"We make glass the old-fashioned way, using many techniques and tools that are essentially unchanged from those of a century ago." - George Fenton, President

Monday, February 21, 2005

Fenton Art Glass Family Centennial Signing Events Scheduled for 2005


WILLIAMSTOWN, W.Va. — It’s the story of a century! Members of the Fenton Family will appear at key Family Signing events at only the finest Fenton Showcase Dealers throughout the United States beginning in March.

Collectors attending Family Signing events will have the opportunity to meet a Fenton family member and obtain a special handsigned Fenton piece that is only available at such events. In 2005, Fenton’s centennial year, the special piece is an exclusive 6 ¼” Loganberry Vase in Favrene, available only at Family Signings in 2005.

Presenting spectacular art glass for a century, Fenton Art Glass Company represents American handcrafted glass artistry. Located in Williamstown, WV, Fenton is known for its wide range of colors, handpainting and handcrafting. Three generations of Fenton family members remain active in the business and are proud to continue an American glassmaking tradition begun in 1905.

For more information or to find specific dates and locations for Fenton Family Centennial Signings, please call 800-833-6766 or visit www.fentonartglass.com.

Sunday, February 20, 2005

Weekend Window to West Virginia Glass Country

"Good Morning America" looked in on West Virginia's glass-making industry, where traditions have remained unchanged for more than a century. One of the largest surviving makers of handmade glass, Fenton Art Glass in Williamstown, W. Va., is celebrating its 100th anniversary this May. For more information, visit www.fentonartglass.com or www.westvirginia.com.

Wednesday, February 09, 2005

Fenton celebrates 100th year

By Connie Cartmell, ccartmell@mariettatimes.com

Marietta Times

Marietta, Ohio



WILLIAMSTOWN - What begins simply enough with a handful of sand and a blast of fire has become pure gold for Fenton Art Glass Co. of Williamstown.

This year, the company celebrates its 100th anniversary, and several events starting with this weekend are being conducted to mark the occasion.
"We've been here three or four times in the last five years, and I always enjoy it," Herbert Middlebrooks, of Trenton, Ga., said. "There are not many handmade things in the world now."

Middlebrooks and his wife, Helon, stop at Fenton whenever they come to the area from Georgia on business.

"My wife collects Fenton glass and today is hunting for a special piece for a friend. I love to go through their plant. I love to watch them make it," Middlebrooks said.

Founded in 1905 by Frank L. and John Fenton in Martins Ferry, Fenton Art Glass Co. celebrates 100 years of glassmaking this year and is now the largest manufacturer of handmade colored glass in the United States,

Middlebrooks said he enjoys just standing in the middle of the Fenton Gift Shop showroom and soaking in all the color and design, displayed in every direction.

"Once you take a factory tour, and see how the glass is made, you appreciate the craftsmanship so much more," Middlebrooks said. "We have five children and make sure we take something back to each one."

Fenton is one of the top tourist draws in the region, offering regular factory tours, glassmaking and decorating workshops, Fenton family "signing" events, and the Fenton Gift Shop at the factory.

"It's a family tradition that lives on," Jena Lane Blair, Fenton centennial group coordinator, said. "We'll celebrate 100 years, a significant anniversary, throughout the year."

Blair said an auction of significant historical pieces and various eBay, QVC, and Lenox exclusives are planned over the centennial year.

Festivities culminate at the Fenton factory July 29 through Aug. 2 with special events, tours, sales, and more.

In addition to the free factory tours, there is a museum at the Williamstown location, with many one-of-a-kind glass pieces.

Dave Fetty, a master glass blower, demonstrated his craft for visitors Tuesday, making a red ruby centennial bell with a hanging heart design.

His face crimson from the heat of the furnace, and his glass, Fetty skillfully pumped steady bursts of air through a long metal tube to the expanding blob of glass on the end.

This is true glass blowing. Fetty, considered one of the best, was with Fenton 41 years, 23 years as a supervisor. His work is highly prized by collectors.

"You just have a few seconds to work with the glass before it cools down," Fetty said. "I retired in '99, but I haven't quit yet."

If you go

What: Decorate your own Fenton ornament - A Fenton centennial event.

When: 10 and 11:30 a.m., 1 and 2 p.m. Saturdays.

Where: Fenton Gift Shops Inc., 420 Caroline Ave., Williamstown.

Who: Open to all ages.

Fee: $25 per person, $20 for groups of 20 or more (ornament and stand included).

For reservations or for more information: (800) 319-7793, Ext. 311, or jena@fentongiftshop.com.

Tuesday, February 01, 2005

Fenton Art Glass Marks Centennial Anniversary! Factory is Also One of the Country's Top Tourist Sites!

February 2005

Souvenirs, Gifts & Novelties Magazine

Tim Coyne with Scott and George Fenton.


In today’s business world, for a company to hit its tenth anniversary tends to be a milestone. It’s no wonder then that Fenton Art Glass is aglow about marking its 100th anniversary this year. It’s a well-earned occasion. Fenton Art Glass is the largest manufacturer of handmade color art glass in the United States. What’s more, it’s still a family-owned business!

Fenton Art Glass began as a glass decorating firm in Martins Ferry, Ohio, in 1905. Brothers Frank L. Fenton and John W. Fenton soon decided to build their own factory near an abundant source of natural gas. They pooled $284, persuaded two brothers to join them, and began making glass in Williamstown, West Virginia on January 2, 1907.

Still located in Williamstown WV, the Fenton Family, and the company itself, are what might be known as the salt of the Earth. They’re hardworking, produce an excellent product and are very customer conscious. But, the so-called secret ingredients at Fenton are the people. Today nine third and fourth generation family members lead the way.

This Fenton Red Hot hat in ruby glass comes with a custom wood stand.

Standing around 6-foot, five inches tall, George Fenton is a stately President/CEO, and a savvy, cutting edge businessman. He is also surrounded by extremely capable staff – eight of which are his relatives. His wife, Nancy, is the Director of Design, brother Tom is the VP of Manufacturing and brother Michael is the Purchasing Manager. His cousin Shelly Fenton Ash is the Graphics Manager, cousin Randall is the VP and Treasurer of the Fenton Gift Shop, and cousin Christine is in Personnel. Other than George, the most visible face in the gift market centers and trade shows is his nephew Scott serving as National Sales Manager. His cousin Lynn Fenton Erb is the Assistant to the President. There are also 450 other employees who create an ever changing variety of handmade and hand painted glass. Fenton products are available for sale in over 5000 retail shops across the United States and in several foreign countries as well as on the television shopping network QVC.


A Fenton vase from the new Platinum Collection. Called Moonlit Poppies, it is satin-finished black glass with a floral design by the company’s decorating designer, CC Hardman.


“When my grandfather and his brother started Fenton Art Glass at the turn of the last century, it was their desire to enhance the glass making industry,” said George Fenton. “That mission and dedication to quality workmanship has carried through to the present day where we have multiple generations working together to produce high quality decorative glass in the tradition that my grandfather started.”

Throughout its history, Fenton has been a leader in the art glass industry. Its “iridescent” glass, first marketed in 1907, is now known as “Carnival” glass and a popular collectible today. Focusing on quality and artistry, Fenton sculptors, designers and artists work together to craft unique, meticulous designs often requiring more than 15 glass craftsmen to produce just one piece.

Over the years, the company has evolved without compromising quality or craftsmanship. Utilizing techniques developed with the dawn of the glass making industry,


This Fenton sandwich tray is 11” in diameter and sales are is limited to sales through May 15, 2005. The color was developed at Fenton in the mid-1920s and the piece is part of the new Generations Collection for 2005.

Fenton glassmakers produce products in the tradition of centuries past.

“We have always believed in maintaining the technique of hand made glass,” Fenton said. “It is a craft, an art form, which our collectors and customers have come to expect for a century. Being handmade allows us to make special colors, shapes, and treatments that cannot be made by machine.”

Throughout the years, the company has grown to offer more opportunities for novice and aficionado glass collectors alike. The Fenton Factory tour is ranked as one of the top ten factory tours by USA Today.

One of Fenton’s new Designer Fairy Lights. The piece features a painting style that appeared more than 100 years ago.


Fenton Art Glass Company’s 100th anniversary will be celebrated throughout the year at trade shows, market centers and retail shops across the country. The main events though will be held in Williamstown WV July 29 to August 2. Events will include demonstrations on how art glass is made and decorated, displays on the history of glass and the history of Fenton Art Glass, autograph sessions with the Fenton Family and genealogy tracing of Fenton Art Glass pieces.

The company’s centennial year got a special launching in December when George and Scott Fenton presided over a national sales meeting that included special awards to outstanding accomplishments by the independent sales reps across the country.

Among the winners top prize winners were:

  • J.F. Hukill Company of Lexington KY - Top Single State Territory Award.

  • Art and Susan Porter of The Weikels of North Carolina and Atlanta - Top Sales Associate.

  • Coyne’s & Co., of Minnetonka, MN - Top Sales Organization.

Fenton Art Glass Turns 100!

Take a look in Grandma's curio cabinet, and

chances are you'll find a piece of Fenton Art Glass.

Roberta Messner

Country Almanac

pp. 74, 75 - Spring 2005 Issue

While touring The Fenton Art Glass Company in Williamstown, West Virginia, you just might spot a factory worker pointing to a piece on display and whispering to the wife or child at his side: "I made that!" with the pride of 100 years of craftsmanship in his voice. Director of Design Nancy Fenton explains: "We make a product, and have been making it for 100 years, that has retained its value. People have Fenton glassware in their homes from the Teens, Twenties, Thirties and Forties, and it hasn't lost its value. There's a heritage to it as well as a financial value...It's something that you buy and you have for a long time, and you can hand it down from generation to generation."


What is equally compelling is the company's story of humble beginnings, of an American dream realized. It all started back in 1905 when Frank L. Fenton, who had worked in glass factories since his high school graduation, decided that if he could work for someone else, he could just as well work for himself. When Frank recruited his older brother John's help, John quickly got to the bottom line: "How much money do you have saved?"

"$280.00," Frank told him.


"Good," John answered. "Between us we have $284.46."

In the early years at Fenton, Frank and John purchased blanks from local glass factories and then applied their own designs, firing pieces in a small kiln in an abandoned factory they rented. The day the local factories stopped supplying their new competitor with blanks was a turning point for the brothers; John and Frank then set about finding a location to build a plant where they could make their own. They broke ground on October 7, 1906. And the rest, as they say, is history.


To enter Fenton's Hot Metal Shop is to become a part of a world where the lines between past and present disappear. Approximately 14 ingredients are utilized in the making of Fenton glass, largely sand, soda ash and lime. Fenton's beloved cranberry glass, prized for its rich glow, even contains particles of pure gold. Yet the actual recipes are top secret, many originating in the glassworking guilds of Europe as well as with 19th-century American glassmakers. "Molten glass is 'hot metal' to the glassworkers," writes Alan Linn in The Fenton Story of Glass Making. "They twirl it and handle it in the Hot Metal Shop like a red hot baton, but every move is calculated and every man a part of the team."

"When my grandfather and his brother started Fenton Art Glass at the turn of the last century," reflects President George Fenton, "it was their desire to enhance the glass making industry. That mission and dedication to quality workmanship has carried through to the present day, where we have multiple generations working together to produce high-quality decorative glass in the tradition that my grandfather started." Today, that mission lives on with the essentials of Fenton glass continuing to be color, craftsmanship, shape and a distinct artistry in decoration.


A product borne of a flame, Fenton Art Glass is also a product that keeps on giving. "One of the wonderful mysteries of glass," observes Alan Linn, "is its talent to store up those intense bright flames and dole them out in minute bits of flashes, reflections and warming glints for all the years of its life."


Editor's Note: For more information about The Fenton Art Glass Company's 100th anniversary, go to fentonartglass.com