Fostoria Company History
The Fostoria Glass Company manufactured pressed, blown and hand molded glassware and tableware for almost 90 years. It began operations in Fostoria, Ohio, USA on December 15, 1887 at South Vine Street, near Railroad, on free land donated by the townspeople. But when natural resources declined in Fostoria, the company moved to Moundsville, West Virginia in 1891.
Fostoria built a furnace in 1891 that could fire 14 pieces of glass at a time, considered exemplary for the period. During the early years of 1887 through 1909, Fostoria advertised that it manufactured “tableware, colognes, stationers’ glassware and candelabra”, as well as inkwells, sponge cups, vases, fingerbowls and fruit jars. Many of the stemware designs were needle etched or wheel cut, popular styles during the early 20th century.
By 1925, five additional furnaces were added and the company was in its heyday, manufacturing stemware, container glass, and decorative lamps, before adding a colored stemware and dinnerware product line. Fostoria struggled through the Great Depression and World War II, but survived, producing milk glass and depression ware, and the notable patterns of Chintz (1940), Colony (1940), Romance (1942), and Holly (1942). .
Production peaked in 1950 when Fostoria manufactured over 8 million pieces of glass. The company expanded in the 1950s, adding the crystal patterns Century (1950), Rose (1951), Wedding Ring (1953), and Jamestown (1959). In the 1960s and 1970s, the company’s marketing campaign expanded to include boutiques and display rooms within jewelry and department stores. In addition, Fostoria published its own consumer direct magazine, “Creating with Crystal” during this period.
All U.S. Presidents from Dwight D. Eisenhower through Ronald Reagan ordered glassware from Fostoria.
*Source: Wikipedia
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