Belmont Glass Company - Legacy

Legacy

After the Belmont Glass Company/Works closed in 1890, the plant's legacy lived on—as former employees helped establish other glass factories in the region. Charles Henry Over left Belmont Glass in 1876 to form the Bellaire Goblet Company—which became nationally known for its tableware products. Joining him were Judge E. G. Morgan, William Gorby, John Robinson, Melvin Blackburn, and Henry Carr. C. H. Over, Robinson, and Carr were among the Belmont Glass Company’s founders and original board members. William Gorby had been Belmont’s secretary. Morgan was the new company’s president, Gorby the secretary, C. H. Over the manager, and Robinson the plant superintendent. By 1888, the plant employed about 300 people. In 1888, the Bellaire Goblet Company moved to Findlay, Ohio. Henry Over decided not to move to Findlay, and instead founded a new glass works in Muncie, Indiana—the C. H. Over Glass Company. This glass factory employed about 175 people.

John Robinson, who had been plant superintendent when working at Belmont Glass, was named factory manager (replacing Over) of Bellaire Goblet after the 1888 move to Findlay, Ohio. In 1891, Bellaire Goblet became part of the U.S. Glass Company conglomerate. While William Gorby remained with the parent firm for many years, Robinson eventually resigned his position. In 1893, Robinson started the Robinson Glass Company in Zanesville, Ohio. Financial assistance was provided by additional investors, including Melvin Blackburn—a partner from the Bellaire Goblet Company. The company produced tableware, bar goods, and novelties.

Henry and Jacob Crimmel moved from Bellaire to Fostoria in 1887 to help with the startup of the Fostoria Glass Company. Crimmel family members owned stock in the new company. Their “recipes” for various types of glass were used for the company’s early batches of the product. As part owner and plant manager, Henry Crimmel was also involved with the startups of the Novelty Glass Company of Fostoria and the Sneath Glass Company. Jacob Crimmel remained with the Fostoria Glass Company for many years. He was one of the founders of the American Flint Glass Workers Union, and wrote articles published in the union’s journal, American Flint.