Seneca Glass Company
Morgantown, West Virginia, United States
In January 1, 1892, Otto Jaeger, the first president of the Seneca Glass Company, took possession of the former Fostoria Glass Company plant in Fostoria, Ohio.
Jaeger, who had previously worked for Fostoria and as a glass engraver at J. H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Company, was hired as a manager by a group of glassworkers from Germany’s Black Forest who had purchased the plant. August Boehier, Edward and Joseph Kammer, George Trough, and Leopold Sigwart were among the German investors. The company advertised lead blown table and bar ware with engraved advertising when ordered. Following a strike in late 1895, Jaeger was removed as president.
Seneca Glass relocated to Morgantown, West Virginia, in 1896. The company produced high-quality lead stemware. A 1902 fire damaged the plant, but it was quickly repaired. In 1911, a second plant, devoted to the manufacture of tumblers and less elaborate patterns, was built in Star City, West Virginia. The plant closed in the 1930s.
Seneca’s early handblown glassware was etched, often with elaborate patterns. Its products were sold in Marshall Field’s, Neiman Marcus, Tiffany’s, and Wanamaker’s. Seneca Glass was the glassware of choice in many leading American hotels.
In the 1953, Seneca introduced its Driftwood Casual tableware in an attempt to appeal to the casual dining market. The pattern remained in production for 30 years. President and Mrs. Johnson selected Seneca’s Epicure pattern for their personal stemware.
A group of investors bought Seneca Glass in 1982 and renamed the company Seneca Crystal, Incorporated. In 1983, the firm was bankrupt and operations ceased.
