The Root Glass Company The Root Glass Company The Root Glass Company originated as Root Glass Works in Vigo County, Indiana. Businessman and Pennsylvania native Chapman J. Root (November 22, 1864 - November 20, 1945) opened the original glass company on May 27, 1901, at Third and Voorhees Streets a year after he moved to the city of Terre Haute, Indiana. By 1904 the company was manufacturing beverage bottles for Coca-Cola as well as several other beverage companies in the area. Between 1905 and 1912 the Root Glass Company workforce increased from 600 to 825 employees. In 1915, Root's company entered a Coca-Cola contest
Westmoreland Glass Company changed its name to the Westmoreland Glass Company. Prior to his departure, George West created a large decorating department at Westmoreland. Under the direction of Charles West, the company began to make high-quality hand-decorated glass from the 1920s through the 1930s, some of which was exhibited at the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1937, Charles West retired and sold his interest to the Brainard family, which controlled the company until 1980. In the 1940s, the Brainards phased out the high-quality hand-decorated glass and began to produce primarily milk glass. In 1980, the Brainards sold the company to St. Louis,