Glass Telephone & Telegraph Insulators

Glass Telephone & Telegraph Insulators

Bought a small lot of glass insulators recently. I couldn't pass it up. I've been looking to buy some of these for a while ...they've always fascinated me. And I like how people repurpose them into different things, like lighting.

There's 24 insulator total. I paid 20 bucks for the whole lot so I think I did okay. Going to keep a couple for my collection and try and sell the rest. Put them in the dishwasher to knock off some of the dirt.

***Do Not put them in the dishwasher. Although this worked for me at the time, you're not supposed to do this. The heat and cool can crack them. Learned a lit since this post***

Hemingray no 40 & 45
Kerr DP 1
Brookfield

KERR GLASS MANUFACTURING COMPANY
The Hermetic Fruit Jar Company (Alexander H. Kerr, owner) with offices at Portland, Oregon (1902 - 1903) became Kerr Glass Manufacturing Company in the same location (1903 - 1912). Offices and Manufacturing Facilities were located throughout the United States during subsequent years until late 1991 when Kerr was sold to the Ball Company.

HEMINGRAY GLASS COMPANY
The Hemingray Glass Company was an American glass manufacturing company founded by Robert Hemingray and Ralph Gray in Cincinnati in 1848.

This company was widely known for its early production of insulators and other glass items. Through aggressive marketing Hemingray became one of the earliest and most prolific of the insulator manufactures.

BROOKFIELD GLASS COMPANY
Bushwick Glass Works began as a bottle manufacturing operation in 1864.

The production of electrical insulators rapidly increased in the late 1860s and ’70s, until by the 1880s a large percentage of their glass production consisted of insulators for telegraph and telephone lines. The 1890s saw increasing production of insulators for (higher voltage) electrical power lines.

The great majority of the insulators from the Brooklyn plant are found in a pale blue-aqua color. Insulators in shades of “true” green from this earlier period are considerably less common. Judging from the huge numbers still in existence, Brookfield was second only to the Hemingray Glass Company in the sheer number of insulators they manufactured.