The exhibit focuses on the display of a series of antique glass bottles discovered during the excavation of Wentworth’s new Multipurpose Academic Building.  The exhibit is free and open to the public and will run until September 12, 2018.

Buried Treasure introduces the Wentworth community to the history that can be found, literally, beneath our feet — and how archaeological objects, such as glass bottles, can be tied to local historical knowledge to explain how the Wentworth area fits into Boston history and how this history has shaped the school’s built environment and social mission. Today’s Wentworth is connected to an entrepreneurial ethos and spirit that thrived in Boston over century ago.

The project aligns with Wentworth’s EPIC model (Externally-collaborative, Project-based, Interdisciplinary Culture) for learning. The installation is the result of an extraordinary collaborative effort, including the Museum of Fine Arts, the Department of Humanities & Social Sciences, the College of Engineering & Technology, the Department of Civil Engineering, the Schumann Library & Learning Commons, the Department of Planning & Construction, the Physical Plant, and Simmons College. It also involves the collaboration of librarians, construction managers, civil engineers, archivists, modern historians, and an archaeologist.

The bottle display is accompanied by a series of digital slides that describe Wentworth’s connections to Boston history, the properties of glass, and the different types of products that the bottles once contained:

A display of library resources about antique bottles, Wentworth, and Boston history is on view for further exploration.

Bibliography:

Bagley, Joseph M. A History of Boston in 50 Artifacts. Hanover: University Press of New England, 2016.

Clifford, Joseph P. A Century of Honesty, Energy, Economy, System: Wentworth Institute of Technology, 1904-2004. Boston: Wentworth Institute of Technology, 2003.

Kaiser, Joan E., and J. G. Stradling. The Glass Industry in South Boston. Lebanon, N.H: University Press of New England, 2009.

McKearin, George S., and Helen McKearin. American Glass. New York: Bonanza Books, 1989.

McKearin, Helen, and George S. McKearin. Two Hundred Years of American Blown Glass. New York: Crown Publishers, 1950.

—. Two Hundred Years of American Blown Glass. New York: Crown Publishers, 1950.

McNulty, Elizabeth. Boston then & Now. San Diego, Calif.: Thunder Bay Press, 1999.

Orwig, Timothy. Historic Photos of Boston. Nashville, Tenn.: Turner Pub. Co., 2007.

Puleo, Stephen. A City so Grand : The Rise of an American Metropolis, Boston 1850-1900. Boston : Beacon Press, 2010.

Sammarco, Anthony M. Boston: A Historic Walking Tour. Charleston, S.C. : Arcadia Pub., 2013.

—. Boston’s Fenway. Charleston, SC : Arcadia Pub., 2002.

—. Lost Boston. London : Pavilion Books, 2014.

Seasholes, Nancy S. Gaining Ground:  A History of Landmaking in Boston. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2003.

Wilson, Kenneth M. American Glass, 1760-1930: The Toledo Museum of Art. New York: Hudson Hills Press in association with the Toledo Museum of Art, 1994.

For more information please read Wentworth’s news story or contact libraryexhibits@wit.edu.