Kentuckys Glass industry begins with a gentleman with a colorful past named John Henry Bolinger (known as Henry) He was born in 1761 in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. In 1803 he was married in the First Reformed Church Lancaster PA to Susan Anna Wigman born 1780,she was the daughter of Joachim Wigman. By 1805 the couple had moved west over the Alleghenies. They settled into Pittsburgh and Henry began to work for Colonel O'Hara at the Glass Works south of Pittsburgh. Soon Henry became involved in Politics and he was elected as the High Constable of the city of Pittsburgh in the General election on March 15th 1806.
Henry went from holding the title of High Constable to being held in jail himself. The war of 1812 had a large impact on the young United States economy. Pittsburgh suffered as much as the rest of the country and Henry soon found himself in deep financial trouble. As was the fate of many prominent Americans before him,he now was in Debtors prison. In the large ad below from March 3rd 1812 The court is asking Henry's creditors by a petition from Henry to allow him to be heard and the creditors to be heard and a decision based on the creditors input.Henry initiated this petition and is begging his creditors to be released. Henry must have had a positive outcome,because even though his reputation was tarnished in Pittsburgh he was able to move to Kentucky and to start a new life.
In the autumn of 1813 Henry moved his family to Maysville, Mason Co., KY. It was here that Henry now a middle aged man of 51 years of age began to farm and sell tobacco and Hemp. He became quite successful and invested his money wisely this time unlike back in Pittsburgh. As part of the town of Maysville hierarchy he heard the concerns from the business owners and local residents. One common complaint was the high prices paid for glass imported from Pittsburgh. Henry saw the sandy silica beaches on the banks of the Ohio river in Maysville. Yet it was another very key ingredient in glass manufacture that made Maysville the perfect place for a glass works. "limestone" and there was plenty of it as the town of Maysville was formerly called Limestone in the year 1799. Henry saw first hand the glass factories of Colonel Ohara and Albert Gallatin and how successful they were. He also remembered in his youth how Henry Stiegel the glass mogul had amassed a fortune making glass back in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. There were no Glass factories yet in Ohio either and with Pittsburgh being the only glass center even remotely close. He decided to set up his own glass works in town. His first business partners were John & Joseph Sumrall & Company. They were also the agents to sell the glass. They had a store front in Maysville.
In the next year the Summrals got into financial difficulty and disolved their business and the partners they had Scott,Trotter and Tilford. Bolinger soon realized running a glass works not only needed good experienced workers but also needed a constant supply of cash. Henry was forced to sell the works to William Porter. Porter was a very influential businessman and Henry saw this and saved the glass works. Mr Porter promised to the public a much better grade of items would be being manufactured then the prior owners and agents had done.
Business was good for over a year.........
It was obvious who supplied this brewery with glass bottles.........
Glass bottles were now being purchased from a great distance..........
Then suddenly the works were put up for sale in the year 1817.............
An unknown buyer was found and the works continued until the spring of 1825 when the fire would go out for the final time. In the end the easier transportation from Pittsburgh and the many factory's there created a flooded market where the wares were only worth half of what they were just 3 short years prior. I believe the London Mustard styled bottle with the lettered embossing KENTUCKY,with a blow pipe pontil mark and rolled lip were in fact an early product of this factory. The bottle has the beveled corners and wide mouth suggesting either Mustard snuff,or Chocolate as the content in the bottle.