Corning, New York -
Little Joe Tower - Thermometer Glass Stretching

This 200-ft. tower, centerpiece of historic Corning, is more than just a striking landmark against the blue skies of this Finger Lakes tourist destination; it once served a very practical manufacturing purpose. Corning is the headquarters of Corning Incorporated, a world leader in the manufacture of communications and ceramics technologies. The company, once known as Corning Glass Works, manufactured various household and scientific products, including thermometer tubing. The tubes were produced by using the "vertical draw" process. Skilled technicians and glassworkers formed molten glass batches, then stretched them to the top of the Little Joe Tower using a cable system. This formed a long, continuous tube of hot glass. After cooling, the tubes were cut to desired lengths for thermometers.

Little Joe is by no means little: Local legend traces the name of the tower back to one of the more prominent local glassworkers who spent his days devoted to making glass thermometer tubing in the tower. [Joseph Welch, 09/15/2003]