Fairmount, Indiana (1889-1906) & Indianapolis, Indiana (c.1906-1968)
The town of Fairmount, Indiana, located northeast of Indianapolis on Route 26, is probably best known as the early home of actor James Dean (1931-1955, East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, Giant), but not so well known is the fact that Fairmount was an early and fairly prosperous “glass factory town”, especially in the late 1880s into the early 1900s. A number of glass companies operated there, including King City Glass Works (making electrical insulators with “K. C. G. W.” markings), Marion Fruit Jar & Bottle Company (two of their 3 plants located there for a period of time), and the Fairmount Glass Works.
Fairmount Glass Works was started in either 1888 or 1889. Initial investors included John Rau, W. C. Winslow, Frank Taylor and Charles Tigner, although some conflicting information exists on who the “principal” proprietor was in the very earliest days of the firm’s existence. By 1897 (and probably for quite some time beforehand) “Winslow & Rau” were the two principal partners involved. A letterhead – dated 1897 – exists stating “Fairmount Glass Works / Located in the Natural Gas Belt / Winslow & Rau / Manufacturers of Fruit Jars, Bottles, Etc / Fairmount, Ind” . This is reproduced on page 26 of Indiana Glass Factories Notes by Dick Roller (1994).
A new glass factory was built in Indianapolis and the manufacture of glass was moved entirely to that location approximately 1906. The “official” firm name – whether “Fairmount Glass Works” or “Fairmount Glass Company” was changed over the years (including a short span during the 1960s as “Fairmount Glass Corporation”) but I’ve not attempted to include a precise timeline of those name changes on this page.
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At least 3, possibly four identification marks were used on their containers:
1) F G Co : As far as I am aware, this mark is not confirmed to have been used by Fairmount. Julian Toulouse (Bottle Makers and their Marks, 1971) illustrates this as their mark, used c. 1889-1898. It remains to be seen if this information is accurate. In any case, I am listing the mark here, but with a note that I don’t know for a fact that it was ever used by Fairmount!
2) F G W: Period of use uncertain — perhaps from around 1898 to approximately 1930? (There is probably considerable overlap with the following mark.) The “G” is in larger, taller font than the other two letters on many bottles, but on some containers all three letters are the same size. The FGW mark is found on many bottles, such as cylindrical chemical/bleach/utility bottles of a range of sizes, and (shown here) the popular “WINTERSMITH / LOUISVILLE, KY” rectangular medicine bottles. “F G W” is also seen on the lower heel area on a clear milk bottle embossed “SHELBYVILLE SANITARY MILK CO” (from Shelbyville, Indiana).
3) F: A plain “F” was used circa 1920 to circa 1945, and possibly later in some cases, as there is an overlap on the time frame these marks were used, and much uncertainty on the EXACT range of years involved.
Fairmount Glass Company produced some of the amber figural “fish bottles” of the 1920s which originally contained Cod Liver Oil or a similar product. Those bottles are usually marked with a plain “F” mark on the base, along with mold and bottle style numbers.
Note: Shards of certain bottles – such as hand-blown strap-side whiskey flasks – with an “F” on the base, undoubtedly of a much earlier vintage, have been found at the site of the Lyndeborough Glass Company, South Lyndeborough, New Hampshire (1866-1888) and are certainly not related to Fairmount. In those cases the “F” may be a “shop letter” and was possibly used by a specific group of workers, i.e. “shop” of glassblowers at Lyndeboro. (This is also true of certain early handmade strap-sided flasks with an “S” on the base which were found at Lyndeborough).
It is also possible that some older handmade bottles with an “F” on the bottom could be from an entirely unrelated and unidentified glass factory, such as W. Frank & Sons of Pittsburgh.
The “plain F” was also used on some Owens-Illinois Glass Company bottles, denoting manufacture at their Fairmont, West Virginia factory.
For more detailed information on Fairmount and the marks they used, including info relating to other “F” marks also seen on older bottles, see this webpage written by researcher Bill Lockhart et al:
https://sha.org/bottle/pdffiles/FairmountGlass.pdf
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4) F within a hexagon: Used from 1933 to approximately 1968, and possibly somewhat later on some bottles. Commonly seen on the bottom of many amber-colored (and clear) medicine, chemical, and other types of generic “packer” jars and bottles that were produced in very large quantities during the 1940s, 1950s and ’60s. This mark was officially trademarked as TM #311,765, registered on April 3, 1934, with first use said to have been on November 6, 1933.
Eventually, Fairmount had 3 separate factory locations including the main plant at Indianapolis, another one at Gas City, Indiana, and a third plant in Atlanta, GA. In 1968 Fairmount was purchased to became part of Glass Containers, Inc. based in Fullerton, California.
For an extensive list of glass manufacturers’ marks on bottles, fruit jars, insulators, tableware and other items, please click here to go to the GLASS BOTTLE MARKS pages, page one.
Please click here to go to my site Home Page.
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I found a bottle with the F inside a hexagon and 3-680 it also has screw top and says 32 oz on the each side near the top? Is it old?
Hi Eric,
I can only state the approximate stretch of years during which that particular mark was used and that information is in my article about Fairmount Glass Works. Unfortunately, many Fairmount bottles do not bear date codes so it is difficult to pin down many of them to a specific year. The “3-680” is a mold style number. That number was assigned to that particular bottle style (shape). I don’t know what you mean by “old” since that definition can depend on who is asking. My definition of “old” might be very different from someone else’s (such as a 14-year old!). Thanks for the post.
~David
Found a jar on our property (we have an old, private/personal, dump site on it filled with old coffee cans and wine/beer bottles, looks like from the 50’s and 60’s mostly). From the very rusted screw on cap I can tell it was a Ma Brown’s Ol Fashun Pickles jar. Jar has the N in the hexagon logo in the center of the base. It has a 5 at the top and 9-1013 at the bottom. I found a newer Ma Brown’s jar on eBay. That one has a 17 at the top and the number 1013D at the bottom. No logo. So that one looks like maybe mold 17 of jar 1013, version D. Much newer than my 5 / 9-1013. But how much newer? The lid graphic/design I can see through the rust is clearly a different and older style.
While walking along the Mississippi River when it was low, I found an old amber bottle with F inside a hexagon. It looks like a telescope in shape. It appears to have the heads of a nurse and patient on it. I know it’s from Fairmount Glass Co but unable to find a picture of this bottle or it’s value.
[Readers, Jane wrote to me directly and included photos of the bottle]. I seem to have seen a similar bottle illustrated in a book, or perhaps listed on a website such as ebay, but I can’t remember anything about it now, and can’t find it on the web anywhere. The bottle is shaped like a telescope but might also bear a vague resemblance to a lighthouse. The closure has screw threading and has a small hole. I suspect this held a brand of steak sauce, or perhaps some other kind of sauce or condiment. It might have been a limited-time brand promotion, or made for an obscure, short-lived brand product. In any case, I’m sorry I don’t have info on the bottle, but I wanted to approve this post and have it archived for other readers. Perhaps a collector or bottle digger has seen this particular bottle and can give us more info. The mark shows it is definitely from Fairmount Glass Company, and from the general “look” I think it probably dates from sometime in the 1940s-1960s. Take care, David
Edit: This may actually be a men’s cologne bottle – this was suggested by someone after Jane posted pics of the bottle on the antique-bottles.net discussion site.
I have a tiny amber bottle with a screw top. Embossed on the side of the bottle are the words BROWNATONE KENTON PHARM. Co. COVINGTON, K.Y. On the bottom, embossed, it has what looks to be the letter F inside a hexagon and the number 4 on the outer edge beneath the hexagon. I have read your page on this mark and also the page your site suggests. On the second site it makes the statement that the F in the hexagon is always with two separate numbers. Again, my bottle only has one number, that being the number 4. Am I reading this correctly or am I in error, possibly not seeing it correctly on my bottle. The bottle is about 2 1/2” tall and just over an inch wide at the base. Any additional information or help would be greatly appreciated. Thank You, Melissa.
Hi Melissa,
The page you reference was written by researcher Bill Lockhart. He is going by the “F in a hexagon”-marked bottles that he has seen, or that have been reported to him, but I feel that his sample was fairly small (I think he mentioned their sample of such bottles was small in the article) and there are no doubt other bottles out there that have only one number along with the trademark instead of two numbers. The numbers are assumedly mold, style or model numbers. That particular product (a once-popular brand of hair dye) was made over a long period of time, in several different bottle versions, including “cork top” styles and the later ones with screw-threading. A number of glass manufacturers made them besides Fairmount, including Hazel-Atlas, Illinois Glass Company and Owens-Illinois Glass Company. Hope this helps!
David
I found a clear bottle that came from under a huge red oak tree In Florida with markings f-671-3 trying to figure what the bottle was used for…can anyone help with any more info would greatly appreciate it…
I found a fully intact (with cork) Fairmont Glass, Ancient Age Whiskey bottle with a date code for 1949 in the Yukon, Canada. 2500 miles is a long way that bottle traveled! Thank you for this resource!
I have a half gallon wide mouth jar with “DC” on the bottom . The jar is oblong. Sny guess on when and where it was made? Also there are bubbles in the glass.
Wondering what original lids could be for the F in a hexagon waffle pattern jars. I have heard they were coffee jars but sure what to search for… 🙂
Hi Kim,
Honestly, I don’t know. I have seen similar “waffle” type canning jars accompanied by typical “Ball”, “Atlas” or unmarked Mason jar zinc lids, or other random product jar lids that happened to fit them.
Sorry I don’t have better info for you.
~David
Hi David, I found an intact clear bottle in the woods on our property. On the bottom there is the F in the hexagon with DES. Pat 103535 on it with a 4 in the upper left side. I am assuming it is some kind of oil bottle but not sure. Could you shed any light on this ? thanks much
Hi Colleen,
I’m not sure what the bottle was intended for. It looks like some kind of “fancy” soda bottle. You can find some info on the patent (issued in 1937) by searching google with the words GOOGLE PATENTS D103535. The “D” refers to “DESIGN”. That bottle design might have been made over a period of several years beginning in 1937.
Hope this helps,
David
If you can see my avatar pic, can you tell me about this bottle. It is a Full Pint distillery bottle that has the “Federal law forbids sale or re-use of this bottle” and on the other side has the crest that is my avatar pic. On the bottom it has D-8 and below that is 68 an “F” inside a hexagon and then 5. I think it might be a Fairmount bottle but not sure.. Any information would be awesome. Not interested in value, I just like it because its old / history!!!
Hello Rbbrasher,
From your photo of the insignia or logo, it appears to be a monogram of the initials D G CO, G D CO, or C D CO or D C CO. In any case, from the other markings, you have a liquor bottle with the distiller code “D-8”, and the “F in a hexagon” is unquestionably the mark of Fairmount Glass. The “68” is a “liquor bottle permit number” assigned to Fairmount Glass Company. The “5” in this case is a date code but I can’t say for sure what decade it might be…..perhaps 1945 or 1955.
Best regards,
David
Hey, I found a very similar bottle in a hollowed out tree trunk in the woods. Mine has a 7 instead of a 5, and a green cap with a guy who looks an awful lot like col. sanders. Have you learned anything new?
I live in Naugatuck, CT in an old 1924 farmhouse. My back yard was cleared of overgrown bushes and I found an intact glass bottle from Fairmount glass works with the F in a hexagon on the bottom of the little brown bottle. Screw top brown bottle. The numbers 975 on the foot of the bottle. Can anyone tell me what that means?
It looks like a medicine bottle.
Thanks.
Laura, the “975” is probably a bottle design number assigned by Fairmount to that particular type or size bottle. I don’t have any other info, but since Fairmount made MANY different types and sizes of bottles, I assume each was assigned a code number which is often (not always) embossed on the bottom of the container.
David
my father and Uncle worked at Fairmount Glass my father started when he was in his 20’s around 1935 and he worked there until 1967
My husband found a small clear bottle with a F in a hexagon and a number 2-878 on the bottom. Any ideas on what it held?
Hi Robbie,
No ideas. However, the “2-878” is probably a bottle style or inventory number used by the factory, so if you can find a similar bottle (using keywords such as ‘2-878’ and ‘glass’ and ‘bottle’) searching on ebay, perhaps one will show up with an original label still attached.
David
I found an old bottle while exploring a mine site this week. The mark on the bottom is F 88 in a horizontal oval, surrounded by lines radiating outward from the oval (starburst)? Another mark near the neck is XVI. Could this be related to Fairmount? Thanks
Sorry, I really don’t know, but I doubt it.
~David
My grandfather and all 6 of his brother’s worked at the Fairmont Glass Co, in Fairmont, In. They all relocated to Indianapolis to continue working at Fairmont. He retired I believe in the early 70’s.
He never missed a days work the entire time. He recieved a nice watch from the CEO of Fairmont. He thought an error had been made on not missing a days work but it was confirmed he never missed.
Thanks for your post!!
David
i am trying to track down the history of a former glass factory at 2520 e. 12 in indpls. probably around first half of 1900’s. do you know how i can find out the name of it? i was told they paved a street in spades park with glass pieces, and am hoping to get more info about that. thank you! laurie 317 637 6242, laurieklinger@att.net
Laurie, sorry, I don’t have info on this, but perhaps someone will land on this page who would have more info for you.
~David
Hi David! This is a great resource, thanks so much for sharing all your knowledge 🙂 About 6 years ago we bought a 100 year old farm. The neighbor living across the street told me if I was into old bottles I should look along the hill beside the road. It was the old disposal sight! I’ve found some really old bottles (70 to 100 yo), it’s great fun searching……
Rita, Thanks for your post! Interesting……..you never know what you will find where an old dump site was located. Besides bottles and jars, you can find old marbles, toys, keys, and sometimes coins and other artifacts that were accidentally discarded or lost.
Best regards,
David
I have what appears to be old glass bottle about 6 inches tall and about 1-1/2 x 2 inches wide at the base. It has a fluted neck for a cork stopper. On the bottom is the Fairmount Glass Works as shown in example 1 with the F, large G, and W. Does this marking confirm it is Fairmount? If so is it old?
Hi Neal,
Yes, it was made by Fairmount Glass Works. Yes, it is old (but that might depend on what any persons’ definition of “OLD” is!!)
~David
My aunt, Martha Waterfill, worked at the Indianapolis location in the late 50’s or early 60’s. She retired with bad health during that period of time. She had a 2 sons during that time, one which she had at a home for unwed mothers, and another she raised until she passed away. The son born in the home for unwed mothers was adopted, but found us, his biological family about 8 years ago, and discovered he had a brother. They have met. No husband was ever known of at that time. I am looking for more information on her when she was there, such as men she might have dated. If you can help me in this area or know of anyone who worked with her, please let me know. Both sons are in their 60’s, and they are looking for information regarding their fathers. Thank you.
Patty Stacy
Hi Patty,
I’m posting your query here in case anyone can be of assistance. Best regards, David
I think my grandfather worked in the Indianapolis factory. Probably 1940’s. He brought home a green glass cane that he made there. My husband’s mother worked there in the late 1950’s. Thank you for this site.
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Hello and THANK YOU for your post! I appreciate it!
~David