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History: Kokomo Opalescent Glass, founded in 1888, is the oldest producer of hand-cast cathedral and opalescent glass in the United States. When French founder Charles Edward Henry stopped by the newly oil-rich Indiana city after a business trip, he struck a deal with local officials to establish a glass factory powered by free natural gas from a recently discovered underground supply.
Early customers of the factory, which originally went by the name Opalescent Glass Works, included Edison General Electric and glass artist Louis Comfort Tiffany. Tiffany, creator of the iconic stained-glass Tiffany lamps, bought 10,000 pounds of glass in 1893 alone.
Henry soon hit hard times. He couldn’t pay the bills for the factory’s construction, and the builder filed a lien on the property in 1890. Months later, the factory went into court receivership. That same year, Henry was arrested for “violent behavior” and was later admitted to an insane asylum in Indianapolis.
The factory was purchased in 1891 by three local businessmen for $5,310, about $181,000 in today’s dollars. Current owner Jeff Shaw purchased the company in 2017. It still ships glass internationally to places such as Japan, Europe and South America.
Additions: In 1973, the company opened the Op Shop, where visitors can purchase hobby sheet glass and supplies. It’s also the location for factory tours, classes, custom glass design, and restoration and repair. In 1998, a hot glass studio opened to craft hand-blown and hand-cast glass.
Notable work: Kokomo Opalescent glass can be seen worldwide, including at the Vatican; the Chicago Cultural Center; Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana House in Springfield, Illinois; Disney World and Disneyland (Florida, California and Tokyo); The White House; Yellowstone National Park; Washington, D.C., Metro; and DreamWorks Studios.
Product details: The factory ships sheets wholesale and does custom lamination, windows, panels and restorative work. It also sells custom awards, trophies and memorials, as well as decorative suncatchers.
Headquarters: Kokomo
Website: kog.com
—Compiled by Taylor Wooten
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I have a lovely piece of Kokomo Opalescent Glass.