Beacon

Glass making in West Virginia grew from abundant sandstone, limestone, and coal. Morgantown had at least 14 glass makers, and Star City, founded in 1907 and named by Louis Kauffeld, general manager of the Star Glass Company, became an important part of that history. Kauffeld's factory was the first oil lamp chimney producer in West Virginia and made 72 different kinds of lamp chimneys. Sandstone, the main ingredient in glass making, was pulverized into silica and then melted to make glass, coal provided heat for the process, and limestone was added to give color to the glass. In the Morgantown area, men worked the fires and shaped the glass, while women did the etching, washing, and packing, work that required great skill. Although most glass factories in West Virginia have closed, individual artists and a few small factories still operate today.

Morgantown, West Virginia · United States