Distance from Lancaster, OH: 1 hour, 15 minutes

The National Museum of Cambridge Glass, located in Cambridge, Ohio at 136 S. 9th Street, provides interactive and educational opportunities for all ages to learn about the history of Cambridge glassware produced by The Cambridge Glass Company from 1902-1958. The museum features over 10,000 pieces of glassware in over 40 colors and hundreds of innovative designs. The museum is open for the season with many new displays and learning opportunities. This season visitors will hear stories about what life was like for people working at The Cambridge Glass Company many years ago as they tour the museum.

New this year is an eye-catching Cambridge Glass Company Barware Exhibit. When the 18th  amendment was repealed in December 1933, The Cambridge Glass Company celebrated by producing all sorts of barware for the home. Cambridge made quite an array of interesting
barware.

One of the more popular drinks was an “Old-Fashioned.” The old fashioned is a cocktail made by muddling sugar with bitters and water, adding whiskey or sometimes brandy, and garnishing with an orange slice or zest and a cocktail cherry. It is traditionally served with ice in an old-fashioned glass. What Is Muddling? Muddling is a method of lightly mashing fruit, herbs, and spices for cocktails. A cocktail muddler is a tool like a pestle that releases the essence from fresh ingredients, adding dimension to your drinks and infusing them with the right balance of flavors.

The tour at the National Museum of Cambridge Glass begins with a vintage film produced by the Cambridge Glass Company in the early 1950s. The Crystal Lady shows the actual Cambridge artisans as they demonstrate the handmade glassmaking process inside the glasshouse many years ago. Following the film, visitors are invited to dress as glassworkers and hold original tools once used at the Cambridge Glass Company. When the factory was demolished in 1990, museum volunteers rescued several hundred bricks and a replica of one of the original furnaces was built in the museum auditorium by Carl Beynon.

Next is the tour of the glass display area with over 10,000 pieces of sparkling Cambridge Glass. During the tour, visitors will also see the Sample Room featuring the original door and shelving from the factory. The Sample Room is part of the museum gift shop with pieces of Cambridge Rose Point and other etchings available for purchase.

This season, the museum dining room exhibit features a holiday dinner, with four place settings in the Cambridge color, Heatherbloom. It has already received many compliments.

Did you know that The Cambridge Glass Company sent glassware to Hollywood for the prop rooms and was used in movies long ago and still today? A display at the National Museum of Cambridge Glass shows a few of the movies and the glassware shown in the particular scene.

This season in The Edna McManus Shepard Education Center is an exhibit, The Cambridge Glass Company Restaurant. Visitors are invited to press the button to hear stories about the factory restaurant and their famous homemade pies. Also included in the display is a Cambridge
Glass Sweet Potato Vase and an original ad done by the Cambridge Glass Company describing how to grow your own sweet potato vine in a Cambridge Glass vase.

Across the hallway, visitors can learn about the etching process and do a pencil rubbing from an original Cambridge Glass Company etching plate. A few of the plates available are Rose Point, Chantilly, Imperial Hunt Scene, Wildflower and Portia. Also in this area is a large mural of the Cambridge Glass Company Engraving Department. Herschel Hancock was the head of this department and a master of the craft. The new documentary, The Cambridge Glass Company; Quality through Courage and Innovation shares the stories of the people who worked at the glass house and can be viewed in this area.

The National Museum of Cambridge Glass is open April through October; Wednesday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m. For more information, call 740-432-4245 or visit CambridgeGlassMuseum.org. Group tours are welcome and can be scheduled by contacting the museum at 740-432-4245.