Star City Municipal Dock

Star City was founded in 1907 and named by Louis Kauffeld, general manager of the Star Glass Company. Kauffeld’s factory was the first lamp chimney producer in West Virginia and made 72 different kinds of lamp chimneys. One of the first acts of the town mayor was to appoint a “Special Policeman”. This Special Policeman, John Deusenberry, was the basis for what has become the current Star City Police Department. As the needs of the town have changed, the police department has changed with them, always with the ultimate goal of protecting the town and its citizens.In 1911 Company B of the Seneca Glass Company of Morgantown opened and produced hand blown soda-lime glass tumblers until 1931. Star City began to see an expansion in the early 1900s and was a community comprised of many ethnicities. Polish and Slovak people migrated to Star City because they were skilled glass workers. Walter Kizinski had a glass factory (Paramount Glass) along the riverfront which became known as the “Polish Factory” because Kizinski hired many Polish employees. This factory specialized in hand blown tableware. Glass production was the primary industry; records indicate there were as many as 13 glass factories operating at the same time.