The mission of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History is to identify, preserve, protect, promote and present the ideas, arts and artifacts of West Virginia’s heritage, building pride in our past accomplishments and confidence in our future.
Welcome from Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith.
Welcome to the new year! 2013 is the sesquicentennial, or 150th, anniversary of West Virginia’s statehood. While June 20 is the official date for the Mountain State’s entrance into the Union, that event did not happen without months of discussion and debate. For the past two years, the Division has shared those stories of statehood through lectures, presentations and programs at the Culture Center and West Virginia Independence Hall. Our Archives and History Section developed great online resources that feature primary source documents about statehood.
This year, we will step up our commemoration with a year-long exhibit – WV150 – at the Culture Center that celebrates our state’s 150 years with art, artifacts and photographs of some of the people, places and events that have been important to our history. Lectures and programs at all of our sites will continue to bring attention to our state’s history and culture.
Beyond the focus on our past, we will celebrate our future by building youth-directed programs such as West Virginia State History Bowl, Marching Band Invitational, Festival of Songs and Poetry Out Loud. A special issue of Goldenseal will be devoted to essays and photographs related to the Sesquicentennial and our statehood that high school students from around the state submitted to the division.
The Vandalia Gathering, Appalachian String Band and Aunt Jennie Festivals will bring seasoned veterans together with young musicians and dancers who will carry on our cultural traditions.
As always, we hope you will join us at our sites around the state, through online research and at programs that bring West Virginia’s culture and history to life.
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