Glass Museum

In December 2020, I was searching for something meaningful to do for my birthday. COVID-19 had brought much of the MetroWest Boston area to a standstill, and nearly everything was  closed. After months of restrictions and canceled plans, even a simple day trip felt like a welcome escape.

When I learned that the Sandwich Glass Museum was open, I decided to travel to Cape Cod and celebrate my December birthday there. Snow covered the ground outside the museum, but its doors were open.  Here was an opportunity to explore, learn, and enjoy a change of surroundings during an otherwise difficult year.

The museum preserves the history of glassmaking in Sandwich, a tradition that began in 1825 when entrepreneur Deming Jarves established the Boston and Sandwich Glass Company. The company became known for producing beautiful and affordable pressed glass, helping transform Sandwich into one of America’s important early glass making centers. Today, the museum continues that story through its historic collections, changing exhibitions, and glass blowing demonstrations. 

This was not the birthday celebration I might have planned under ordinary circumstances. There was no large gathering or elaborate event. Instead, it became a quiet journey to a place filled with craftsmanship, history, and creativity. At a time when our world felt closed and uncertain, the museum gave me somewhere new to go and something enduring to appreciate.

The later photograph was taken during a return visit under very different circumstances. The snow and restrictions of December 2020 had given way to a bright summer day, with glass blowing demonstrations once again offered daily. The two photographs connect that unusual birthday visit with my return to a museum that had given me a welcome place to explore during a difficult year.