Skilled craftspeople were essential in a plant with the technology of Seneca Glass Company. Most of the original workers came from Europe, in particular from France, Belgium, and Germany. They set up residence near the factory. In the early years of the century, young boys learned the exclusively male trade from their elders. Women etched, washed, and packed. Until just before the firm closed, it was using much the same technology it had when it opened. Sophisticated hand labor and a great deal of time were vital factors in the production of lead crystal. Numerous people handled a single piece: it could take as much as twelve man-hours to produce one goblet.