Fort Meigs

Manufacturer Bakewell, Pears & Company (American (Pittsburgh, PA), 1808 - 1882)

Date1826 - 1840

OriginU.S.A., Midwestern

MediumGlass, clear pressed, flint

Dimensions3 5/8 in. diameter (9.2 cm)

ClassificationsDecorative Arts, Glass

Credit LineGift of Ann and Henry Brunnier. In the Ann and Henry Brunnier Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object number3.15.49

Status

On view

Collections

Decorative Arts

CultureAmerican

Label TextFort Meigs served as a key American military fort during the War of 1812, located along the Maumee River in present-day Perrysburg, Ohio. General William Henry Harrison directed its construction in 1813, creating the largest wooden fortification in North America at the time. Fort Meigs played a crucial role in resisting British and Native American forces during two major sieges in 1813, helping the United States secure control of the Northwest Territory. Today, the site preserves Fort Meigs as a historic landmark, where visitors explore its significance through reconstructed fort walls and historical reenactments. Cup plates served as small coasters designed to hold a teacup. English artisans first produced them in the early 1800s, and Americans used them widely during the first half of the 19th century. Their popularity peaked in the 1840s in the United States, when manufacturers introduced patriotic or historical designs featuring monuments, important steamships, and busts of famous men. Cup plates also acted as precursors to the highly specialized Victorian-era dishware, such as ice cream sets, berry sets, and lemonade sets. Barber, Edwin Atlee (1900). “Glass Cup Plates”. American Glassware, Old and New: A Sketch of the Glass Industry in the United States and Manual for Collectors of Historical Bottles. Press of Patterson & White Company. pp. 83–88. Shadel, Jane S. (1971). “Documented Use of Cup Plates in the Nineteenth Century”. Journal of Glass Studies. 13: 128–133.

PeriodLacy Period

Locations