Villager has more than 90 pitchers of different shapes and hues

By MICHAEL FORTUNA, DAILY SUN

THE VILLAGES — Ann Vaughn never planned to acquire antique glass pitchers, but before she knew it, she had a collection.

“It just sort of happened,” Vaughn said. “I don’t collect things. I was kind of drawn to it.”

In the living room, she has more than 90 pitchers of all different shapes and hues on display in a curio cabinet with a mirrored back. Vaughn has been collecting the pitchers since 1998.

“It’s been longer than I thought,” Vaughn said.

“I like the splash of color,” said her husband Sid. “It’s kind of the focal point for the living room.”

“It’s really nice in the evenings to have the light on in the cabinet,” Vaughn added. “The color really stands out then.”

The pitchers, some of which are

handblown, are no bigger than 8 inches high. She has a few made by Fenton Art Glass or Murano glass, as well as the more familiar green Depression-era glass. They come adorned with ornate designs or plain and simple.

Other items in the collection include a blue pitcher with white specks that has a long, upward spout; and several pitchers that look as if they are wearing “skirts.”

Vaughn uses the pitchers from time to time, usually to hold cream for coffee during special occasions.

In 1998, Vaughn, who was living in Houston, went with her mother on a mini-vacation, where they found a shop that sold little glass pitchers.

“My mom said, ‘Oh, we should buy them’,” Vaughn said. “We got five of them.”

Those turned out to be her favorites.

“There’s a sentimental connection to it,” Vaughn said.

Soon the number of pitchers slowly climbed.

“They just kind of seemed to leap out at us

everywhere we went,” Vaughn said. “(In Houston) there were lots of specialty stores and antique shops.”

During the Vaughns’ travels, they made sure to keep an eye out for pitchers. The farthest they went to buy a pitcher was Mackinaw Island in Michigan. In Florida, they discovered some in Micanopy and Dunnellon.

“We even got one from Cracker Barrel,” Vaughn said. “They’re kind of all over the place.”

Vaughn had two criteria for buying a pitcher — it had to be small and made of glass.

The Vaughns’ Houston home had a

breakfast area with one large window that lets the sunrise in. Sid had set up several glass shelves to display the pitchers.

“It was really almost a stained glass effect,” Vaughn said. “It was very pretty. I thought about doing it here (in our new home) but I didn’t want to distract from the view (of the lake in the backyard).”

Michael Fortuna is a reporter with the Daily Sun. He can be reached at 753-1119, ext. 9234, or michael.fortuna@thevillagesmedia.com.