West Virginia Natural Resources For Glass Production

West Virginia has been called almost heaven for its beautiful mountain views and abundant natural resources. While coal is the best know natural resource in West Virginia, it is also blessed with timber, natural gas, oil and water, among others. It was these natural resources, along with available transportation and nearby skilled artisans that made West Virginia a logical and great choice for glass production at the turn of the century.

Natural resources were one of the major draws as businesses looked to locate their glass producing facilities. One of the main ingredients needed to make glass is glass sand. Morgan County in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia sits in the Oriskany Sand formation that runs from New York state to southern Virginia.

Another available natural resource is that of natural gas. In order to make glass, heat is needed to turn the its ingredients into glass. West Virginia had cheap natural gas (.10 cents per thousand cubic feet in 1899) in abundance and coupled that with cheap land prices to lure glass manufacturing plants.

Transportation was another important consideration in locating in West Virginia. Northern West Virginia benefited by its proximity to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and Zanesville, Ohio, two glass producing areas. It also benefited from the Northwest Turnpike (today US 50) that ran though the Appalachian Mountains. It will further benefit from the extension of the B & O  Railroad opening previously isolated areas of the state. Other areas, such as the Teays Valley, will benefit from the Midland Trail (US 60) and the C & O Railroad.

The final pieces of the puzzle would be the artisans needed to produce the glass. Neighboring states, especially Pennsylvania and Ohio, had an abundance of skilled craftsmen that could come to West Virginia to work in the glass industry. Artisans and craftsmen from Europe would also follow from countries like Spain, France and Belgium.

The culmination of these resources and people helped West Virginia to claim more than 15% of the glass manufacturing in America in the early 20th Century.



Workers drilling sand in Morgan County at the Oriskany sand seam.