By Phyllis Sigal
When Holly McCluskey talks about Wheeling glass, her eyes sparkle like the brightly lit pieces on display at Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum.
McCluskey, curator of glass at Oglebay Institute, has 40 years of knowledge fused into her brain— knowledge that fuels her passion and could fill the giant, 16-gallon Sweeney Punch Bowl and a myriad other vessels in the collection.
And, not only is she well-versed in glass, but also in the decorative arts found in the period rooms at Oglebay Institute’s Mansion Museum.
McCluskey will impart stories, facts, details and data at two sessions during the Institute’s winter class offerings: “From Crystal to Carnival: The Story of Wheeling Glass” and “Decorative Arts a la Carte.”
A Duval punch bowl. The Glass Museum features 13 pieces of Duval Glass, dating back to 1825 to 1837.
Making Glass History Chrystal Clear
• Do you know that one out of 10 people in the Ohio Valley worked in the glass industry in its heyday?
• Do you know that Wheeling’s J.H. Hobbs, Brockunier and Co. was the largest glass producer in the world?
• Do you know that Wheeling glass can be found in collections all over the world? McCluskey has met people from Australia who collect Wheeling-made pieces.
• Do you know that terminology currently used in glass industry unions goes back to the early days of glass making? The “carrying-in boy” and the “carrying-out boy” are two examples, and harken back to when children actually manned the tongs carrying molten glass pieces.
During the glass class sessions, the small group will sit around a table in the shadow of that famous punch bowl. (Shadows aside, McCluskey has seen the early morning sun hit the punch bowl creating a rainbow.)
Class members will not only learn these and other interesting tidbits, they also will hold and examine pieces of glass with their own two hands.
Touch, Hold & Examine Glass: Rare Behind-the-Scenes Access
“You can’t learn about glass without handling it, touching it,” she believes. “We’ll handle glass, we’ll talk about the companies and the history.”
She’ll teach how glass is made and about the colorization process. She will share a timeline, detailing how glass fits into Wheeling’s history.
Remembering The Glassmakers
She’ll also talk about who made the glass. “My class is designed to remember the people who made glass. …
“When you look at a piece of glass, you look at who the people were who made it, not just at a pretty piece of glass.
During the last class of the session, participants can bring their own pieces of Wheeling glass for a show-and-tell or to have McCluskey identify it.
Deco Art Behind the Barriers
• Do you know that chairs have knees and ears and ankles?
• Do you know that, in the Federalist period during the “Age of Reason,” furniture makers calculated the sizes of drawers in a dresser based on a mathematical formula?
• Do you know what objects at the Mansion Museum belonged to which Oglebay family member?
• Do you know the difference between Chippendale, Hepplewhite and Sheraton furniture pieces?
• Do you know who lived in the Mansion Museum?
• Do you know the meaning of “conspicuous consumption”?
What is Decorative Art?
“Decorative art,” explained McCluskey, “is different from fine art.” Furnishings and glass pieces that are functional are considered decorative art — chairs, tables, vases, for example.
Those who attend the “Decorative Arts a la Carte” sessions will peek behind the barriers at the Mansion Museum. The velvet stanchions will come down, and McCluskey will hold classes inside the period rooms.
The class allows attendees to get up-close and personal. Look closely at the carvings and inlays on the pieces of furniture. Examine the patterns in the area rugs. Learn about the fun aspect of “social history” of the times — for example, why the furniture is arranged just so in the rooms.
Holly’s Passion
It was in 1984 that McCluskey began her job as curator of education, with a fresh master’s degree in public history from West Virginia University under her belt.
She wasn’t born a glass aficionado nor was she an expert on period furniture when she arrived. But it was the importance of glass to the city’s history that entrenched her in the subject.
Part of her responsibilities was giving tours at the museum, so she began to study glass as well as decorative arts.
“I didn’t know anything about glass when I started here,” she said. But she “learned so much” from those who came before her. Her teachers included international glass expert Robert DiBartolomeo, director of the Mansion Museum from 1963-73, whom she never met, and her boss, John Artzberger, the director from 1975-1998.
In fact, she’s learned so much over the years that, in the early 1990s, she contributed a chapter about Hobbs-Brockunier in “Wheeling Glass: The Collection of the Oglebay Institute Glass Museum.”
“DiBartolomeo brought the museum to national prominence because of his knowledge of glass,” McCluskey said. He was slated to speak at a seminar at the Corning Glass Museum — “the pinnacle of glass conferences” — but died tragically before he could give his presentation.
“He developed great ties,” with area glass leaders, McCluskey said. In fact, Oglebay Institute’s 4,000-piece collection carries the name the J. Ralph Boyd Memorial Collection. Boyd served as the secretary of the Imperial Glass Corp., a huge glass company in Bellaire, Ohio.
McCluskey — along with other researchers — still consults a collection of index cards where DiBartolomeo recorded what was happening in the Wheeling glass world. Sometimes he digressed to other topics — such as Tunnel Green ghost stories.
“They were fascinating,” she said.
Happy Two-Year Anniversary of Reimagined Glass Museum
When McCluskey started her job, the Glass Room at the Mansion Museum held the glass collection. In 1993, the collection moved to the Carriage House Museum, a few hundred feet away. And it was early in 2022 that a catastrophic water issue forced a major renovation.
“We were forced to do it, and had the opportunity to make [the museum] relevant. We are very pleased with the results,” she said.
November 2022 saw the unveiling of the renovations. Updates included improved lighting in the display cases, luxury vinyl flooring, soothing gray walls, new seating, information panels focusing on the people, product and process of the glass-making industry.
(Read more about the renovations here: https://oionline.com/oglebay-institutes-glass-museum-renovation/.)
Ready to Sign Up? Class Details.
“From Crystal to Carnival: The Story of Wheeling Glass”
An overview of the five major companies that operated in Wheeling during the height of local glass production: Pre-Civil War Wheeling (Ritchie 1829-1837 and Sweeney 1835-1868); Hobbs-Brockunier (1845-1893); Central (1863-1939); and Northwood (1902-1925). Participants will have the rare opportunity to study representative pieces up close at the Glass Museum while it is closed to the public. Mix ’n match or attend all four sessions. Class meets at Oglebay Institute’s Glass Museum, located below the Carriage House Glass Gift Shop in Oglebay Park. Pre-registration required. (Limit 10)
Ages: adults
Meets: 6:30-8 p.m. Jan. 7 (Pre-Civil War Wheeling), Jan. 14 (Hobbs-Brockunier), Jan. 21(Central) and Jan. 28 (Northwood)
Cost: $15/$13 OI members (per class).
Register online or Call 304-242-7272.
“Decorative Arts a la Carte.”
This class is an introduction to popular American decorative styles: Federal (1790-1820); Empire (1810-1840); Victorian (1840-1900); and “Oglebay” (1901-1926). Social history, lifestyles, furniture and the decorative arts will be highlighted. Participants will have the rare opportunity to go into the Mansion’s period rooms. Mix ’n match or attend all four sessions. Pre-registration required. Space is limited. (Limit 10)
Ages: adults
Meets: 6:30-8 p.m. Feb. 4 (Federal), Feb. 11 (Empire), Feb. 18 (Victorian), Feb. 25 (“How the Oglebays Lived”)
Cost: $15/$13 OI members (per class)
Register online or call 304-242-7272.