Erskine Glass and Manufacturing Co

Erskine glass & Manufacturing company
Erskine was an illuminating glass company. Not much has been spoken
about Erskine Glass & MFG Co. of Wellsburg W.V. Steubenville, OH natives:
John O Erskine and William Erskine and Pittsburgh, PA natives: J.G.
Simpon, Robert S. Cain and D.S. Swaney formed the company. Erskine
Glass & MFG Co began in Steubenville, OH on June 20, 1919. The company
was relocated to Wellsburg, WV and would remain there until it closed its
doors in 1975. Brooke County (Wellsburg, WV) was rich in glass history and
once had over 30 glass factories including Riverside. Erskine glass factory
was located at 22nd St. and Yankee St. in the old Dalzell glass factory. 99%
of early glassware produced by Erskine was lighting, lamps, lamp globes
and lamp shades in Crystal and White Milk Glass. Later, they produced hand
painted milk glass bells and ashtrays and colorful lamp globes and animal
covered dishes. In 1934, when Co-Operative Flint Glass Company shut
down, Erskine acquired their Frog, 7" dome lidded Elephant, and Walking
Bear molds. They produced Turtle ACDs 1920's-1930's / Bear, Elephant, and
Frog ACDs in the 1930's / Frog and Elephant ACDs again 1960's-1970's. As
for the Bear, Erskine got the mold because it appeared on L.G. Wright's
inventory list of 1938. Erskine sold glass to Wright from 1937-'38. The Co-op
Bear mold would be donated to the WWII Iron Scrap drive by 1941.
Questions... "Did Erskine also acquire the Whale mold? Where was the Co-
op Whale mold between 1934-1941? Why didn't Erskine reproduce it? It was
also lost to the scrap drive. Where were the Co-op Cat and Dog molds?
Where were the other lids to the small Elephant? We know the Frog and
Small Elephant with domed lid molds survived the scrap drive because
Erskine reproduced both after the scrap drive using original Co-op molds.
Between the 1938 and 1960's, Erskine
lost or damaged the Elephant lid mold.
Later produced Erskine Elephants have
newly created lids.
It is not known where Erskine got
the Turtle mold.
Erskine did not purchase the Cat or
Dog molds from Co-Operative Flint. Label found on later-made
Erskine animal covered dishes
© Glass Animal Covered Dishes by Jennifer Patton
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