Duncan & Miller Glass Company
Encyclopedia
Duncan & Miller Glass Company was a well-known glass manufacturing
company in Washington, Pennsylvania
. Items that were produced by the company are known as "Duncan glass" or "Duncan Miller glass." The company was founded in 1865 by George Duncan with his two sons and son-in-law in the South Side
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
. By 1890, the company joined other glass companies to form the United States Glass Company
, a powerful glass trust. In 1892, the factory was destroyed in a fire, and the company was relieved of its trust relationship with the US Glass Company. After the fire, the second generation of the Duncan family moved operations to Washington, Pennsylvania. In 1900, John Ernest Miller, the company's long-time designer, became a full shareholder along with members of the Duncan family. By 1955, economic pressures from machine-produced glass forced the company to sell off its assets to the US Glass Company, who continued to produce Duncan-style glass until 1980.
, which provided easy access to transportation. A new company, George Duncan & Sons, was formed by Duncan, his sons Harry B. Duncan and James E. Duncan, and Augustus H. Heisey, who was married to George's daughter Susan. In 1874, John Ernest Miller, a 20 year veteran of the glass manufacturing industry, joined the company as a designer. He was previously the foreman of the mould shop at King, Son and Company. The addition of Miller proved to be fortuitous, because Miller's designs over the next 52 years became internationally famous. In 1877, George Duncan died and James E. Duncan took control of the company.
In 1890, the United States Glass Company formed a glass trust that included the Duncan & Miller operation. In 1892, their factory was destroyed by fire, relieving the company of their trust relationship. After the fire, son-in-law Augustus Heisey left the company to begin his own glass manufacturing operation in Newark, Ohio
. James E. Duncan rebuilt the factory on Jefferson Avenue in Washington, Pennsylvania, where access to railroads was convenient, and the natural gas which was needed to power the furnaces was inexpensive. Construction of the plant, which featured a 16 Pot Deep Eye furnace, was finished on January 3, 1893. The first pattern produced in the new facility was the well-known Mitchell pattern.
On November 15, 1900, the firm was officially incorporated as Duncan and Miller Glass Company, with John Ernest Miller joining the Duncan family as stockholders. The company abruptly ceased operations on June 13, 1955. By then, modern assembly lines and glassmaking machinery caused hand made glass to be uneconomical. The remaining inventory was sold at greatly reduced prices, causing glass collectors to travel hundreds of miles to purchase the final pieces. The molds and equipment were sold to the US Glass Company, where their Duncan Division in Tiffin, Ohio
continued to produce Duncan-ware pieces. A number of Duncan employees also joined US Glass Company in Tiffin. The Duncan factory was sold to Andy Bros., but before they could move in, a fire destroyed the building on June 29, 1956. Production of the Duncan-ware glass ceased in 1980.
The glass making processes and technologies at Duncan & Miller did not significantly differ from contemporary glassmakers in Western Pennsylvania
and neighboring Ohio
and West Virginia
. Duncan differentiated itself through exceptional artistry and design. This was accomplished by employing highly skilled workers, and using unique batch formulas to produce colorful glass. The production process for each piece usually required 10 craftsmen.
Some of the most popular styles were produced during the 1920s through the 1940s, including the Canterbury, Caribbean, Hobnail, Nautical, Sandwich, Spiral Flutes and Teardrop. The most famous design was a swan which required 14 craftsmen. The most popular etching designs were the First Love, Language of Flowers, and Passion Flower.
. On July 8, 1993, the society opened a stand-alone museum in an old building on Jefferson Avenue, near the original location of the Duncan glass plant.
One of the Duncan family residences was a 17 room Victorian mansion on Wade Avenue in Washington, Pennsylvania that was built in 1892. This mansion is now used as the Washington & Jefferson College
President’s House. Its design is archetypical Queen Anne Victorian
style, with ornate "gingerbread" details, stained and beveled glass, recessed doors and windows, and louvered wooden shutters. In 1944, Walter Hudson Baker, who was a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, donated the house to the college in memory of his wife, Amy Duncan Baker; it has been used as the President's House since. It was profiled in a book of regional architecture by the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation.
Glass
Glass is an amorphous solid material. Glasses are typically brittle and optically transparent.The most familiar type of glass, used for centuries in windows and drinking vessels, is soda-lime glass, composed of about 75% silica plus Na2O, CaO, and several minor additives...
company in Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington, Pennsylvania
Washington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
. Items that were produced by the company are known as "Duncan glass" or "Duncan Miller glass." The company was founded in 1865 by George Duncan with his two sons and son-in-law in the South Side
South Side (Pittsburgh)
South Side is an area in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, located along the Monongahela River across from Downtown Pittsburgh. The South Side is officially divided into two neighborhoods, South Side Flats and South Side Slopes. Both the Flats and the Slopes are represented on Pittsburgh City...
neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
. By 1890, the company joined other glass companies to form the United States Glass Company
United States Glass Company
The United States Glass Company was a trust formed by the combination of numerous glass companies. The factories were located from western Pennsylvania to Indiana.-History:...
, a powerful glass trust. In 1892, the factory was destroyed in a fire, and the company was relieved of its trust relationship with the US Glass Company. After the fire, the second generation of the Duncan family moved operations to Washington, Pennsylvania. In 1900, John Ernest Miller, the company's long-time designer, became a full shareholder along with members of the Duncan family. By 1955, economic pressures from machine-produced glass forced the company to sell off its assets to the US Glass Company, who continued to produce Duncan-style glass until 1980.
History
In 1865, George Duncan purchased the Ripley & Company glass factory at 10th and Carson Streets in the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from D.C. Ripley, a former business partner of Duncan. The factory was located adjacent to the Monongahela RiverMonongahela River
The Monongahela River is a river on the Allegheny Plateau in north-central West Virginia and southwestern Pennsylvania in the United States...
, which provided easy access to transportation. A new company, George Duncan & Sons, was formed by Duncan, his sons Harry B. Duncan and James E. Duncan, and Augustus H. Heisey, who was married to George's daughter Susan. In 1874, John Ernest Miller, a 20 year veteran of the glass manufacturing industry, joined the company as a designer. He was previously the foreman of the mould shop at King, Son and Company. The addition of Miller proved to be fortuitous, because Miller's designs over the next 52 years became internationally famous. In 1877, George Duncan died and James E. Duncan took control of the company.
In 1890, the United States Glass Company formed a glass trust that included the Duncan & Miller operation. In 1892, their factory was destroyed by fire, relieving the company of their trust relationship. After the fire, son-in-law Augustus Heisey left the company to begin his own glass manufacturing operation in Newark, Ohio
Newark, Ohio
In addition, the remains of a road leading south from the Octagon have been documented and explored. It was first surveyed in the 19th century, when its walls were more apparent. Called the Great Hopewell Road, it may extend to the Hopewell complex at Chillicothe, Ohio...
. James E. Duncan rebuilt the factory on Jefferson Avenue in Washington, Pennsylvania, where access to railroads was convenient, and the natural gas which was needed to power the furnaces was inexpensive. Construction of the plant, which featured a 16 Pot Deep Eye furnace, was finished on January 3, 1893. The first pattern produced in the new facility was the well-known Mitchell pattern.
On November 15, 1900, the firm was officially incorporated as Duncan and Miller Glass Company, with John Ernest Miller joining the Duncan family as stockholders. The company abruptly ceased operations on June 13, 1955. By then, modern assembly lines and glassmaking machinery caused hand made glass to be uneconomical. The remaining inventory was sold at greatly reduced prices, causing glass collectors to travel hundreds of miles to purchase the final pieces. The molds and equipment were sold to the US Glass Company, where their Duncan Division in Tiffin, Ohio
Tiffin, Ohio
Tiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,135 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Tiffin as a Tree City USA....
continued to produce Duncan-ware pieces. A number of Duncan employees also joined US Glass Company in Tiffin. The Duncan factory was sold to Andy Bros., but before they could move in, a fire destroyed the building on June 29, 1956. Production of the Duncan-ware glass ceased in 1980.
Duncan craftsmanship
At its peak, Duncan & Miller's glass was one of Washington's most successful manufacturing concerns, and was more widely known throughout the county than any other line of goods made in Washington.The glass making processes and technologies at Duncan & Miller did not significantly differ from contemporary glassmakers in Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
and neighboring Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
. Duncan differentiated itself through exceptional artistry and design. This was accomplished by employing highly skilled workers, and using unique batch formulas to produce colorful glass. The production process for each piece usually required 10 craftsmen.
Some of the most popular styles were produced during the 1920s through the 1940s, including the Canterbury, Caribbean, Hobnail, Nautical, Sandwich, Spiral Flutes and Teardrop. The most famous design was a swan which required 14 craftsmen. The most popular etching designs were the First Love, Language of Flowers, and Passion Flower.
Legacy and collections
The National Duncan Glass Society was founded in 1975 at a meeting of glass collectors at the Citizens Library in Washington, Pennsylvania. For the next 17 years, the society operated a Duncan Glass museum at the Washington County Historical Society office and the F. Julius LeMoyne HouseF. Julius Lemoyne House
F. Julius LeMoyne House is Georgian-style house built in 1812.It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1997.The house is operated as a historic house museum by the Washington County Historical Society, which offers guided tours year round. The house contains period artifacts and is...
. On July 8, 1993, the society opened a stand-alone museum in an old building on Jefferson Avenue, near the original location of the Duncan glass plant.
One of the Duncan family residences was a 17 room Victorian mansion on Wade Avenue in Washington, Pennsylvania that was built in 1892. This mansion is now used as the Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College
Washington & Jefferson College, also known as W & J College or W&J, is a private liberal arts college in Washington, Pennsylvania, in the United States, which is south of Pittsburgh...
President’s House. Its design is archetypical Queen Anne Victorian
Queen Anne Style architecture
The Queen Anne Style in Britain means either the English Baroque architectural style roughly of the reign of Queen Anne , or a revived form that was popular in the last quarter of the 19th century and the early decades of the 20th century...
style, with ornate "gingerbread" details, stained and beveled glass, recessed doors and windows, and louvered wooden shutters. In 1944, Walter Hudson Baker, who was a graduate of Washington & Jefferson College, donated the house to the college in memory of his wife, Amy Duncan Baker; it has been used as the President's House since. It was profiled in a book of regional architecture by the Washington County History and Landmarks Foundation.