In the 1830s Forrest Sheppards located Sheppard's Mountain, the Muddy coal diggings, a large amount of lead and pine lands and silica sand rock on the east side of Plattin Creek near its mouth. Dr. Bidwell visited the property in the fall of 1868 and had W. S. Jewett ship two casks of sand to England. The sand proved to be excellent for glass making.

1871-72 Capt. E. B. Ward bought Dr. Bidwell' claim. In May 1872 with Capt. Theodore Luce, as superintendent, the American Plate Glass Company attempted the first plate glass at a new site at the mouth of the Plattin Creek. It only consisted of one box furnace of unknown description. Plagued by investment problems, off color glass, death and sickness, the factory failed after a short time.

In 1876 the Crystal Plate Glass Company built four gas fired furnaces and on large square tables, ground with sand, smoothed with emery and polished with rouge, the first plate glass on the site that produced glass for a hundred years.

By 1886 a railroad had been built to connect the glass factory with the Iron Mountain Railroad at Silica. Originally a narrow gauge it had been widened to standard gauge.

Purchased in 1895 by Pittsburg Plate Glass Company who in 1908 built a new factory powered by steam generated, direct current electricity. Thirty foot round tables laid with glass were moved by bull trucks to the grinders and polishers. With the additional power from the Gas Power House across the creek, Crystal City Works Nine became the largest plate glass plant in the world. The steam generators were shut down in 1925 and the round table G&P dismantled.

Around 1903 just prior to the World's Fair in St. Louis, the St. Louis, Memphis and Southern Railroad purchased the company owned railroad's right-of-way through Crystal and Festus to establish what became the Frisco Line. It is now the Berlington Northern.

Works Nine produced high quality glass for mirrors. prior to 1930 the Beveling Shop and Silvering Room shipped mirrors world wide. After 1935 the Mirror Room became the re inspection department where all plates of mirror and "silvering" quality were re-examined.

1925 Union Electric brought a power line down the east side of the Mississippi River from Cahokia. It crossed the river to a tower on Buck Knob to supply the new factory. Between 1925 and 1930 PPG constructed a continuous flow tank and 1100 foot ribbon grinder and polisher.

In 1935 safety glass laws were enacted. The Duplate Department was opened to produce auto glass made of plastic laminated between two plates of one-eighth inch plate glass. Soon after, the Herculite Department was opened to cut and temper quarter inch glass. By 1964, PPG had established a separate division for auto glass and all production was being done at Greensburg and other plants.


During World War II PPG set up the Bomber Dept. and produced canopy sub assemblies for Curtis Wright (now McDonald Aircraft). Work done by the Duplate Department led to the formation of an Aircraft Glass Division within PPG.

In 1965 PPG obtained a license from an English firm to use their prints to build a Float Tank and Tin Bath. The new Float Glass produced was of high enough quality to be accepted in place of Plate Glass.

With the construction of more Float Plants the market for plate glass dried up and the grinders and polishers closed down in 1972. Seven years after the introduction of Float Glass.

In 1985 first word of Works Nine closing was announced, but it was operated until December of 1990. In May the glass factory at Crystal City turned over to the salvage company. June the first, the doors of the main office were locked. Glass was shipped until December.

The Monday after Christmas 1991, Union Electric shut off the power and the last life blood drained from Crystal City Works Nine.