A piece of Wallaceburg history is being preserved for years to come.
A plaque commemorating the site of the town’s historic glass factory was unveiled during a ceremony on on Old Glass Road Saturday, coinciding with the 40th anniversary of the Wallaceburg and District Museum.
The Sydenham Glass Company was founded in 1894 and employed thousands of area residents over its history, operating under various identities, including Dominion Glass and Domglas, eventually merging with Ohio-based Libbey in 1978.
Henry Van Haren, president of the Wallaceburg and District Historical Society, says the glass factory is part of Wallaceburg’s history and its identity.
“It helped out a lot of families here in Wallaceburg over the past 105 years,” Van Haren said. “Not just the men, but there were also a lot young boys that would work in the factory, and during the war years the women took over. It’s a big family affair.”
Van Haren says the loss of the glass factory in 1999 was a blow to the community, but its legacy lives on.
Van Haren says this is just the first of several pieces of Wallaceburg history that will be recognized in the months ahead.
Kaelyn Gregory, curator of the Wallaceburg and District Museum, says being able to preserve that history is a privilege.
“We’re still actively collecting, if people come in with their glass we’re happy to look at it,” Gregory said. “We try to keep two of everything because it’s so breakable. We’re really trying to preserve everything we can.”
The glass factory plaque is the seventh and final monument to be placed in the first year of an initiative through the Chatham-Kent Heritage Network, with sponsorship provided by the municipality through the Hydro One Community Grant Program and Winmar. CKHN Chair Lisa Gilbert says the plaquing initiative will launch its second year in August with events scheduled in Dresden and Merlin.