Tuesday July 16

Eight o'clock came a bit earlier than many of us expected because of the interrupted sleep when the hotel fire alarm went off. But at 8:30 our intrepid gang set off for Paden City, West Virginia and Paul Wissmach Glass.

The Wissmach company began manufacturing glass in 1904 and quickly became known for the variety of colors of glass produced. They perfected the process of making colored, rolled glass. They established their business by producing wire glass, tubing for lighting, and stained glass.

Our next visit was to Marble King also in Paden City, WV. This company is the only marble manufacturer in the United States and produces over a million marbles a day. But marbles are used for more than just a playground game and have applications in the paint industry and in funerary crypts. Glass in its many forms and uses, like marbles, has put West Virginia on the map.

The last stop of the day was in the city of Moundsville and the Grave Creek Mound itself. The museum at the mound had a history of glass exhibit featuring the work of Ron Hinkle of Buckhannon, WV.

This day demonstrated that glass can be used in innovative ways and is one of our most versatile
 materials. Today we saw glass used as a simple playground toy and as fine art in the stained glass of Paul Wissmach and the creations of Ron Hinkle. However, for glass to continue to play a major role in West Virginia's economy, new applications and production methods are necessary.