Description:
On January 14th, 1813, seven men signed an agreement to erect a glass factory at Coventry, CT, along the Boston Post Road. The proprietors were Captain Nathaniel Root, Sr., Nathaniel Root, Jr., Ebenezer Root, and Joseph A. Norton of Coventry; Eli Evans, Thomas Bishop and Uriah Andrews of East Hartford. By 1820, it is believed that Thomas Stebbins was operating the glassworks. This was around 1825, and later that year the firm became Stebbins and Chamberlain (Thomas Stebbins & Rufus Chamberlain). In 1828, the firm was taken over by Gilbert, Turner & Company (Jasper Gilbert, John Turner, Rufus Chamberlain, and Levi Turner). On October 31st, 1828, they became owners of both Coventry Glassworks and West Willington glassworks. Gilbert, Turner, and Alvin Preston were among the founders of the Ellenville, NY, glassworks in 1836. In the spring of 1838, Chamberlain bought the interest of some others. The old firm dissolved and the sole owners were Chamberlain and Turner. Lack of fuel and wood slowed the works down and it eventually closed around 1849. Coventry was a powerhouse, though, and produced all types of bottles, porters, wines, flasks, snuffs, blackings, octagon vials, jars of all sizes, demijohns, chestnuts, sunburst flasks, Pitkin-type flasks, medicine types, blown three molded wares including inkwells and tableware. Coventry glass comes in an impressive array of colors but the yellow-olive-greens and ambers dominated. Pint liquor flask made from blown bottle glass (olive green in color) into a two part metal mold, flask is oval in shape with the flat base; one side is decorated with a cornucopia with fruit and leaves and the other has a two-handled vase of fruit and leaves; broken pontil mark on base, finished lip, attributed manufacture to the Coventry Glass Works, Coventry, CT, flask is identified as McKearin GIII-4, p. 459. White painted number on the base of the flask reads, "111" and the Winterthur label reads, "Glass Room/ #111/Flask." The flask shows a lot of scratches and wear on the high points of the flask where it laid on its side. McKearin pattern GIII-4.
Link to share this object record:
https://museums.fivecolleges.edu/detail.php?t=objects&type=ext&id_number=HD+2014.19.26 |
