Optical Heritage Museum Web Site
http://www.opticalheritagemuseum.org
Morin Jewelers sponsored a fundraising event for the Optical Heritage Museum on Oct 21, 2004 at their Main St. Southbridge Store.
That night close to $1200 was raised, and AO Foundation has pledged to match this and other monies up to $5000.
Southbridge Evening News Oct 28, 2004 article about the Museum Fundraiser
Thank you Morin's and all who helped make this event worthwhile!
A variety of rare Antique
Spectacles from the Museum Collection - One of the largest in the World
AO Monoplex Eyes, which are still manufactured in Southbridge Today.
The case on the right is from a collection which was made for Disneyland.
An original Todd - AO Film 2nd reel from the Movie Oklahoma. This was the first to utilize this new technology which was developed in Southbridge, MA
The Tickets were from the Premier on Oct of 1955
Recent additions to the Museum collection include donations of Sunglasses and a 50th Anniversary Award AO Watch given 1943
Extremely rare National Bureau of Standards Truepower Calibration lenses. These were calibrated by Doc Tillyer in 1916 prior to his coming to AO.
They were used to calibrate all AO Lensometers around the world wiith
regard to Dioptric Power.
An original Herman Stoopes Painting, one of the 4 originals still in
the Museum collection.
Bruce Hynes (Morin Jeweler's and member of the Southbridge Downtown Partnership Museum Committee) examines
William Beecher's Grandsons Engraving tools, used in the late 1800's.
William Beecher founded the Spectacle Shop in 1883, which eventually became American Optical in 1869.
William Beecher's Original Travel case was on display ; Rob Morin (owner
of Morin's) is shown above.
The AO Main Plant Optical Heritage Museum collection display (1983- 2000)
