also created a community, with houses for his employees and an
“English School” so that the children could receive a well-rounded
education including French, English and German, writing, math
and music. Certainly he added to the area’s population with
trained craftspeople; by 1790 he reported that he was employing
between 400 and 500 individuals.
In 1790, however, weather conditions took their toll on the
business. A strong wind caused the collapse of houses and nearby
mills. His company also suffered from a devastating fire. High
shipping costs and changing fashions were other contributors to
the downward spiral, and the company closed in 1794, 10 years
after it opened.
While this is not a “rags to riches” story, Amelung’s pieces are
revered for their unparalleled classical elegance. The cut wares
made at the New Bremen Glass Manufactory are among the
finest in this country. Examples of New Bremen glasswork are in
the collections of the Smithsonian Institution, the Metropolitan
Museum of Art, the Winterthur Museum and the Corning
Museum of Glass. They can also be seen at the Historical Society
of Frederick County in Downtown Frederick.
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See examples of these and other local industries at the
Historical Society’s Museum of Frederick County History,
24 E. Church St., Frederick. For more information call
301-663-1188, ext. 107.
Top: The Amelung House and Glassworks is a historic structure located in
Urbana in Frederick County. It is a two-story late-Georgian brick home on a stone
foundation built about 1785. The property once had the New Bremen Glassworks
built by Johann Friedrich Amelung. No above-ground evidence of the factory
remains. The Amelung House and Glassworks was listed on the National Register
of Historic Places in 1973.
Left, top and bottom: Fine examples of New Bremen glasswork may be seen at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Winterthur
Museum, the Smithsonian Institution and the Historical Society of Frederick County.
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