Indiana Glass Company was begun when a group of investors decided to purchase the Dunkirk plant that had been owned by the National Glass Company when it went bankrupt. The start date was 1907 and Frank W. Merry provided leadership. It made vases, lamps, and glass tableware including depression glass and carnival glass. These were produced as pressed glass or molded glass. Two of the company’s clients were A & W Root Beer and Kmart. Indiana Glass also produced root beer mugs.
By 1957, the Lancaster Glass Company gained an interest in Indiana Glass and in the 1960s, Indiana became a subsidiary of Lancaster. One line of tableware was the Tiara label, and it was sold through Lancaster. Indiana Glass saw a resurgence during the 1960s and 1970. Some of Indiana patterns include: Avocado or Sweet Pear, Indiana Custard, Pyramid, Sandwich, and Tea Room. Ruby Red Indiana Glass was made by adding gold oxide to make the red rim. Its King Thumbprint and Diamond Point were its most popular after they were introduced in 1965. They continued to be popular in multiple colors and were produced until the early 1980s. In 1977, Indiana Glass was the 5th highest producer of glass products in the United States.
In 2002 the Dunkirk plant closed and a plant in Oklahoma closed in 2008.
Sources: http://glassloversglassdatabase.com/companies/IndianaGlass.html
https://www.collectorsweekly.com/glassware/indiana
Interesting Tidbit
In June 2019, Bowditch Antiques and Collectibles had a guest who examined the art pottery from the early 1900s. He shared that his mother and grandmother had many curios that were full of pottery and glass. The guest was offered some of the pieces after his grandmother passed but he declined. He wondered into our middle room and saw the glassware on several shelves.
I shared that the red bands on the glass was made by using gold oxide. His eyes twinkled and the corner of his mouth twitched as he said, “I’ve heard that.” He then asked me if I knew who Ruby was and proceeded to tell me that it was his grandmother and that she had red hair. He was the grandson of Frank Merry, the President of Indiana Glass.