Early Pennsylvania Glass Manufacturing
Glass making in Pennsylvania was first attempted by Swedish settlers near the present day Kensington area of Philadelphia in the year 1680. Lars Persson Cock one of the earliest inhabitants of which is now the Frankfort section of Philadelphia wrote the King of Sweden and requested glass and iron making masters.The site has never been located or what type of glass may have been made.
The next attempt at glass manufacture occurred in 1682. At the Soon after William Penn received his grant for Pennsylvania, the Free Society of Traders was formed in England with a grant of 20,000 acres of land and extraordinary privileges; one of which was glass making. Among the list of early vessels arriving in the Colony was the ship America. On board in the passenger list was Joshua Tittery, a glass master, which reached Philadelphia, June 20th ,1683. He was a servant to ye Society [of traders], broad glass maker. Joshua,hailed from New Castle upon Tine. He was to serve four years at £88 per Ann." It seems evident that broad glass making was not at first a success, and Joshua received small pay, as the minutes of the Philadelphia Meeting of 4 mo. 3, 1685, show "Joshua Tittery a Glass Maker belonging to the Society, complaining to this meeting that they deny him his wages." No record has been found to indicate where the Society carried on their meetings.
In his letter to the Free Society of Traders,written August 16, 1683, William Penn referred to The place of the Glass-house so conveniently posted for Water-carriage. The records show that Joshua Tittery, a broadglass maker arrived in the fall of the year 1683 on The ship America, as a servant to the Free Society, with whom he worked for some years before embarking on his own account into pottery making. The place of this first glass woorks in Pennsylvania is now thought to be at the North West side of the Schuylkill River where it meets the Delaware river. The factory produced only window glass and utilitarian hollow ware.
The next attempt occurred 4 years later near the present day Frankfort section of Philadelphia.
The next attempt at glass manufacture occurred in 1682. At the Soon after William Penn received his grant for Pennsylvania, the Free Society of Traders was formed in England with a grant of 20,000 acres of land and extraordinary privileges; one of which was glass making. Among the list of early vessels arriving in the Colony was the ship America. On board in the passenger list was Joshua Tittery, a glass master, which reached Philadelphia, June 20th ,1683. He was a servant to ye Society [of traders], broad glass maker. Joshua,hailed from New Castle upon Tine. He was to serve four years at £88 per Ann." It seems evident that broad glass making was not at first a success, and Joshua received small pay, as the minutes of the Philadelphia Meeting of 4 mo. 3, 1685, show "Joshua Tittery a Glass Maker belonging to the Society, complaining to this meeting that they deny him his wages." No record has been found to indicate where the Society carried on their meetings.
In his letter to the Free Society of Traders,written August 16, 1683, William Penn referred to The place of the Glass-house so conveniently posted for Water-carriage. The records show that Joshua Tittery, a broadglass maker arrived in the fall of the year 1683 on The ship America, as a servant to the Free Society, with whom he worked for some years before embarking on his own account into pottery making. The place of this first glass woorks in Pennsylvania is now thought to be at the North West side of the Schuylkill River where it meets the Delaware river. The factory produced only window glass and utilitarian hollow ware.
The next attempt occurred 4 years later near the present day Frankfort section of Philadelphia.