The glass tableware industry grew as hotels and restaurants needed more dishes and glasses. New machines, like presses and molds, made it easier to produce table glasses, bowls, and cups without requiring highly skilled workers. Major companies such as Fostoria and Fenton started in Ohio but moved to West Virginia for cheaper land and fuel. Their new machines made them leaders in the industry while using less expensive labor.

Between 1825 and 1980, West Virginia was home to about 15 percent of the pressed-glass tableware plants in the United States.