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Fenton Art Glass Company History

THE FENTON ART GLASS COMPANY, 700 Elizabeth Street, Williamstown, WV 26187 (1907 to the present).

Brothers Frank L. and John W. Fenton founded the Fenton Art Glass Company in 1905. Initially, they were strictly a decorating company, applying hand painted designs to glass blanks made by various other companies. However, as they grew more successful they began to have trouble obtaining blanks from their suppliers, so within two years of their inception they decided to move from their old factory in Martins Ferry, OH to a brand new one in Williamstown, WV. From there they started to produce their own glass in January of 1907.

The firm has been family owned and in continuous operation since its beginning and it's still going strong today. Fenton glass is sold through gift shops, specialty dealers, glass shows and on cable home‑shopping shows. Their website (www.fentonartglass.com) claims them to be "The largest manufacturer of handmade colored glass in the United States."

Known for their innovative colors, finishes and hand painted designs, Fenton was a pioneer in the development of the process that brought the iridescent glassware known today as "carnival glass" to the masses. This popular glassware of the early twentieth century mimicked the iridescent glass being produced at the time by Tiffany and Steuben, but at much lower prices.

In the late 1940s Frank M. Fenton and Wilmer C. (Bill) Fenton took over as President and Vice President and in 1986 the torch passed to the third generation when Frank's son, George W. Fenton, became the company's president.

? From The Glass Candlestick Book, volume 1, by Tom Felt, Rich & Elaine Stoer (reprinted with permission)

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Date:	29.04.2007 20:10
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Added by:	Tom Felt