CELEBRATING MUSEUM OF AMERICAN GLASS IN WEST VIRGINIA

A Timeline

19901991199219931994199519961997 19981999200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020

1990

Dean Six, glass researcher and author, in partnership with Merle Moore, the Director of the Lewis County Chamber of Commerce, formed a local glass study group. A grant was received to fund a one-day meeting with local and state officials that resulted in plans being drawn up to create a glass museum and research facility.

    1992

    The first regional glass history conference was held – now known as the Glass Gathering, held every year since except for the Covid-19 Pandemic year 2020. See our Calendar for this year’s location.

    1993

    The West Virginia Museum of American Glass, Ltd., was incorporated.

      1994

      July 24, 1994

      501(c)(3) non-profit tax-exempt status was granted.

      1995

      October 13-14, 1995

      The 4th Glass Gathering was held in Williamstown, WV.

        1996

        Spring 1996

        The initial issue of The Glory Hole, MAG’s first newsletter, was published. It continued to be printed until 2003, at which time it was absorbed as a feature in All About Glass.

        October 1, 1996

        $35,000 was received from the State of West Virginia in recognition of the museum’s efforts on behalf of preservation.

        October 1996

        The 5th Glass Gathering was held in Wheeling, WV.

        Winter 1996

        With newly purchased oak cabinets, MAG opened a display of museum-owned glass in the Penny Saved Antique Mall on Main Avenue in Weston, expanding our display from three cases previously housed in a room apart from the antique mall. Little was it known at the time that 10 years later we would own the entire building!

        1997

        November 7-8, 1997

        The 6th Glass Gathering was held in Morgantown, WV

          1998

          April 25, 1998

          We celebrated the grand opening of our first building on Main Avenue, with 800 square feet of public display area, 1,500 square feet including the cramped upper floors.

          October 23-24, 1998

          The 7th Glass Gathering was held in Greensboro, NC

          1999

          Our first monograph – C. E. Borchert Glass Co., Weston, West Virginia – was published. Our monograph series now includes hundreds of titles.

            October 8-9, 1999

            The 8th Glass Gathering was back in Weston.

              2000

              October 2000

              The 9th Glass Gathering was again held in Weston.

                2001

                October 26-27, 2001

                The 10th Glass Gathering was held in Washington, PA.

                  2002

                  Fall 2002

                  Owens-Illinois donated some 3,000 O-I bottles and 31 show cases from their headquarters in Toledo, OH. Those show cases now fill one entire wall in MAG’s current building.

                    October 25-26, 2002

                    The 11th Glass Gathering was held in Cambridge, OH.

                      2003

                      L. G. Wright Glass published by Schiffer, the first book written by MAG.

                      April 2003

                      The first issue of All About Glass was mailed. This timeline first appeared in the sixty-first issue.

                      December 1-2, 2003

                      The 12th Glass Gathering was held in Weston.

                      2004

                      April 2004

                      Kelsey Murphy donated 15 pieces of cameo glass, giving us the nucleus of our collection of works by this extraordinary artist, which includes the Four Seasons of the Cardinal vases.

                        October 15-16, 2004

                        The 13th Glass Gathering was held in Weston.

                        2005

                        The Black Glass Encyclopedia was published by Schiffer, the second book written by MAG.

                        August 20, 2005

                        MAG held its first annual bottle show

                        October 15-16, 2005

                        The 14th Glass Gathering was held in Halton Hills, Canada.

                        2006

                        August 18, 2006

                        We opened our eBay store

                        September 25, 2006

                        We signed an agreement to purchase the Penny Saved Antique Mall on Main Avenue —over 10,000 square feet of public display space.

                        October 13-14, 2006

                        The 15th Glass Gathering was held in Tiffin and Toledo, OH

                        2007

                        January 20, 2007

                        Gil Bowen’s collection of close to 600 glass hen on nest covered dishes was donated to MAG.

                        January 25-29, 2007

                        The move from the old building to our new one began, with all display cases and glass moved over one long weekend!

                        March 2007

                        The Ancient and Honorable Order of Glass Flakes was established, an informal group of glass researchers and authors, meeting annually at MAG by invitation only.

                        Spring 2007

                        Celery Vases by Dorothy Daugherty in cooperation with MAG was published. A substantial part of Dottie’s celery vases became a permanent part of MAG’s collection

                        July 14, 2007

                        The West Virginia Commission on the Arts approved a grant for $9,000 to match funds already raised to renovate the restrooms to meet ADA requirements. This work was completed October 18, 2007.

                        September 22, 2007

                        Our name was changed to the Museum of American Glass in West Virginia, to prevent confusion on the part of the public who thought that we only had glass from West Virginia. Our legal name did not change.

                        October 19-20, 2007

                        The 16th Glass Gathering was held in Weston, WV.

                        2008

                        October 24-25, 2008

                        The 17th Glass Gathering was held in Corning, NY.

                        Late 2008

                        The Dorothy S. Daugherty Library for Glass Research opened

                        2009

                        February 25, 2009

                        The archives of the American Flint Glass Workers’ Union were placed in the custody of MAG. In February 2014, the United Steel Workers signed an agreement with MAG permanently transferring ownership to us, including all intellectual property rights.

                        April 27, 2009

                        Items from the National Marble Museum, which became part of MAG in 2008, were first placed on display

                        Late Summer 2009

                        The Karl H. Koepke Trust Collection was donated to MAG, becoming the nucleus of one of the largest collections anywhere of flint glass, early American pattern glass, and early lighting.

                        August 28, 2009

                        The Fred Hopper Collection of Black Glass was donated to MAG.

                        October 23-24, 2009

                        The 18th Glass Gathering was held in Weston. Blenko Man, commissioned by Rock Wilson and created by John Zidek, was unveiled for the first time.

                        October 25, 2009

                        We inaugurated a campaign to “Match the Money – and the Museum is Ours!” An anonymous donor matched $45,000. The six month campaign raised $60,803.10, allowing us to retire our mortgage early and to own the building free and clear. The mortgage was ceremonially burned at the 2011 Gathering.

                        December 3, 2009

                        Ed and Virginia Perva donated a collection of nearly 500 carnival glass tumblers.

                        2010

                        January 2010

                        MAG set up our Facebook page.

                        September 27, 2010

                        The West Virginia Commission on the Arts approved a matching grant in the amount of $22,900 to enclose and climate control a room on the second floor of the building for archival storage. Work began on this project in February 2011 and was completed later that year.

                        October 13, 2010

                        Craig Schenning donated over 650 pieces from the Indiana Glass Company.

                        October 22-23, 2010

                        The 19th Glass Gathering was held in Noblesville, IN.

                        October 29, 2010

                        A mural (oil on canvas), now hanging in the Gallery, originally painted in 1949 by Pittsburgh area artist, Robert Young, for the Carnegie Museum’s 1949 exhibition of “Early Glass of the Pittsburgh District, 1797-1891,” was donated to MAG by the Lester Dequaine Foundation, Inc.

                        2011

                        April 2011

                        The Degenhart dining room was installed at MAG, gift of the Degenhart Glass Museum.

                        May 24, 2011

                        A collection of 907 sherbets was donated by Kay Reiber.

                        July 22-23, 2011

                        The Open Salt Collectors, Central Atlantic Salt Collectors, and New England Society of Open Salt Collectors met at MAG to dedicate the display case that they funded and filled with donated salts.

                        October 7, 2011

                        We received a large part of the Degenhart Museum’s holdings, following its closing. This comprised not only Degenhart glass, but also an extensive collection of paperweights. When combined with our own holdings, this gave us one of the four or five largest paperweight collections in the United States.

                        October 21-22, 2011

                        The 20th Glass Gathering was held in Weston.

                        October 22, 2011

                        We began a six-month campaign, “Give Birth to a Dream: MAG’s new addition in nine months!” With a matching grant for $50,000 from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, the campaign successfully raised funds to construct a two-story addition to the museum to house a glass studio, kitchen, and storage facility on the first floor, and room for accessioning and photography on the second.

                        October 25, 2011

                        The stained glass doors from Saint Patrick’s Church in Weston, which had been removed when the church was renovated, were given to MAG by the Archdiocese. They are now on display in the Gallery.

                        2012

                        September 28-29, 2012

                        The first American Mid-Century Modern Glass Symposium was held at MAG. This has now become an annual event.

                        October 19-29, 2012

                        The 21st Glass Gathering was held in Cumberland, MD.

                        2013

                        July 2013

                        The first Glass Flakes Press book was published. The imprint continues to grow with two or three new books published every year.

                        October 2013

                        Publication of A Glass Lover’s Cookbook.

                        October 18-19, 2013

                        The 22nd Glass Gathering was held in Weston, WV.

                        2014

                        July 27, 2014

                        We received a donation of 690 spooners from Don and Peggy Wilkinson, to add to the already large collection of spooners donated by Conrad Bergo in 2012-2013. We now have close to 900 spooners!

                        September 29, 2014

                        The United States of American Glass Collection was inaugurated, with the aim of ultimately having at least one piece of studio art glass from every state represented. It continues to grow, but we are still missing some states.

                        October 10-12, 2014

                        The “Weekend of 1,000 Lamps” was held at MAG, with volunteers from around the country assisting in unpacking the John and Peggy Craven Lamp Collection, an exceptional donation that turned out to be over 2,167 pieces. With the collection of over 200 Aladdin lamps donated by the Mystic Knights, MAG’s collection of 19th and 20th century lighting has grown to be one of the largest anywhere.

                        October 24-25, 2014

                        The 23rd Glass Gathering was held in Pittsburgh, PA.

                        2015

                        February 14, 2015

                        The first Valentines Chocolate Lovers Feast was held – a fund-raiser that continues to be one of our most popular ever!

                        April 2015

                        MAG launched our virtual museum, http://magwv.pastperfectonline.com.

                        May 20, 2015

                        The Alliance of Glass Museums of America held its first meeting at MAG

                        July 15, 2015

                        Our “Face the Future” campaign was announced. Initial emphasis was on creating a streetscape exterior for the museum, which was not received with great enthusiasm. A much less expensive faux front was installed instead and the thrust of the campaign became that of making necessary improvements to the building, including installing a new HVAC system and many other upgrades.

                        October 23-24, 2015

                        The 24th Glass Gathering was held in Weston, WV.

                        2016

                        February 2016

                        A billboard advertising MAG was put in place on I-79 South at mile marker 114.

                        March 10, 2016

                        MAG was honored to receive the Governor’s Award for the Arts for excellence in support of the arts in WV.

                        October 1, 2016

                        The Martin Massman Collection of Steuben Glass went on display, believed to be the second largest collection of contemporary Steuben in the world.

                        October 21-22, 2016

                        The 25th Glass Gathering was held in Cleveland, OH.

                        December 24, 2016

                        MAG received a magnificent 10-room Lady Jane stained glass dollhouse, gift of Shirley Skiviat, daughter of the original owners, Barbara and Bernie Bischoff.

                        2017

                        April 14, 2017

                        MAG was given several hundred pieces of L. E. Smith, Bryce, and Lenox from the collection of the Mount Pleasant Glass Museum, after its closing.

                        July 13, 2017

                        MAG received over 500 pieces from Verle and Nancy Davison. About half the collection is rich cut glass, the remainder vaseline.

                        July 17, 2017

                        Mary Ann Fitz donated nearly 400 pieces of Morgantown glass

                        July 21, 2017

                        Nancy Minahan donated over 500 creams and sugars.

                        July 31, 2017

                        Phyllis Petcoff donated over 5,000 pieces of flint glass and early pattern glass.

                        October 20-21, 2017

                        The 26th Glass Gathering was held in White Mills, PA.

                        2018

                        October 25-27, 2018

                        The 27th Glass Gathering was held in Weston, WV, celebrating our 25th Anniversary.

                        2019

                        August 2019

                        New LVT flooring was laid in the Gallery and museum store, phase 1 of our project to replace the old orange carpet throughout the Museum.

                        October 25-26, 2019

                        The 28th Glass Gathering was held in Newark, OH

                        2020

                        April – May 2020

                        The Museum was closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. All events for the remainder of the year, including the Gathering, were canceled.

                        July 2020

                        Thanks to a generous donation, MAG purchased a house immediately behind the Museum to be used as an Annex for storage, as well as a rental property.

                        September 27, 2020

                        The mural on the side of our building, painted by Jesse Corlis, was completed. Its formal dedication had to be postponed until 2021 because of the pandemic.