Glass Industry in Rossford, Ohio

In the 1920s in Rossford, Ohio, the glass industry was becoming more popular. The largest glasswork company in the town was the Libbey-Owens-Ford (unrelated to Henry Ford) plant which created glass for both vehicles and building materials at the time, and they also created both original and replacement glass parts. Being located just across the Maumee River from the main headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, the Glass City, shipping to consumers was quick and close by way of cargo boat along the waterway. Customers included universities, municipal buildings, and even residential homes not just in the northern Ohio area.

The Ohio History Connection’s online digital archives has hundreds of photographs of the Rossford, Ohio plant during its heyday. There were also pictures taken of the employees that worked there from the 1920 to the 1930s at the height of the northern Ohio glass industry. Many of the pictures were staged, as taking a picture during the glass making process may have been more difficult. In one set of slide photographs, the process of glassmaking is explained in detail in the form of a slide show presentation created by the Keystone View Company in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

The university special collections at the University of Toledo has a Libbey-Owens-Ford collection spanning eighty-eight linear feet and it includes over fifty boxes of material. This collection includes what types of products were made at the plant, such as sliding glass doors, two way mirrors, glass tables, and car windshields. Along with internal records such as financial and genealogy papers, there were also multiple boxes dedicated to distributers of glass for the company. These dealers were across the entire United States, from Orlando, Florida to San Diego, California. Additionally, there were oversized materials in the collection such as blueprints and advertising posters.

Lantern Slide Collection, Audiovisual material; #134, #135, 1920-1930, Keystone View Company. Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio.

Libbey-Owens-Ford Collection, Audiovisual material. . Ohio History Connection, Columbus, Ohio.

Libbey-Owens-Ford Glass Company Records, 1851-1991, MSS-066. Ward M. Canaday Center, Special Collections, University of Toledo, Toledo, Ohio.