Wistarburg Glass Works

Wistarburg Glass Works roadsign

The Wistarburg Glass Works (sometimes spelled Wistarburgh Glass Works; also known as the United Glass Company) was the first successful glass factory and joint-venture enterprise in the Thirteen Colonies, referred to as Colonial America. Caspar Wistar founded the glass works company in 1739. He began by recruiting experienced professional glass artisans from Europe, and built homes for the workers along with a mansion for the factory's foreman. Wistar also had a company store built near the factory.

Because of the company's success, the village that developed around the factory adopted Wistar's name and became known as Wistarburg. The village was in Salem County, New Jersey, in the township of Alloway. The factory produced thousands of glass bottles per year, but its main product was window glass, of which it became the main supplier for the Colonies. Wistar was a friend of Benjamin Franklin, and made the glass globes for Franklin's electrostatic machines that were used for scientific research on electricity. Wistar's son inherited the business and his son, Wistar's grandson, eventually gained control of the company, but owing to his mismanagement it had closed by 1782.

Company foundation

Casper Wistar (1696–1752) moved from Berks County, Pennsylvania, where he had owned iron forges, to Philadelphia in 1717. He began professionally crafting brass buttons, which he took on a sales trip to Salem County. Upon visiting the township of Alloway and noticing its abundant supply of materials for glass manufacture – white sand, clay and wood, and accessible water from the nearby Deep Run and Alloway Creeks – he was inspired to open a glass factory there. It was not the first glass factory to be built in colonial America. Earlier establishments had been established at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1607 and 1621. They were founded to export glass items to England, but ultimately failed; little if any glass production was achieved by either.

Wistar was successful at his button making business and land speculation and accumulated capital for a new enterprise. He began his new venture in 1737 by buying 2,000 acres (810 ha) of land about eight miles (13 km) from Salem, New Jersey, and commenced construction of his factory – which became the first commercially successful glass factory in America&nbsp. He arranged in January 1738 to lease 50 acres (20 ha) of land containing 18,000 cords (65,000 m³) of wood from John Ladd, a local land owner. Wistar then recruited four German speaking experienced professional glass artisans to make the factory operational. He arranged a venture with them in exchange for the art of glass making. They had arrived in Philadelphia on a ship from Europe in September 1738.

Wistar had homes built near the factory for the workers, along with a mansion to house the factory's foreman. The mansion also served as a convenient place for Wistar to stay during his business trips to the factory from Philadelphia. A company store was constructed for the workers' needs. The store also served the local residents of Alloway.

Joint venture

Wistar entered into a profit-sharing arrangement with four professional European glass makers: C. Halter, S. Griessmeyer, J. Wentzel, and J. Halter. To ensure their continuing support he set up a joint venture between the five members, the first cooperative manufacturing joint-venture business in America. The umbrella company was called the United Glass Company, and consisted of three separate entities. Wistar was the primary share holder, with a two-thirds majority ownership in each of the three entities. The four Europeans held one-third ownership, and shared in the losses and profits of the three companies. The first entity under the umbrella company was held between Wistar and Wentzel, the second between Wistar and Halter, and the third between Wistar, Griesmeyer and Halter. The joint venture remained in effect until Wistar's death.

History

Glass globes for Benjamin Franklin's electrostatic machines were made by Wistarburg Glass Works for research.

Wistar's factory produced about 15,000 glass bottles per year, made in the Waldglas style. Waldglas, a greenish-yellow glass with impurities, was an inexpensive traditional method used in Europe since the Middle Ages. But its primary product was window glass; at the time it was the main supplier of window glass for the Colonies. Wistar had unlimited access to white silica sand, as well as other necessary materials, and the company's success was further aided by New Jersey's low taxation; Wistar was easily able to obtain more assets for the business.

Wistar ran his business affairs from Philadelphia, spending little time in Alloway. He was friends with Benjamin Franklin, and made the glass globes for Franklin's electrostatic machines that were used for electrical scientific research. Franklin built several of his machines, using the Wistarburg glass globes, for Cadwallader Colden and Lewis Evans, for which they paid between ten and twelve pounds each.

Because Wistar lived in Philadelphia he was aware that English law forbade the manufacture of certain items that were in competition with imported products from England. Consequently, he downplayed the profitability of his glass business. When Wistar died his son Richard inherited the glass factory. He also mostly ran the business from Philadelphia, but worked on increasing sales volumes and expanding the company's product range. Just like his father, he relied on hired artisans to run the business.

The glass enterprise was in operation into the 1770s, but struggling due to declining forests around Wistarburg. The wood from the trees was used as fuel to melt the glass and was used up. Because of this some of their key artisans resigned and went to start their own glass company in Glassboro, New Jersey. There were new uncut forests there and plenty of wood for new glass operations. Richard died in 1781 and his son John took over the business. John didn't put forth the effort to run the glass works properly and let it go out of business. The company closed its doors on December 29, 1781.

References

Sources

• Beiler, Rosalind J. (2008). Immigrant and Entrepreneur: The Atlantic World of Caspar Wistar, 1650–1750. University Park, Pennsylvania: Penn State Press. ISBN 978-0-271-03595-6. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Cantele, Andi Marie; Kaplan, Mitch (2010). Explorer's Guide New Jersey (Second Edition (Explorer's Complete) ed.). Woodstock, VT: The Countryman Press. ISBN 978-1-58157-904-8. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Davidson, Marshall B. Davidson; Stillinger, Elizabeth (1985). The American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art. ISBN 978-0-87099-424-1. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Lemay, J. A. Leo (2014). The Life of Benjamin Franklin, Volume 3: Soldier, Scientist, and Politician, 1748–1757. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press. ISBN 978-0-8122-9141-4. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)
• Pierce, Arthur Dudley (1960). Smugglers' Woods: Jaunts and Journeys in Colonial and Revolutionary New Jersey. New Brunswick, N.J: Rutgers University Press. ISBN 978-0-8135-0444-5. {{cite book}}: Invalid |ref=harv (help)

Further reading

• "Wistarburgh". Corning Museum of Glass. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
• Murschell, Dale (2007). Wistarburgh. Springfield, W.Va.: D. Murschell.
• "The Wistars and their Glass 1739–1777". Retrieved August 4, 2015.