Entrepreneur and philanthropist John B. Ford, whose innovations advanced the U.S. glass industry, began his career in Floyd County. He lived in Greenville where, by 1837, he owned the Station Building property. After moving to New Albany in the 1850s, he built up a fleet of steam ships. During the Civil War, “Captain” Ford profited from government shipping contracts. In 1867, Ford joined his son Emory in operation of the glassworks company J. B. Ford & Son, which launched the area's glass making industry. In the 1880s and 1890s, Ford established companies near Pittsburgh and Detroit that became glass industry leaders. He stayed connected to Greenville, funding construction of Simpson Memorial United Methodist Church in 1899.