Museum of American Glass in West Virginia helps preserve pieces of history

WESTON, W.Va. (WV News) — For more than three decades the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia 

has been providing unique ways to preserve the history of glass in West Virginia.

However a museum wasn’t the facility’s original intention, according to Tom Felt, director of the Museum of American Glass.

“The original plan for the museum was to find a location to put in a research facility,” 

Felt said. “Specifically for people who are interested in doing research on glassware.”

Dean Six, the museum’s founder, was a collector and was also greatly interested in research. 

Eventually he was talked into the idea of opening a museum instead, Felt said.

The museum opened in 1998, Felt said.

“It was a small venue, somewhere in the ballpark of 1,600 square foot on Main St. in Weston,” 

he said. “Then we ended up moving to where we are at now.”

The current location originally was a Penny’s Department Store before becoming an antique mall. 

The museum took over the space in 2006 and ended up getting over 10,000 square feet of display space, Felt said.

“We think that it is important to tell the history and heritage of every form of glass made in the United States,” 

he said. “That really gives us a superbly wide variety of glass that we think needs to be on display.”

The displays include “Museum Quality Glass,” which is expensive cut glass from the late 1800s to early 1900s. 

It can also include glass people grew up with, Felt said.

In the back of the museum there are some historical artifacts, Felt said.

“Glass used to be a major American industry,” he said. “Now it has unfortunately almost dwindled to nothing.

 We feel the need to tell that entire story.”

Part of that history is talking about the people who made the glass, blew the glass and formed the glass. 

Another part is showing off the machinery that was used in the glass-making process, Felt said.

There are plans to expand the historical artifacts section, Felt said.

“We want to make that area of the museum a little more accessible while also making it a little bit more comprehensive, 

especially when it comes the actual manufacturing of the glass itself,” he said.

There are also plans to add interactive exhibits such as a glassblowers pipe and bench visitors can hold 

and sit on for pictures, Felt said. Those working at the Museum of American Glass are really dedicated, said Ray Smith, 

executive director of the Lewis County Economic Development Board.“This is a love effort for them,” he said. 

"Glassware is a very niche area. This museum is full of thousands of beautiful pieces of historical glassware.”

The museum is also a great benefit to the local economy, as it tends to bring in a lot of people, Smith said.

“I think the last traffic count was about 30,000 people who drive past exit 96 (on Interstate 79),” he said. 

“The trick is to have these specific niches like glassware. People all across the United States are into this.”

If people are doing research and see the Museum of American Glass, people are more likely to stop 

and spend money in Lewis County, Smith said.