Karen’s Opinion

I recently ran across a blog post of a fellow blogger that intrigued me. She was admiring a photo of a Mason jar. She talked about how well the photo showed the shadows and other qualities that are apparently important to photographers. I don’t know anything about photography but when she questioned why the jar was imprinted with the name Mason, my curiosity of the matter was piqued. Living close to the Ball jar manufacturing plant here in Indiana, I have learned of their history a while back. I have collected a few of the jars with Ball imprinted on them. Perhaps you have heard of Ball State University. That is where David Letterman went to college and where he has donated tons of money. There is a campus building named for him to honor his generosity.

After some searching, I can now say I know a little bit about Mason jars. Mass-produced glass canning jars, also known as Mason jars after their inventor John L. Mason, Ball jars after one of the earliest manufacturers of the jars, and fruit jars because many are decorated with a fruit pattern, have been manufactured since the early 1850s. An earlier British jar is known as the Kilner jar. Mason jars are made of glass, and come in a variety of sizes including quart, pint, half-gallon, and cup sizes, as well as in wide-mouth and regular mouth shapes.

Modern glass Mason jars are sealed with a flat metal lid, held on either by a vacuum seal (created during canning), or by a metal band that screws onto the neck of the jar. The lids are sold separately so that the jars and bands can be reused.