Hardesty China Company

Written by Mike Spratt

Eugene Hardesty established Hardesty China Company in September 1946 for the manufacture of custom-made china. For several years, Eugene had been employed as a ceramic engineer at Mayer China in Beaver Falls, and had received at least 2 patents dealing with the manufacture of china during his time there.

In November of 1947, he was found in a semi-conscious state on a lonely county road near York, PA, later dying from asphyxiation. A newspaper article stated he had parted ways with Hardesty China just a few weeks before his death.

The New Brighton Historical Society is currently in possession of a few Hardesty plates. These wonderful salt and pepper shakers shown above were recently donated by a resident of New Brighton. They came by way of Roger’s Flea Market, and the seller said to the buyer, “You’ll want these because you are from New Brighton!”

Thank you to the donor for preserving a piece of New Brighton history!

If you have a piece of New Brighton history, contact us. Also, if you have pictures but do not want to part with them, let us make a scan of them for our electronic archive. It’s all about preserving our town's history.