In life, we are known for what we do. If what we do is extraordinary, we become known for what we did. The character and passion of great people are commemorated in museums throughout the Delaware River Valley. Here are four of the best where greatness is on display.
Dorflinger Glass Museum
White Mills, Pa.
570-253-1185, dorflinger.org
Christian Dorflinger apprenticed as a glassmaker in his native France at the age of 10, and he emigrated to America where he eventually became one of the most preeminent artists in the field. From his 1865 glassworks in the village of White Mills, his creations graced White House dining tables of eight presidents as well as those of some of the wealthiest families in the land. Today, the museum features a stunning collection of his work.
Location: Route 6, between Hawley and Honesdale, just off Elizabeth Street.
Exhibit Highlights: A new eclectic 150-piece display of Dorflinger glass, some pieces dating from the 1880s.
Take Note: The collection, totaling more than 900 pieces, is recognized as the largest display of Dorflinger glass in the nation.
Tours: Guided tours available for groups of 15 or more. Hours of operation: May 1-Oct. 31, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, 1-4 p.m. November, weekends only.
Admission: Adults, $3; members and seniors over 55, $2.50; ages 6-18, $1.50. Group rates available for 15 or more.
Gillinder Glass Factory & Museum
Port Jervis, N.Y.
845-856-5375, gillinderglassstore.com
The Gillinder family has been making glass for six generations, since patriarch William T. Gillinder emigrated from England in 1861, bringing his skill in the craft with him. Today, the Gillinders operate a glass factory in Port Jervis, manufacturing such specialty items as landscape, airport and industrial lighting for clients, nationwide.
Location: Corner of Erie and Liberty Street, three miles from Exit 1, Interstate 84.
Exhibit Highlights: Watch hand-pressed industrial glass being made in the factory. Then tour the gift shop, a museum in itself, where gems of decorative blown glass are on display.
Take Note: Gillinder Glass produces half of all the airport runway lights used in the United States.
Tours: Monday through Friday, 10:15 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Store hours: Monday through Friday, 9:30-5:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9:30-4 p.m., Sunday, noon-4 p.m.
Admission: Adults, $4; seniors and children, $3.50.
Allentown Art Museum
Allentown, Pa.
610-432-4333, allentownartmuseum.org
The Allentown Art Museum has come a long way since its founding by teacher, painter and critic Walter Emerson Baum in the depth of the Great Depression. Today, the Federal-style building, primarily devoted to the work of area artists, boasts more than 13,000 works, ranging from photography to architecture, painting, textiles and American Indian art.
Location: 31 N. Fifth St., Allentown, Pa.
Exhibit Highlights: The Frank Lloyd Wright Library offers a spectacular sample of the architect’s organic period in which he blended building design with nature. On display are artifacts from the home he built in 1915 for the family of Francis W. Little in Wayzata, Minn. The house, itself, was demolished in 1973, but one room, with its windows of wheat-designed leaded glass and furnishings matching Wright’s taste was saved for display at Allentown. Other popular exhibits at the museum include The Ladies’ Work Table and art works ranging from Ansel Adams and Andy Warhol through Monet and Matisse.
Take Note: More than 100,000 visitors, including 14,000 children in school programs, visit the museum, annually.
Tours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday, noon-5 p.m.; closed Mondays, Tuesdays and major holidays.
Admission: Adults, $6; seniors over 60 and students with valid ID, $4; ages 6-12, $3; members and children under 6, free. Some exhibits have an additional fee of $7. Admission is free to all every Sunday.
Moravian Pottery & Tile Works
Doylestown, Pa.
215-345-6722, fonthillmuseum.org
Henry Chapman Mercer was a true renaissance man: academic, anthropologist, adventurer, collector and builder of what once was one of the most important tile and pottery works in the nation. His legacy still stands in the form of three massive buildings in Bucks County: The Moravian Pottery & Tile Works, which still is turning out exquisite ceramic architectural tiles for an exclusive clientele; Fonthill, his castle of a home; and the Mercer Museum, which houses the Spruance Library. All three structures are constructed of reinforced concrete.
Location: 84 S. Pine St. just off East Swamp Road.
Exhibit Highlights: At the museum, a five-story central atrium housing a New England whaleboat, tools made obsolete by the Industrial Revolution and a gallows collected by Mercer as “a tool of law and order.” The museum boasts more than 50,000 tools and artifacts of the 19th century.
Virtually every surface of Fonthill is studded with Moravian tiles. Also on display: American Indian artifacts dating from 6,000-8,000 B.C.
Take Note: In their heyday, Mercer tiles were used in buildings still famous, including Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles and in the casino at Monte Carlo.
Admission: Moravian Potter & Tile Works: Adults, $5.50; seniors over 60, $4.50; ages 6-17, $2.50. Mercer Museum: Adults, $9; seniors, $8; youths, $4. Fonthill, Adults, $5; seniors, $4.50; children, $1.50; members and children under 5, free.
