Explore our Historic Glass Preservation Line
These pieces are part of a recurring line of historic items meant to pay homage to the glass companies of WV gone by. Aptly named the Historic Glass Preservation Line, we will explore the history of these great glass companies and revive some of their signature pieces to be offered annually at our Festival of Glass.
2024 Don Shepherd Glass America Moonscape Vase
(Crafted for the 2024 Festival of Glass) Every Festival of Glass, we make a Historic Preservation piece that celebrates and reproduces a stunning design from 20th century glass history. Don Shepherd, our Designer from 1974-1988, had a thriving and innovative studio glass practice under the name Glass America, and designed several eye-catching pieces that blend open moulds for free form shaping juxtaposed against richly-textured graphite plates. This vase - which we're dubbing his 'Moonscape' Vase - takes on craters and ridges and texture in the most beautiful way. A perfect piece for a Year of New Space Age Design.
Made from a stunning triangular, open-air graphite mould, this piece takes on the cratered impression of the moon’s surface, contrasted against the open corners of the piece, which blow out smoothly. The juxtaposition of rough and smooth make this a gorgeously-designed vase, idiosyncratic and unique. In Hay, our Crystal cased Topaz, the piece takes on color variably depending on the thickness of the glass, creating beautiful optics and a natural fade.
2023 Square Wave/TV Vase
(Crafted for the 2023 Festival of Glass) In our fourth instalment ofthe Historical Glass Preservation Line, we reached across the Atlantic to a spiritual aesthetic cousin at Whitefriars Glass and its long-term and trailblazing designer Geoffrey Baxter.
The “Square Wave” is a groovy homage to mid-century atomic forms and psychedelic geometries, both square and wavy. Its ergonomic organic impressions make for good handholds - and also feature a pioneering mould technique developed by our master mould-maker Daniel Chapman. These vases shine in our warm throwback color Topaz and our rich Spring Crocus.
2022 Pilgrim Vase
(Crafted for the 2022 Festival of Glass) This linear, Pilgrim Glass Company pyramid vase is our third annual addition to our Historic Glass Preservation line.
Paying homage to West Virginia glass companies of years gone by, this special line of work explores the history of the rich Appalachian tradition of glasswork and revives some of their most beautiful pieces to be offered once again to the public.
2021 Morgantown Glassware Guild Tumblers
(Crafted for the 2021 Festival of Glass) The second piece in this line of historic preservation belongs to the Morgantown Glassware Guild. This eclectic and functional tumbler was first designed in the 1960’s and was then aptly named ‘Festival’ as it is now part of our 2021 Festival of Glass.
Enjoy a little piece of history with these stunning 5” tall glasses in our Charcoal and Citrine colors. Founded in 1899 in West Virginia, Morgantown Glass Works produced high quality pressed and hand blown glassware throughout the first half of the 20th Century. Originally the company produced clear pressed glass.
By the 1920s, Morgantown gained in popularity as its Depression glassware featured an array of beautiful colors, many situated in chrome holders. The company ceased its operations briefly in the late 1930s, but reopened as Morgantown Glassware Guild Inc. Later, Morgantown became a favorite of the Kennedy White House producing a line of lead crystal glassware for the First Lady. In 1965, Morgantown was sold to the Fostoria Glass Company and was eventually closed in 1971.
2022 Pilgrim Vase
(Crafted for the 2020 Festival of Glass) The first piece in this line of historic preservation belongs to Pilgrim Glass and originally designed by Gene White.
This towering vase stands 18.5” high and is certainly a statement piece for any collector. It is offered in a Turquoise/Crystal Fade The mould for this vase was purchased by Blenko Glass Co during the shutdown of Pilgrim in the early 2000s. Pilgrim Glass, located in Ceredo, WV, was founded in 1956 on Walker Branch Road.
Over the decades, Pilgrim gained a well-deserved reputation for its quality tableware and art glass. Today, many of its glass pieces are eagerly sought by collectors. Unfortunately, in 2001, Alfred Knobler shut down the factory due to being unable to find a buyer.
