Maryland's first glassmanufactory Tuscarora

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Steve/sewell

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I dont beleive these glassworks have ever been disscussed here at the forum.I have done some research and the following information I have found to be quite sound historically.The Maryland members here at the forum should be more proud of their early glass heritage as it quite historical and produced some of the best glass this country has ever seen.If anyone else has additional information regaurding these works please add to this post as this helps
in attributing glass to regions more easily and with more certainty.

The Tuscarora glass-works were officially Marylands first glassworks' a start date in the mid 1750s seems likely.
The earliest glass gaffers whose records have been found in Frederick Town Marlyand were Jacob Frederick Dannwolf, a glass blower, and Peter Engel, a glass cutter. The presence of just these two glass artisans suggests that their works must have been a small, self sustaining type of window glass industry thatt required only one glassblower, a cutter to divide window lights from the large disk of glass and one or two helpers. Frederick Town's growth would have provided a market for the window glass. The fact that John Shellman had glass window lights in his home in the year 1759 is indicative that window glass was available locally, perhaps maybe just across the street.

Jacob Frederick Dannwolf acquired an East Patrick Street lot across from Shellman's house, in 1762, but he could have been a tenant before receiving a deed. It is interesting that Dannwolf's lot was one of the few owned by Walter Dulany in Frederick Town. The possibiulity exists Walter, an Annapolis merchant, could have recruited the two glassworkers on a profit sharing venture similar to that of Caspar Wistar's with the expert glassmen he formed his partnership with ? (In the year 1764, Peter Engels Sr. acquired the tax lot #100 for one penny from Daniel Delaney. This paltry sum amount suggests Peter did in fact have a business relationship with Delaney.) This may be the explanation for Dannwolf and Engel coming into the central Maryland German distric . There is, however, another possibility that needs to be considered.

The Varle tax Map of 1808 shows an Old glass-works along the Tuscacora Creek about three miles north of Frederick Town.Archaeological testing at the Tuscacora site revealed a dry-laid limestone foundation that that was similar to other glass works in colonial America which had also archaeological work done .What was revealed was a long narrow building which was most likely part of an early glass works building. In addition to the foundation, archaeologists discovered a large area of glass fragments,colors ranging from dark green to light green to almost black, slag, glazed brick, and limestone slabs.Is it possible that black glass was manufactured here or was this just cullet.Well if it was cullet then this too suggests that the site manufactured dark glass just as Wistarurgh had also done 15 years prior. The excavation site was part of "Tasker's Chance" that Benjamin Tasker transferred to Daniel Dulany, the immigrant, in 1744. The tenant on the land at the time of the transaction was John Conrad Keller. Conrad Keller who was found consistently recorded as a farmer in the Frederick County land records. Although he bought several acres of land in his lifetime, Keller did not own the glasshouse land on which he lived. The Dulany family was the landlord from 1744 until it was seized in the confiscation proceedings during the American Revolutionary war.

The question needs to be asked why did three generations of Dulanys retain ownership of a relatively small piece of Tuscarora land while they were actively promoting the sale of their western Maryland land holdings? A reasonable explanation seems to be an industry on the Tuscarora land that had proven to be a good investment. Given the Dulany involvement in the Baltimore Iron Works and the local partnership between Daniel Dulany, the immigrant, and Major John Bradford for locating and surveying unclaimed western land, the possibility of a glasshouse partnership cannot be ruled out as an inducement for Dannwolf and Engel to come into the Frederick Town area.Though the workplace of Dannwolf and Engel is not 100 % certain, each man spent the remaining years of his life in Frederick County.

Here is a neat possibilty.The bottles of Monocacy ale in the 1753 inventory of Daniel Dulany, the immigrant would be significant if their origin could, be traced to this local glasshouse. According to history, colored bottles and bottle fragments were found on the site in the late years of the nineteenth century and again with the archaeological survey done much more recently. There is no certainty, however, that these were blown as early as 1753.Why are glass historians always sceptical when attributing local glass when it is similar to Continental Europe.You just dont find cullet and dark glass slag around suspected colonial glass works and dissmiss them as products of Europe.Why would a factory have this glass at all if it wasnt producing its own dark glass.The history and the long given explanations regaurding the factorys outputs of the following early American Glass works,Wistarburg New Jersey,Germantown Mass.Hilltown Pennsylvania,Stiegel Pennsylvania,Amelung in Maryland and now Tusarora should be revisted as I beleive that they were providers of the local ale bottles for the brewers in the big cities.

The following Entries in Joseph Doll's ledger, beginning December, 1771, (Joseph Doll was a famous furniture maker in Frederick and a Captain in the RevolutionaryWar.) indicate that the glasshouse was part of a small industrial complex that included a sawmill, a charcoal pit and coal house, a malt hill, and a brewery. Though Doll had no bookkeeping or management responsibilities for the glasshouse, his records of the other industries and the farm have provided information relating to the Tuscarora glasshouse in the 1770's.Among the earliest accounts in the ledger are those for Philip and Jacob Hain who purchased lumber from the sawmill. Philip paid his bill with a "sou from the vandue", a sow from the public sale, a vendue. Misspelled words in some ledger entries occurred because Doll kept his records in English, but his first language was German. Jacob Hain settled his account at the sawmill with cash, an indication that he worked for wages. Independent farmers and artisans usually paid their bill, with commodities. The name Jacob Hane is listed with other New Brennan glassworkers in the 1790 census. Although Amelung brought a number of glassworkers with him, he also employed some from glasshouses in Frederick County. It is possible that Jacob Hain was a Tuscarora glass artisan who went to New Bremen.

Entries in Joseph Doll's ledger indicate that glass window lights sold for nine Pence each in 1774. Twelve individual lights for just one window would have cost nine Shillings, a price equivalent to Esther Planck's wages for six days work hoeing corn. But even at that price, local glass was less expensive than glass imported from England. There are no records for the sale of glass bottles during the 1770's. If bottles were blown at Tuscarora, either the sales were handled by the glassworkers, or the entire production was required for the bottling of malt liquors made at the glasshouse complex.

The Tuscarora glasshouse land was confiscated with the Frederick County land holdings of Daniel Dulany, the third. The tract was sold to Henry Sinn in 1784 and transferred to Governor Thomas Johnson in 1787. The glass works may have remained in operation under the ownership of Sinn or the Johnsons, but there is no evidence that they built a glasshouse on the site. Governor Johnson offered 800 acres of Tuscarora land for sale in 1793, just six years after he had acquired the property. The glasshouse, a sawmill, a tanning yard, and a grist mill were included in the advertisement. The 1798 tax record shows that the glasshouse was "out of repair" when William Goldsborough bought the land in 1801.
 

Steve/sewell

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Are the panes in your house light green in color typical of the the type of glass produced in colonial glass works Matt.
Could you take a close picture of them and post it here that would be great.Have you ever been to the site in person
or are they on private grounds which are unaccessible
 

GuntherHess

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The original small 9 over 9 panes were replaced with larger 6 over 6 around 1858 when additions were added and a lot of renovations were done. I found pieces of the original panes digging in the basement. They are a green/aqua color. There might be a few laying around still I would have to check.

If the site is where I think it is , it is on private land.
 

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