SUMMARY HISTORY OF THE NEW MARTINSVILLE GLASS COMPANY
The company history can be broken down into six overlapping time periods:
1900-1938 - New Martinsville Glass Manufacturing Company
1938-1944 (1949) - New Martinsville Glass Company
1941-1944 - Viking Glass by New Martinsville Glass Company
1944-1984 - New Martinsville / Viking Glass Company
(1944) 1949-1984 - Viking Glass Company
1986-1998 - Dalzell / Viking Glass Company
For simplicity, collector?s now refer to three periods of New Martinsville Glass:
the 1900-1944 Period as the New Martinsville Years,
the 1941-1984 Period as the New Martinsville / Viking Years, and
the 1986-1998 Period as the Dalzell / Viking Years.
In 1941 the company began a modernization of the plant to produce hand-made quality glassware of the Swedish type, complete with the intent of a future change of the company name to Viking Glass. Consequently, they began running ads for their new lines under the name Viking Glass by New Martinsville. This went so well that on 1 June 1944, the stockholders voted to change the name of the company to Viking Glass Company; this was not recorded officially in the Wetzel County Deed Records until 11 April 1949.
The New Martinsville/Viking Glass Company closed in 1984 due to the change in popularity of colored glass in this country and an influx of glass from Eastern Europe.
The facility lay fallow for the next two years and then Kenneth Dalzell (president of Fostoria Glass when it closed in 1986) purchased the New Martinsville properties in 1986. He operated the New Martinsville property under the name of Dalzell / Viking Glass. Dalzell went back to the old New Martinsville and Paden City molds that were on hand and reissued many of the early large Glass Animals. These included the Paden City Tall Pony and the Squirrel on a Rolled Edge Log in crystal, ruby and black. In addition he made several of the New Martinsville Animals including the Three Bears in crystal and ruby, and the Angelfish in both crystal and Milk Glass. Dalzell also obtained the Imperial Candlewick molds and made items from this line in some rather different color combinations, which were not very popular. Dalzell also got the company involved into making very expensive Art Glass. In combination, this led to the downfall and eventual bankruptcy of the company. 10 April 1998 was the last day for Dalzell / Viking as the bank took over the property the next morning bringing an end to the glass making history at the New Martinsville facility.
Major Lines: #37 Moondrops (1932), #38 Hostmaster (1933), #42 Radiance (1936), and #45 Janice (1936), #44 Teardrop (1938), NM #14 Ancestral (1942), NM #2019 Octagon (1948), NM #69 Georgian (1953), NM #1000 Scroll (1954), NM #1900 Yesteryear (1956), NM #52 Princess (1952), NM #55 Princess Plaza (1955), #1100 Epic (1956).
Major Etchings: #24 Roberto (1933), #25 Autumn Leaf (1933), #26 Meadow Wreath (1936), #28 Rose & Robin (1930s), #29 Florentine (1940s), #30 Wild Rose (1930s), #31 Canterbury (1936), and #Unk. Wakefield (1940).
Molds: the current location of the molds is unknown
Books: Measell, James S., 1994 b, New Martinsville Glass, 1900 ? 1944, Antique
Publications, Marietta, Ohio, 234 p.
Miller, Everett R., and Miller, Addie R., 1972, The New Martinsville Glass Story,
Richardson Publishing, Marietta, Ohio, 60 p.
Miller, Everett R., and Miller, Addie R., 1975, The New Martinsville Glass Story, Book II, 1920 ? 1950, Rymack Printing Co., Manchester, Michigan, 64 p.
Six, Dean; Ochs, Pam; and Wilson, Rock, 2003, Viking Glass: 1944 ? 1970,
Schiffer Books, Atglen, Pennsylvania, 160 p. |
