Hobbies And Interests
1910 to 1929
Westmoreland Glass of Pennsylvania originally made paperweights and jars for mustard and candy. Founded originally by a group of investors, it was then purchased by brothers Charles and George West. They eventually split the company in two separate directions in 1920. While George continued with containers, Charles and his associate Ira Brainard shifted Westmoreland's focus to handmade glass tableware. From 1910 to 1929, Westmoreland's maker's mark was a single "W" shown inside a keystone. The keystone was a common logo in Pennsylvania and became part of Westmoreland's design around 1910. It has been established that many of the molds from this era were used again in the 1970s.
Late 1949 to 1984
In the 1940s and 1950s Westmoreland changed hands and created a lot of milk glass. Milk glass turned out to be Westmoreland's most popular glassware. It manufactured a range of colors and patterns which are still collected to this day. The company struggled in the 1970s and attempted to revive old designs with new colors. Westmoreland even tried making glass for other companies. From late 1949 to 1984 Westmoreland used its classic W intertwined with a G symbol to mark its glassware.
1983 to 1984
The company's final owner, David Grossman, bought the company in 1981. He created Westmoreland's Grossman Mark which was the company used in the final productions until its demise in 1984. The Grossman Mark consists of the company name "Westmoreland" encircling three vertical lines representing a stylish "W."
Paper and Other Marks
Westmoreland also used paper labels. One of the more common ones showed the company name "Westmoreland Glass" encircling a keystone with the word "handmade" written inside it. Most of the paper labels featured some combination of the company's name, the keystone symbol and the letters "W" and "G" enclosed in a circle. Additional marks carried the same combination of words and symbols with slight variations.