Preserve
How a Bottle and a Jar Became Icons
INDIANA’S GLASS ROOTS BY RACHEL GATEWOOD
where they learned the benefit of lining their cans with glass, to veryone remembers anticipating the release of the state-specific join the glass industry in Indiana. The five brothers set up their first quarters. What would be Indiana’s unique symbol? Maybe an manufacturing plants in Muncie, and began work under the name ear of corn or a basketball, some people joked, and it came as no Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturing Company. As business grew, surprise when the Indiana quarter was released in August 2002 that the company expanded to Terre Haute in 1905, purchasing a fruit the back was stamped with an Indy 500 race car. jar making plant from the Root Glass Company in 1908. The Ball What many Indiana natives might not know is that it just as well brothers made various types of glass vessels, but quickly changed the could have been a Coca-Cola bottle or a Ball Mason jar, for each of focus of their business to fruit (canning) jars. these icons has deep roots in Indiana history. John Landis Mason originally invented the MaThe rise of the glass industry in Indiana began in son jar in 1858. When the patent expired in 1884, Howard County with the discovery of natural gas the Ball brothers added the name Mason to their in 1886. Plentiful local gas meant an affordable jars, creating the Ball Mason jar. The Ball Mason source of power for factories and glass kilns. The jar was popular not only for its utility, but for its 1880s saw dozens of companies relocating or startshape (there were several molds used), lids and varying anew in Indiana because of the state’s natural gas ing colors. One color that was particularly popular supply, including the Ball Brothers Glass Company, was “Ball Blue,” which is a bluer shade of aqua (rethe North Baltimore Bottle Company and the Root cently the color was re-released as a vintage product, Glass Company. along with purple and green). The North Baltimore Bottle Company began in Ohio, and moved to Albany in 1895, where it stayed By 1894, the Ball Brothers Glass Manufacturuntil 1900 before taking up permanent residency in ing Company began distribution of its iconic fruit Terre Haute. It produced glass bottles for beverages, jars to grocery stores, marking the beginning of the including beer companies like Schlitz in Milwaukee, consumer market for their products. Within a few and other food products. One of their top employees, years, they became the largest manufacturer of canChapman J. Root, was not with the company long ning jars in the world, and between 1902 and 1909 before leaving to start his own Terre Haute business, they steadily built their empire by buying up eight which he named the Root Glass Company. competitors. And, in an effort to become even more Half-gallon round Originally from New York State, in 1887 the Ball appealing for at-home use, in 1909 George Ball and aqua glass BBGMCo brothers left their tin can making business in Buffalo, his wife published The Correct Method for Preserving fruit jar, 1884-86.
Images courtesy of Minnetrista Heritage Collection, Muncie, Indiana.
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