Pairpoint Glass Works

The history of the Pairpoint Glass Works dates back to 1837, when the Mount Washington Glass Works was founded in South Boston. William L. Libbey moved the firm to New Bedford in 1870. A reorganization of the company in 1874 brought Frederick S. Shirley to the firm as the new manager. During his leadership many new types of glass were developed and patented, including Burmese, Peachblow, Lava, Rose Amber, Royal Flemish, and Satin glass. Mount Washington became noted for its brilliant cut glass and was awarded a certificate of merit for its exhibit at the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia in 1876.

In 1880, a brittania works called the Pairpoint Manufacturing Company was erected on land adjacent to the Mount Washington Glass Company. The works were named after its first superintendent, Thomas J. Pairpoint. At the time, Mr. Pairpoint was considered one of the greatest silver designers in England and America. This new company became one of the largest manufacturers of silverplated ware in the USA. The two companies merged in 1894 and became known as the Pairpoint Corporation, and Pairpoint soon became a leader in the glass industry.

Since 1970, the Pairpoint glass factory has been active in Sagamore on Cape Cod. Although the physical plant is not very large, the scope of the glass made in this new location has been tremendous. Hand-blown vases, stemware, decanters, perfume bottles, pitchers, cream and sugar sets, lamps, candlesticks, bottles, and paperweights are among the many items made at the factory along the Cape Cod Canal. Colors made here include sapphire blue, cobalt blue, gold ruby, Pairpoint ruby, rosaria, vaseline, opal, amethyst, camellia, auroria, amber and Pairpoint cranberry.

Pairpoint Glass Works supplies such customers as Tiffany's, The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Boston Museum of Fine Arts, and Artisans in Glass. Many unusual items in varying shapes or forms, some one-of-a-kind items are quickly purchased by the many visitors to the factory.

In 1974, Pairpoint began pressing cup plates with new and original designs. There are more than 100 different cup plates on the market today, and some of them have become very collectible, as they were made in limited editions.

Today, thousands of visitors and glass collectors from all over the United States visit Pairpoint. When your travels find you on Cape Cod, be sure to stop by the Pairpoint Glass Works to watch the finest glass blowers in action, and visit their showroom of elegant glass pieces.