Rachel Whitney, Curator,
Sapulpa Historical Museum
In 1913, the town of Sapulpa appeared in the Glassworkers’ Trade Journal, which would be printed and distributed from Pittsburg, PA. Sapulpa was making headway with the new glass plants moving in, erecting factories, and merging.
“Sapulpa, Okla, Oct. 15, We are having fine weather here after the long hot and dry spell. The Premium Glass Co.’s plant started up recently working day turn but expect to put on the night shift this week. They have plenty of orders on hand. This company made some big improvements by building an addition to the packing room and getting a new machinery installed. The Sunflower Window Glass Co. are getting everything in shape here and expect to start the latter part of October.”
In no-time, Sapulpa had four potential glass plants.
“The negotiations between the Sapulpa Commercial Club and the Schram glass people of St. Louis, which have been on for several weeks, were brought to a happy turn yesterday, when the management of the big plant wired their acceptance of Sapulpa’s offer.
“This gives Sapulpa four glass plants, the Premium Company, the Cheyenne, the Sunflower, and the Schram. Work of erecting the Sunflower plant has begun on a site near the brick yards. The Cheyenne goes to the Houser land at the south city limits; the Premium Company is in operation near the packing plant.”
Cheyenne Glass Plant occupied the space on the “corner of Bryan and the Frisco tracks, along the tracks of 600 feet and extending east from the tracks 625 feet. It will be the largest enterprise that the city has and will give employment to more people than any other establishment.”
The Sapulpa Lumber Company sent the materials to build their office. “The plant is located across the Red River tracks just back of the Houser property and an application for a switch has already been made to the Frisco officials. The switch will be laid before many days and the new plant will be in full operation before fall.”
“The Schram Fruit Jar Co. are going ahead with the erection of their plant at this place. The window glass company which located in the eastern part of town had their foundations partly finished when some trouble arose and there has been nothing doing since. There is a rumor current that some other company will complete the plant and place it in operation in the near future.”
Sapulpa had become a center for glass factories. “These four plants will employ nearly 1,000 men who draw large pay.”
The Frisco Railway would be Sapulpa’s largest employer and the glass factories would become the next empire to Sapulpa history. Before even opening, the Sapulpa Street Car Company was going to extend its tracks to the new Schram Glass Plant.
In July 1915, a large headline read: “Schram is Forced to Hire Plant: Enormous fruit crop in middle West and the shortage of stock causes jar factory to get the Premium to make jars for them this summer – run all summer with fruit season one month away and no let up until fall the fruit jar business will be better this year than ever.”
Premium and Schram would continue to run during the hot summer. “It has become known this week that the Schram Company was so rushed by orders at their plant here that they have contracted with Mr. Collins of the Premium Glass Company is installing the machinery necessary and from present indications will have jobs for a lot of men until the close of fruit season.”
For the next decade Schram and Premium, later Liberty Glass and branched Bartlett-Collins Glass, worked alongside Sunflower Glass, which later joined Victory Window Glass. It is believed that the Cheyenne plant did not officially open. The area of the plant may have later become or even merged with the Bartlett-Collins Glass.
In 1925, this week in Sapulpa history, Schram merged and became a part of the Ball Bros. Company. “A transaction which involved one of Sapulpa’s largest manufacturing concerns took place when the Schram Glass plant, which was owned by the Schram Company of St. Louis, was purchased outright by the Ball Bros. Company of Muncie, Indiana. The plant now is operating under the new ownership. The Ball Bros. Glass Company is one of the largest fruit jar manufacturing concerns in the world and the plant formerly owned by the Schram Company has been added to their chain of factories.”
Ball Bros. closed down in 1934, Sunflower & Victory closed in 1933, Liberty closed in 1994, and Bartlett-Collins closed in 2008.
(Creek County Republican, May 16, 1913, June 20, 1913, October 24, 1913; Sapulpa Evening Democrat, April 22, 1913, May 16, 1913, September 8, 1913; Sapulpa Herald, June 12, 1915, November 12, 1925)
