Pacific Glass Works
History
The Pacific Glass Works was incorporated in 1862 and began blowing bottles at its factory on the corner of Iowa and Mariposa Streets in San Francisco's Potrero District in 1863. The location was strategically chosen for its proximity to the waterfront and major transportation routes, allowing raw materials to be delivered efficiently while finished products could be shipped throughout the West.
Established to meet the rapidly growing demand for glass products on the West Coast, Pacific Glass Works manufactured a wide variety of items, including bottles, pharmaceutical containers, window glass, household glassware, and telegraph insulators. As one of the first successful glass manufacturers west of the Rocky Mountains, the company helped reduce the region's dependence on imported glass from the East Coast and Europe.
The company weathered numerous economic challenges before merging with San Francisco Glass Works in 1876 to form the San Francisco & Pacific Glass Works.
Early Pacific Glass Works bottles are highly coveted by collectors for their wild colors and beautifully crude glass. Many of the most desirable Western bitters, whiskey, and medicine bottles from the early to mid-1860s were blown at the factory, making Pacific Glass Works one of the most significant names in early Western bottle collecting.