 | |
| Industry | Glass |
|---|---|
| Predecessor | Tiffin Glass Company |
| Founded | 1892 |
| Defunct | 1952 |
| Headquarters | Hartford City, Indiana |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Ralph Davis Sneath, Henry Crimmel |
| Products | Lantern globes Glassware Specialty glass |
| Revenue | USD $1.055 Million (1951) |
Number of employees | 144+ (1952) |
The Sneath Glass Company /sniːθ/ was an American manufacturer of glass and glassware. After a brief 1890s startup in Tiffin, Ohio, the company moved to Hartford City, Indiana, to take advantage of the Indiana Gas Boom.[1] The small city was enjoying the benefits of the boom, and could provide natural gas as an energy source for manufacturers.[2] Sneath Glass was one of many glass manufacturers that moved to the region, and became Hartford City's second largest employer.[3]
Among the original owners, Ohio businessman Ralph Davis Sneath provided capital and financial knowledge—and his family is the company's namesake. Sneath was president of the firm when it moved to Indiana. Henry Crimmel, who already had over 25 years of glassmaking experience when he joined the company, provided the manufacturing expertise after the firm's reorganization.[4][Note 1] Following this reorganization, Alva Clyde Crimmel (Henry's son) was the firm's secretary, while John W. Geiger served as treasurer. These four members of the management team were the company's owners when it moved to Indiana.[1]
In Indiana, the company's main products were initially lantern globes and founts (which held the lantern's fuel), and railroads were its major customers.[1] As demand for lanterns declined during the beginning of the 20th century, Sneath evolved to be a maker of glassware for portable kitchen cabinets, such as those made by Sellers and the Hoosier Manufacturing Company.[6] Eventually, portable kitchen cabinets lost their popularity after new houses began utilizing built-in cabinetry. Sneath transitioned to be a maker of a new group of wares—glass products for refrigerators.[7] While lanterns, kitchenware, and refrigerator products were the major goods manufactured by the company during its existence, it also made a wide variety of additional merchandise. Aquariums, lenses, and mailboxes were also among the glass products made by the company.[7] Sneath was also an early manufacturer of heat-proof glass.[7]
After World War II, Sneath's major products began to become obsolete because of the plastics industry. Unlike earlier in the century, the company did not transition to a new major product when demand for its portfolio of manufactured goods subsided. Management did not adapt to competition from the plastics industry, faced a shrinking market for its goods, and could not raise prices due to post-war government price controls.[8] The factory closed in 1952 after a work stoppage led by the local labor unions.[9]
- ^ a b c d Unlisted (Hartford City Illustrated) 1896, p. 18
- ^ Unlisted (Hartford City Illustrated) 1896, p. 3
- ^ Indiana Department of Inspection 1902, p. 57
- ^ Crimmel 2000, p. 3
- ^ "H. Crimmel Drops Dead on Street". Hartford City News. 1917-10-10. p. 1.
- ^ Crimmel 2000, p. 4
- ^ a b c Crimmel 2000, p. 5
- ^ Crimmel 2000, p. 6
- ^ "What's Wrong At Sneath?". Hartford City News Times. 1952-10-02. p. 2.
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