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Canton Glass Company Timeline
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Canton: 1 of 7

1883 Organized with capital stock of $50,000
Apr 1883 Production begins at 235 Marion Avenue, Canton, Ohio
Mar 23, 1890 Factory burns to the ground.
Mar 1890 Equipment and 120 workers moved to rented Beaver Falls Glass Company (Pennsylvania): 15 pot furnace, two press shops, one blow shop.
May 17, 1890 Factory owners decide to relocate to Marion, Indiana; deed signed
Jul 1890 Last production at Beaver Falls
Aug 25, 1890 Canton No. 1 factory built at 1800 block of Spencer Avenue, Marion, Indiana. All buildings are corrugated iron with steel roofs: 80'×164' main building (15 pot furnace with four glory holes, lehrs, and raw materials storage), a 12'×12' shipping room, a 20'×30' packing room, a 24'×40' blacksmith shop, and a 40'×100' machine shop with mold room and grinding and polishing room.
Aug 1893 Factory enlarged by the Marion Real Estate Addition (41 lots); second 15-pot furnace of Asa Neville patent pots added.
Jul 1894 Due to heavy demand, factory does not shut down as usual, but runs straight through the summer.
Jun 1896 New white sand deposit discovered near Terre Haute, Indiana (est. 15 million tons)
Nov 1, 1899 National Glass Company formed from 19 other glass companies; Canton not one of the originals, but soon will join.
Nov 14, 1899 National files $2 million mortgage in the Grant County recorders office.
Nov 21, 1899 Canton joints National, deeding assets of $57,130; now known as the Canton Glass Works of the National Glass Company.
Jul 1900 National stockholder meeting, H. C. Fry president: after 8 months, net earnings of $323,506, employing more than 5,000 people.
1902 National builds new plant at Cambridge, Ohio; several factories leave combine; Canton remains as one of 12 members.
May 3, 1902 Marion Chronicle and Daily Leader both announce that the National's Canton factory will close due to fuel shortage; one furnace shuts down immediately.
Jul 1, 1902 Second furnace shutdown; Canton No. 1 is closed.
Jul 15, 1902 Glassworkers and townspeople meet to talk of a new factory; Marion Real Estate Company offers site, directly across Spencer Avenue from Canton No. 1.
Sep 5, 1902 Articles of incorporation for Canton No. 2 filed with Secretary of State.
Feb 1903 Canton No. 2 starts up, Marion, Indiana; corrugated iron over a wood structure: 80'×80' blowing room, 60'×60' lehr room (five lehrs), 36'×40' mold room, 36'×40' batch room, and 20'×65' grinding room. Swindell gas producers installed. 16 pot furnace capable of melting 16 tons of glass in 24 hours.
1907 National goes into receivership.
1908 Canton's old Marion plant and four others bought by David Lloyd of Pittsburgh for $55,000.
Dec 1909 Now two shifts, day and night.
Nov 1910 Factory very busy; workers only get Christmas and New Year's Day off.
1910-11 National out of business.
ca 1920 Roberds Manufacturing Company (wall board) takes over former Canton factory.
Dec 1928 Leo Nussbaum, R.I.P.
Feb 1929 M. Nussbaum (Leo's son) take over as new president.
Feb 1933 Fire and water damage from automatic sprinklers cause $2,500 damage ($500 to building, $2,000 to wares and chemicals).
Apr 30, 1935 The Marion Daily Chronicle states "there are no automatic machines in the factory, with all products blown or hand pressed".
Dec 1, 1945 Berthold M. Nussbaum, R.I.P.
Oct 12, 1946 Control leaves Nussbaum family; new officers elected: Earl Knightlinger (president and general manager), William M. Wright (of Sunbeam Corp., Chicago, vice-president and treasurer), and J. D. Wright (secretary).
1952 William Wright becomes president.
1958 Wright announces Canton will relocate to Hartford City, Indiana, in the former Sneath Glass Company building (then occupied by the Lancaster Lens Company of Lancaster, Ohio).
1969 Canton operating six continuous tanks and six day tanks.
1970 Operation switches to two continuous tanks and seven day tanks.
1971 Glass Factory Directory lists the company as the Canton Glass Division, David Lilly and Company, Inc., Hartford City, with F. R. Hodges president.
1991 Glass Industrial Directory still lists the company, still with F. R. Hodges president.
1999 Canton Glass Company office (200 N. Wabash Avenue) exists, but no glass is being made.