Imperial Glass Co.

The Imperial Glass Company was started in Bellaire, Ohio by a man who was no stranger to glass making. Edward Muhleman was originally involved in the Crystal Glass Company. He later became the secretary/treasurer to the National Glass Company. When he decided to move onto a new venture he set out to establish the largest glass plant in the Ohio River Valley.

Initially named The New Crystal Glass Company, Muhleman got assistance from the Bellaire Board of Trade and many of his former Crystal Glass Co. stockholders. By 1901 the business changed its name to the Imperial Glass Company. Progress was slow and the company’s furnaces were not ignited until 1904. However, within six months of opening, Imperial became a major player in the handmade glass industry.

Imperial offered glass in a variety of forms including bottles, tumblers, and lamps to name a few. The company’s intricate pressed glass patterns carried lower prices which allowed the company to reach a wide customer base. The company also offered high quality ‘pot’ glass, referred to as mirror ‘glass’, in addition to their ‘utility’ glass.

Imperial’s creative marketing schemes helped to grow its business. In 1905 the company contracted its first wholesale customer, F.W. Woolworth Co. and its 500 stores. In 1906 Imperial opted out of the traditional Pittsburg Glass Show and invited buyers to come to see the Imperial plant for themselves in Bellaire. The company was producing almost to capacity. A trade journal reported that in 1909 Imperial had sold 50,000 more barrels of glass than it had the year before! This was the year that Imperial also started to produce colored glass.

Imperial was successful into the 1910s and was confident into the 1920s. Iridescent ware (i.e. the ‘Old Carnival’) and more colored glassware items were produced. Some of these were the forerunners of the inexpensive colored glassware that would gain in popularity and later become known as “Depression” glass during the 1920s and 1930s. Despite its early successes, the downward spiral that was the country’s economy caught up with Imperial Company. Throughout the years the company would continue to produce glass wares but would never reach the same success it had once had at the dawn of the 20^th century. Imperial Glass Company filed for bankruptcy in August of 1984.