Museum of American Glass in West Virginia facts for kids
The West Virginia Museum of American Glass is a special place in Weston, West Virginia. It's in Lewis County, West Virginia, USA. This museum started in 1993. Its main goal is to find, collect, share, and save information and items about the glass industry. This includes glass made in West Virginia, all over the United States, and even other places where glass has been made. In 2008, the museum's name changed to The Museum of American Glass in West Virginia. This new name shows that it collects and teaches about glass from all over America, not just West Virginia.
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History of the Glass Museum
For many years, Lewis County in central West Virginia was a big center for glass making. In the 1940s, it was even known as the largest producer of hand-blown stemware (like wine glasses) in the world! About thirty glass factories were once located there.
How the Museum Idea Started
In 1990, a glass expert named Dean Six thought West Virginia needed a major museum. He wanted a place to save items from the glass industry, show off beautiful glass pieces, and help people research glass history. Merle Moore, who worked for the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce, heard about his idea. She invited Dean Six to Weston.
With some help, they formed a group to discuss the museum idea. This group included local leaders and people from the glass industry. They all agreed that a glass museum and research center should be created.
Building the Museum Foundation
In May 1992, a group called the Weston Area Glass History and Study Group formed. It was made up of retired glassworkers and people who loved glass. This group worked hard to get the museum started. They raised money and began buying historical glass pieces for the future museum.
The official paperwork to create The West Virginia Museum of American Glass, Ltd. was signed in April 1993. It became a non-profit organization in May 1993. In July 1994, it received special tax-exempt status. Later, a study was done to see how much a big glass museum would help the local economy.
Finding a Home for the Glass Collection
In 1995, there were plans to put the museum in either the old Weston State Hospital or another building in Weston. Neither of those places worked out. But on October 1, 1996, the museum received a state grant to buy its own building.
In the winter of 1996, some of the museum's glass collection was shown in an antiques mall in Weston. Then, on April 25, 1998, the West Virginia Museum of American Glass, Ltd. officially opened to the public. It was in a former drug store building in downtown Weston. This first location had about 800 square feet for displays.
As the collection grew, the museum needed more space. In September 2006, an agreement was made to buy the former JCPenney's department store building. This much larger building, located at 230 Main Avenue, has been the museum's home ever since.
Museum Glass Collection
The museum has an amazing collection of American glass. It covers glass made from the 1800s all the way to today. About 18,000 pieces of almost every type of American glass are on display for everyone to see. There are also thousands more pieces stored safely, which are available for research and study.
Many groups and people have given their glass collections or display cases to the museum. For example, the museum has Steuben Glass from a famous Broadway producer's collection. It also has Cameo glass made by West Virginia artist Kelsey Murphy and glass paperweights from the Degenhart Museum.
Glass Research Library
The Dorothy B. Dagherty Research Library is part of the museum. It has thousands of books about glass history and how to identify different glass pieces. It also holds old records from the American Flint Glass Workers' Union of North America. These include meeting notes from 1878 to 1996 and copies of their monthly magazine, The American Flint, from 1910 to 2000.
Historical Glass Archives
The museum also keeps a large collection of historical papers and documents. These include hundreds of original glass catalogs, letters from glass factories, old advertisements, photographs, original artwork, and factory production records. It also has unique records from the American Flint Glass Workers' Union, which are important for both glass and labor history. The museum also has a "virtual museum" online, which lists over 34,000 glass objects and thousands of photos and documents.
Museum Programs and Events
Even before the museum officially started, a glass history conference was held in Weston in 1992. This event is now called the Glass Gathering. It's a two-day research conference that the museum has sponsored every year since it began. It takes place in Weston one year and in a different city the next.
Other yearly events include a symposium (a meeting for experts) about American Mid-Century Modern Glass. The museum also hosts meetings for "The Ancient and Honorable Order of Glass Flakes." This is a special group of internationally known glass researchers and authors who are invited to join.
