The Search For The Birth Of Fiberglass – Mysterious Pennsylvania Location Revealed


Hi Gang…

Rick D’Louhy and I aren’t just out there gathering information on the vintage ‘glass cars of the ‘50s and beyond.  We’re looking to find all historical reference materials, stories, and locations where the legendary material was dreamed of, conceived, created, and formulated.

We are looking for “where it all began…” the “Big Bang” of fiberglass.  And we may have just found it!

During my recent travels throughout the Northeast (click here to review the latest fiberglass odessey...), I had a chance to track down and locate a long rumored about fiberglass site – lost to the ages.  Through intense research, cross-checking of facts, review of ancient maps, interviews with multitudes of folks from bygone eras, we pinpointed a likely location to investigate, and our search began.

I filmed the discovery – about 6 minutes long – and placed it here for your review.  Filming was a necessity because once I started down this path, I wasn’t sure I would return, so leaving evidence of the attempt on video was a critical step to documenting what happened – if anything – during this visit.

So now…for the first time….each of you will get a special look into what might be the fiberglass discovery of the century….where the first fibers of glass were weaved and the molten resin poured.  And be sure to catch the references to Merrill Powell of Victress.  Only Merrill may be able to help, so chime in after reading the story, Merrill 🙂

Onward and upward….click on the triangle in the center of the image below to watch the six minute video…And beware…..I look a bit worse for wear in the video….It was in the 30s outside and I’m a Florida guy – that was darn cold to me!

 

[vsw id=”JNsN0wqtO0U&list” source=”youtube” width=”600″ height=”486″ autoplay=”no”]

 

The Rest Of The Story:

Forgotten Fiberglass has taken on the task of saving, dismantling, transporting, and restoring this legendary piece of fiberglass.  This saucer has been saved, and our team assembled to bring it home early this Spring.  Some of you may think we can take it home as easily as the picture below suggests.  I wish that were the case (thanks to good fiber-friend Harold Pace for the picture below).

 

 

Here are some more pictures of this vintage piece of history – what is known as a “Futuro” portable home – built of fiberglass in the early 1970’s:

 

 

And, for those of you interested in learning more about what a “Futuro Home” is, click here.

 

You Can Be Part Of The Next Step In The “Futuro” Adventure!

Our team leaves in just a few weeks to begin disassembly.  Those of you interested in joining this raucous and ragtag group of individuals who will no doubt assault this project, can contact me for more information via e-mail at Geoffrey@forgottenfiberglass.com  If you have been looking for a fiberglass adventure to spice up your life, have I got a project for you! (meals and entertainment included).

Summary:

Hope you enjoyed the story, and until next time…

Glass on gang…

Geoff
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Comments

The Search For The Birth Of Fiberglass – Mysterious Pennsylvania Location Revealed — 11 Comments

  1. The saucer is absolutely perfect for Florida! Well, maybe L.A. in a pinch. But in Florida with the humidity they’re going to start breeding like mad!

  2. OMG! Could it be that Geoff has discovered the Holy Grail of fiberglass? Then again it could just be a Holey Grail. Only true Glassheads can grasp the magnitude of this discovery! Thanks Geoff.

  3. Glenn….it’s the same one you mention in Philadelphia – no pictures so far of what it originally looked like. It will be fun to restore – after getting it back to Tampa. Want to help? Geoff

  4. Geoff – COOL FIND! I assume and maybe incorrectly, that this Futuro saucer is the one that served as a restaurant in Philadelphia. If so, have you found any pictures of when it used to serve food? I know that there was one of these in Tampa that was used as a VIP lounge on top of a gentleman’s club – did you live in Tampa then? Last question – what do you plan to do with it?

  5. From this point in time forward, our beloved Fiberglass Leader will, for better or worse, henceforth be known to us and historians of the future as “Indiana Hacker”

  6. Dennis….I can’t think of a higher compliment 🙂 Thanks for the kind words….and hope you enjoyed the story. Do you want to be on the “team” for disassembly this Spring? Geoff

  7. ~ pretty cool, geoff! during the early ’70s as a fan of bucky fuller i visited & photographed as many geodesic domes as i could find. during an excursion to colorado to meet with friends who were building domes i had the opportunity to tour a display of one of these units (though not a geodesic) as it was being constructed for the franchisee for the rocky mountain territory. somewhere among all of my collected alternative energy & building information i have an original brochure for the manufacturer. now, finding it may be a more difficult proposition. thanks, scot

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