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Fenton Art Glass
to Commemorate 100th Anniversary
Governor
Manchin to issue proclamation, learn craft from Fenton
craftsmen.
Williamstown,
W.Va. – Fenton Art Glass, the largest manufacturer of handmade
colored glass in the United States, will mark its centennial
anniversary May 4, 2005, 100 years to the day since the
company opened for business.
West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin will join the Fenton family
and employees at the plant to mark this significant
anniversary. Additionally, Fenton Art Glass dealers nationwide
will join corporate headquarters in Williamstown, W.Va. in
this centennial celebration with individual in-store
celebrations.
“When my grandfather and his brother started Fenton Art Glass
at the turn of the last century, it was their desire to
enhance the glass making industry,” said George Fenton,
President, Fenton Art Glass. “That mission and dedication to
quality workmanship has carried through to the present day
where we have multiple generations working together to produce
the high quality decorative glass that my grandfather had in
mind.”
Governor Joe Manchin will issue an official proclamation and
take part in the Fenton experience by learning the glass
making craft from Fenton master artists.
“In today’s day and age,
centennial celebrations are few and far between,” Manchin
said. “Fenton Art Glass products and the company’s influence
in the glass making industry spans the world. I look forward
to learning this craft which has been passed down for
centuries.”
Founded in 1905 as a glass decorating company, the company
soon discovered the benefits of producing glass itself without
having to depend on other glass manufacturers. In 1907, the
company moved into a new factory in Williamstown, where the
company headquarters, factory and gift shop are still located
today.
Throughout its history, Fenton has been a leader in the art
glass industry. Its “iridescent,” first marketed in 1907, is
now known as “Carnival” glass and a popular collectible today.
A family business since its inception, leadership for Fenton
Art Glass was passed to its third generation in 1986. Today,
Fenton family members – including those from those from the
fourth generation – work together with 500 employees to create
handmade glass. Fenton products are available for purchase in
more than 4,500 retail shops across the United States and in
several foreign countries as well as on the television
shopping network QVC.
“We have always believed in maintaining the art form of glass
blowing,” Fenton said. “It is a craft, an art form that our
collectors and customers have come to expect for a century.”
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