Known for its early handmade glass tableware, the Imperial Glass Company, a.k.a. “The Big I,” manufactured glassware for 80 years in the town of Bellaire, Ohio. The Imperial Glass Collectors’ Society would establish this museum in 2003 to keep its legacy alive in the area.
The Imperial Glass Company was founded in the Ohio River town of Bellaire, and the factory would start producing handmade glass in 1904. It became a success early in its history with its intricate patterns in a variety of price points to reach a wide market. The company would later be known for its innovative lines of glass such as Candlewick, Free Hand, and Lead Lustre.
Imperial Glass would face tough competition from cheaper imports and a slowing economy, and the company would be dissolved in 1984 after several buyouts. The factory would be torn down and replaced with a shopping center. However, the Imperial Glass Collectors’ Society would purchase a building on Belmont Street in 2003 to open the National Imperial Glass Museum. Here the story of the Big I is kept alive.
