Opening of the American Optical Museum - 1983

A brief history…

It all begins with a celebration. The 150 year anniversary of American Optical. On this day in 1983 - The American Optical Museum is born, commemorating the achievements of the optical industry and the pioneers who created the industry we take for granted today.

The museum was located in the AO Main Plant on Mechanic Street, Southbridge - to the left of the marble staircase. It remained here from 1983 - 2000.

With access to the American Optical archives, the museum easily housed and displayed over 3000 optical and ophthalmic items - the largest collection of it’s kind, anywhere in the world.

By 1987 the American Optical museum became a non-for-profit entity and rebranded itself as the Optical Heritage Museum.

By 2000, the AO Main Plant was set for demolition with plans to keep the façade for a new hotel to service the Southbridge area. The Wellsworth Hotel (Southbridge Hotel and Conference Centre at the time) has been the premier hotel in the Southbridge area, paying reference to American Optical and the Optical Industry throughout.

While under construction, the museum relocated to a new venue - unfortunately, this was not in a publicly accessible location. The collection was in fact boxed and stored in the unheated attic of the Universalist Church on Main Street in Southbridge. Here it remained dormant until 2006.

In 2005, ZEISS acquired SOLA/AO and shortly after, recognized the importance in preserving the optical history and museum heritage in Southbridge. ZEISS committed to restoring the museum and set about unboxing the collection in a new location.

By 2013, ZEISS had funded the relocation and re-opening of the Optical Heritage Museum in Crane Street, Southbridge - a decade after the original collection was boxed away.

The first major event since the re-opening at Crane Street was to host the Opticians Association of Massachusetts (OAM), as part of their annual conference. Through the perseverance of Diane Matuck (a board member during this time), the museum secured a partnership with the OAM to return each year, allowing a steady stream of promotion and funding to support the continued growth and relaunch.

Fast forward several years and not only have thousands of visitors, conferences and optical groups passed through the doors - but ZEISS’ commitment remains firm. Through the generosity of donations and sponsorships, the Optical Heritage Museum contains over 7000 square feet of historical artefacts, innovations, and items, each paying respects to the Optical Industry and the ground-breaking pioneers who shaped it into the world we have today.