Penn Township couple enjoys collecting Westmoreland Glass

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About 1,500 pieces of Westmoreland Glass are on display at Ken and Jacqueline Kosoglow’s Penn Township home, a nod to the couple’s almost 25 years of collecting.

“It got to be an obsession,” said Ken Kosoglow, 80. “You want this, you want that.”

Kosoglow is a board member of the National Westmoreland Glass Collectors Club, an organization formed in 1969 by other glass collectors hoping to keep the history of the company alive. Kosoglow did not join the club until after he and his wife purchased some of their first pieces of Westmoreland Glass.

According to Kosoglow, the couple first became interested in the company after they built a new room on their house, located in the Claridge neighborhood. As they were searching for antiques to furnish it, they also started purchasing Westmoreland Glass, which was previously produced at a factory not far from their home.

After they made some of their first purchases, the couple kept collecting pieces and learning the local history behind them.

Westmoreland Glass grew out of Specialty Glass Co. of East Liverpool, Ohio, opening in Hempfield’s Grapeville neighborhood in 1889 making goblets, pitchers, novelty items and more. The plant shuttered in 1984 after almost 100 years in business.

During its years in operation, the company, under the direction of President Charles West, produced high-quality, hand-decorated glass through the 1930s, some of which has been on exhibit at the Carnegie Museum of Natural History in Pittsburgh. By the 1940s, that was phased out and the company produced carnival and milk glass.

Westmoreland Glass, often identified by a stamped WG on the bottom of a piece, is still collected today, largely through auctions or by connecting with other collectors at places such as the National Westmoreland Glass annual show and convention, held at Westmoreland County Community College near Youngwood

Without the show, people have few opportunities to present their collections to people with similar interests.

“That and people call getting rid of their collections and stuff,” he said. “That is how you find it. There’s not much on the open market anymore.”

Despite changes in the collecting market, the club’s mission remains the same: Promote appreciation for the artistry and craftsmanship of Westmoreland Glass, preserve the history of the company and provide knowledge to the public.

There are 110 members of the club, some of whom are from Ohio, Illinois, Iowa and Florida.

Still, members of the National Westmoreland Glass Collectors Club are now tasked with attracting younger members to the organization. Hosting the annual glass show is a way to demonstrate the importance of collecting and acts as a method to attract new people to the club.

“We’re trying to keep the club going. … (We’re) trying to get the young people interested, middle-aged people,” Kosoglow said.

For the Kosoglows, their Claridge home has “already run out of space” to put new pieces, they said.

Still, the couple collects unique pieces when they become available, which are proudly displayed among their counterparts.

“If you can’t display it, what’s the use of having it,” Kosoglow asked.