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Collectors use the term "Greentown
Glass" when referring to glass produced by the Indiana Tumbler and Goblet
Company which was located in Greentown, Indiana, about 5 miles east of Kokomo.
The Company existed from 1894-1903 when the factory was destroyed by fire and
was not rebuilt. The factory was originally built to take advantage of the large
deposits of natural gas found across central Indiana and Ohio as were many other
glass firms. The company produced utility wares, matching tableware, premiums,
and novelty items. Under the influence of Jacob Rosenthal, the glass chemist who
arrived in 1900, the Greentown factory produces many of the colored items
eagerly sought by today's collectors; including Chocolate glass, Holly Amber,
and Nile Green. The talented designers won prizes for their designs in
competition and the novelty items are now much in demand, such as the
toothpicks, whimsies, and what-nots.
The Chocolate glass was known for a time as caramel slag to collectors, but this
is a misnomer. The original designation was Chocolate and it is not a slag
glass, but rather a shaded opaque glass that varies in color depending upon the
amount of heat that was applied to a piece of glass during the manufacturing
process. Slag glass is the swirling together of 2 or more different batches of
glass. Not all Chocolate glass is the product of the Greentown factory. After
the factory burned, Rosenthal sold the rights to the National Glass combine and
Fenton Glass where he
 was employed
for some time produced some of the later pieces.
Cactus chocolate compote
Holly Amber Butter, 1903
Today Greentown glass is much sought
after by collectors. There is an excellent
museum in
Greentown, IN devoted to Greentown glass and its history.
Greentown Glass Patterns
- Those starred (*) have been
reproduced in some forms.
Austrian
- Beaded Panel
Beehive
Brazen Shield
Cactus*
Cord Drapery
Cupid
Dewey* (large butter only)
Diamond Prisms
Early Diamond
Flatiron
Fleur-de-Lis* (other patterns are called by this name)
Greentown Daisy
Herringbone Buttress
Holly*
Invincible
- Leaf Bracket
Overall Lattice
Pleat Band, 6" covered compote (pictured at right)
Scalloped Flange
Teardrop and Tassel
Squirrel
 Other Greentown Glass includes many novelty items as well that have been
reproduced in some forms such as the dog head toothpick, the witches head
toothpick, covered dishes, etc. For further study, refer to a book by James
Measell, "Greentown Reproductions." - Another
Greentown web page can be found here.
Cactus reproduction vase
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