# The Isabella Glass Works



## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

I have finally completed in my glass and bottle collection all of the  historical flasks known to have been made at the Isabella Glass works because of the embosing on them.In the Mckearins book American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry they list the three flasks as follows.GXIII-55 GXIII-56 and the GXIII-57.Two of them are listed as rare and I have only seen them listed 
 once at an auction last year.The GI-99  S. Huffsey Jenny Lind calabash flask was also made at these glass works.Here is a little history about the Isabella Glass Works.

 New Brooklyn, as a small village, is relatively unknown today except by glass collectors. It was originally known as Old Brooklyn and has disappeared from maps. All that remains is New Brooklyn Road (Route 536) from Williamstown to the Camden County border. 
 In 1831 John Marshall, aka Squire Marshall, started building a glass works in what was then called Seven Causeways. This later was known as Brooklyn and even later on as Old Brooklyn. Frederick Stanger had married the Squire's daughter, Elizabeth Marshall. Frederick Stanger helped his father-in-law by supervising the building of the glassworks furnace, since Marshall was not a glassman. However, Frederick Stanger died on May 14, 1831 at age 45.

 Thomas W. Stanger, cousin of Frederick Stanger, joined the company and helped Squire Marshall to complete the glass works. The first blast of the Brooklyn Glass Works was in 1832.

 Three years later Thomas W. Stanger married his cousin's widow, Elizabeth Marshall Stanger, who was 15 years older. The company was known as Marshall and Stanger until 1839 when Marshall withdrew at age 71.

 By 1850 Thomas Stanger began building a new glass works containing 7 pots about a mile from the Brooklyn Glass Works. Thomas and Elizabeth Marshall Stanger were the parents of three daughters - Isabella, Frances and Elizabeth who died as a baby. Thomas Stanger named the glass works "Isabella Glass Works" after his daughter Isabella. Later it was called the New Brooklyn Glass Works to distinguish it from the original factory called "Old Brooklyn Glass Works." Glassblowing commenced at the New Brooklyn Glass Works on September 9, 1850.

 On a mid-1850s map of the area Thomas W. Stanger's glassworks is shown located along a canal possibly dug by Stanger. A sawmill owned by George Marshall in 1828 is also shown along a pond created on Four Mile Branch. A company store opened in 1850.

 In 1856 the Old Brooklyn Glass Works burned down. It was repaired and continued in use. Over the years due to depressions and labor strife the Isabella Glass Works was rented and sold at auction. Thomas W. Stanger remained as superintendent and had a continuing interest in the glass works.

 Oddly an 1876 ledger noted "the Japanese govrnment sent one of their representatives to this factory to observe glassmaking there...he stayed about a year, observing, making sketches and drawings of the works and when he left he induced several of the blowers to accompany him back to Japan."

 Thomas W. Stanger died on February 23, 1892 and was buried in Glassboro. Isabella Stanger, for whom the glassworks was named, remained on the property. She lived in a small farmhouse and owned the land that once was the site of the glasshouse bearing her name. In 1933 Isabella Stanger was 94 years old and remembered the history of the glass works.She knew Samuel Huffsey and said that the S. Huffsey Jenny Lind bottle was blown here in 1851 she would have been twelve years old at the time

 Presently the site of the Isabella Glass Works would have been located at the intersection of the Atlantic City Expressway and New Brooklyn Road in Monroe Township.It was located about 2000 feet north of the New Brooklyn settlement.

 Here are some pictures of the flasks.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

Another group picture.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

The quart sized GXII-55.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

Same bottle close in on the mouth.You cvan see the dirt debris in the glass.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

A picture of the factory side of the GXIII-55 bottle this bottle is hazy it is not a bad picture.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

The rare GXIII-56 pint sized.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

The same bottle in close on the hay stalk.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

Here is a picture of the embossing GLASSWORKS on the GXIII-56 again.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

My latest aquisition the GXIII-57 this bottle is in mint condition.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

The GXIII-57 again.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

The Sam Huffsey blown Jeny Lind calabashe,s


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

The factory side of the Jeny Lind flasks.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

From the book American Bottles and Flasks and Their Ancestry the small description of the Isabella flasks.


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## surfaceone (Feb 8, 2010)

Hello Steve,

 Thanks for the history and the photos. Great glass, sir.


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## RED Matthews (Feb 8, 2010)

Steve, Thank you - I sure do like the way you present things to us for study and I hope I can go back to them when I want to.  RED Matthews


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## GuntherHess (Feb 8, 2010)

Good point Red. This forum is convienant for presenting information to many people but it lacks a lot in later access and seachability.  Steve's posts getting lost is a good example.
 Steve , do you have a website where all this good info can be archived for easier access?


 Have to say on those 1st three flasks if I squint my eyes I can imagine they say Baltimore Glass Works[]  Who copied who there?


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## crozet86 (Feb 8, 2010)

Once again great job steve.I have learned alot reading your posts and want to thank you for taking the time to share this well of information.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

Thanks surfaceone,here are two aerial photos.
 The first one is what the area of New Brooklyn looks like today.
 The second picture is the same one except I have added the roads 
 that were there in 1850 in red.The glass works location is also marked 
 with a red square and a black x.When the Atlantic City expressway
 was widened a lot of glass was found during the excavation.
 George Marshall,s Saw mill is also shown in red.The canal that was used
 is shown in baby blue running from the pond at the mill to the lake.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

Thanks for the nice compliments everyone,Gunther they are very similar and show the same work of the same mold maker.
 Gunther is referring to the GXIII 48 and 49 Baltimore Anchor and pennant flasks which look exactly the same.
 Here is the same picture touched up in paint showing the layout of the old town of New Brooklynn.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

Could you imagine a seven point intersection today,what a nightmare that would be with left turn lanes,
 and 4 traffic light cycles.


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## JOETHECROW (Feb 8, 2010)

Very interesting info, plus great bottles!  Thank you Steve.


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## potstone (Feb 8, 2010)

Good job Steve, great information. Have you or any body you
 know searched the glass house site looking for shards of glass that
 may show types and colors made there? Or is it private land with
 no trespassing signs in place? Your aerial map shows what looks
 to be open fields and woods.


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## RedGinger (Feb 8, 2010)

Great info and bottles.  I am so happy to have the Jenny Lind you gave me for Christmas!  It's really neat to see pictures of others.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 8, 2010)

Hi laur your bottle has a lot of early glass history about it.
 Samuel Huffsey lived a long time and worked in over twenty glass works in his lifetime.


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## sandchip (Feb 9, 2010)

So the factory site is under the expressway.  Just great.


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## Steve/sewell (Feb 9, 2010)

Yes sandchip the works were phyisically located under the west bound lanes of the AC expressway.Some digging on the site
 during the widening of the expressway did yield quite a bit of cullet.I doubt one today could dig near there because I am sure the state owns the
 right of way at least a 1oo or more feet off the road.


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## HS of Winslow Township (Jan 20, 2020)

Hi Steve,

The Historical Society of Winslow Township has precious little information about the glassworks that were located here (and nearby).  We know a little about the Winslow Glassworks and the Williamstown glassworks (thank to the South Jersey Magazine series authored by my uncle H. Keith Bodine) but embarassing little about the rest.  Of specific interest getting started in the information gathering process would be a listing with accurate information about their locations, ownership, when the went into and out of blast, products produced,.  We do have the Heximer survey info for Window, Wilton and Williamstown but little else.  

Spotting your January 23, 2010 post clearly identified you as someone who might guide us to sources of information from which start compiling a collection of information and perhaps some artifacts.   I also have some specific questions regarding your 2010 Isabelal post:

About the beginning of Isabella, you wrote, "By 1850 Thomas Stanger began building a new glass works containing 7 pots about a mile from the Brooklyn Glass Works."  Where was the "Brooklyn Glass Works" in relation the Isabella works. Our location info for Isabella is from the map attached.
I was unaware that the New Brooklyn Glassworks was actually the renamed the Isabella works.  When was it renamed?   You write that " the New Brooklyn Glassworks went into blast on September 9, 1850."   Was it Isabell when it went into blast, or New Brooklyn?
We have some script from ether the Brooklyn or New Brooklyn Glassworks among our artifacts.  Did they both have company stores?  If only one had a store, I guess we can assume that that is the one who issued the script ..... or was script redeemable in other places?  As you can tell, we are really ignorant about our own glass history.

Any information you can provide would be appreciated.

Jack Jennings, President
Historical Society of Winslow Township
124 Pump Branch Road
Waterford Works, NJ 08089
HistoricalSocietyOfWinslowTwp@comcast.net
609-458-2293


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## sandchip (Jan 21, 2020)

Jack, I'm not sure if Steve monitors this site anymore or not.  I haven't seen him post anything in a while.  Best of luck in your research.


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## HS of Winslow Township (Jan 21, 2020)

Thanks for info.  As a "newbie",  I didn't  know he has not been active.  I found this post in another forum where he was recommended.  I'll check back there to see if anyone knows his present situation.


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