Stiegel, Henry William

Stiegel, Henry William
orig. Heinrich Wilhelm Stiegel

born May 13, 1729, near Cologne
died Jan. 10, 1785, Charming Forge, Pa., U.S.

German-born U.S. ironmaster and glassmaker.

After arriving in Philadelphia in 1750, he quickly became a prosperous ironmaster. In 1762 he bought a huge tract of land in Lancaster County and built the town of Manheim, where he established American Flint Glassworks; there he imported Venetian, German, and English glassworkers to make utilitarian vessels and high-quality blue, purple, green, and clear tableware. He owned three mansions, where his comings and goings were announced by a cannon salute and band music, but his lavish style and adverse economic conditions eventually bankrupted him.

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▪ American glassmaker
German  Heinrich Wilhelm Stiegel  
born May 13, 1729, near Cologne
died Jan. 10, 1785, Charming Forge, Pa., U.S.

      ironmaster, glassmaker (glass), and town builder whose spectacular rise and fall in early American industry is now remembered because of the high-quality blue, purple, green, and crystal-clear glassware that he produced.

      Stiegel arrived in Philadelphia in 1750, and by 1760 he was one of the most prosperous ironmasters in the country, having built the forge Elizabeth Furnace, in Lancaster County, Pa., and a second ironworks, Charming Forge, in Berks County. In 1762 he purchased a huge tract in Lancaster County, where he laid out and built a town, Manheim. Encouraged by the patriotic adoption of a boycott of British imports and having already made window glass and bottles at Elizabeth Furnace, Stiegel built a glassworks, later called the American Flint Glassworks, at Manheim; work began in 1768. He imported Venetian, German, and English glassworkers, to make utilitarian vessels and fine tableware. Nicknamed “Baron” for his lavish style of living, Stiegel maintained three mansions staffed with servants; the one at Manheim, of imported English brick, included a chapel, where he preached the gospel to his workers, and a roof platform, where concerts were given. His comings and goings in a coach-and-four with liveried retainers were announced by a cannon salute and rooftop band music. These princely expenditures and the adverse economic conditions caused by the approaching war and by colonial preference for imported tableware reduced him to bankruptcy. In 1774 he was in debtors prison, and his glassworks was sold. He worked as a foreman at Elizabeth Furnace until that, too, went bankrupt. He then earned a modest living as a preacher and taught school and music until his death. The Zion Lutheran Church at Manheim, which received its land from Stiegel for five shillings and “one red rose annually,” has observed since 1892 a yearly “Ceremony of the Payment of the Rose Day.”

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Stiegel, Henry William — orig. Heinrich Wilhelm Stiegel (13 may. 1729, cerca de Colonia–10 ene. 1785, Charming Forge, Pa., EE.UU.). Maestro fundidor y fabricante de vidrio estadounidense, de origen alemán. Luego de llegar a Filadelfia en 1750, rápidamente se convirtió en …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Henry William Stiegel — Infobox Scientist name = Henry William Stiegel box width = image width =150px caption = birth date = May 13, 1729 birth place = Cologne death date = January 10, 1785 death place = residence = citizenship = Germany United States nationality =… …   Wikipedia

  • Henry William Stiegel — Stadt Manheim in Pennsylvania, um 1907 Henry William Stiegel, genannt Baron Stiegel (* 13. Mai 1729 bei Köln; † 10. Januar 1785 in Manheim, Pennsylvania) war ein deutsch amerikanischer Glasbläser. Leben …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • henry — /hen ree/, n., pl. henries, henrys. Elect. the SI unit of inductance, formally defined to be the inductance of a closed circuit in which an electromotive force of one volt is produced when the electric current in the circuit varies uniformly at a …   Universalium

  • Henry — /hen ree/, n. 1. Joseph, 1797 1878, U.S. physicist. 2. O., pen name of William Sydney Porter. 3. Patrick, 1736 99, American patriot, orator, and statesman. 4. Cape, a cape in SE Virginia at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. 5. Fort. See …   Universalium

  • William — /wil yeuhm/, n. 1. a word formerly used in communications to represent the letter W. 2. a male given name: from Germanic words meaning will and helmet. * * * (as used in expressions) Huddie William Ledbetter Aberhart William George William… …   Universalium

  • Henry — ► sustantivo masculino ELECTRICIDAD Denominación del henrio en la nomenclatura internacional. IRREG. plural henrys * * * henrio o henry (de J. Henry, físico inglés) m. Fís. Unidad de inductancia eléctrica en el Sistema Internacional. * * * …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • henry — ► sustantivo masculino ELECTRICIDAD Denominación del henrio en la nomenclatura internacional. IRREG. plural henrys * * * henrio o henry (de J. Henry, físico inglés) m. Fís. Unidad de inductancia eléctrica en el Sistema Internacional. * * * henry …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Stiegel — bezeichnet: ein Wohngebiet in Albstadt Stiegel ist der Familienname folgender Personen: Henry William Stiegel (1729–1785), genannt Baron Stiegel, deutsch amerikanischer Glasbläser Siehe auch: Stiegl, Stiegele …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • stiegel glass — ˈstēgəl noun Usage: usually capitalized S Etymology: after Henry William Stiegel died 1785 American glassmaker 1. : a late eighteenth century American flint or green glassware made in Pennsylvania; especially : fine flint glassware with engraved… …   Useful english dictionary

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