Fostoria’s glass era began when natural gas was discovered in the mid 1880s at “Godsend,” five miles west of town. Aided by former governor Charles Foster, Fostoria attracted more than a dozen companies that manufactured utilitarian and decorative glassware from 1887 to 1920. These companies produced windows, bottles, tableware, lamps, shades, and electric incandescent lamps. The Fostoria Glass Company was the best-known manufacturer of glass in Fostoria. From 1887 to 1891, it made a wide variety of decorative glass including its famous “Victoria” pattern tableware. Even after the company relocated to Moundsville, West Virginia following the depletion of natural gas in the area, it retained the name “Fostoria, ” which is still synonymous with excellence in the glass-making art.
