Fostoria Glass was founded in 1887 in Fostoria, Ohio. Lured by generous government cash subsidies and the newly-discovered natural gas, a group of glassmen from West Virginia and Ohio set-up a glassworks in this Northwestern Ohio town, employing 125 workers. The glassworks was successful, however, after four years, the natural gas boom went bust and Fostoria’s source of energy dissipated. They moved the workshop to West Virginia with its plentiful source of old, reliable coal—not to mention, a large Eastern European population with glassmaking skills from the old country.
The early- and mid-Twentieth Century was good for Fostoria. In its heyday of the Twenties, the factory employed a thousand workers. And in the 1950’s, Fostoria reached its production peak of eight million pieces of glass per year. By the 1970’s, alas, foreign competition was starting to beat Fostoria—so much cheaper was labor in recently-war-torn Europe and Asia. The company was sold to a competitor in 1983 and closed all together in 1986.
The cocktail glasses, above, are from Fostoria’s production highpoint in the 1950’s. Rimmed in platinum—to decorate and protect the crystal rim—this set of six cocktail stems would be an elegant way to serve a mixed drink in authentic Mid-Century style. Please click on the photo above to learn more about this glass or come into the shop to see them and our large offering of other vintage barware.
More newly-collected glassware tomorrow and in the days to come.