Hand Pressed Glass Cup Plate "The Beach Walk Sandwich"

This Historical Reproduction Cup Plate was commissioned by The Sandwich Historical Society as the fourth in its series of historical cup plates. In 1875 the Town of Sandwich constructed a board walk from the glass factory area across the salt march with its winding creek to the beach on Cape Cod Bay. At that time the only other access to this beach was by way of Town Neck, an area privately owned and fenced off for grazing of cattle. Exposed to the flooding high tides, the plank walk has been kept in good repair by the Town. Today one can experience the same quiet beauty that glass factory workers enjoyed a century ago.

Measuring 3.5" in diameter, this cup plate was made by hand in the early to mid 1980s, using a glass press and hand carved pressing mold, following the same process used for cup plate production in the 19th century.

1825 - 2025 Bicentennial Celebration: in 2025 the Sandwich Historical Society is celebrating 200 years of glass making in Sandwich, by offering for sale a collection of vintage reproduction cup plates. Proceeds from cup plate sales go directly to fund the special events and services offered as part of our 2025 bi-centennial celebration. We thank you for your support of the Sandwich Historical Society and its Glass Museum! 

Glassmaking in Sandwich, MA, began in 1825 with the establishment of the Sandwich Glass Manufactory by Deming Jarves, a Boston entrepreneur. The factory was reincorporated in 1826 as the Boston & Sandwich Glass Company, and manufactured glassware until 1887.  

Cup Plates were commonly used in the early 19th century. Teacups at the time had no handle, so it was the custom to pour hot tea into a saucer for cooling and drink from the saucer. The cup was set aside on a decorative cup plate like this one to prevent soiling the table linens or marring the tabletop.