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Cambridge
THE CAMBRIDGE GLASS COMPANY
In the late 1800s it became apparent that despite the demand for glassware, the industry was in trouble. Too much capacity and the resulting competition was keeping profits at a very low level. In one attempt to ease the situation, in 1891, the United States Glass Co. was formed. This was a consolidation of eighteen companies into one operating unit. The theory behind this consolidation, and the later formation of the National Glass Company, was a reduction in management and other overhead costs. The National Glass Company was formed in 1899 by bringing together nineteen of the remaining independent factories. Within a year, this newest concern was making plans to build a new plant at Cambridge, Ohio and close several of the older and smaller plants. By 1902, an operating company had been formed, a plant erected, and Mr. Arthur J. Bennett hired to manage the facility. The Cambridge Glass Co. produced its first commercial glass May 6, 1902. Mr. Bennett gained control of the operating company sometime before 1907 and then, in 1910, the Cambridge Glass Company purchased the buildings and land which it had previously been leasing. Thus Mr. Bennett, as the principal stockholder gained control of not only the operating company but also the physical assets as well.
Orrie J. Mosser was born Jan. 7, 1886 in Marietta, Oh. His career in the glass trade started at age twelve when he began learning the “gathering” trade with a Marietta, Ohio glass company. Mr. Mosser succeeded Daniel Yeager at the Byesville plant of the Cambridge Glass Co., and when the Byesville plant closed and was moved to the Cambridge location, Mr. Mosser went to the Cambridge plant as a “gatherer”. He worked his way through several departments and was subsequently made night foreman, a position he held for five years. In August of 1917 Mr. Mosser succeeded James Madden as plant manager of the hot metal department (that part of the factory which actually produced the glass from the basic raw materials to the molded or blown glassware.) He remained as plant manager of The Cambridge Glass Company until his retirement in April of 1957.
Upon retirement, Mr. Mosser went to work for his son, Thomas R. Mosser at the Variety Glass Co., at their plant near Indian Camp, a small village just north of Cambridge, OH. In 1965, Mr. Mosser was forced to leave his work with his son because of illness and on May 3, 1966, Mr. Orrie Mosser passed away.
As Arthur J. Bennett believed in excellence in handmade glassware, he also believed in excellence in the people in his organization, when he made Orrie J. Mosser his plant manager. Mr. Mosser believed in quality and was known throughout the glassmaking world for his ability to produce the excellence which The Cambridge Glass Company was known for throughout the world.
Some Popular Cambridge Shapes & Patterns
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Double Star Pitcher - Marigold
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Buzz Saw Cruet - Green
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Inverted Feather Cracker Jar - Green
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Inverted Thistle Waterset - Marigold
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Inverted Strawberry Candlesticks and Bowl - Green
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Buzz Saw & File Water Set - Marigold
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