Feb. 23—PLATTSBURGH — The rarity of Redford Glass, distinct for its translucency and aquamarine hue, makes it highly collectible even today.

Lake Forest Senior Living residents and guests learned all of that and more from "Redford Glass Uncovered" presented by Helen Nerska, director of the Clinton County Historical Association Museum in Plattsburgh.

Nerska took the audience back more than 200 years ago to learn about the short-lived history of the Redford Crown Glass Company, which was in existence from 1831-1851.

In those two decades, skilled artisans produced crown glass window panes used in the Wall Street Stock Exchange and all public buildings in Washington, DC.

"The history of the Redford Glass Company begins in 1830 when businessmen Charles Corning and Gershom Cook from Troy, New York realized there was money to be made in making window glass," Nerska said.

"Corning was on the board of the Champlain Glass Company in Burlington and saw how successful this type of business was. He and Cook investigated options in New York. They needed an area which had both flint sandstone to make the glass and wood to fuel the furnaces. The Bloomingdale area was apparently their first choice, but the roads were not good enough to get the glass to market."

In Redford, the businessmen located both high quality Potsdam sandstone, hundreds of acres of trees for fuel, and a new road to Lake Champlain to get the glass to market.

"Corning then convinced the Champlain Glass Company to put up the collateral for a glass-manufacturing business in Redford," she said.

"With the collateral secured from the Champlain Glass Company in January of 1831, they began in March of 1831 the work to build everything needed to run the company."

In Burlington, the works focused on cylinder glass, which starts as a blob or balloon that is blown and then lengthened by swinging the rod downward, lengthening the glass into a tube that was then cut and laid flat.

In Redford, the works created crown glass, window glass made by spinning a blown balloon of glass to a wide disk and then cut to size.

UPSTART

A saw mill and grist mill was built in the spring and summer of 1831. By that fall, the glass factory was completed and measured 80 ft. wide, 150 ft. long, and 12 ft. high. It contained two furnaces or kilns to mix the ingredients for the glass.

"Within the furnaces were melting pots," Nerska said.

"It was a place for hot work and strong men. Before the company even opened, it's estimated that the organizers had spent between $50,000 and $100,000 in building costs. The Redford Glass Company officially opened in October 1831, only seven months after construction began. The company was officially created by an act of state legislature in early 1832."

The only known images of the factory are found on the larger denominations of company issued scrip.

In county newspapers, the company advertised for fuel for the furnaces and wood choppers to chop lumber.

"The wood that went into the furnaces to heat up the rough ingredients into molten glass had to be in splints and woodchoppers would do this," she said.

"Obviously, these cords were susceptible to fire. One fire in 1841 destroyed 2,000 cords of wood."

VENTURE CAPITALISM

Cook and Corning convinced one of their most skilled workers, the company's first superintendent John Foster, who previously was the Champlain Glass superintendent and master glass maker, to relocate to oversee the construction of the Redford glass works.

"Between providing funds for the Redford Glass company and losing John Foster, the Champlain Glass Company was rather severely weakened," she said.

"Meanwhile, in Redford, John Foster took over. He was the keeper of the secret recipe to making Redford Glass. The story is that he refused to share this recipe with any other white man. In instead he shared it with a Black man named Martin Tankard. Tankard was born in Vermont and lived in Burlington in 1830."

Nerska speculates that Foster personally brought Tankard over to Redford from Burlington to make sure the glass was made properly.

PARTING WAYS

"Having Martin Tankard at Redford Glass proved to be invaluable for the company, as John Foster left Redford in 1833 due to some disagreement, either over wages or company operation or as his new company reports in their history — he had 'expensive ideas,'" Nerska said.

"Whatever the reason, he took his recipe and went to Jamesville in Jefferson County to begin his own glass factory, he called Redwood Glass Works. But fortunately, he did not take Martin Tankard who knew the recipe. He did take some of the Canadian wood choppers."

REDWOOD OR REDFORD?

Foster died in 1834, but Redwood stayed open until the early 1880s.

"There are many similarities between Redwood and Redford glass, the least of which being their names, and without scientific examination, it can be difficult to determine exactly where a piece came from," she said.

Tankard was the melt-master for the Redford Glass Company for the company's lifetime.

He and his brother, William, were early settlers in Plattsburgh. William was a farmer in Beekmantown.

Martin lived in Saranac and is buried in the Redford's Protestant Cemetery. He died in 1877 with an estate of $3,500.

COMPANY TOWN

"In the 1830's, life in Redford was primarily centered around the Redford Glass Company," she said.

"The population of the town was about 500, with all of the staples of a small town that one would expect: some stores, taverns, a post office, a library, and a church."

The company store supplied all the basic necessities with no competition and basically fixed prices.

"Money was scarce so the company issued 'scrip' which could be used to purchase items in the store and could be redeemed for actual money," she said.

"Later, the store held items created by their talented workers using left over 'melt' from the pots. These are the pieces we so treasure today."

COAL-FUEL COMPETITORS

Redford Glass Company shipped its product all over the United States.

"However, due to the high cost of building the glass works and other expenses along the way, the company was always in the red and losing money," Nerska said.

"Also, perhaps, because crown glass window sizes were limited, cylinder glass was becoming more popular. and in addition, they were running out of fuel for their furnaces. Some feel the tragic ending of the company was brought about by the competition developed by the glass producers of Pennsylvania, who found cheaper fuel in the coal mines of that state than the wood which could be obtained in the Redford area. In 1851, the owners cut their losses and closed the glass works for good."

The company left behind an established community.

"The 1850 census records show a solid population," Nerska said.

"People often housed the glass blowers as boarders. Often, both father and son in a family were in the glass works. There were a wide variety of occupations — farmers, iron workers and basic laborers — blacksmiths, carpenters, sawyers (wood cutters), teamsters, merchants, three Methodist ministers — and a gatekeeper proudly from England. Saranac also housed many immigrants from Ireland and Canada in the 1850 census."

The Redford Glass Company's main building, known as the "Dwelling House," is depicted in a painting, which is part of CCHA's collection.

"The house is no longer standing, as it burned down in a fire in 1930," Nerska said.

"One interesting feature of the Dwelling House was its porch that had 182 bull's eye panes in its windows. When the fire occurred, approximately 70 panes were saved."

In the second part of her presentation, Nerska spoke about "Reflections: The Story of Redford Glass," a CCHA exhibit at City Hall in Plattsburgh from May 18-September 3, 1979.

Nerska offered free copies of the exhibit booklet to attendees.

"Some of these pieces were borrowed and only on display during this exhibit, but many that are still in the Clinton County Historical Association collection today," she said.

Nerska noted museum treasures include a mace, mark of the glass blower's trade that was carried in parades — to symbolize their craft; framed bullseye pane either from the Dwelling House fire or one of the first bull's eyes blown at the Redford Glass Company; and a bowl with lily pad design, a staple of the South Jersey tradition that originated in the 1700s — glass blowers were known to be migratory and brought their special skills with them. Millville in South Jersey is considered the birthplace of glass blowing in the US.

Next, Nerska spoke briefly about "Early American Redford Glass," a 2016 exhibit at SUNY Plattsburgh Art Museum, which was curated by SUNY Plattsburgh museum studies minors Sean Miller, Rebecca LaClair and Mikayla Ploof.

A witch ball, a leech container with lid, and a swirl flask, gifts of the late Wayne and Peg Byrne, were among 20 items exhibited in the Regina Shoolman Slatkin Study Room.

Lastly, Nerska spoke about CCHA's Redford Glass exhibit.

"Most of the pieces on display were a donation to the Clinton County Historical Association from Harold Boire on behalf of his mother, Eva Boire, who had built up her collection over her lifetime," she said.

"The donation came with the condition that the collection would become a permanent exhibit at the Clinton County Historical Association Museum, which it is today."

Email: rcaudell@pressrepublican.com

Twitter@RobinCaudell