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Did you ever go someplace you just knew you weren't going to enjoy but you ended up liking it, and even learning something from the experience? I'm not your basic museum type--we outdoors, camping types seldom are--but I have to admit to enjoying and learning from this place. The Jones Museum of Glass and Ceramics (do you know what ceramics is? I'll tell you later) has been called the hidden jewel in the hills of western Maine, and the first thing that appealed to me about this gem was its setting.

On my first trip there (map), I found it difficult to imagine that we were driving to a museum; two-lane country roads wind through small New England villages, through evergreen and deciduous forested stretches, and past farms. A short distance up Douglas Mountain Road, just beyond a few houses that look as if they could be museum pieces themselves, an inviting green and gold-leaf sign identifies the entrance drive to the Jones Museum of Glass and Ceramics.

Still awed that I could encounter a museum in such a setting, a glass and ceramics museum no less, I gaped as we drove in: On the right is the museum, an emerald green extensively remodeled, unusual barn nestled in 90 rustic acres, and set against the backdrop of a spectacular view of the White Mountains; to the left, at the end of an idyllically landscaped expanse sweeping farther up the mountain, stands the large, modern Douglas Mountain Conference Center, used for museum business and education purposes; straight ahead lies the parking lot and a tree-shaded picnic area for relaxing or enjoying a quiet lunch. There is also an awning shaded patio with tables and chairs adjacent to the entrance of the museum.

A little farther up Douglas Mountain Road, past the Conference Center, lies part of a 169 acre Nature Conservancy preserve. From the small parking area, an easy, pleasant twenty minute hike led me to a nature trail that starts at the base of a fieldstone tower at the summit of Douglas Mountain. A mounted, panoramic picture at the top of the tower helped me to identify landmarks in the dazzling view that extends from Mount Washington, to Sebago Lake, to the Atlantic Ocean. I savored the leisurely walk and the view, and it delayed the inevitable; going into the museum.

Inside, to my surprise, I was met by a bright and cheery environment and by a staff to match, and it didn't take long for me to lose whatever distaste I felt about visiting a museum. I succumbed to observing and learning.

I was told that displays on the first floor of the museum change routinely as they often exchange exhibits with, or borrow exhibits from, museums and private collectors throughout the United States. For example, in the past few years, they have had exhibits on such wide-ranging subjects as Japanese ceramics, Majolica, paperweights, and steins (even I can identify with paperweights and steins). Exhibits may include, not only finished pieces, but tools with explanations of manufacture, and unfinished pieces to show works in progress. When I asked how they handle, ship, receive, and display so many delicate pieces every year, I received the obvious answer.

Also on the first floor are: a gift shop with items for sale ranging from books, games, and curios for all ages, to antique glass and china; and an extensive reference library (Edward W. Tinney Memorial Library) where the staff can assist in researching anything you may want to know about glass or ceramic pieces.

On the second floor is the Main Gallery with ample meeting room space. Here special visiting groups or school groups are given talks on subjects ranging from an introduction to the museum to specific requested topics such as: Noritake Japanese ware, decorative tiles, British glass, and much more (including paperweights and steins)--but you get the idea.

Displays in the Main Gallery and several connecting rooms boast examples of the beauty and antiquity contained in the museum's own permanent collection, which consists of over 7,000 pieces ranging in age from 1200 B.C. to recent, and ranging in geography from local to worldwide. My favorite room displays the reproductions, fraudulent pieces, and problem pieces, all of which collectors need be aware--side-by-side with their original examples. I learned that if I ever wanted to get into the business of buying antiques, I had a lot more to learn.

Dorothy-Lee Jones, the creator and driving force behind this teaching, non-profit, publicly-supported museum, founded it on her family's farm almost twenty years ago. Although the museum is governed by a Board of Trustees, she continues to serve in several capacities: director, curator, and lecturer. She also lectures outside the museum that bears her name.

Dorothy-Lee Jones' mother collected 18th century ceramic teapots and her father collected antique Chinese porcelain, so it is not surprising that she started her career as a collector/dealer of antiques. Her love of ceramic and glass decorative arts, and the satisfaction she derived from using her small collection in her family's barn to teach others led her to establish the museum, which opened on July 8, 1978 with 1200 loaned items. These came from several friends, the noted Lowell Innes, and several Boston collectors.

The Jones Museum of Glass and Ceramics has a strong organization within; it is guided by a board of directors and is financed through admission fees, memberships, annual appeals, fund raisers, gift shop sales, auctions and a few generous donors--plus it has a great crew of volunteers. And the museum's continued success is bolstered by its strong ties with major sources of decorative arts and influential museums such as the Smithsonian Institution, the Corning Museum of Glass, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Philadelphia Art Museum, the Chrysler Museum and numerous smaller institutions. Pieces and exhibits are loaned in both directions (very carefully).

The Jones Museum has a number of sources of pride, but the two that seem to stand out are that it is unique, and that it is a teaching institution: It is unique in that it is the only museum in America that is devoted exclusively to all glass and ceramic decorative arts; and there is no question that the museum is a teaching institution, but they don't insist that you learn. I browsed and enjoyed some of the displays simply for the beauty and design of the pieces, but the opportunity to learn exists on several levels. By reading the written descriptions and explanations accompanying the displays, and by listening to the guides, I learned some interesting things: like why glassmakers add lead to crystal--lead makes the glass softer and easier to cut; and what ceramics is--a term that includes earthenware, stoneware, and porcelain, each of which is made from a different type of clay and has its own characteristics. For more in-depth education on specific subjects, one can attend the scheduled lectures and seminars.

The Jones Museum will open in mid-May, 1997 for its 20th season. You are welcome to call them for information at any time.

If the setting of this enchanting museum is unusual and rustic, it is also convenient. Within a 20 mile radius of the Jones Museum there are: campgrounds and lodgings; antiques shops and gift shops; boat, balloon, and seaplane rides; waterskiing, canoeing, sailing, golfing, and tennis; Sebago Lake State Park, and the Songo Locks (historic manually operated locks). Within about an hour's drive are Portland, the White Mountains, and Freeport (the home of L.L. Bean).

The Jones Museum of Glass and Ceramics is a fitting example of the boundlessness of Maine's diversity. You'll enjoy it even if you are intimidated by the mere mention of the word museum. I should know.