The Museum of Connecticut Glass is a museum about 19th Century glass Coventry, Connecticut, founded on February 12, 1994. It is located in the Captain John Turner House (1813) [1] [2] [3]
The Museum of Connecticut Glass is a museum about 19th Century glass Coventry, Connecticut, founded on February 12, 1994. It is located in the Captain John Turner House (1813) [1] [2] [3]
With its location in Coventry, one of its main focuses is the glassmaking industry in the town, which was prevalent and in business from approximately 1814–1848. The museum itself, and its location in the Capt. John Turner House is significant as its namesake was one of the first owners of the factory, the site of which still exists in the form of a foundation just up the road. The house itself is one of the last remaining sites on the National Historic Glass Factory District. There is currently an ongoing archeological excavation of shards from the original glasshouse being run by the museum in the cornfield directly next to the house, where deposited by one of the early owner's, Rufus Chamberlain in order to "sweeten, and aerate the soil".
There are many other glass factories as well that the museum studies, and preserves the history of. These include those such as the Pitkin Glassworks in modern-day Manchester, previously part of East Hartford, which was in business from 1783 to approximately 1830, the Mather Glassworks, also in what was once part of East Hartford which ran from 1806 until 1821, the West Willington Glass Co., in West Willington, which was in business from 1814 to 1872, the Glastonbury Glassworks, in Glastonbury which was running from 1816 until about 1827/1833, the New London Glassworks, in New London, which was in business from 1856 until after 1868, the Westford Glass Co., in Westford, which was running from 1857 to 1873, and the Meriden Flint Glass Co., in Meriden which was in business from 1876 to 1888.
The Museum is currently restoring the Turner House, and is also working on creating a solar-based glassmaking operation called “Sun-Fired Glass”, the first of its kind in the world.
Glastonbury is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States, formally founded in 1693 and first settled in 1636. It was named after Glastonbury in Somerset, England. Glastonbury is on the banks of the Connecticut River, 7 miles (11 km) southeast of Hartford. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The town center is defined by the U.S. Census Bureau as a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 35,159 at the 2020 census.
Manchester is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. As of the 2020 census, the town had a total population of 59,713. The urban center of the town is the Manchester census-designated place, with a population of 36,379 at the 2020 census. The town is named after Manchester, in England.
Coventry is a town in the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut. The population was 12,235 at the 2020 census. The birthplace of Captain Nathan Hale, Coventry is home to the Nathan Hale Homestead, which is now a museum open to the public. Coventry was incorporated in May 1712.
Willington is a town in Tolland County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region. The population was 5,566 at the 2020 census.
Murano is a series of islands linked by bridges in the Venetian Lagoon, northern Italy. It lies about 1.5 km (1 mi) north of Venice and measures about 1.5 km (1 mi) across with a population of just over 5,000. It is famous for its glass making. It was once an independent comune, but is now a frazione of the comune of Venice.
Meriden is a city in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States, located halfway between the regional cities of New Haven and Hartford. The city is part of the South Central Connecticut Planning Region. In 2020, the population of the city was 60,850.
Riedel Crystal is a glassware manufacturer based in Kufstein, Austria, best known for its glassware designed to enhance different types of wines. According to Petr Novy, Chief curator Museum of Glass and Jewellery in Jablonec nad Nisou, Czech Republic, Riedel is the oldest family owned and operated global crystal glass brand worldwide. Established in Bohemia in 1756, the company is managed by Georg Riedel and Maximilian Riedel. Later, it was re-established by Claus J. Riedel in 1956, with the support of the Swarovski family.
WKSS is an American radio station operated by iHeartMedia, Inc. in the Hartford-New Britain-Middletown, Connecticut, radio market. It broadcasts from its original transmitter site in Meriden, and has a rare dual city of license of Hartford-Meriden.
Connecticut's 2nd congressional district is a congressional district in the U.S. state of Connecticut. Located in the eastern part of the state, the district includes all of New London County, Tolland County, and Windham County, along with parts of Hartford, Middlesex, and New Haven counties. Principal cities include Enfield, Norwich, New London, and Groton.
The Connecticut Company was the primary electric street railway company in the U.S. state of Connecticut, operating both city and rural trolleys and freight service. It was controlled by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad, which also controlled most steam railroads in the state. After 1936, when one of its major leases was dissolved, it continued operating streetcars and, increasingly, buses in certain Connecticut cities until 1976, when its assets were purchased by the state government.
Northeastern Connecticut, better known as the Quiet Corner, is a historic region of the state of Connecticut, located in the northeastern corner of the state. No official definition exists; the term is generally associated with Windham County, but also sometimes incorporates eastern sections of Tolland County and the northern portion of New London County.
Chance Brothers and Company was a glassworks originally based in Spon Lane, Smethwick, West Midlands, in England. It was a leading glass manufacturer and a pioneer of British glassmaking technology.
Ted's Restaurant is a hamburger restaurant established in 1959 that is known for its steamed cheeseburger. Its original location is in Meriden, Connecticut, in the United States. It also operates a food truck and a concession stand.
The Pitkin Glassworks Ruin is a historic industrial archaeological site at the junction of Parker and Putnam Streets in Manchester, Connecticut. It contains the remains of one of the oldest glass factories in New England, established in 1783. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.
Grönvik glasbruk or simply Grönvik was a glassworks in the present-day Grönvik village in Korsholm, Western Finland. It was founded by merchant Johan Grönberg and existed from 1812 to 1907. Several glass manufactures were produced at Grönvik. At first bottles and drinking-glass were made here, but beginning in the 1890s solely window glass. Also pharmaceutical glass was manufactured. The glassworks produced as the first factory in Finland pressed glass, which came about from the 1840s. The domestic market for glass was during the time of the glassworks smallish and glassblowing products were exported to e.g. Lübeck, Saint Petersburg, Stockholm and Denmark, as well as to other parts of Europe. Grönvik was able to successfully assert its position, despite the competition from other glassworks in Finland. Eventually, it became the most distinguished in the country. The glassworks also become the largest in the Nordic countries.
The Coventry Glass Factory Historic District is a 32-acre (13 ha) historic district in Coventry, Connecticut that was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. The listing encompasses ten historically significant houses, clustered near the site of the former Coventry Glass Factory, in a linear district along what was the Boston Turnpike, now U.S. Route 44. The Skungamaug River is a creek cutting through the district. The glassworks operated here between 1813 and about 1845, and most of these houses date to that time, exhibiting largely vernacular Federal and Greek Revival styles. The most sophisticated and best-preserved house is that of Nathaniel Root, at 1044 Boston Turnpike. The ground in the area of the glassworks is littered with melted glass fragments and burnt brick fragments.
The Glassworks Museum of the Ore Mountains is located in the old socage vault (Fronfeste) of Purschenstein Castle in Neuhausen/Erzgeb. in the German Free State of Saxony.
Evidence for early glassmaking in the United States has been found of glassmaking at the English settlement on Jamestown Island, Virginia. While some glass window panes were made there after 1608, most of the windows had been shipped from England.