This week, ballads tell stories about all kinds of real-life events, but after Hurricane Helene, one group of ballad singers felt some topics were still too raw. Also, the author of a new book on ancient Ohio credits a former grad student with introducing him to the region’s mysterious earthworks. And, the legacy of Affrilachian poet Norman Jordan includes a summer camp for teens to study their heritage.
Home » Stories » Four Generations of Glass-Making Celebrated in Two Documentaries
Published
Four Generations of Glass-Making Celebrated in Two Documentaries
Share this Article
Explore Blenko, a family-owned glass-making company based in Milton, W.Va.
Watch Sunday Dec. 17 on WV PBS beginning at 7 p.m.
7:00 p.m. — Hearts of Glass — A detailed, affectionate look at an immigrant’s dream which has become the last great American glass factory where all the work is done by hand. Hearts of Glass traces the company’s history through four generations of the Blenko family. Hot glass is a family obsession that began when William John Blenko emigrated from England during the gilded age of Stanford White and Louis Comfort Tiffany. In America, Blenko was a man of contradictions- both capitalist and socialist, worker and boss. Three times he tried to produce European-style stained glass and three times he failed. At the age of 67, he tried one last time and found the elusive formula for radiant medieval ruby glass. His discovery was the start of a company whose rainbow of more than 1300 colors would circle the globe.
Blenko Glass
Thank you gifts from Blenko include (from left): Peacock Water Bottle, Yellow Ruffled Bowl, Cobalt Twisted Vase, Tangerine Vase, Kiwi Bowl, and Turquoise Optic Pitcher
8:00 p.m. — Blenko Glass: Behind the Scenes — Journey to the hills of Milton, W. Va. into the heat of Blenko Glassworks and see first-hand how Blenko handmade glass is created, from start to finish. Each step in the Blenko glass-making process is accomplished by human hand, eyes, and he arts, not by impersonal machines.
The Golden Horseshoe is a long-standing West Virginia tradition dating back to 1931 that honors eighth grade students who excel in West Virginia history.
WVPB is proud to announce its role in the production of AMERICA’S AWESOME KIDS, a new live-action short-form series premiering May 22, 2026, on PBS KIDS.
The West Virginia Academic Showdown is an academic head-to-head competition that brings West Virginia high school students from across the state together for regional matchups.
