Optical Heritage Museum

**waynegilpin** · 05-14-2023, 02:33 PM

Has anyone visited the Optical Heritage Museum in Southbridge, MA?

Your impressions? Worth the ride and the time?

Southbridge, MA. Gee, why did they locate it there?

https://www.opticalheritagemuseum.com/

**Lensman11** · 05-14-2023, 02:43 PM

It is well worth the ride it is located there because that is where Amican optical was located and was responsible for most of the content.

**waynegilpin** · 05-14-2023, 03:01 PM

Thanks. Sounds like a road trip. I started my career with AO, but at the Hartford, CT branch lab. Back in the days when there were 5 AO labs in CT alone. In those days the Southbridge complex was huge. It's sad the way it was whittled down over the years.

**marySQ** · 05-15-2023, 06:35 AM

I'm planning to visit in July.

**walleye** · 05-17-2023, 03:17 PM

It's well worth the trip. Also try to stay at the hotel that was the American Optical headquarters in Southbridge.

**waynegilpin** · 05-17-2023, 03:34 PM

Originally Posted by walleye

It's well worth the trip. Also try to stay at the hotel that was the American Optical headquarters in Southbridge.

Thanks. Just a day trip for us. About 65 miles up the back roads. Waiting for about 10 degrees warmer for a top-down ride.

**EyeManDan** · 05-18-2023, 08:37 AM

its on my optical bucket list. Not far from me. Plus some good little breweries in the area too.

**waynegilpin** · 06-01-2023, 03:00 PM

We took the ride today and had a very good tour.

A few FYI's. I read the web site as open Wed. through Fri. 10-4, or by appointment. It is actually that appointments are available Wed. through Fri. 10-4. Fortunately when we walked in they were just starting a tour for a couple who had made an appointment, so we were able to join them. Phone calls this morning to confirm that they were open went straight to voicemail with a full mail box so not able to leave a message. We mentioned both items to the curator Debbie and she said that she would address both. But it might be best to contact by email if you're planning to visit.

**Uncle Fester** · 06-01-2023, 04:01 PM

Toured it when a dying AO still occupied it.

The Corning museum in Corning NY will knock your socks off.

Spend 3 days there. Half a day in the museum and half tooling around the finger lakes of upstate NY.

Then a few days around Niagara Falls for a great week long vacation. Stay on the Canadian side. Much less gritty than Buffalo. Go in early fall when the wineries are in full production and the kids are back in school if you can.

**waynegilpin** · 06-01-2023, 05:24 PM

Originally Posted by Uncle Fester

Toured it when a dying AO still occupied it.

The Corning museum in Corning NY will knock your socks off.

Spend 3 days there. Half a day in the museum and half tooling around the finger lakes of upstate NY.

Then a few days around Niagara Falls for a great week long vacation. Stay on the Canadian side. Much less gritty than Buffalo. Go in early fall when the wineries are in full production and the kids are back in school if you can.

It was 45 years ago last week that we took our honeymoon through the NY wine valley to Niagara Falls. Then back along the Canadian side to Montreal, and down through VT.
I haven't been to Corning in years. The one display that sticks in my mind was showing the purity of crown glass. There were 3 holes about 1" in diameter. The first was looking at a picture 10 feet away. The second was looking through a 1" diameter rod of window glass 10 INCHES long. You could see nothing. The last was a 1" diameter rod of crown optical glass 10 FEET long. The picture was still clear. No imperfections or contaminants in the glass.