August 10, 2001
Bridgeville Area Historical Society
Now that the excitement of the Centennial is behind us, the Bridgeville
Area
Historical Society is beginning the transition into an ongoing organization
with the mission of acquiring and archiving all manner of information
and
artifacts relevant to the history and heritage of the Bridgeville area.
Our
Centennial exhibit attracted about one thousand visitors, most of whom
were
quite interested in the photos, documents, and artifacts that were
displayed.
As a byproduct of the Centennial, the Society acquired a large quantity
of
documents and photographs; part of the incentive for making the transition
from Centennial Historical Committee to a continuing organization was
the
realization that it was important to retain as much of this information
as
possible, for the benefit of future generations.
The members of the Committee are automatic members of the Society;
in
addition a few people requested membership when they visited the exhibit.
Membership, of course, is available to all interested parties, for
a very
modest annual fee -- five dollars for students, ten for individuals,
and
fifteen for families. Membership applications are available from Mary
Weise
(412-221-5651), Florene Joyce (412-221-8442), or John Oyler (412-343-1652).
The Society's first public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September
18,
2001. Thanks to the generosity of Jack Lydic and Dr. Rick Welsh, we
will be
able to hold it at Pittsburgh Vision Services' Bridgeville facility,
on
Station Street, at 7:30 that evening. The receptionist will direct
visitors
to the St. Lucy's room, where the meeting will be held.
The program will be presented by several collectors of pressed glass
and
will emphasize the importance of the items manufactured in Bridgeville
by
the J. B. Higbee Glass Company between 1907 and 1918. The J. B. Higbee
Glass
Company was one of the five firms that C. P. Mayer's Bridgeville Land
Improvement Company convinced to build a plant in the industrial park
along
the Pennsylvania Railroad just north of Bridgeville.
Bryce, Higbee & Company built the Homestead Glass Works in 1879
to
manufacture pressed glass tableware. Because of excessive damage from
a
major flood in March 1907 the company was dissolved and the moveable
parts
of the factory sold to a new firm, the J. B. Higbee Glass Company,
managed
by Oliver (Ollie) Higbee. Their new plant was built in the industrial
park.
Ollie Higbee introduced a trademark which quickly became a standard
for
identifying Higbee glass. Each piece had a tiny raised figure of a
bumblebee, with the letter "H" on the left wing, "I" on the body, and
"G" on
the right wing. Items offered in the on-line auction today regularly
report
that they are "bee-marked".
The plant's initial production capacity was doubled by the construction
of
two additional furnaces and the hiring of 100 new workers in 1909.
The plant
operated three shifts, "around the clock". Financial difficulties during
World War I and an attractive offer from General Electric led to the
sale of
the plant in 1918 and dissolution of the company. Ollie Higbee died
a year
later. GE converted the plant to the manufacture of glass tubing for
consumer products and has maintained a successful operation there ever
since.
"Bee-marked" Higbee glass is a popular item for collectors today and
an
affordable way for the casual collector to obtain a lovely bit of
Bridgeville memorabilia.
The next Society "business" meeting will be held on August 28, 2001,
at 7:30
at Florene Joyce's home on Old Lesnett Road. It is open to all present
Society members and will include the establishment of formal committees
and
assignment of members to them, to expedite our transition into a formal
historical society.