The History of McKee Glass – Jeannette Years

The McKee operations started to move to Jeannette, PA, as early as 1887. The reasons were the lack of space to expand in Pittsburgh, creating a fragmented network of factories. There were also financial reasons for the move.

A key figure in McKee’s move to Jeannette was Henry (H.) Sellers McKee, born in 1843 to Thomas McKee (d. 1864) and the eventual leader of the firm. The company was originally formed by Sellers’ two brothers Frederick (d. 1881) and James (d. 1855). Sellers two sons Thomas M. and Hart McKee also joined the firm. While Chambers produced plate glass, McKee & Bros produced a wide range of glass products.

Below are some facts about McKee and Chambers from the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) report (access the PDF).

• Pittsburgh’s city taxes rose while the availability of land markedly decreased during the economic expansion that followed the 1870’s depression
• Manufacturers also slowly switched from river to rail transportation which eventually increased the demand for rail transport and created congestion on Pittsburgh’s South Side
• H. Sellers McKee and James Chambers, a prominent glass manufacturer, both found it difficult to expand in Pittsburgh during the 1880s and decided to relocate to what became Jeannette
• The move allowed both McKee and Chambers to build fully integrated factories and created a new partnership creating the Chambers-McKee Window Glass Company

With the move to Jeannette, both McKee and Chambers were able to build bigger factories and, with the introduction of new technologies, output grew. One main change was the introduction of tanks that acted as conveyor belts moving and processing raw materials, enabling 24/7 availability for glass workers. Previously the raw materials were put into pots and into the furnace. The glassworkers had to wait on the pots, which created a step system and delays. Some additional notes from the HABS’ report:

• Chambers’ Pittsburgh plant had seven buildings over several noncontiguous acres and the new partnership, the Chambers-McKee Window Glass Company, at Jeannette had seventeen buildings on thirty-five abutting acres of land
• Similarly, McKee’s tableware factory at Jeannette was fifty percent larger than his Pittsburgh facility, covering four and one-half acres and, within five years, he more than doubled the factory’s capacity from sixty-five to one hundred forty-five pots
• They also used gas to fire the tanks and to flatten the glass, which meant better quality glass since they no longer had to contend with the sulfur residue produced by coal-fired furnaces
• To attract workers, Chamber and McKee built brick rowhouses in Jeannette, renting and selling them to workers at, we’re told, reasonable prices

National Glass Works, McKee and the McKee-Jeannette Company

In 1899, the Mckee & Bros. became part of the National Glass Company with A. Hart McKee and H. Sellers McKee on the Board. This agreement did little for either company, with the National Glass Factory shares decreasing from $50 to $2 per share by 1904 when the company became a holding company. By 1907 it had declared bankruptcy. The McKee family had little involvement in the glassworks after this point.

• In 1904, the National Glass Factory leased the works to Andrew J. Smith, its manager, and it became known as the McKee-Jeannette Company
• The company focused its product line on higher grade glassware and tableware and eventually became known as the largest flint glass factory in America
• In 1908, following the National Glass Factory’s bankruptcy, Andrew Smith bought out the McKee Glass Co. and, that same year, the company launched its new Rock Crystal (Touraine) line, which is widely collected today

The Smiths, Thatcher, Jeannette, Coca-Cola and Bankruptcy

Andrew J. Smith and his two sons, Maurice and Donald, served as Presidents of the company. The company was sold to Thatcher around 1950, which Jeannette Glass Works then acquired in the 1960s. Then the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of New York bought Jeannette Glass, who then sold it to some private investors. A few years after the last sale, the company declared bankruptcy and sold off its assets. Read some of the events that cover 1910 until 2017.

• In 1910, the McKee-Jeannette Glass Works was dissolved and the factory came under the control of A. J. Smith, who began to operate as the McKee Glass Co
• The new company managed to obtain a license to manufacture pressed cut blanks from the Fry and Libbey even though both companies had or would end up suing McKee in the upcoming years
• In 19Hartman Furniture and Carpet Co. offers several of McKee’s patterns including Aztec
• In 1912, the The Atchison Daily Champion offers a set of Aztec Prescut water set or Fantec berry set with a six month subscription to the newspaper
• In 1912, Harry Barrett, 48 year old plant manager, is found dead by the railroad tracks
• In 1914, A. J. Smith becomes Chairman of the Pennsylvania Protective Union
• In 1916, the company introduces its Innovation line
• In 1917, the company starts to sell auto lenses to meet the new antiglare and dimming laws with the aim to reduce nighttime car-related fatalities
• In 1917, the company introduces Glasbake, a line of glass cookware
• In 1920, the Libbey wins their lawsuit against McKee
• Andrew J. Smith dies in 1924 and his son, Maurice Smith, becomes President
• In 1932, the company introduces the “Bottoms-Up” cup
• In 1933, the vacuum coffee maker is introduced
• In 1934, the company provides auto lenses for Ford’s 1935 line of cars
• In 1934, the company partners with Detroit Jewel company to include Glasbake with the sale of their gas ranges
• In 1935, the company introduces a line of refrigerator glass containers
• In 1936, the mixing bowls that were originally created for the Sunbeam Mix Master begin to be sold as a set of three
• In 1939, the company partners with OXYDOL who offers a baking dish for 20 cents with the purchase of their product
• In 1940, Kroger places a 3,000,000 Glasbake order as part of Kroger’s 58th birthday at a reported cost of $250,000
• Maurice Smith dies in 1940
• Maurice’s brother Donald assumed the presidency upon his brother’s death
• Donald Smith dies in 1941
• A. K. Wood named as President in 1941
• In 1942, the company launches a campaign encouraging people to use glass to “save vital metals for war production”
• In 1943, the company introduces its range top Range-Tec cooking line
• In 1948, McKee’s suit against Corning and Hartford-Empire is settled
• In 1949, four heirs of A. J. Smith, buy up the company’s stock and reorganizes
• In 1951, the company announces their merger with Thatcher
• In 1951, Coffee Hottles are introduced
• In Jan 1952, the former President of McKee, Arch K. Wood, was elected to Thatcher’s Board of Directors and W. A. Wood, who became the Vice President in charge of Thatcher’s McKee division
• In Aug 1961, Jeannette Glass Co. purchased the McKee Glass division from Thatcher Glass Manufacturing for an estimated $4 million in cash, stock and notes
• In 1961, McKee had an 18-acre site, 135K feet of manufacturing space, 175K feet of warehouse space 120K feet of offices space with a daily production capacity of 400 tons of glass
• In 1978, the Coca-Cola Bottling Plant of NY bought Jeannette from the long-time owner Maurice L. Stonehill for $39 million, which reflects the growth of the company which, in 1977, reported earnings of $3.4 million net against $59 million in sales and a headcount of 1,900 employees
• In 1981, the Coca-Cola Bottling Company of NY sold the Jeannette division to private investors, including Jeannette’s President since 1972, Mark Silverberg
• In 1983, Jeannette was in bankruptcy and its assets were sold to New York businessman Abraham Zion who purchased the factory for $4 million and promised to resurrect it, but it sat dormant for decades
• In 2017, The IDC bought the property in 2012 for $305,000 at a tax sale and years of court challenges over the validity by Zion, who died in 2016, delayed the cleanup and redevelopment