Glimpse into the Past; Corning history

A Glimpse into the Past

In this, the 350th anniversary year of the start of glass manufacturing in America, the 1958 Glass Factory Directory Issue of the AMERICAN GLASS REVIEW gives emphasis to the rich tradition of the industry by presenting capsule histories of some of the oldest and best-known manufacturers in the business. The selection of companies is a random one and is not intended to be complete or in any way representative of the industry's present-day line-up.

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Corning Glass Works

This company was established as the Union Glass Company in Somerville, Mass., by Amory Houghton, great-grandfather of the present chairman of the board. It was moved to Brooklyn, N. Y., in 1864, becoming the Brooklyn Flint Glass Company. Four years later it again moved, this time to its present home, Corning. N. Y. Its name was changed to the Corning Flint Glass Company, which it remained until 1875 when it became the Corning Glass Works.

Among the highlights in the firm's long history are the development of heat-resistant glass for railroad lanterns (which led to the subsequent introduction of Coming's well-known Pyrex brand glass) in 1909, the perfection in 1926 of a ribbon machine for the automatic, high-speed production of bulbs for incandescent lamps, the introduction of fine Steuben crystal in 1933, the completion of a new process for continuous, automatic production of optical glass in 1944, and the development in 1957 of Pyroceram, a new family of materials harder than steel, lighter than aluminum, and stronger than glass, from which it is derived.

Corning currently operates factories in Corning, N. Y., Albion, Mich., Bradford, Pa., Central Falls, R. I., Charleroi, Pa., Danville, Ky., Harrodsburg, Ky., Muskogee, Okla., Parkersburg, W. Va., and Wellsboro, Pa. It also owns or holds interest in glass, refractory, chemical, and nuclear plants throughout the world.

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