Heritage Glass Museum facts for kids
| Established | September 23, 1979 |
|---|---|
| Location | Glassboro, New Jersey |
| Type | Local history museum |
| Key holdings | Blenko glass |
The Heritage Glass Museum is a cool place in Glassboro, New Jersey, United States. It teaches visitors all about the amazing history of glass making and glass art in this area. Glassboro has been making glass since 1779! The museum opened in 1979. Its main goal is to share and protect the story of how glass was made and blown in South Jersey.
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About the Museum
The Heritage Glass Museum officially started on September 23, 1979. It's a non-profit organization, which means it's run for public benefit, not to make money. You can find the museum at 25 High Street in Glassboro. This building used to be a bank called Glassboro Title & Trust Company. The bank closed in 1931 during the Great Depression.
Before becoming a museum, the building was the Glassboro Public Library from 1963 to 1979. The land where the museum stands was once part of the very first glass factory in the area, called Stanger Glass Works.
What You Can See
The museum has many interesting exhibits. You can see historic glass items, old bottles, and even animal figurines made of glass art. It also has a huge library filled with books about glass blowing and glass education. The museum sometimes lends out its items for display at other museums and schools.
Glassboro's Early Glass History
In 1779, the Stanger family, who were all skilled glass blowers, moved to this area. They had left another glassworks in Alloway Township, New Jersey. Soloman Stanger found everything needed to make glass here. There was special clay, good quality sand, and plenty of Oak wood for the hot glass furnaces.
There was also a good market for glass across the river in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This new location was near Carpenter’s Landing, close to the narrow Mantua Creek. Soloman bought 200 acres of land to start their business. The Stangers were German immigrants. They had worked in other glass factories in Salem County, New Jersey and Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. They were ready to open their own glass business.
Challenges for the First Glassworks
The Stanger family started their glassworks during the American Revolution. This was a difficult time. The Stanger Glass Works closed in late 1781. This happened mainly because the new American money from the Revolutionary War lost its value. Also, transportation costs were very high, and they couldn't pay their debts.
Glassmaking After the Revolution
After the war, in 1786, Colonels Thomas Heston and Thomas Carpenter bought the glass blowing equipment. Their company, the Heston-Carpenter Glass Works, became very successful. After the partners passed away, the company was sold.
Over many years, the original Stanger Glass Works changed hands several times. It became known by different names, including the Olive Works and the Temperanceville Glass Works. By the mid-1830s, it was called the Harmony Glass Works. In 1838, it became the Whitney Brothers Glass Works. Later, it was bought by the Owens Bottle Company around 1922, and finally by the Owens Illinois Glass Company around 1926.
The Whitney Brothers' Success
Thomas Whitney, the oldest son of Ebenezer Whitney, bought the Whitney Brothers Glass Works in 1838. Ebenezer had moved to Glassboro in 1805 after an accident at sea. For the next 75 years, the Whitney Brothers company grew a lot. At one point, it had over a thousand workers. They also owned thousands of acres of land.
The End of an Era
Glassboro was once the best-equipped and largest glass-producing area in the United States. It made the most different colors and styles of glass in the country. However, by the 1930s, plastics started to replace glass in homes. The time of making lots of glass and glass blowing by hand was slowly coming to an end.
