Steve/sewell
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One of the earliest manufacturers of pressed glass in the United States was the P.C. Dummer Glass
Company. The the glass works founded by George Dummer were first named the Jersey City Glass Works
later changed to the Jersey Glass Company and changed again to the P C Dummer Glass Company. The
factory was located on the west side of Washington Street between Essex Street and the Morris Canal at
Paulus Hook in the year1824.
Dummer was born in New Haven, CT, in 1782. He worked in the glass industry first as a glass cutter in
Albany, NY, and then as a glass broker and importer at 110 Broadway in New York City. When Dummer
began use of the Jersey City factory in 1824, he added a glass-cutting department to his firm, indicating an
interest in the process of making as well as selling glass products. He increased to forty-four the number of
steam-driven cutting wheels and experimented with materials to produce engraved and gilded glass. In
time the company specialized in hand-blown, blown-molded, pressed and cut glass.
Dummer's brother Phineas C. came into the business and he was able to obtain a patent for the
manufacture of pressed glass by a process called "Dummer's scallop or coverplate." In the year 1827, the
Dummer brothers and James Maxwell obtained a patent "On forming glass by the combination of molds
with mechanical powers. The introduction of this machine resulted in the mass production of cut and
pressed glass, a new development in the history of American glass, and with the advent of pressed glass,
emphasis shifted from the skill of the individual glass blower to that of the chemist, the designer, and the
mold-maker.
These innovations and techniques raised the standard and quality of glass products made in the United
States. The Dummer glass ware received numerous competitive awards and honorary recognition for a
variety of aspects of glass design and production: from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in the years
1826, 1831, 1835, 1838, and 1843, and from the American Institute of the City of New York at its annual
fairs in 1837, 1838, and 1848. The American Institute also awarded the company a gold medal at its
international exposition held at the Crystal Palace in Manhattan in 1853 for "the best cut plain and colored
glass.
By 1840s the glass company was known as P.C. Dummer & Company and was selling glassware for home
decorative and commercial use, such as flint and green-glass pharmacy retorts and vials. On February 24,
1853 George Dummer, Esq. "Monday last, died, George Dummer, Esq., of Jersey City, in the 71st year of his
age. He was born in Connecticut, from whence he removed to Jersey City, and entered into the
manufacture of flint and pressed cut glass business, which he carried on successfully through all of the
panic that so seriously affected the business in other parts of the country . The company underwent
several name changes before being purchased by Reed and Moulds in 1862. During the Civil War, the
downturn of the economy and the decline in demand for luxury items like cut glass caused the closure of
the company after the war.
While George and Phineas Dummer were involved with the glass company, they founded additionally the Jersey
Porcelain & Earthenware Company, which later became the American Pottery Manufacturing Company of
David Henderson. Also, with a sense of public service, the Dummer brothers became active in the
governance of their adopted community. George Dummer served as chairman of the board of trustees of
Paulus Hook and then as the president of the board of selectmen (1826-1831), prior to the incorporation of
Jersey City in 1838. Phineas C. Dummer became mayor of Jersey City from 1844 to 1848.
One of the items manufactured by Jersey Glass Company in the year 1827 were salt dishes. This New
Jersey glass works produced a very beautiful emerald green flint glass and made at least three seperate
types of early pressed salt dishes. This salt which is new to my collection is considered to be part of the
Lacy type even though it lacks most of the qualities which Lacy salt glass dishes usually exhibit such as
gilding,dimpling,arched and floral designs among others. The bottom of the dish has a 12 pointed
elongated rectangular shaped Masonic Star.The sides of the dish are made up of pared long cylinders
attached at the sides forming almost a stockade type of fence look. There is slight damage to the top areas
as is usually the case with the early salts which by no means degrades the quality of the piece. It is listed
by Neal as the JY-1a and is listed as being very rare. There is another mold made by these same glass
works identical in shape and form with the only difference being the bottom is embossed JERSEY GLASS CO
N N. YORK instead of the 12 pointed Masonic star as seen on this one.That particular mold the JY-1 is
listed as unique by Neal.
Company. The the glass works founded by George Dummer were first named the Jersey City Glass Works
later changed to the Jersey Glass Company and changed again to the P C Dummer Glass Company. The
factory was located on the west side of Washington Street between Essex Street and the Morris Canal at
Paulus Hook in the year1824.
Dummer was born in New Haven, CT, in 1782. He worked in the glass industry first as a glass cutter in
Albany, NY, and then as a glass broker and importer at 110 Broadway in New York City. When Dummer
began use of the Jersey City factory in 1824, he added a glass-cutting department to his firm, indicating an
interest in the process of making as well as selling glass products. He increased to forty-four the number of
steam-driven cutting wheels and experimented with materials to produce engraved and gilded glass. In
time the company specialized in hand-blown, blown-molded, pressed and cut glass.
Dummer's brother Phineas C. came into the business and he was able to obtain a patent for the
manufacture of pressed glass by a process called "Dummer's scallop or coverplate." In the year 1827, the
Dummer brothers and James Maxwell obtained a patent "On forming glass by the combination of molds
with mechanical powers. The introduction of this machine resulted in the mass production of cut and
pressed glass, a new development in the history of American glass, and with the advent of pressed glass,
emphasis shifted from the skill of the individual glass blower to that of the chemist, the designer, and the
mold-maker.
These innovations and techniques raised the standard and quality of glass products made in the United
States. The Dummer glass ware received numerous competitive awards and honorary recognition for a
variety of aspects of glass design and production: from the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia in the years
1826, 1831, 1835, 1838, and 1843, and from the American Institute of the City of New York at its annual
fairs in 1837, 1838, and 1848. The American Institute also awarded the company a gold medal at its
international exposition held at the Crystal Palace in Manhattan in 1853 for "the best cut plain and colored
glass.
By 1840s the glass company was known as P.C. Dummer & Company and was selling glassware for home
decorative and commercial use, such as flint and green-glass pharmacy retorts and vials. On February 24,
1853 George Dummer, Esq. "Monday last, died, George Dummer, Esq., of Jersey City, in the 71st year of his
age. He was born in Connecticut, from whence he removed to Jersey City, and entered into the
manufacture of flint and pressed cut glass business, which he carried on successfully through all of the
panic that so seriously affected the business in other parts of the country . The company underwent
several name changes before being purchased by Reed and Moulds in 1862. During the Civil War, the
downturn of the economy and the decline in demand for luxury items like cut glass caused the closure of
the company after the war.
While George and Phineas Dummer were involved with the glass company, they founded additionally the Jersey
Porcelain & Earthenware Company, which later became the American Pottery Manufacturing Company of
David Henderson. Also, with a sense of public service, the Dummer brothers became active in the
governance of their adopted community. George Dummer served as chairman of the board of trustees of
Paulus Hook and then as the president of the board of selectmen (1826-1831), prior to the incorporation of
Jersey City in 1838. Phineas C. Dummer became mayor of Jersey City from 1844 to 1848.
One of the items manufactured by Jersey Glass Company in the year 1827 were salt dishes. This New
Jersey glass works produced a very beautiful emerald green flint glass and made at least three seperate
types of early pressed salt dishes. This salt which is new to my collection is considered to be part of the
Lacy type even though it lacks most of the qualities which Lacy salt glass dishes usually exhibit such as
gilding,dimpling,arched and floral designs among others. The bottom of the dish has a 12 pointed
elongated rectangular shaped Masonic Star.The sides of the dish are made up of pared long cylinders
attached at the sides forming almost a stockade type of fence look. There is slight damage to the top areas
as is usually the case with the early salts which by no means degrades the quality of the piece. It is listed
by Neal as the JY-1a and is listed as being very rare. There is another mold made by these same glass
works identical in shape and form with the only difference being the bottom is embossed JERSEY GLASS CO
N N. YORK instead of the 12 pointed Masonic star as seen on this one.That particular mold the JY-1 is
listed as unique by Neal.
