ^ A newspaper advertisement from 1956 repeats the claim of shipping to and from England.[38]
  6. ^ Authors Ralph and Terry Kovel say it was 1904 when William Blenko moved back to London.[40]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ^ "How Glass is Made – What is glass made of? The wonders of glass all come down to melting sand". Corning. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Skrabec 2007, p. 25
  3. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 94
  4. ^ Shotwell 2002, pp. 114–115
  5. ^ "Care and Feeding of the Glass Furnace". Museum of Glass (Tacoma, Washington). Retrieved October 15, 2024.; "How Glass is Made – What is glass made of? The wonders of glass all come down to melting sand". Corning. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "A Family Name in Glass". Olney Enterprise (Newspaper Archive). March 18, 2004. p. 22. The mixture is then placed into an oven, heated....
  7. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 343
  8. ^ Weeks & United States Census Office 1884, p. 45
  9. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 17
  10. ^ "Corning Museum of Glass – Lehr". Corning Museum of Glass. Archived from the original on July 5, 2023. Retrieved July 5, 2023.
  11. ^ a b c Weeks & United States Census Office 1884, p. 20
  12. ^ Louw 1991, p. 48
  13. ^ "Syrup Off the Roller: The Libbey-Owens-Ford Company". University of Toledo Library. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved March 7, 2024.
  14. ^ United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce 1917, p. 12
  15. ^ United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce 1917, p. 13
  16. ^ Skrabec 2007, p. 26
  17. ^ "Around the Glass and Lamp Factories". Crockery and Glass Journal. Whittemore and Jaques, Inc. February 15, 1912.
  18. ^ United States Department of Commerce, Bureau of Foreign and Domestic Commerce 1917, p. 11
  19. ^ a b "Today in History - February 28 - The B & O Railroad". U.S. Library of Congress. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  20. ^ United States Interstate Commerce Commission Bureau of Accounts 1966, p. 50
  21. ^ a b c d "Many Tourists Drawn to Milton to See Production of Famed Blenko Glassware". Charleston Gazette (Newspaper Archive). April 30, 1950. p. 28 (66). A growing tourist attraction in West Virginia....
  22. ^ "Blenko Glass Plant at Milton Top Producer of Stained Glass". Charleston Gazette (Newspaper Archive). June 28, 1953. p. 5a (37). An important tourist attraction in West Virginia....
  23. ^ Kutilek 2019, p. 39; Shotwell 2002, p. 219
  24. ^ Kutilek 2019, p. 38
  25. ^ a b U.S. patent 1,583,441, William Blenko, "Art Glass and Method of Making the Same", issued May 4, 1926 
  26. ^ a b c d Shotwell 2002, p. 43
  27. ^ Crain 2004
  28. ^ Vaughan, Mary L. (May 15, 1956). "West Virginia Upholds Venice (page B-2)". Washington Evening Star (from Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress).
  29. ^ a b c d Blenko Glass Company 1999, p. 3
  30. ^ a b Peelle Jr 1894, pp. 525–526
  31. ^ "Community History - 75 years Ago (4th paragraph)". Kokomo Tribune (Newspaper Archive). January 28, 1968. p. 6. William Blenko, an English glass manufacturer, has arrived in Kokomo.
  32. ^ a b c "Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Kokomo, Howard County, Indiana. (images 13 and 19)". Sanborn Map Company (U.S. Library of Congress). Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  33. ^ Peelle Jr 1894, p. 526
  34. ^ Peelle Jr 1894, p. 538
  35. ^ Shotwell 2002, p. 43; "The Depression of 1893". Economic History Association. Archived from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved July 10, 2023.
  36. ^ "US Business Cycle Expansions and Contractions". National Bureau of Economic Research. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  37. ^ Fones-Wolf 2007, p. 11; Shotwell 2002, p. 43
  38. ^ "Blenko Glass Chat with the Steele's - Steele's Patio Shop". San Rafael Daily Independent Journal (Newspaper Archive). August 25, 1956. p. M12 (29). For a while the wily Blenko shipped the product of his Indiana plant back to England—and re-imported it.
  39. ^ "(2nd column from left, almost half way down)". Kokomo Daily Tribune (Newspaper Archive). July 20, 1905. p. 6. The family of William Blenko left today for New York, from which place they will set sail for London, England, to make their mother country their future home.
  40. ^ Kovel, Ralph; Kovel, Terry (May 25, 1986). "Antiques - Mystery clocks". Charleston Journal Courier (Newspaper Archive). p. 34. The business failed, and he moved back to London in 1904 but continued to sell his stained glass products to American customers.
  41. ^ a b Grimmett, Mary Lee (March 29, 1958). "Sand to Shimmering Glass". Charleston Daily Mail (Newspaper Archive). p. 9. Blenko returned to England...opened another factory producing the same type of glass.
  42. ^ "(3rd column from left at bottom)". Kokomo Daily Tribune (Newspaper Archive). September 28, 1906. p. 7. William Blenko and wife, the well known socialists, have returned from an extended visit in England, their native land.; "(4th column from left near bottom)". Kokomo Daily Tribune (Newspaper Archive). October 1, 1906. p. 5. ...Blenko, who recently returned from England, have decided to locate permanently in Pennsylvania.
  43. ^ Sanborn Fire Insurance (1909). Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Point Marion, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. (see image 4) (Map). Pelham, New York: Sanborn Map Company (U.S. Library of Congress). Retrieved October 11, 2024.
  44. ^ a b "Another Factory Will Be Erected (page 1)". Clarksburg Daily Telegram. July 22, 1911.
  45. ^
    • "Office of the Historian - Protectionism in the Interwar Period". Office of the Historian, Foreign Service Institute - United States Department of State. Retrieved October 24, 2024.;
    • Katonak, Lynne (August 25, 2002). "Blown away by Blenko (Blenko bits)". Aiken Standard (Newspaper Archive). p. 1C (25). Then, in 1913, a 4 per cent tariff reduction on imported glass shrank an important share of the market, forcing Blenko to close his shop.
  46. ^ "Central Union (far right column)". Lancaster Daily Gazette (Newspaper Archive). September 19, 1916. p. 6. List Showing New Bell Telephone Subscribers....
  47. ^ Flanagan 1917, p. 1
  48. ^ Hammer 1920, p. 30
  49. ^ Krak 1922, p. 23
  50. ^ Daugherty 1924, p. 62
  51. ^ Daugherty 1924, p. 9
  52. ^ a b "Taking panes for the White House". Frederick News Post (Newspaper Archive). May 1, 1995. p. B-7 (15). Antique glass has lines, tool marks, waves and bubbles.
  53. ^ a b c Flanagan 1928, p. 8–9
  54. ^ "The Great Depression 1929-1941". Federal Reserve History. Retrieved October 21, 2024.
  55. ^ "A Gift For That Fastidious Friend (advertisement)". Charleston Daily Mail (Newspaper Archive). December 11, 1931. p. 18. Distinctive and different....
  56. ^ "Made at Milton (near bottom of page)". Charleston Gazette (Newspaper Archive). September 4, 1932. p. 19. The work of this art glass company has been used in some of the greatest churches and cathedrals in this country and abroad.
  57. ^ "William Blenko - Glass Manufacturer in Huntington Dies Suddenly". Portsmouth Times (Newspaper Archive). November 25, 1933. p. 12. William Blenko, 79, for years a prominent glass manufacturer....
  58. ^ "State News In Brief - Huntington". Charleston Daily Mail (Newspaper Archive). April 14, 1937. p. 3. The Blenko Glass company received a contract for making reproductions of colonial glassware to be used in the Williamsburg, Va., restoration project.
  59. ^ "The Blenko Water Bottle: A glass and West Virginia's handmade icon!". Blenko Glass Company. Retrieved October 15, 2024.
  60. ^ "State Charters Seven Concerns". Charleston Daily Mail (Newspaper Archive). May 1, 1947. p. 14. The Blenko Glass Company, Inc., of Milton, Cabell county....
  61. ^ "Just received a large shipment of Blenko Handcraft Glass". Decatur Daily (Newspaper Archive). April 24, 1950. p. 6. Blenko Decorative glassware is completely handmade....
  62. ^ Boggs, Neil (November 26, 1950). "Rt. 60 Village is Composite of Small Towns". Charleston Gazette (Newspaper Archive). p. 13 of Section 2 (37). Exquisite glass products from the Blenko Glass Co. plant have made Milton world-famous....
  63. ^ Little, Glade (July 21, 1957). "The Art That Time Didn't Kill". Charleston Gazette (Newspaper Archive). p. 20-m Magazine Section (87). ...products range from glassware for home decorations to stained glass for windows.
  64. ^ Riffe, Harold (April 29, 1962). "Fair and Mild (left column)". Charleston Gazette Mail (Newspaper Archive). p. 11. ...at least a part of the glass which went into the new Air Force Academy Chapel...was supplied by Blenko.
  65. ^ a b "Handblown Glassware - 30 Plants Dotting State Make About Half The Nation's Demand for Fancy Glass Items". Charleston Gazette Mail (Newspaper Archive). June 16, 1963. p. 3F (71). Blenko is a flourishing business, employing about 150 persons....
  66. ^ "Blenko Glass Exhibit Scheduled Thursday and Friday". San Antonio Express and News (Newspaper Archive). February 28, 1965. p. 2G (67). Contemporary shapes, subtle and brilliantly beautiful colors....
  67. ^ Fields, Dan (July 28, 1966). "Blenko Unveils $175,000 Tourist Center At Milton (Newspaper Archive)". p. 2. The tourist facility, long a dream of the son of the founder, William H. Blenko Sr., was dedicated today....
  68. ^ Christian, Darrell (August 18, 1968). "Of a Man and Glass". Charleston Gazette Mail (Newspaper Archive). p. 1B (25). Myers is director of design for Blenko Glass Co., one of the world's top art glass companies.
  69. ^ "Head of Blenko Glass Co. Dies". Raleigh Register (Beckley, West Virginia)(Newspaper Archive). March 12, 1969. p. 30 (29).
  70. ^ "Tourism (continued from 1A)". Charleston Gazette (Newspaper Archive). May 29, 1990. p. 8A (8). The Morgan Museum near St. Albans has found a new home, a site adjacent to the Blenko Glass Co. Visitors Center at Milton.
  71. ^ "Morgan Museum Finds New Home at Milton". Charleston Gazette (Newspaper Archive). April 1, 1972. p. 7. Richard Blenko, owner of Blenko Glass in Milton, said that up to 1,000 visitors a day....
  72. ^ "Sweep of Color Captured in Glass". Charleston Daily Mail (Newspaper Archive). June 22, 1974. p. 1. You are looking at nearly $20,000 worth of stained glass art work.
  73. ^ "Astrological Glass Display at BC Library". Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Newspaper Archive). February 18, 1979. p. 4B (36). ...one of the finest glass plants in the world.
  74. ^ "Imports, Gas Prices Squeeze Glass Makers". Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Newspaper Archive). December 9, 1982. p. 25 (47). ...state manufacturers have been forced to lay off employees....
  75. ^ Barber, Curt (January 23, 1990). "Glass collection on display at Craft Memorial Library". Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Newspaper Archive). p. B1 (9). Blenko (in Milton) is the only one left.
  76. ^ "W.Va. glass firm works on White House". Herald Star (Newspaper Archive). May 10, 1992. p. 8-A (8). ...they have the capital equipment necessary, and they have the talented workers.
  77. ^ a b Nussbaum, Nancy (May 30, 1995). "White House windowpanes must meet standards of being 'perfectly imperfect'". Clearfield Progress (Newspaper Archive). p. Two (24). ...Blenko has developed prototypes for White House review.
  78. ^ Bundy, Jennifer (June 20, 1995). "Residents to blow out 132 candles". Beckley Register Herald (Newspaper Archive). p. 4B (14). This year cobalt blue vases with clear handles sell for $55....
  79. ^ "State celebrates birthday today". Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Newspaper Archive). June 19, 1998. p. 16 (7). In honor of the day, Blenko Glass will issue a commemorative piece....
  80. ^ "Tuesday Prime Time (PBS 44, 8:00)". Dover New Philadelphia Times Reporter (Newspaper Archive). March 14, 1999. p. 16 (52) of Showcase Television Magazine March 14-March 21. The dream of English immigrant William John Blenko to produce....
  81. ^ "Saturday Afternoon - December 1, 2001 (channel 46)". Daily Review (Newspaper Archive). November 25, 2001. p. 11 of TV Week (57). The people and ideas behind Blenko's production....
  82. ^ "Think TV PBS - Blenko Spirit of American Stained Glass". Middletown Journal (Newspaper Archive). March 9, 2005. p. A9 (9). The history of the Blenko Glass Company and its influence on American stained glass and art glass.
  83. ^ "Glass - from/1A". Grapevine Sun (Newspaper Archive). August 15, 2002. p. 3. Ms. Kadam said Blenko Glass pieces can cost....
  84. ^ "Travel - From page 9". New Castle News (Newspaper Archive). July 7, 2003. p. 13. ...most popular item—water bottles in a variety of colors with a $11.50 price tag.
  85. ^ a b "Glass industry is changing, but still holding on". Bluefield Daily Telegraph (Newspaper Archive). July 27, 2003. p. A-11 (19). We don't need two or three sets of glassware any more.
  86. ^ "Designer returns to Blenko". Cumberland Times News (Newspaper Archive). May 17, 2004. p. 2B (12). Four decades later, Wayne Husted's expertise is still in high demand at Blenko Glass.
  87. ^ "Designer returns to Blenko". Cumberland Times News (Newspaper Archive). May 17, 2004. p. 2B (12). ...including Patriot, inspired by the Sept 11 terrorist attacks.; Blenko Glass Company 2002, p. 3
  88. ^ "Woodward & Lothrop - Exhibit of Famous Blenko Glass (advertisement on D-14)". Washington Evening Star (from Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers. Lib. of Congress). May 13, 1956.

References

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Further reading

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