Immigrants, Ornaments, and Legacies tells the stories of the companies that created 20th-century Christmas tree decorations. The Shiny Brite story of Max Eckardt and Sons is chronicled along with rival firms that competed to win the key customers of Woolworth’s and Sears. Bernhard Wilmsen was one of the first Christmas vendors to Woolworth’s and continued to be for decades. George Franke emigrated from Germany to America during the U.S. Civil War and employed hundreds of people in Baltimore, Maryland. National Tinsel Manufacturing in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, would be a recognized Christmas industry leader until a 1991 merger worth $90 million.
Before millions of Christmas bulbs were manufactured and sold in America, thousands were imported. Beginning as a family business in Lauscha, Germany, many husbands, wives, and children handcrafted glass ornaments. As early German immigrants came to the United States, they evolved the industry with inventions and patents. Survival and prosperity were never guaranteed as the companies struggled during precarious times of tariffs, trade wars, and world wars. If not for Corning Glass Works in Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, inventing the means to make 80 million glass bulbs a year, the modern era of Christmas tree decorations would have stopped with German blockades and boycotts.
With rich details using photographs and statistics, the American glass Christmas bulb industry is documented from the 1800s to the 1960s. In their own words, family descendants of ornament makers share their favorite memories of being surrounded by Christmas all year and their special holiday traditions that live on today.
Immigrants, Ornaments, and Legacies is a family-centered story of decades of Christmas tree decorations that are highly collectible today. Tips to identify and date ornaments are included to help collectors who have rescued bulbs or lovingly saved them for generations.