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Highlights

The Historical Glass Museum had a record one day attendance the day of the Y Alliance home tour. Docent Joe Soelter counted 543 visitors on the day of the tour that celebrated the Glass Museum’s twenty-fifth year at the 1157 N. Orange Street location. Redlands Historical Glass Museum collection of American glassware has grown to be the world’s largest collection of American glassware on public display. Museum Director Frank Herendeen noted that, “Visitors from around the world visit Redlands unique museum, yet 95% of the visitors on the day of the Y Alliance tour were first-time visitors living in the Redlands area. Comments on the museum guest book that day included “WOW”, “Beautiful History”, “I finally made it.”, and “How fortunate we are to have this (Glass Museum) in Redlands.”

Several days after the tour Herendeen received a call from Martha Stewart’s office in New York. The assistant ask to borrow one of the Glass Museum’s white milk glass rabbits for a story in the April issue of Martha Stewart Living. After receiving pictures of the rabbits on display, they chose a rare milk glass rabbit with red glass eyes. The museum has a large collection of milk glass dating as far back as the 1800s.

Redlands Historical Glass Museum is open to the public Saturdays and Sundays from 12:00 noon – 4:00 p.m. Admission is by a $3.00 donation, students are free.

HISTORY

The Glass Museum, 1157 N. Orange St., was founded in 1976, to preserve specimens of American glass from artists and factories that were becoming extinct. On display are over 6,000 examples of American glass from the mid-1800s to contemporary art glass. Glass is displayed in antique or custom built locked cabinets. There are pieces by Steuben, Heisey, Cambridge, Imperial, Duncan & Miller, Fostoria, the Sandwich factories, depression-era, and nearly every American glassmaker. The museum offers for sale glass from contemporary manufactures and local glass artists.

The museum was formally the 1905 home of Jerome E. Seymour. The Seymour name was important in Redlands from 1886 when Seymour and his brother opened a planning mill that turned out much of the construction materials and ornate woodwork of many homes and buildings in Redlands, including the Seymour home and the Morey Mansion

The Seymour Brother Mill was responsible for most of the elaborate Victorian woodcut styles and barge board decorations. Their mill provided the only lathe work for our early structures. The Seymour Mill was so popular in the building boom of 1890: the two brother operated the mill twenty-four hours a day. Upon Jerome's death after a long illness, Howard decided to sell the mill to Louis Fletcher in 1914.

Seymour purchased Lot Six of the Olive Grove Tract around 1903. Assessment rolls show that the property was used for lumber and machinery and listed only land value until 1906. June 1, 1905 lists a J. E. Seymour, owner and builder for a dwelling at the cost of $1,000.

Quoting from his obituaries of June 2 and June 3, 1916: Jerome E. Seymour was born at Bainbridge, N.Y., February 26, 1810. He came west in 1886, his first stop being at San Bernardino, where he served as a bookkeeper for the West Coast Lumber Company. In 1887, he moved to Redlands and with J. Bishop started the Redlands Planing mill at the corner of Fifth Street and Stuart Avenue. In 1888, his brother H. L. Seymour, ex-Senator of Highland, joined him in business and years they operated the mill under the name of Seymour Brothers. Mr. Seymour served throughout the Civil War, enlisting in 1861 in the first call in Company “A” New York State volunteers. When his time was up he re-enlisted and was honorably discharged close of the war in 1865. He was a member of Bear Valley Post, Grand Army of the Republic. His wife (Martha Newman Seymour), one son, Carl of Redlands, and one daughter Mrs. Frank Cryer of Santa Ana survive him.

The home remained in the Seymour family until 1977, upon the death of their daughter, Mrs. Emma Cryer. In 1983, Darlene Huckabee purchased the home and converted it, for $14,000. into the Historical Glass Museum.

Contact Info

• 909-793-3333 t
• GLASSMUSEUMS@aol.com
• www.glassmuseums.com

Address

• 1157 N. Orange St.
• Redlands, CA 92374