Shenango China
New Castle, Pennsylvania, United States
Shenango China, incorporated in 1901 with $100,000 in stock. A plant to manufacture semi-vitreous plain and decorated china was constructed at Emery Street and the Erie & Pittsburg Railroad in New Castle, Pennsylvania. It initially employed 150.
In January 1905, Shenango China declared bankruptcy. The company was reorganized as Shenango Pottery in 1909.
With the conclusion of World War II, there was a pent-up demand for dinnerware and over-glazed hotelware.
An effort to modernize its plant and its branding began in 1954 when Shenango Pottery was renamed to Shenango China once again.
Shenango acquired Wallace China, to be operated as a subsidiary, in March 1959 and Mayer China in 1964. The company was sold for $5.4 million 16 in 1968 to Inerpace Corporation.
Interpace sold Shenango to Anchor Hocking in March 1979, and then Anchor Hocking sold Shenango to Newell Company of Freeport, Illinois in 1987, although Newell sold Shenango to Canadian Pacific, the parent company of Syracuse China, within six months. Syracuse, citing labor costs, closed Shenango China and reorganized. All former employees were forced to apply for their old positions at a lower pay scale, although many chose not to return.
Canadian Pacific sold Shenango China, along with Mayer and Syracuse, to the Pfaltzgraff Company of York, Pennsylvania in 1989. The Mayer operation moved to Shenango. Plans were drawn up for an expansion of Shenango, but consolidation in physical plants and a downturn in the economy led to the permanent closure of New Castle factory in December 1991. An auction of some equipment and finished china was held on March 24, 1992.
A fire later ruled an arson engulfed a part of the former Shenango facility on June 28, 2011. Workers who had been in the factory the day prior cleaning up debris and brush, had chased out individuals who were using torches to burn plastic coatings off of wire in attempted copper theft. The factory was the site of another fire on May 25, 2012. Since then, the remains of the site appear to have abandoned.
