Hidden Treasures - The Second Dump
by Rich Bennett
Issue #275 March 1996
Several years ago the city of Cambridge decided to build a dike to prevent flooding in the eastern part of town. In front of the Cambridge Glass factory runs a Street (Morton Avenue) which would need to be elevated to a bridge crossing Leatherwood Creek. Construction of this new street and bridge also created a whole new dimension to the Cambridge Glass dump.
I had been told by friends and many glassworkers that the dump was located directly west of the factory. This is true; a dump is located there where I have found many glass artifacts.
As construction began on the Morton Avenue project, tons of dirt was graded. With the permission of the workers, I began my quest to look for Cambridge Glass. Scouring the grounds for glass, all that seemed to turn up were old whiskey and beer bottles. But I didnt get discouraged, considering that this location was directly in front of the factory. With a little time and patience, things began to appear.
Near the creek's edge I could see chunks of glass in the water. I was able to retrieve many pieces and sure enough, it was cullet from the Cambridge Glass factory. The colors at this site were quite different because they were mostly opaque: Crown Tuscan, Primrose, Ivory, Helio, Windsor Blue, Pomona Green, Cararra, Azurite, Turquoise, Ebony, and Jade. A few of the transparent colors were: Blue 1, Bluebell, Light Emerald, Heatherbloom, and Topaz.
Some of the items I found were: #101 Round Ivory bon bon cover, #3011 Heatherbloom Nude ashtray, #3011 Crown Tuscan 9" Nude candlestick, #3011 Crown Tuscan Nude ashtray, two pear-shaped Azurite perfume atomizers (one etched), an Ivory tall, slender perfume atomizer with gold and black bands, an Ivory funnel lamp base, a Helio stick candlestick, a head to a large Light Emerald Draped Lady, a large crystal fork, a Crown Tuscan paperweight, a Pomona Green foot to a cordial or perfume, two Milk doorknobs, two pink beehive stoppers, three Milk dresser pulls.
Some really unusual items that I found were: three pieces of Everglades in pink opalescent, five ivory and brown slag gearshift knobs and one ebony gearshift knob.
This dump site was a very interesting and ever-changing site due to the fact that the ground was constantly being moved by the earthmovers. From a glass diggers standpoint, this was a wonderful find, considering that no one I had ever talked with realized that glass had been dumped in this area.
Unfortunately, today this second dump is gone. The road and bridge are completed and the area is seeded with grass - a glass digger's nightmare.