Today I stopped by the Heritage Glass Museum in Glassboro New Jersey. I conducted an interview with Gene Costill who served in World War 2 in the naval corps and was a former mayor of Clayton. I am grateful to have the opportunity to interview a man like Gene. Gene is the vice-chairman of the board of directors of the Heritage Glass Museum for 16 years and has been an active member of the board of directors for over 24 years.
What sparked your interest in Glassmaking?
” I got interested in glass when I was in high school serving a morning paper route on a bicycle. And in the wintertime, it’s cold on a bicycle serving papers,” Gene said. “As I would go by there(Clevenger brothers) property in the winter they would let me come in and sit and watch them make glass and get warm.”
Who is the most famous person to have a piece in this museum?
“One of them has got to be Paul Stankard. He is very active with the Salem county vo-tech school, he teaches there and he is trying to provide the students with his knowledge. He goes out in the woods and he picks wildflowers and he takes them back to his lab in Mantua and he makes glass flowers. Then he encloses them in a clear glass orb of all different sizes and shapes, he’s got them in every museum in the country he is a real artist!”
What is the most Historical piece in this museum?
“The most historical piece has got to be up in that cabinet over there it’s the oldest piece that we got. There’s only two of them in existence one there and one out here in Rowan University and it was made in 1784.”
Can you tell me a little bit about the building itself and how it became the Heritage Glass Museum?
“It was built as a bank and it operated for four years as a bank. It was the first national bank of Glassboro and it went under during the depression. The four directors of that bank were indicted for money laundering and eventually went to prison. So Glassboro took back the property and since that time it has been used as an office. The burrows library and then we got it in 1979 and have been here ever since“.
Where did the Whitney glassworks start?
“We are on the exact spot of where it started. From here to the other side of the traffic light and back to college avenue. Almost everybody that lived in Glassboro worked here and made their living here. This is also the site of the Normal school the first teacher’s college was here and then that evolved into Glassboro state and eventually Rowan University”.
Here is a picture of Gene Costil
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