As America celebrates its semiquincentennial, the West Virginia & Regional History Center (WVRHC) invites the WVU community and the public to honor both this momentous anniversary and West Virginia Day on June 18 at 2 p.m. in the Milano Reading Room of the Downtown Library in Morgantown, West Virginia.
Join the History Center for an afternoon celebrating West Virginia Day 2026 and reflecting on the history and culture of the Mountain State in the last 250 years.
West Virginia University Associate Professor of History Dr. William "Hal" Gorby will lead a panel discussion with graduates of the WVU History department who recently earned their master’s or doctorate focusing on a topic of West Virginia’s history, culture, or other related research.
Panelists include:
- Dr. Kristen Bailey, Bargaining for Statehood: The Intersection of Capitalism and Politics in the Creation of West Virginia, PhD, 2025
- Matthew Powell, White Paper and Black Water: Environmental Control of Labor in Appalachian Paper Mill Communities, MA, 2025
- David Solomon, Not Far Enough: The West Virginia Human Rights Commission and the Civil Rights Movement, MA 2025
- Dr. Jack Weaver, Rifles and Riflemen: Material Culture, Violence, and Early American Identity, 1720-1820, PhD, 2025
Immediately following the reception, the History Center will remain open for guests to be among the first to explore the new exhibit, “Mountaineers Are Always Free: West Virginia at 250.” This exhibit will feature the power of place in West Virginia, examine the people who call West Virginia home, and highlight stories of struggles for freedom and democracy across the state's history.
For more information, contact WVRHC Director Lori Hostuttler at lori.hostuttler@mail.wvu.edu or 304-293-1116.
If you would like to make a monetary donation to support the WVRHC’s efforts to preserve West Virginia’s history, please visit library.wvu.edu/give or call 304-293-0303.