Seneca Glass Company Records

Access and use

Location of collection:
West Virginia and Regional History Center
West Virginia & Regional History Center
West Virginia University
P.O. Box 6069
1549 University Avenue
Morgantown, WV 26506
Contact for questions and access:
POC: Lori Hostuttler
Phone: (304) 293-3536
Restrictions:

No special access restriction applies.

Terms of access:

Permission to publish or reproduce is required from the copyright holder. For more information, please see the Permissions and Copyright page on the West Virginia and Regional History Center website.

Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Seneca Glass Company Records, A&M 2964, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Summary

Extent:
31.63 Linear Feet 11 document cases, 5 in. each; 15 records cartons, 15 in. each; 5 large flat storage boxes, 3 in. each; 1 flat storage box, 1 1/2 in.; 2 rolled storage tubes, 6 in.; 16 ledgers, 6 ft. 5 in.
Creator:
Seneca Crystal and Fleming, Dolores A., 1933-2015
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Seneca Glass Company Records, A&M 2964, West Virginia and Regional History Center, West Virginia University Libraries, Morgantown, West Virginia.

Background

Scope and content:

Catalogs, reports, contracts, correspondence, blueprints, drawings, certificates, deeds, and photographs of Seneca Glass Company, a Morgantown glass manufacturer noted for its production of handmade lead crystal glassware. The materials of this collection give insight into some of the daily activities of the company and its union such as determination of wages, settling of labor grievances, plans for expansion and modernization, productivity statistics, and stock inventories. Specifically noteworthy are the earliest certificate of incorporation in West Virginia, original construction blueprints by Elmer F. Jacobs, and early catalogs of the company's product line. There are also extensive addenda of Seneca Glass records that were acquired in 2005, 2019, and 2021; a contents list for the 2005 addendum can be found in the control folder onsite.

Addendum 2005/04/22 includes ledgers, financial documents, blueprints, catalogs, papers, Seneca Center records, and other material. This addendum is minimally processed.

Addendum of 2019/12/13 includes catalogs, product photos, Seneca Center records, and other material. This addendum is minimally processed. (1913-1990; 2 ft. 7 1/2 in.)

1. catalogs (issue no. 2 [undated] through issue no. 79 [undated]; some issues are missing in the print run of the catalogs; several issues include dates rather than issue numbers; price lists are typically included in the catalogues); ca. 1950s-1970s, undated

2. product photos (document a wide range of Seneca glass products including stemmed and unstemmed glasses, bowls, and plates); undated

3. "The Shoppes at Seneca Center" (includes reports, diagrams, blueprints and other material documenting the development of Seneca Center, in Morgantown, West Virginia, as a hub of local businesses following the closing of Seneca Glass Company in the early 1980s; among these are an initial tenant agreement by the building management company, blueprints for the factory and the renovated center, promotional material, and limited correspondence from 1985 with various department stores and retailers to attract businesses to the newly developed shopping center); 1980s

4. agreement with Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company (one folder containing documents regarding an agreement between Seneca Glass and the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company with details of a lease for three parcels of land from the B&O dated 1 June 1913; rent was $25 per annum); 1913

Addendum of 2021/09/01 comprises photographic materials, production documentation, and historical reference items related to the Seneca Glass Company. Materials include photographic prints and film negatives depicting examples of Seneca lead crystal glassware, glass sample drops, copper‑etched printing blocks illustrating glassware patterns and nineteenth‑century glass shop scenes. The addendum also contains one document issued by the United States Department of State authorizing the purchase of twenty sets of glassware for the United States Embassy in France. Additional items include newspaper articles concerning Seneca Glass Company, sample order forms dated 1976, articles pertaining to glass manufacturing, and developed photographs documenting the Seneca factory and its production processes. Framed photos in this addendum were likely from a contracted exhibit by Dolores Fleming, and feature photograph details such as location, date, and photographer name.

Biographical / historical:

In 1891, Seneca Glass Company opened in Fostoria, Ohio. In 1896, they moved to Morgantown, West Virginia, becoming the first of many glass factories to operate there. The company opened a second factory in nearby Star City in 1911. They added colored lead glass in the 1920s. The company began with quality, hand-blown lead glass and later specialized in high-end, elegant cut glass. In 1982, the company was sold and renamed Seneca Crystal Incorporated. They closed in 1983. The factory along the Monongahela River was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1985. As of 2026, it houses a shopping complex and small business offices.

Derived from: Six, Dean. "Seneca Glass Company." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 27 March 2026. Web. Accessed: 30 March 2026.

Acquisition information:

Gift from Seneca Crystal, 1988 October 29.

Addendum of 2005/04/22: Gift from Hall, Jarrett R., 2005 June.

Addendum of 2019/12/13: Gift from Seneca Glass Company via Loar, Barton, 2019 December 13.

Addendum of 2021/09/10: unknown

Physical location:
West Virginia and Regional History Center / West Virginia University / 1549 University Avenue / P.O. Box 6069 / Morgantown, WV 26506-6069 / Phone: 304-293-3536 / URL: https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard