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New Factory Hours:
Factory Tours and Gift Shop hours are now by
Appointment Only.
Please notify us 24 hours before your planned visit.
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History of St. Clair Glass
It was in 1888 that John and Rosalie St. Clair came to the United States from Alsace-Lorraine France. From Crystal-City, Missouri they moved to Elwood, Indiana with their children John and Rosa. Paul L. was born in Elwood in 1891. A young John married Ellen Carroll July 15, 1903 and set up housekeeping at 408 N. 5th St. Together their family grew to eleven, five sons, John, Paul, Joseph, Edward, and Robert; and six daughters, Marie, Rosella, Dorothy, Ellen, Margaret, and Jane Ann. Ellen died during the influenza epidemic at the age of two. The discovery of natural gas awakened the once sleepy town to new industry. MacBeth Evans opened a large glass facility around the turn of the century. Pop and his sons went to work developing their skills as master gaffers. In most glass manufacturing houses of that era employees were encouraged to practice, invent, improve and create after regular working hours. John returned night after night to perfect the art which was a part of his native country’s culture. The St. Clair sons went with their father to watch and learn the techniques that have become the time honored, intricate flower design. In 1938 the gas boom faded and all the St. Clair's moved to Dunbar, West Virginia, except their son Joe.
Joe and his young bride Ellen remained in Elwood to build a modest structure in the backyard of the family home on N. Fifth St. The simple metal clad frame building was equipped with a one ton glass day tank and the barest of glass furnishing equipment that had been discarded from nearby glass factories. Joe continued developing and practicing his ideas with the help of his Aunt Marie Hirsch and Uncle Joe Carroll. The family returned in 1941 and production began in earnest as St. Clair Glass. After World War II, the St. Clair's were re-united and began to fulfill the dream of producing handmade art glass. The business continued to grow with the help of some large accounts such as Marshal-Fields in Chicago. Pop’s health began failing, even so he was still “the boss” until his death in 1958. Joe assumed command of the plant with the help of Ed and Bob. In 1959 Joe began experimenting with color and molds, thus the new press ware era came on in 1960. A fire in 1964 led to an opportunity to further expand the growing art glass business. A new larger facility was erected
 adjacent to the original plant and helped usher in a new era for St. Clair Glass. Carnival glass collectors played a huge role in exciting Joe with his experiment in color and pressed glass. By 1967 Joe’s carnival glass was a great success in molds such as the Indiana Chieftain, Inverted Fan and Feather, and Holly Band patterns. Joe and his brothers, with the help of Bill McElfresh began pressing glass two to three months each year, but continued creating beautiful handmade art glass the remainder of the time. Joe accepted an opportunity to “retire” in 1971.
The factory was sold to Robert Courtney and Richard Gregg. Bob, Ed and nephew Joe Rice also left work at St. Clair to help Bob start his own small facility in West Elwood. 
Richard Gregg and Robert Courtney were very fortunate to hire several skilled glass artisans from Indiana Glass in Dunkirk, Indiana. Charlie Gibson, Monty Dunleavy, Jim Davis, Mike Mitchell, and Joe MacCalister, along with a host of new names helped build the once small family owned business into a facility reminiscent of the “old days” from Elwood’s past. The company grew to two shifts, and employed well over twenty people all dedicated to producing art glass. It was the brain child of Richard Gregg to create a city wide event commemorating the rich glass history of this once sleepy  little town. The Elwood Glass Festival was born and was an instant success, bringing glass enthusiasts and new collectors to the area. The glass festival is still held the third weekend of August and remains a tribute to the past. Higher gas prices and increased labor costs eventually forced Mr. Gregg and Mr. Courtney to sell the business back to Joe St. Clair who returned it to the small family operation. Joe continued to work at the art he loved so dearly until his death in October 1987.
Brother Bob quietly began to build a small glass studio in the back yard of the home he shared with his wife Maude. When Joe sold St. Clair Glass, Bob was ready to leave his personal stamp on the family history. Bob and Maude St. Clair with the help of his brothers Ed, Paul, as well as Jane’s son Joe Rice and Maude’s son Jack Hutcheson, began another era of St. Clair glass. Moving to its present location on State Road 28 in West Elwood, they continued the families’ tradition crafting floral weights, special presidential sulphides, and rose weights. Joe even came and helped his brother get started in exchange for the opportunity to continue making the rose weights that he loved to create. In 1974 Joe re-purchased the original St. Clair Glass Works. The two brothers in separate glass houses continued producing the wonderful floral glass collectibles for which they had become famous. Both businesses grew and thrived well into the 1980’s. The passing of Bob in 1986 and Joe in 1987 virtually put an end to the rich glass heritage in Elwood. But the time honored traditions of the St. Clair glass continues with third generation grandson, Joe Rice.
Joe Rice began working at the family glass factory in 1962 at the age of twelve. He soon discovered a passion for creating glass art, working with his uncles Joe, Ed, Bob, and Paul after school hours and during the summer months. Years of practice, often working through breaks and returning to the factory after hours instilled the seed of dedication to fine craftsmanship and the love of glass. Creating beautiful collectable paperweights and many traditional glass pieces remains a time honored family tradition. Joe has been blessed working alongside his talented uncles. The estate of Bob St. Clair was ready for public auction when Joe suddenly died. It was in October of 1987 that Joe Rice was able to purchase the property where his Uncle Bob created his art glass. Joe was fortunate to purchase all the needed supplies and equipment and reopen The House of Glass. Joe’s uncles Ed and Paul were there to help guide him along his path to success. Today, Joe and crew at The House of Glass continue to create art glass modestly priced and available to the discerning collector. He continues to craft art glass from his family tradition, while embracing new ideas and techniques only recently available. Glass enthusiasts will readily see the connection to the rich heritage of St.Clair glass in the work of Joe Rice. He will always treasure the gifts he received and the skill needed to pursue the dream lived out by his grandfather and uncles. Come visit us at The House of Glass!
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John Baptiste Singler (St. Clair)
10/23/1860-6/18/1939
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Married in 1881
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Rosalie Bertrand
6/9/1859-4/27/1935
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Children of John and Rosa on Left
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John B. 1/31/1881
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Married
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Ellen Carroll
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Rosa B. 4/10/1886
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Married
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Earl Pyle
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Paul L. 8/28/1891
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Married
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Matilda Schafer
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Children of John and Ellen on Left
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Marie L. 10/14/1904
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Married
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Philip Walsh
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John J. 12/05/1905
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Married
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Gladys Smith
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Paul C. 6/19/1907
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Married
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Mildred Alexander
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Joseph L. 2/18/1909
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Married
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Ellen Devery
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Rosalia S. 2/2/1911
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Married
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Clarence Lechner
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Edward B. 7/21/1912
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Married
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Mary Wickard
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Ellen 8/30/1914
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Died at Age 2
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Dorothy C 10/9/1916
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Married
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Robert Christman
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Robert M. 5/18/1919
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Married
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Maude Legg
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Margaret H. 6/25/1922
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Married
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Wesley Hurley
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Jane A. 11/17/1923
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Married
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Paul Rice
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Jane A. begot Joe Rice, the current craftsman and owner of House of Glass.
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Joe Rice's cousin Therese StClair Lloyd wrote the following St. Clair family history.
The following narrative provides additional information about the family story of John Baptiste (1860-1939) and Rosalie Bertrand St. Clair (1859-1935), the parents of John “Pop” St. Clair, as they traveled to the United States to start a new life for their family. The discovery of the new material written here began with a phone call from a descendant of Leon and Eugenia Lambert to Joe Rice at The House of Glass in Elwood, Indiana.
The Lambert, Haytin, and StClair (Singler) families arrived at the Port of New Orleans aboard the SS La Bourgogne on 19 March 1888. It is not known if the StClair, Lambert, and Haytin families knew each other before they set sail from Le Havre, France, on 8 October 1885. The ship's manifest simply lists a “clan” of other families traveling together aboard the Bourgogne.
After disembarking from the ship in New Orleans, the StClair, Lambert, and Haytin families, along with others from their group, traveled to St. Louis, Missouri. They were expecting to find employment in St. Louis. However, work was not as available as expected, and many of the clan turned their sights to the glass industry in Crystal City, Missouri.
Pauline Betrand, sister of Rosalie Bertrand StClair, was already living in Crystal City, Missouri, working as an interpreter for the factories that hired immigrants from Germany and France. More work was more available in the glass houses in Crystal City such as the American Plate Glass Company. American Plate Glass Company had begun operations there in 1871. Exceptionally high-quality silica was found in this area, which enabled the production of high-quality crystal glass. In 1876, the Crystal Plate Glass bought out the American Plate Glass and began making glass using four gas-fired furnaces. Crystal Plate Glass, however, owned the entire town. No saloons, non-employee homes, or private enterprises were allowed to exist. For about two years, the StClair, Lambert, and Haytin families lived and worked in Crystal City. However, in 1891, the St. Clair, Lambert, and Haytin families moved together to Elwood, Indiana.
It seemed the glass industry lured them all to Elwood. The glass business was booming in central Indiana from the late 1880s through the turn of the century. On October 6, 1886, drillers in Howard County, Indiana, discovered natural gas at a depth of 900 feet. By 1887, the Indiana Gas Company had 475 gas wells. Known as the Trenton Gas Field, the discovery of natural gas in east-central Indiana launched a boom in various industrial fields, including the glass industry. Many glass factories were located in Elwood and the surrounding areas, including MacBeth Glass (later merged with Evans Glass to form MacBeth-Evans) and Diamond Plate Glass, among others. In 1899, Pittsburgh Plate Glass bought Diamond Plate and opened a plate glass factory in Elwood. Many glass workers, such as the St. Clair, Lambert, and Haytin families, came from Missouri to work in the glass factories in Elwood.
By 1891, the St. Clair, Lambert and Haytin families had moved to Elwood, Indiana. The following information is based on the 1900 US Federal Census: John and Rosalie St. Clair lived at what is now 126 North F Street, which was not inside the city limits of Elwood in the 1900 US Federal Census. They lived there with their three children: John, Rosa, and Paul Leo. John and Rosa had been born in France before the family came to the United States. Paul Leo was born in Elwood, Indiana, on 28 August 1891. John Baptiste, the father, worked in the glass industry, as did both of his sons as they grew older. It is not definitively known with which glass factory they were initially employed. However, most of their glassworking careers were with MacBeth-Evans, which operated in Elwood until its merger with Corning Glass on December 24, 1936. After that time, the St. Clair Glass Works came into existence.
John Baptiste Sengler (St. Clair) (1860-1939) and Rosalie Bertrand St. Clair (1859-1935), Father and Mother of John B. “Pop” St. Clair (1881-1958). John Baptiste and Rosalie Bertrand St. Clair were parents of three children: John Baptiste “Pop” St. Clair, Rosa Beatrice St. Clair Pyle, and Paul Leo St. Clair.
The story of John Baptiste (Singler) StClair and Ellen Catherine Carroll is the foundation of the past, it gives strength to our present, and hope for the future. By the early 1890s, the families of James Patrick Carroll and Jean Baptiste (Singler) StClair found their way to Elwood, Indiana. John, Pop (Singler) StClair was born in 1881 in the Northeastern region of France. It is unclear whether Liepvre, St. Die, or Epinal, France, was the birthplace. Ellen Catherine, “Nellie” Carroll, the daughter of James Patrick and Sarah Casson Carroll. The Carroll family history begins with William Carroll, born in the early 1800s near Meath, Leister, Ireland. William's son, Hugh, married Eliza Jane Corrigan on 31 July 1848 in Dublin. Hugh and Eliza had five children. Hugh Carroll, 1824-1888, is the father of James Patrick Carrol, the father of Ellen Catherine “Mom” Carroll StClair. The family moved to Lancashire, England, where Hugh was listed in the 1851 census as head of household, and his occupation was glassworker.
Documentation exists for the StClair family living in Elwood, Indiana, by 1891. John Baptiste (Singler) Sr. became a naturalized US citizen on 23 April 1892 in Madison County, Indiana. Ellen Catherine (Nellie) Carroll lived with her family in a rented home at 204 North 9th Street, Elwood. Ellen was one of fourteen children; eight died in childhood. So, by the early 1890s, John “Pop” StClair and Ellen “Nellie” Carroll were living with their families in Elwood. Both families had been drawn to Central Indiana and Elwood by the glass industry. The StClair family definitely came to work at the MacBeth Glass Company, and James Carroll to the Diamond Plate Glass Company. The discovery of natural gas in the Trenton Gas Fields was the primary reason the StClair and Carroll families moved to Elwood. In the 1900 census, John Baptiste Sr. listed his occupation as day labor at the glass factory, and John “Pop”, age 19, listed his occupation as a chimney gatherer at the glass factory. James Carroll in the 1900 census listed his occupation as a day laborer in the glass factory. So, the two families, the StClair and Carroll families, were making glass in Elwood at different glass factories as the supply of natural gas began to diminish.
There was much turmoil from 1900 to 1905 as the gas supply dwindled and the skilled glass workforce was reduced. The Carroll family moved to Pennsylvania and the StClair’s remained in Elwood for a time. Records show that Ellen Catherine Carroll and John StClair were married on 15 July 1903 at St. Alphonsus Catholic Church in Springdale, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. After their wedding, John and Nellie resided at 408 North 5th Street in Elwood, Indiana. Work in various glass houses took Pop and Mom to Butler, Pennsylvania, Fort Smith, Arkansas, and Dunbar, West Virginia, before they returned to Elwood and began raising a family. Marie Louise, 1904-1962; John James 1905-1961; Paul Carroll 1907-2000; Joseph Leo 1909-1987; Rosalia Sarah 1911-1986; Edward Bertrand 1912-1989; Ellen Elizabeth 1914-1915; Dorothy Carolyn 1916-1963; Robert Maurice1919-1986; Margaret Helen 1922-1967; Jane Ann StClair Rice, my mother 1923-1990.
The dwindling supply of natural gas, shortage of skilled craftsmen, and the looming depression had a major impact on Elwood, Indiana, and the country. Most of the StClair family moved to Dunbar, West Virginia, to work, and MacBeth-Evans closed as demolition began in 1937. Joe and Paul StClair, along with their families, remained in Elwood to begin a new adventure, opening their family-owned and operated glassworks in September 1938. Joe, or Jodie, began to experiment and develop an extensive range of “flowers in glass” paperweights, perfume bottles, vases, ashtrays, and later lamps, which became a standard line for the St. Clair family. The five brothers, Aunt Marie Carroll Hirsch, Joe Carroll, and many family members contributed to the early success, which created a high demand for their newly developed product.
Pop and Mom continued to live in the house on 5th Street. Grandmother passed away in 1951, and Grandfather in 1958. Joe took over the reins with brothers Ed and Bob, while Johnny and Paul contributed as well as other family members. Business was going strong, and Joe introduced a line of pressed glass in the early 1960s. He experimented with many colors, continually improving and introducing new designs while utilizing various Greentown glass patterns. In 1971, Uncle Joe “tried” to retire. He sold the family business, all the molds and equipment, to Robert Courtney, and Richard Gregg managed the business for a few years. It was in 1971 that Bob and Maude StClair opened their own small glass studio on State Road 28 in West Elwood. The new glass factory was named Maude and Bob StClair House of Glass. Uncle Bob, Uncle Joe, Uncle Ed, and Joe Rice worked together again until Uncle Joe StClair came out of retirement to purchase the original glass works at 408 North 5th Street in Elwood. For the next twelve years, there were two glass studios owned by the StClair brothers. It was in June 1986 that Bob St. Clair died, and the shop was subsequently closed. Later in October 1987, Uncle Joe passed away, and both glass factories were subsequently closed.
There ensued another transition for the Carroll and StClair family. The only StClairs remaining were my Mother, Jane Ann, and my Uncles, Paul and Ed. I was blessed with the gifts of my family, the help of many, and the guidance of my uncles, all of which were fortified by my experience working with Joe, Bob, Ed, and Paul, starting at the age of twelve. In October 1987, I purchased The House of Glass and continue to uphold my beloved family's traditions to this day. So, from Hugh Carroll in Lancashire, England, in 1851 through August 2024 at The House of Glass, my family and I have been making glass for over 173 years.
It was at a family gathering in 2010 that my cousins began sharing stories about our St. Clair family heritage. Therese StClair Lloyd commented, “Someone should write all this down.” Never did we know that Therese would embark on several years of ancestry research that uncovered many more stories and information that she amassed into the most wonderful and amazing book, “THE FAMILY OF JOHN BAPTISTE AND ELLEN CATHERINE CARROLL STCLAIR”. To Therese goes the credit for all her work on this book. To our family, we dedicate our hard work, passion, and dedication to the wonderful world of glass. The book is available to view only at the Elwood and Tipton Public Libraries. Jar 8-15-2024
~ Therese StClair Lloyd
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