Looking for a place to stop and have lunch, we were lured off the highway by a sign for a factory tour of Masterpiece Crystal in Jane Lew, WV. (www.masterpiececrystal.com) At the end of a tiny residential street, nestled behind a senior center, stands the forlorn cinderblock building. The factory was built in the 1930s, and in many ways it appears as if modernization passed it by.
Masterpiece Crystal is the last factory in the United States to produce handmade glassware for restaurants, wineries, and other boutique outlets. Debbie gave us an impromptu tour of the facility where we watched a four man crew blow and shape wine glasses. Each shop produces approximately 1,000 pieces a day, and two different shops were operating that day.Tours every half hour, Monday to Friday, 9:00-5:00.
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ReplyDeleteMy grandmother lives in Milton, WV (just outside of Huntington) and there is a place called Blenko Glass there:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.blenkoglass.com/
They also have tours, and I remember going as a kid to watch them hand blow vases, etc.