Somerset Glass Plant

Construction of the Somerset Glass Plant began in 1957, with the first glass flowing from its furnace in 1959. It was was built as a dedicated new facility for the high volume production of pressed glass ware, taking over this role from the nearby Kentucky Glass Plant so as to allow that facility to concentrate on its core activity of blowing soft-glass bulbs. A further expansion was made in 2010 when Somerset absorbed the smaller pressed glass operations of the Mahoning Glass Plant. For over six decades Somerset was GE's leading facility for pressed glassware for sealed beam and other reflector lamps, but its production declined sharply as these were gradually replaced by more energy-efficient light sources. The inevitable announcement of a combined closure of both Lexington Lamp Plant (with 139 staff) and its raw material supplier the Somerset Glass Plant (71 employees), was made in April 2016. Both were said to be operating at 80% below capacity, and no longer economically viable. Production was gradually phased out from the 19th June 2017, and finally came to a close on 11th August 2017. The factory was demolished by March 2018, and the legendary "GE Fields" stadium at the Western side of the 85-acre site was donated to the city of Somerset.