Making glass along the lake

SALISBURY | Along the shore of Lake Dunmore today, you'll find bucolic summer cottages with well-crafted boat docks. But largely unknown to many lake residents is the fact that the largest lake, completely surrounded by Addison County, was the scene of a thriving glass manufacturing operation during the early 1800s. Often referred to as either the Vermont Glass Factory or Lake Dunmore Glass Company, the now vanished complex consisted of a large factory which stood near Sunset Lodge. Built to manufacture window glass, the Lake Dunmore operation eventually produced a variety of glassware include bottles, flasks, drinking cups, even whimsical miniature top hats that are now sought after collector's items. "Foreign competition, over-expansion with a plant in East Middlebury, and a bad fire at the Lake Dunmore facility caused glass production to cease in 1817," writes author and historian William Powers of Rutland. "In 1832, the Lake Dunmore Glass Company was formed and resumed glass making through 1842 when the glass furnaces were cooled forever." Powers notes that the late author Max Petersen compiled a history of Vermont glass making with a focus on the Lake Dunmore glass-making center. The history of Lake Dunmore's glass factory begins with Henry R. Schoolcraft who was born in Albany County, New York, in 1793. After his foray into Vermont glassmaking, Schoolcraft headed west and made a name for himself as frontier pathfinder. Even the Encyclopedia Britannica has a listing for Schoolcraft. He is described as "An American explorer and ethnologist noted for his discovery of the source of the Mississippi River and for his writings on the native peoples of the North American plains." Schoolcraft died in in the District of Columbia in 1864. "(Schoolcraft)... settled in Salisbury in 1812 and assisted in the building and managing of the glassworks of the 'Vermont Company' both in Salisbury and in Middlebury," Sewell writes. "While living at Lake Dunmore he erected a chemical furnace and experimental laboratory, and at the same time studied chemistry and mineralogy under a Professor F. Hall of Middlebury College." Sewell adds that Schoolcraft's overseas competition, the over-extended plant operation in East Middlebury, plus a devastating fire at the Lake Dunmore, factory caused production to stop in 1817. "(However, in)... 1832, the Lake Dunmore Glass Company was formed and glassmaking continued through 1842 when the factory went idle for the last time," he says. A good place to find examples of Addison County glassware is to visit the Bennington Museum in Bennington. Aside from exhibiting fine collections of art and sculpture, you can find a variety of local commercial glassware on display. ■

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Making glass along the lake

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