The Rogers Historical Museum presents the upcoming exhibit “A Century of American Glassware.” The
exhibit will be on show in the Collections Gallery from February 17– August 10, 2024.

This exhibit displays a glowing showcase of glassware in the museum’s collections from the 1870s-1970s.
Throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, both hand-decorated and mass-produced glassware could
be found in the homes of middle-class American families. From Brilliant Cut Glass and Early American
Pattern Glass, to uranium glass and the colorful tableware of the Depression era, discover the history and
beauty of American glassware through this sampling from the museum’s collection. Many of the items
displayed were owned and donated by local individuals, including a variety of many different shapes and
sizes of table salt dishes from the collection of Agnes Lytton Reagan.

Agnes Lytton Reagan was a 1935 graduate of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and received a degree in mathematics. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Library Science from Emory University and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in library science from the University of Illinois. She enjoyed a successful career as a librarian and professor, including working for the American Library Association in Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin, before passing away in December 2013 at the age of 99.

(Left to right) Sisters Betty Lynn, Agnes Lytton and Mary Sue Reagan in 2001

A Family Connection (taken from the University of Arkansas Newsletter. )

Agnes was the oldest of three sisters with ties to Rogers, Arkansas. Agnes Lytton, Mary Sue and Betty Lynn Reagan were born and raised in Northwest Arkansas and had deep connections to history, education and library science throughout their lives. Each graduated from the University of Arkansas and worked in the education field.

Agnes Lytton Reagan was a 1935 graduate of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and received a degree in mathematics. She later earned a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in Library Science from Emory University and a Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in library science from the University of Illinois. She enjoyed a successful career as a librarian and professor, including working for the American Library Association in Chicago and the University of Texas at Austin, before passing away in December 2013 at the age of 99.

Her sisters, Mary Sue and Betty Lynn, both earned Bachelor of Arts degrees in history from U of A Fulbright College in 1942 and 1945, respectively. Mary Sue went on to earn a Master of Arts in history from the University of Missouri, and Betty Lynn completed her Master of Arts in history from Emory University. Betty Lynn was also a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Paris in the summer of 1962.

Both Mary Sue and Betty Lynn enjoyed careers as history and government teachers in the Rogers School District and accumulated 94 years of service between them. They were both honored as Teacher of the Year in Rogers, named by the Rogers Chamber of Commerce to the Educators’ Hall of Fame and received the Benton County Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award for outstanding teaching of American history and government.

This pink handled glass serving tray manufactured by the Anchor Hocking Glass Corporation in Lancaster, Ohio is an example of Depression glass that was mass-produced between 1929 to 1939.

An uranium glass tea cup and saucer manufactured in the 1930s by the Cambridge Glass Company in Cambridge, Ohio. Trace amounts of uranium were added during the glass manufacturing process to achieve a distinctive florescent yellow or green hue. Although this additive makes this glass radioactive, it is considered no more harmful than the radiation levels of a microwave oven.

ABOUT ROGERS HISTORICAL MUSEUM
The Rogers Historical Museum’s mission is to enrich lives through education, experience and exploration of our heritage. The museum is located at 313 & 322 South Second Street, at the corner of Second and Cherry, in historic downtown Rogers. We are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. For more information, please visit rogershistoricalmuseum.org or call 479-621-1154. General admission is free.