Name/Title
"Blue Bowl"Entry/Object ID
2004.3.7Description
Blue Bowl
The founder of Blenko Glass, William J. Blenko, was born in London, England in 1853 and worked in a glass factory in his youth. In 1893, he emigrated to Kokomo, Indiana in the US, where he established the first American factory to produce "antique" sheet glass for stained glass windows.
Blenko was forced to close his factory and returned to England in 1903 due to an economic downturn. He made a second attempt in 1909, this time in Point Marion, Pennsylvania. This venture quickly failed, as did a third attempt in Clarksburg, West Virginia. At this point, William Blenko found work at other established Ohio and West Virginia glass companies and purportedly received a job offer from Louis Comfort Tiffany.
In 1921, Blenko again attempted to start a sheet glass company, this time setting up in Milton, spurred on by news of low natural gas prices in the area, a major concern for glassblowers of the time that drew many prospective glassblowers to the area. His new company was originally christened Eureka Glass Company before a later name change to the current name. Until the arrival of his son, William H. Blenko in 1923, he had no employees, making and selling all of his glass himself.
Due to the Depression, which decimated the stained glass market, Blenko began to produce stemware and tableware after finding two expert glassblowers to work for the company in 1930. However, this did not mean the end of Blenko’s stained glass industry. Blenko Glass Company still produces hand-blown sheet glass for use in stained glass windows as well as other architectural glassCollection
Suomynona Glass Collection, Suomynona CollectionAcquisition
Accession
2004.3Source or Donor
Suomynona Glass CollectionAcquisition Method
DonationLocation
Location
* Untyped Location
Mentzer Hall, MH-15Category
PermanentMoved By
Ian CunninghamDate
January 17, 2023Location
Drawer
S. E. CornerShelf
Bottom, BottomWall
Center SouthBuilding
Freida L. Smith RoomCategory
PermanentMoved By
Scott LonganDate
October 9, 2009Location
Cabinet
Case# 59Wall
EastHallway
Discovery HallBuilding
Crater Rock MuseumCategory
Permanent