Orr Recognizes Effort to Bring Museum to Alvarado
Alvarado Star
Thursday, March 20, 2008
by Christopher Amos
To some, a glass container is simply something to stick flowers in or from which
to drink sweet tea. To members of The Museum of Glass Made in America, Inc., the
same vessel can be a historical work of art deserving of research and display.
The group, started in 2001, is finalizing details with the city of Alvarado to buildthe first national
American glass museum in the country. The proposed $30 millioncomplex may be located on
seven acres at the northwest corner of Burnett Street and
Hwy 67.
“We are committee to making this museum a reality,” the mayor told a
gathering at State Representative Rob Orr’s office in Burleson on Monday. “This
museum will be a big economic boost to Johnson County as well as to Alvarado, and
we are excited about having it here.”
The reception at Orr’s office was held to recognize the efforts of Durington and 
Orr in bringing the museum to the area, and to recognize 400 years of the glass
industry in America. Orr presented a certificate to The Museum of Glass Made inAmerica, Inc.,
on behalf of governor Rick Perry’s office.
“This is an exciting time for our state and for Johnson County,” Orr told the
group before presenting the certificate to organization’s president, Milbra Long. “We
are here to commemorate 400 years of this very important industry in America and to
see this museum come to fruition.”
Long presented a display of antique glassware and early Jamestown glass
reproductions to the gathering, which included supporters and members of the
Johnson County Historical Society. She also gave commemorative antique replicas to
Orr, Durington, and Orr’s staff for helping bring the museum to the area.
“We presented the idea to the Alvarado City Council and they were immediately
excited about the museum,” Long said. “Mayor Durington has taken this project
seriously. He was the first person to step forward and say we needed this to happen.”
Long said the idea for the museum started during her visit to glass museums in
West Virginia, one of the closest states to Texas with such a museum. She said there are
few other glass museums in the country, but the Johnson County facility will be the
first national glass museum. She said other museums are limited in what they offer or
feature glass from around the world, whereas the new proposed museum will be for
American glass only. The museum will also be an educational facility intended to provide
a complete experience of glass manufacturing.
History records indicate that glass making is one of America’s first industries,
started by settlers to pay off debts to the homeland for their voyage. The first glass
making furnace began production in 1608 at Jamestown, Va., and glass companies later
flourished in the original 13 colonies.
Since its advent, the glass industry has played an important role in preservingfoods, storing
medicine, and providing industrial and household items such as widowglass, electrical insulators,
laboratory tools, and later, electrical lights.
Long agrees that the acquisition of the land is one step in a series toward the
goal, and donations, grants and endowments need to be secured to continue the vision.
As far as the possible economic impact the museum may have on Johnson
County, the large Corning Museum of Glass in New York can be used as an example of
what an established museum can bring to a community, according to Long. New York
Bureau of Tourism states that the Corning Museum, which is celebrating its 50th
anniversary, attracts 400,000 visitors a year.
All photos from the Alvarado Star, taken by Christopher Amos