The location was ideal for making glass because silica-based sand is plentiful in southern New Jersey, the Maurice River flowing through Millville provided a source of water, and plentiful forests provided energy for industrial processes.

The Millville glass works was founded by James Lee and went through several changes of ownership.

The company developed several innovations in formulas used to make the glass, and in the manufacturing methods for bottles.

Whitall Tatum mass-produced special-order prescription bottles for hundreds of pharmacies, such as Smith & Hodgson in downtown Philadelphia, embossed with their names and addresses and also marked "W.T.

Whitall Tatum entered the insulator manufacturing market in 1922, mass-producing them for use on power and communications lines across the country.