Glass was made at Jamestown in 1608-09, and again in 1621-24. It was, in
all probability, the first commodity made by the English in a "factory"
in the New World. Many glass fragments were found at the furnace site,
but none was large enough to reveal what specific glass objects were
made there. It appears that drinking glasses may have been among the
items manufactured.
The majority of the glass drinking vessels unearthed at Jamestown were
made in England, although a few were manufactured in Germany, Italy, and
the Low Countries. In the collection are fragments from goblets,
beakers, bowls, and wineglasses. Four of the English wineglass stems
bear makers' seals, rare marks seldom found on English drinking vessels.