Hand Pressed Glass Cup Plate "Oxford New York 1976"

This Historical Reproduction Cup Plate commemorates the Oxford Memorial Library, which is also the home of the Oxford Historical Society. It is located on the site of an ancient Indian fort. Theodore Burr, a cousin of Aaron Burr, built this Federal Style house between 1809 and 1811. Wings were added to both sides of the house at a later unknown date. Burr was born in Torringfield CT in 1771 and migrated "West", arriving in Oxford in 1792. By 1794, he had built a grist mill and the dam to power the mill. He built the first stringed bridge across the Chenango at Oxford in 1800, and he went on to build bridges in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Maryland, experimenting with different designs until he patented the Burr truss in 1804. Burr was considered one of the dominant bridge builders of his time and the Father of American Bridge Building. Today's modern bridges with their graceful arches can be traced to Theodore Burr and his contemporaries. This is #23 in the Pairpoint catalog, created in 1976.

Measuring 3.5" in diameter, this cup plate was made by hand 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.