Editing Ford City, Pennsylvania (section)

=== Founding ===
Ford City came into being from the plans of Captain [[John Baptiste Ford|John B. Ford]] (1811-1903), an industrialist interested in establishing a plate-glass industry. In prior endeavors, Ford had owned and operated, among many things, a river shipping line from which he drew his capital. The site upon which Ford City is located consisted roughly 460 acres broken primarily into three farms owned by Ross, Spencer and Graff families.

Ford’s explorations of the area prior to his land acquisitions had discovered the Allegheny River offered a unique asset in its composition. Besides the obvious advantage of low-cost shipping, the Allegheny River is a gravel-bottom river. Characteristics of this type of river were massive deposits of glacial sand, an essential element in the manufacture of glass. Also discovered in the area were huge deposits of natural gas, the fuel source required to fire the immense kilns used to melt the glass’s elements. Having secured his resources, all that Ford required to begin his venture was a very large labor force.

As legends tell, Ford sent agents to glassmaking towns all across Europe. From existing European glass enterprises, his agents quietly recruited experienced glassworkers. Offering a fair day’s wage and affordable housing, Ford’s agents were highly successful in getting the workers Ford needed. They were so successful that some towns in Europe were left nearly emptied of male adult glassworkers. An excellent example of this took place in Stolberg, Germany from which Ford recruited a large number of Ford City’s first glass-working immigrants. From [[Ireland]] and [[France]], Ford lured away men experienced in the supervision of glassworks. The early recruited foreman was offered an excellent wage and the promise of a house with marble-mantled fireplaces. These early workers also brought with them their various faiths in God, which manifested in many different Catholic churches of Ford City, including Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church; Christ Prince of Peace; and St. Francis DePaul.