The Sandwich Glass Museum

The first stop was on our trip was Sandwich, the oldest town in Cape Cod, founded in  1637. We toured the Sandwich Glass Museum, founded on July 4, 1825. Deming Jarves, a merchant from Boson, opened his factory, originally featuring blown glass, and shortly followed, in 1827, to include pressed  glass. 

Antique hand blown glass decanter

Antique lacy pressed glass

 
Lacy glass, featuring intricate dots, hearts,  garlands of  foliage, etc.,  was developed to hide  defects  caused by  early pressing. 

In the 1840s to 1850s, technology  improved and  the  lacy  patterns were no  longer  needed, 

 The  Sandwich Glass Museum has an extensive  collection of glass, including blown and pressed pieces, both plain and decorated,  created over 62 years. The factory closed on January  1, 1888, due  to financial difficulties from completion from other factories and a worker’s strike. The factory  buildings were torn down in the 1920s and 1940s. A bronze tablet marks the location. 

Viewing the glass, and the information on the text through out the museum, gives a fascinating view of the part glass played in our history. Featured pieces range from practical every  day wear to elegant, extravagant creations. 

In addition to the displays, every hour on the hour, there are demonstrations of different glass blowing techniques. The gift shop features contemporary glass for sale with a wide range of variety and  prices!