FAIRMONT — You could see right through one of north-central West Virginia’s top industries in the 20th century.
Well, through a lot of it, anyway.
The industry was glass-making. In Fairmont, a premiere provider was the Monongah Glass Co., in the Marion County city’s bustling Beltline neighborhood.
Through the early 1900s, Monongah Glass was known across the country for its decorative lamps, goblets and plates.
And during the U.S. presidential election of 1960, a selection of glass from a top company in Morgantown — with the help of a competitor, even — was also voted into the White House.
That was when Morgantown Glass Co. and Seneca Glass combined shifts to fill an order placed by Jackie Kennedy, the nation’s new First Lady.
Mrs. Kennedy, according to popular lore, was quite taken by the unadorned elegance of the leaded crystal glasses used at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
As in, New York City.
When she and her husband, John Kennedy, barnstormed the state during his journey to the Oval Office, she found out those pieces she loved so much were designed and made in the University City.
She wanted the same for her new home in Washington, D.C., and ordered hundreds of pieces to be ready by Jan. 20, 1961, when her husband was sworn in as president.
This wasn’t just any order. This was Jackie Kennedy and the White House.
As said, it was so large and so high-profile, that Seneca Glass, a competitor known for the designs that were showcased at the World’s Fair in New York City in 1939, also stepped in to help fill the order.
Early next year, at the Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center on the campus of Fairmont State University, you’ll have the opportunity learn more about the Mountain State industry that ranked right there with coal for generations.
“Sand and Fire: 200 Years of West Virginia Glass,” will run Feb. 15-May 15, 2025.
Glassware and other artifacts from the industry’s top days of the 19th and 20th centuries will be on display, organizers said.
Look for talks on how glass-making was the economic driver that worked to build jobs, diversify and stay relevant during its marquee years in the Mountain State.
It’s not just about catching the light of nostalgia, center director Lydia Warren said.
“There are West Virginia artists doing amazing work today,” she said, “and we will highlight them right along with historical art pieces and information.”
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