What is a Mason Jar?
The familiar term Mason Jar is named after its inventor, Mr. John L. Mason, who, at age 26, was a tin smith in New York City. The perfected a machine which could cut threads into lids, which ushered in the ability of manufacturing a jar with a reusable, screw-on, lid. Historians believe the first jars were made at Crowleytown’s Atlantic Glass Works, in Crowleytown, New Jersey. These jars freed farm families from having to rely on pickle barrels, root cellars, and smoke houses to get through the winter. For urban families, Mason Jars allowed excess fruits and vegetables to be preserved for use later. These jars carry the familiar embossing “Mason’s Patent Nov. 30th 1858”. This date refers to the original patent date, not the actual date of manufacture. Jars carrying this embossing, often with other monograms, numbers, letters, etc., were widely produced until about 1920.
