Lynchburg Mysteries and Questions
Dennis Bratcher
The records that were kept by glass companies related to insulator production, sales, molds used, etc., were often lost with the demise of the company since they had little practical value beyond the company. Thanks to the efforts of N. R. "Woody" Woodward, we have an extensive archive of production records and correspondence for Lynchburg Glass Corporation. These were recovered from W. H. Lloyd, the original secretary of the company, and provide an interesting vista into the waning days of glass insulator production and the related financial difficulties (see Historical Archive). Still, even with those records, there remain mysteries and a lot of questions. While there are no definitive answers to most of the questions, the following articles explore some of these mysteries.
Lynchburg production records indicate that they produced a No. 48, which corresponds to Gayner's CD 153. Yet no CD 153 has been found marked Lynchburg. Was the Gayner marked CD 153 also produced at Lynchburg, along with the No Name CD 153? Or was the style number actually referring to Lynchburg's NO. 44 CD 154? If so, what happened to the Gayner CD 153 molds?
[not yet completed]
A CD 103 appears on the cover of a 1924 Lynchburg price list. Gayner produced this style and a few have been found, although they are rare. It would be logical to conclude that William Gayner brought the molds for the CD 103 to Lynchburg with the rest of the Gayner molds. Yet no one has ever found one marked Lynchburg. Did Lynchburg ever produce a CD 103?
[not yet completed]
There are a variety of insulators that occur with unique Gayner company numbers, such as No. 36-19 or No. 48-400, but do not bear the Gayner name or any company name. There are also reports of "no Name" insulators with faint traces of Gayner lettering blotted out. Were these "No Name" insulators transitional pieces made by Lynchburg from Gayner molds before they added Lynchburg lettering?
[not yet completed]
In the rush to get production going at Lynchburg, were insulators lettered Gayner actually made at the Lynchburg plant in late 1923 or early 1924 before the molds were retooled and re-lettered for Lynchburg?
[not yet completed]
Three CD 106s, one marked BIRMINGHAM, one with only a mold number, and one with no lettering at all, are identical in color and shape to some Lynchburg CD 106s and have been found on the same lines with Lynchburgs of the same color. The unique shape of Lynchburg CD 106 suggests some connection of these to Lynchburg. Did Lynchburg make these? Or were they made by another company using Lynchburg molds?
Also, the color of insulators marked Lynchburg changed dramatically in some of the last production runs from aquas and greens to various tints of clear. The type of glass in these also seems to be different. This suggests a change in the glass formula, usually associated with the type of sand being used for the glass. Were these made at Lynchburg or were they made somewhere else by another company who obtained the Lynchburg molds after the company closed? |