Today the casual antique collector likely just knows Pairpoint as the lamp company that made puffy shades with fruit and flowers. However, The Pairpoint Manufacturing Company actually dates back to 1880. Long before they made lamps and shades they were busy making silver. Below are some key dates in the company’s history.
1880 – Pairpoint Manufactoring Co. opened in New Bedford, Massachusetts. They made silver plate items right beside The Mount Washington Glass Company. Most of the silver was for use by Mt. Washington Glass.
1894 – Pairpoint merged with Mt Washington.
1900 – The Pairpoint Corporation is formed from the reorganization of The Pairpoint Manufacturing Co.
1907 – The company received a patent for “electrolier” lamps. You will often see this mark “The Pairpoint Corp., Patented July 1907” on some lamps.
1938 – Glass and silver production ended at The Pairpoint Corporation. The name was changed to National Pairpoint Company.
1939 until 1970 – Several different companies tried to make a go of it at the Pairpoint plant. Gunderson Glass Works Inc., Corcoran Fine Arts Inc., National Pairpoint Company, and Gunderson-Pairpoint Glass Works were of the different names of future endeavors at the New Bedford plant.
