Brady Township's Glass Sand

Did you know? Sandstone of superior quality for making glass came from Rocky Ridge in Brady Township. In 1854 Ulrey, King and Company began quarrying sandstone for glass, shipping the crude stone to Pittsburgh, where, after it was reduced, the sand was found to be of superior quality.

Mr. King of Pittsburgh and Elliott Robley and D. H. Foster of Brady then experimented with crushing the stone at the quarry itself. A machine driven by steam power was finally devised and successfully set to work in 1857.

The township also had an iron furnace. Mill Creek Furnace, built in 1838, employed about one hundred and twenty men when fully operated, and more than forty houses were built in Brady for its workers. E. A. Green and Company put it back in blast in 1863, but it blew out after six years and was still idle in 1883. Africa's county history, published that year, says that since the furnace stopped, quarrying and crushing sandstone for glass had been the principal industry of the township.

Checked 2026-10-30 · County histories and primary sources, read in full

← All stories from Brady township

Have something to add to this story, or a photograph of it? Send it here →