Who was Indiana Glass Company?

They were one of the pioneers in American glassware.  Founded in Dunkirk, Indiana in 1907, they produced hundreds of patterns, many of which are famous.  They made the mugs used by A & W Rootbeer.  They also made the early Coca Cola bottles, just to name a few.  They were never a company that tried to be anything but a maker of excellent and useful glassware.  They were the average persons maker.  Their products never graced the shelves of fine Jewelry stores and boutiques.  Instead, you found it in  F.W. Woolworth, S.H Kressge, Sears, Penneys, K-Mart, Jupiter, Montgomery Ward, and many other every day places.  Many of their fine wares were also used as redemption gifts for S&H Greenstamps; and, as rewards for money spent in large Grocery Chains, such as IGA, KROGER, and others. They also had an in-home party line for a company called Tiara. They were purchased by Lancaster-Colony, who owned them until Indiana closed it's doors in 2002.  They succumed to the same fate that is slowly devouring most US Glassmakers.  The infusion of cheap, chinese made, products.

Indiana had several famous patterns.  Harvest, being the most popular.  It was produced in an entire line of products, ranging from Dinner sets, to cannister sets and Punch and Iced Tea sets.  It was produced in Milk Glass, transparent colored glass, and Carnival Glass.  A few of the items were also produced in what they called RED, RED; which, was a "flashed" production, consisting of a spray-on, Ruby Red coating on the product.  This was not extremely popular; because the flashed coating tended to come off easily.  Their Carnival Glass products; however, were very popular and are highly collectible today.  They made beautiful Pitcher and  Glass sets; Punch bowls with pedastals and cups, Cannister sets, Wedding Bowls, Candy dishes, etc., in iridescent colors of Blue, Gold and Lime Green.  These items were not expensive when they were originally marketed, they were intended for the average homeowner to USE, not collect.  Today, these items are becoming scarce and prices are quickly rising.  Production numbers on some of these items were not very high; therefore, they are difficult to locate; especially in excellent condition.  After all, they were to be USED, not spend their life on a shelf in a curio cabinet.  Finding them in the original box is even more difficult, as the boxes were usually thrown away.  Most popular are the Cannister sets, and the covered candy dishes, which also double as a spooner.  The cannister sets consist of a set of 3 matched cannisters, in 3 sizes.  The largest cannister was also sold as, and is collected as, a cookie jar.  Each one of these that is in a cookie jar collection, means there is one less complete set of the cannisters to be had.  The large cannisters are very expensive in all carnival glass colors.  Even the Milk Glass cannisters are getting expensive, in complete sets.

There is only one valid source of information, that I am aware of, on the internet.  That is the fine E-Books written by Donna Adler.  Her books are available on CD, from her website, CARNIVALHEAVEN.COM.  She also has  EBAY sales as   DR54EAGLE.  Nobody knows Indiana Glass and it's products, like her!

Here are some samples of Indiana Glassware's products: