Where was Indiana Glass made?

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Indiana Glass Company was an American company that manufactured pressed, blown and hand-molded glassware and tableware for almost 100 years. Predecessors to the company began operations in Dunkirk, Indiana, in 1896 and 1904, when East Central Indiana experienced the Indiana gas boom.

Is Indiana Glass always marked?

Unfortunately, most glass made by Indiana Glass before WWII lacks a maker's mark and has to be identified by research in books, online or in this marvelous museum.

Status: Discontinued. Circa: 1965 - 1990.

Vintage Indiana Glass

Not many people know this, but before WWII, large amounts of decorative glass were made in Indiana. 

The Indiana Glass Company, located in Dunkirk north/northeast of Muncie, manufactured what we now call Depression or pattern glass. 

With roots as early as 1895 but slowed by labor problems and bankruptcies, Dunkirk glassmakers had the initial advantages of being located near a natural gas source (until it ran out) and on a major railroad line. 

The company eventually known as Indiana Glass was successful in producing and nationally distributing quantities of decorative pressed glass tableware in the 1920s and 1930s, and the business endured for nearly a century.

From 1900 into the 1950s, the company made pressed glass stemware, lamps and crystal tableware, well as some blown glass that was hand painted, all highly collectible today. 

In the 1920s and 1930s, Indiana Glass was known for dozens of unique glass patterns in molded Depression glass plates, crystal goblets and servers. 

The company also made canisters, pitchers and punch bowl sets, along with high quality barware, some of which may still be in use today. 

One highly successful sideline lasted half a century: Starting in the 1920s, Indiana Glass manufactured soda fountain supplies that included the famous A&W Root Beer mugs. 

Distributed nationally and made in adult and child sizes, those A&W Root Beer mugs were produced until 1980, so they linger in present-day memories as interesting collectibles.

Another curiosity that appeals to some collectors is Goofus Glass. 

It was cheaply made glass with painted-on pattern that washed off, sometimes selectively. 

Collectors especially seek unwashed Goofus Glass items.

During WWII, the Indiana Glass Co., along with most American glass companies, produced such war materials as lenses and special reinforced glass for airplanes and ships. 

After the war, Indiana Glass continued production of its lines of tableware and other glass home products, but eventually faced strong competition from low-priced imported products.

In the 1970s, Indiana Glass initiated in-home marketing parties, similar to the way Amway and Tupperware were sold. 

Called Tiara, the salespeople offered exclusive glassware products, although much of it was made using old patterns from the 1920s and 1930s. 

Tiara was highly successful, and in the later 1970s, Indiana Glass was one of the five biggest glassmakers in America. 

The glass of the postwar period (1940 to 1970) is collectable, and there is continued interest in its late-period glass (1970 to 2002) as well. 

However, its parent company lost money in attempted mergers and acquisitions, and after financial difficulties, new owners finally closed down the Indiana Glass Co. in 2002.

What is exciting is that there is a whole museum devoted to glass in Dunkirk. 

While particularly featuring Indiana Glass Co. pieces, the museum also showcases some Czechoslovakian, British and Italian glass, mostly of the 1930s, although some exceptional showpieces are more recent. 

Because the museum is spacious, local residents have loaned or donated large amounts of glass that is displayed in well-lighted, controlled conditions in glass museum cases.

Some glass collectors focus on a certain time period. 

Because Indiana Glass Company actively produced interesting glass between 1900 and 1930, the museum features a wealth of this early pressed glass. 

Examples of patterns with fanciful names such as Bethlehem Star, Bird and Strawberry, Darling Grape, Ferris Wheel, Garden Pink, Horsemint, Late Butterfly, Paneled Daisy and Shooting Star can be seen in the museum.

Collectors of glass made in the 1930s, the Depression era, can find examples of the popular patterns made by Indiana Glass, such as Avocado (a huge financial success for the company), a pear-like pattern that came in pink, green and clear. 

Other lines included Bananas, Horseshoe, Lorain, Old English and Pineapple. 

Two much desired patterns with a distinctive Art Deco style were Pyramid and Tea Room. 

Unfortunately, most glass made by Indiana Glass before WWII lacks a maker’s mark and has to be identified by research in books, online or in this marvelous museum. 

Usefully, a CD is available online called “Carnival Glass Heaven.”

Illustrative pieces of early, middle and late Indiana Glass can now be seen in this charming museum in the town of Dunkirk. 

For Bloomington residents, getting to and home from Dunkirk requires good mapping skills as no roads go directly there, or even nearby because of current road construction. 

But visiting the museum is worth a day trip.