1951 to 1970
The 1950's was a time of great change for the Indiana Glass Company. During the 1950's, milk glass seemed to be the craze so they brought out their old custard glass molds and reproduced them in white milk glass and renamed the pattern Orange Blossom. They also produced a very pretty glassware pattern called Christmas Candy. Below are some of the patterns produced in the fifties.
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Orange Blossom
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Decorated Wild Rose
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Christmas Candy
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Patterns made by Indiana Glass in the 1950's
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Snowflake
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Milk Glass Egg Cups
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Daisy & Button
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Indiana Glass continued to make restaurant ware, soda fountain and bar supplies and they added heat resistant glass to their line (oven proof cookware). But times were getting tough and the Indiana Glass Co. was floundering. They had no major contracts and none on the horizon. There were rumors and notes testifying to financial difficulties. There were furnace reductions and officer layoffs. The future did not look bright for Indiana Glass.
In 1957, the Lancaster Glass Corporation purchased the Indiana Glass Company. Lancaster Glass owned several glass companies including Colony Glass. Colony Glass was having great success with their Harvest Pattern milk glass line. It was so successful they could not keep up with the demand. Some of the Harvest molds were moved to the Indiana Glass Factory to be retooled for machine use. Indiana Glass was soon producing great quantities of Harvest pattern milk glass. It was packaged and sold under the Colony Glass name.
For more in-depth information on this, please read:
By 1960, new money and new contracts were flowing into Indiana Glass and production was increased. They were producing tableware, milk glass, crystal, plain and decorated glassware and tumblers, lamps, stemware, hotel supplies, soda fountain and bar supplies (A&W Root Beer and regular beer mugs), novelty items and private and promotional mold work of all kinds. Business was booming!
In 1962, Lancaster Glass was one of five companies merged to form the Lancaster Colony Corporation. The reference of "Lancaster" was taken from Lancaster Glass and the "Colony" was taken from the well recognized trade name of Colony Glass.
In 1963, the glassware boxes were changed so they read, Indiana Glass, a subsidiary of the Lancaster Colony Corporation.
Indiana Glass added MANY new and very successful glassware lines and colors in the 1960's. And if you are as old as I am (late 40's), you remember quite a few of them. Remember all those red flashed candle holders on the tables of almost every restaurant? Yep, in the fine tradition of Goofus Glass, Indiana Glass started producing ruby red flash glass. Clear glass items were sprayed with a red finish to make them appear like red glass. Sometimes amber items were sprayed with the red finish to make them appear to be Amberina. You would think they would have learned with the Goofus glass. If the red items were used or washed with harsh detergents, the red finish soon flaked off. Below are some of the ruby flashed items.
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Red Flashed Tear Drop Garland Bowls
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Red Flashed "Amberina" Hens
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Red Flashed Oval Center Bowls
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By the time Indiana Glass started making the now highly collectible King's Crown Pattern and Ruby Band Diamond Point Pattern, they had the "flashing" process mastered a bit. The flashing is not entirely permanent but it does not flake off as easily as the first flashed items.
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King's Crown or Thumbprint Pattern
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Ruby Band Diamond Point Pattern
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The 60's was a very productive time for the Indiana Glass Co. Many of our familiar carnival glass molds were produced in a variety of different colors. Olives greens, ambers, frosty satin blue and greens called Satin Mist. I have pictured some below. These were made in the 60's before the molds were used for carnival glass production.
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Tall Footed Compote in Blue Satin Mist
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Amber Egg Tray
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Light Blue Lace Edge Candy
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Harvest Goblets in Green Satin Mist
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Garland Bowl in White Satin Mist
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Olive Green Egg Tray
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And that is the 50's and the 60's in a nutshell. And now, I am happy to say, we go on to the 70's carnival glass which is mainly what this site is all about.
To read all about the carnival glass made in the 70's, return to the home page
and click on any of the links under 1970's Carnival Glass. I have listed all the Harvest carnival in all three colors and all the other carnival pieces made by Indiana Glass and those sold by Tiara. I am listing each piece with detailed pictures, descriptions and a price value guide. All sections will be completed soon. I am adding more as time permits.
OR
if you would like to continue with the history of the Indiana Glass, click on the link below. It has the last chapter and the closing of Indiana Glass.
If you have any suggestions, additions or information about Indiana Glass you feel should be included, please email me.
Thanks!
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