Q. What can you tell me about Beacon Glass, including where it was located?

Hello. Thank you for your question!

We have a couple of trade catalogs and price lists for Beacon Glass in our collection: 

• Beacon Glass Company, New York, NY, USA. Beacon Glass price list, May 1, 1947. New York, N.Y.: Beacon Glass Company, 1947. 1 leaf. Notes: Trade catalog. Caption title. Price list for "Jeweltone", "Star Bright", and "Royal Ruby" patterned glass. This sheet includes an address: "Beacon Glass Company, Inc. 71 west 23rd Street, New York 10, N.Y.," plus 8 addresses [of representatives] in NY, Denver, Chicago, Dallas, etc. 
• Beacon Glass Company, New York, NY, USA. Presenting Beacon Hand Blown Glassware in Exciting Jewel Tones. Vineland, N.J.: Beacon Glass Company, [Spring 1947]. Notes: Trade catalog. Cover title. Brochure is not dated, suggested date provided by previous owner. "Prices reduced! See new price list" stamped in pink ink on front cover. Handwritten notations made by J. Stanley Brothers (previous owner) indicates this was received Spring 1947 and was the 3rd Beacon brochure issued. Designs within are by Gordon Colman Associates. Glassware in this brochure is in ruby, emerald, and aquamarine blue. Includes flip, oval, optic, crackled floral vases, coasters, ash receiver, nut dish, mugs, jugs, ivy bowl, covered candy dish, creamers, and more.
• There is a second copy of the brochure in the J. Stanley Brothers folder - his penciled note dates it July 1945. The objects are identical to those described above, except they are colored with purple, blue and green; the description reads, "Every Beacon Number Made in Three Colors - Amethyst, Aquamarine Blue, Tropical Green." Stamped on front: For service mail all orders and correspondence to this office, E. M. Meder Company...Chicago, Illinois. The date of the 1945 brochure seems to coincide with other advertisements in JSB's folder that list "amethyst." For example, the Brothers file for Beacon Glass includes a single sheet picturing and describing a "Barrel Pitcher No. 123" and "Barrel Mug No. 121" in "Amethyst, Aqua, Emerald." It is dated 1944 by Brothers and he notes their factory is in Vineland, NJ. 
• Beacon Glass Company, New York, NY, USA. Beacon: Sales Tested Jeweltone Glass. Vineland, N.J.: Beacon Glass Company, [Spring 1947]. Notes: Trade catalog. Caption titles. Undated sales advertisements, suggested date provided by previous owner. "Prices reduced! See new price list" stamped in pink ink on front of both. Handwritten notations made by J. Stanley Brothers (previous owner) indicates these were received Spring 1947. Ware includes optic glassware, vases, beverage set, crackled glass vases, decanter, and a weather barometer.
• Another sheet in the Brothers file has a paper label attached. It is a rectangle with curved edges, "BEACON" (top line), HAND BLOWN (2nd line), in U.S.A. (3rd line). The letters are in glossy silver with a background in black, a silver line surrounds the outer edge. 
• The last entry in the Brothers file is from American Glass Review, April 3, 1948: "Glass Plant for Sale -- We have a modern, nearly new, successful glass plant for sale, suitable for making pressed and art glass, also laboratory ware. A real buy.... Jos. Dowler, Vineland, N.J." with Brother's note "Might be Beacon plant(?)" 

We did not find Beacon Glass mentioned in Lesley Jackson's 20th Century Factory Glass (New York: Rizzoli, 2000), or in various trademark books.

The complete Brother's folder for Beacon Glass has been microfilmed and you are welcome to borrow it via Interlibrary Loan. You may instead request scanned copies of individual items by emailing ILL@cmog.org.