Jun. 11—Westmoreland Glass has become known for the decorative milk glass pieces it produced during its nine-decade run in the Hempfield community of Grapeville.
Those who attend the Westmoreland Glass Collectors Club show and sale Friday and Saturday just outside Youngwood can expect to find a wider variety of vintage wares representing different eras in the company’s history.
Westmoreland’s ruby-colored glassware was popular with customers and is of equal interest to collectors. Some recipes for the glass called for adding gold to the mix, according to club member Ken Kosoglow of Penn Township.
“That gave it that real dark blood-red color,” he said.
Westmoreland Glass grew out of Specialty Glass Co. of East Liverpool, Ohio, opening in Pennsylvania in 1889. During its early years, under the leadership of George West, the company made containers for candy, mustard and vinegar — in addition to milk glass.
When George’s brother, Charles West, took the reins Westmoreland Glass focused on hand-decorated and cut glass. This ushered in the company’s “elegant glass” period, beginning in 1921, when it employed Eastern European artists and master glass cutters.
Generations of the Brainard family assumed control of the glass plant, starting in 1937. That’s when production shifted to pattern-pressed glass with simpler designs.
Most of the glass readily available to modern collectors dates from this period.
With its older pieces, the company was known for hand-painted designs. One of the most popular was a “Roses & Bows” decoration.
“They painted just about everything they did,” said Kosoglow. “That was the big thing.”
Westmoreland was sold in 1981 to David Grossman, a St. Louis distributor and importer. Grossman tried several innovations, including new colors and a limited-edition series, that failed.
Ultimately, the company also failed and production ceased on Jan. 8, 1984.
Most of the plant’s molds, glass, furniture and catalogs were sold at auction.
The glass show and sale is set for 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday in the Student Achievement Center on the main campus of Westmoreland County Community College, 145 Pavilion Lane.
Admission and parking are free.
Jeff Himler is a TribLive reporter covering Greater Latrobe, Ligonier Valley, Mt. Pleasant Area and Derry Area school districts and their communities. He also reports on transportation issues. A journalist for more than three decades, he enjoys delving into local history. He can be reached at jhimler@triblive.com.