Seneca Glass Company closed in 1983. I took the tour before then, as did other Morgantown residents. When Jackie Kennedy chose Morgantown Glass patterns for the White House, locals bought from "seconds" tables in warehouse outlets and learned about blowing glass and about the 14 major companies that made handblown lead crystal in the Morgantown area since the 19th Century. I still have my mother’s vase of crinkled cobalt blue, and I remember bright green, purple, and gold she bought. They are all now on display in the hallways, antiques shop, and glass museum of Seneca Center, as well as the famous West Virgina "golf ball" pattern stemware and other pieces that could take as long as 12 hours for workers to make.
Riverfront Museums, Inc. is open only Saturdays and Sundays, but other Center attractions are open weekdays, too, and include boutique and specialty shops, the "Antiques Walk,"
Glasshouse Grille, Wamsley Cycle, and Morgantown Visitor Information. There is also a
hallway with tables covered with upholstery fabric on sale, drastically reduced, next to
The Furniture Stop (new furniture and decor items). This upscale, multi-purpose,
two-story mall with plenty of parking in front makes good use of the former Seneca Glass
Company’s building (on the National Register of Historic Places) and preserves this bit of regional industrial history for the community to enjoy. I have
spent entire afternoons browsing through rooms of antiques while women
shopped boutiques for "special" clothing, like tapestry jackets that didn’t seem too
overpriced.
My latest trip, I discovered beautiful
antiques: wonderful oak secretary for $1500, set of 4 dining room
chairs for $800, and walnut dresser for $800. Some large
furniture items were thousands. Anyone looking for special pieces that are already perfect would love this place, and
another room had glassware, kitchen, and smaller items with smaller price tags.
I noticed that Glasshouse Grille, Morgantown’s best restaurant (local
concensus), is now open for lunch. The Grille is so popular, reservations are necessary for
weekend nights, but it’s worth the trouble for Italian and Cajun selections and West Virginia trout. They also have a seafood market and deli, and
they have their own website. Awards from Wine Spectator the last three years, the terraced herb garden, the brick
patio, and all fresh ingredients commend them to my taste and liking. They make
complete the experience of this historic spot with their West Virginia wines.
Driving down Beechurst or riding on the trail, one can’t miss "Seneca Glass" on the red
water tower or the original stack towering over the building complex. Visitors shouldn’t be
misled by unattractive metal parts of the building--other parts are 19th-Century brick, and the
inside is nice with wooden floors and brick walls.
Links to most of the specialty shops can be found at Seneca Center’s website.