1880s W.Brookfield Glass Insulators

1880s W.Brookfield Glass Insulators

Here are two examples of very early glass Insulators manufactured by Brookfield.

The larger one is a beehive style.
CD-145 also know as CREB (Crown Embossed Brookfield)
Front: "W Brookfield 45 Cliff St. N.Y." and "18"
Back: "Patt'd Nov.13th 1883, Feb.12th 1884"

SPECIAL NOTES FOR THIS INSULATOR:
1)This address was the earliest used between 1870-1890. After 1890 the adddress would read 83 Fulton Street NY.

2)These Insulators are especially susceptible to a horizontal crack around the skirt at a level with the top of the cavity between skirts.

3)The wire groove was designed to exactly fit
No. 8 iron wire, the wire groove having
sharp edges were often chipped
during making the tie.

The smaller insulator is CD?(TBD)
It's 2 7/8" wide at the base and about 3" tall. Possibly CD 162. But need more research.
Front: W.Brookfield NY
Back: Patt'd Nov.13th 1883

FROM TRAGIC BEGINNINGS
James Madison Brookfield (1813-1892), moved to Brooklyn after his Pennsylvania company Honesdale Glass Works was destroyed by a flash flood in 1861.

YOUR HIRED
In 1864, Bushwick Glass Works began as a bottle manufacturing operation. They supplied carboys and demijohns (large acid bottles) for the owner's(Martin Kalbfleisch) other business Bushwick Chemical Works. He hired James Brookfield to manage the glass company.

ALL MINE
In 1869, James M. Brookfield purchased the Bushwick glassworks from Kalbfleisch. As the years passed, his son (William Brookfield), become involved with the operation of the company. Later, grandsons would also join them.

***Now you know where the "W" in W.Brookfield came from. History links in comments***