West Virginia Marble Factory

See it while this old timer is still around to do it.

West virginia marble factory.

Factories produce marbles outside of west virginia. 3 fantastic factory tours you can only take in west virginia. Hillybilly marble maker sam hogue. Bogard sons 1971 1986.

Marble king was originally located in st. Marys west virginia the company relocated to paden city after a fire destroyed the original factory in 1958. He s a real hoot and you ll be fascinated watching him make glass marbles. Mountain made wv handmade art flickr marble king produces nearly a million marbles a day and their popular products have been featured all over the nation.

Cairo novelty 1946 1952. Working with molten glass is quickly becoming a lost art. One is located in reno ohio and the. It s fascinating to see how things are made right at the source and some of your favorite items are made right here in west virginia.

Check out these spots where you can take a factory tour. Howdyshell was a very innovative man who left his mark on the marble industry in many ways. These enthusiastic marble collectors were ron shepherd paula shepherd gary traugh and the late tim wyer. If you re anywhere near northwest west virginia take a side trip to this guy s home and workshop.

The west virginia marble collectors club wvmcc was the inspiration of four wood county west virginia residents. By the late 1930s there were several marble manufacturing plants in the state including the akro agate company in clarksburg. Let us guide you through the process of turning your inspiration into a creation. Research ongoing 1940 1947.

Roger howdyshell who managed the marble king facility moved the company to paden city where it still remains today. In january of 1958 a fire destroyed the factory. A west virginia based company the marble king has earned the title as. Mid atlantic of west virginia inc.

The advent of marble making machinery in the early 20th century helped bring the industry to west virginia which already had a robust glass industry. The other west virginia marble factory is champion agate in pennsboro in ritchie county. Playrite marble novelty co. They recognized a need to preserve the history of marbles and to promote the collecting and identification of marbles.