"The Ohio Valley was the location of many small glass factories in early days - The Bellaire Tribune in its issue of 1884 lists the manufacture of glassware as the town's leading industry, hence the name of Glass City.  Eleven glass factories were in Bellaire, five or six making tableware, one making bottles, one making lantern globes, three making window glass.  All hand factories, all small, mostly one-furnace capacity, each employing about 100 workers, and reporting a weekly payroll of approximately $1,000 per factory..."

"An experienced man, Ed Muhleman, who conceived and built Imperial was in 1892 operating the Crystal Glass Works in Bridgeport, Ohio...  It was a cooperative, the glassworkers buying capital stock - paying by deductions from their wages.  The Crystal earned money and the stockholders received dividends."

"A group of Pittsburgh men started to buy-up table glassware factories to form the National Glass Company.  The purchase of the Crystal Glass by the new National Glass Company was consummated."

"Mr. Muhleman was left at the Crystal in charge of operations, but did not remain long.  Soon after his resignation from the National Glass Company... he, with the help of several prominent businessmen of Wheeling and Bellaire, most of whom had been directors in the Crystal, organized the Imperial.  Mr. Muhleman had no difficulty in obtaining subscriptions to capital stock in the new Imperial, chartered at $500,000.00."

"As originally stated, Imperial made its first glass in January 1904.  Mr. Victor G. Wicke who had established a selling agency in New York City and previously sold for the Crystal was hired to come to Bellaire as Imperial's Secretary and Sales Manager.  His first sale... was to the F. W. Woolworth Company...  A listing was made, prices agreed upon, and before he left Bellaire two or three days later, Mr. Osborne placed orders for each Woolworth store, about 500 stores..."

"At that time Imperial was making mostly 5 and 10 cent articles for Woolworth and later for McCrory, Kresge and other syndicates and also enormous quantities of jelly glasses with tin lids and common pressed tumblers with horseshoe bottom, star bottom, and the like.  Imperial had moulds for six or seven tableware patterns, but as lines they did not sell well."

"Upon resigning, Mr. Muhleman sold his capital stock of $50,000.00 and completely severed his connection with the company."

"Mr. Victor G. Wicke who followed as President of the company had his hands full...  However, the seemingly impossible was accomplished - the manufacture or iridescent glassware was extended, new colors added; a line of expensive moulds to produce an imitation of heavy cut glassware were made; the name "Nucut" was copyrighted for the ware.  "Nucut" sold well at profitable prices; sales of glassware for premiums were enormous.  The Grand Union Tea Company purchased about $15,000.00 per month for several years."

"In (1912) Mr. Earl W. Newton became Imperial's Sales Agent in Chicago and adjacent territory and adequately did his share in getting new business."

"The demand for glassware during the first World War speeded up the development of automatic machine glass.  Jelly glasses and cheap tumblers were lost, and 5 and 10 cent retailers went to the machine plants.  Wages of the glassworkers had gone up.  Imperial was unable to compete with automatic machine production on low-priced articles.  In hunting for new merchandise Mr. Wicke reversed his former policy; a shop of highly skilled off-hand glassworkers was hired.  Later another shop.  These men without help of any moulds made beautiful and costly vases, glass baskets, bowls, jelly stands, etc. using the best lead glass in crystal and colors - ruby, blue and green, some articles cased, which means the imposition of one layer of glass over another layer (usually a different color) and some decorated with glass threads and iridescent frosting.  Beautiful and costly - to be retailed at $10 to $25 each."

"The market could not, or rather did not, absorb the line, and an inventory of about $50,000.00 accumulated.  Another venture - the manufacture of glass articles decorated with decals like china was likewise only partly successful."

"In December 1929 Mr. Wicke, whose health had broken a year before, died.  Mr. J. M. DuBois was elected President and a new Sales Manager was hired but the depression was then beginning.  The banks called Imperial loans and bankruptcy occurred in February 1931.  Mr. DuBois was appointed by the Common Pleas Court of Belmont County as Receiver, with permission to operate.  Mr. DuBois with the help of a few of Bellaire's civic-minded citizens and helped also by the Ohio Valley Industrial Corporation of Wheeling, started immediately to reorganize Imperial...  Earl W. Newton, during this crisis, came to the front.  He introduced the Cape Cod pattern - came to Bellaire and addressing several audiences spoke glowingly of the possible future for Imperial if reorganized with the old burdens removed.  Finally when the reorganization was accomplished, Earl Newton walked into the first Stockholders Meeting with the contract of the Quaker Oats Company in his pocket to assure the continued operation of the factory, and was elected President of the new corporation; Mr. DuBois remaining as Receiver for the old company to wind up its affairs."

"To Earl Newton this corporation owes a debt of gratitude.  Through his efforts blown stemware was added to Imperial's line of manufacture, and shortly afterward Earl Newton brought us Candlewick."

"In 1936, right after the big Ohio River flood of that year, Mr. Carl J. Uhrmann, hired by Earl Newton who had met him in Chicago, appeared on the scene.  His experience, ability and hard work immediately became manifest.  More confidence in the future of the new corporation resulted - Ohio Valley Industrial Corporation who helped in the recapitalization again helped and sent their secretary, a gentleman named Carl W. Gustkey to serve on our Board of Directors...  Wisely directed advertising, coupled with the Salesmanship and personality of Carl Gustkey and the technical ability and wide experience of Carl Uhrmann have brought Imperial Glass Corporation today to a leading position in the table glassware industry..."

This original report was presented during the company's Sales Conference Week in 1947.  A copy of the report in full is available at the Library.