WVU Libraries

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

Since it is Fall Break here at WVU, we will take a break from showcasing the WVRHC’s great collections to bring you a WVU history factoid:  the current tobacco free campus policy is not the first attempt to eradicate tobacco use at WVU.  Most of us are aware the WVU’s campus has been tobacco free since 2013 .  Less well known is the temporary tobacco prohibition that occurred over 100 years earlier.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

Bob, at the feet of his owner, Professor William P. Willey, poses with the Junior Law class of 1909.

Dogs have always been popular pets for students and faculty alike at WVU.  This is just as true today as it was 107 years ago when Bob, a medium sized dog of unknown parentage with black and tan markings, first placed a paw on campus.  The beloved pet and constant companion of William P. Willey, one of WVU’s first professors, serving both the History and Law departments, Bob was more than one man’s best friend.  Known and loved by every student on the WVU campus, Bob happily held the tail wagging title of mascot for the WVU College of Law from 1907-1910.   Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

Rebecca Harding Davis (June 24, 1831-September 29, 1910) was born Rebecca Blaine Harding in Washington, Pennsylvania.  Today marks 104 years since her death.  She is perhaps best known for her novella Life in the Iron Mills (1861) and for her pioneering role in literary realism.   Read the rest of this entry »

Dear students, staff, faculty, and community members:  have you ever used the West Virginia and Regional History Center’s website?  Have you been longing to give the Center feedback on the design or usefulness of the website?  Now is your chance!

We have created a brief survey to give you an opportunity to tell the WVRHC about your experience with its website. The survey focuses on the site’s general usability, not specific digital resources.

Participants who include their email addresses will be eligible to win a framed 8 x 10 print photo of the winner’s choice from West Virginia History OnView.  Two prizes will be awarded. The contest is open until October 31, and the winners will be alerted by November 7.  Thank you for your participation!

For more information, contact Jane LaBarbara at jane.metters@mail.wvu.edu.

A group portrait of the Deakins Line Surveying Team of Preston County, West Virginia.  Thankfully, web surveys are easier to complete than geological surveys.

Blog post by Lori Hostuttler, Digital Projects and Outreach Archivist.

This week researchers and educators are gathering at West Virginia University to celebrate 100 years of cooperative extension at the Century Beyond the Campus: Past, Present, and Future of Extension research symposium.  Agricultural education has always been a fundamental part of West Virginia University’s mission and the holdings at the West Virginia and Regional History Center (WVRHC) reflect this commitment.  Extension program records, county agent reports, faculty files, as well as photographs and serial publications document the rich history of extension at WVU.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

 Image of Edison Phonograph advertisement from Flickr photostream of Jalal gerald Aro, album titled “affiche”

The archives at the West Virginia and Regional History Center contain many historical items, including pieces of music and advertising.  These two areas intertwine with a program for a musical evening with Miss Betsy Lane Shepherd, soprano, with music provided by Mr. Rudolph Polk, violinist.  The program was for a recital held at the First Methodist Episcopal Church in Moundsville, West Virginia, Tuesday, November 6, 1917.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

The West Virginia and Regional History Center is in the middle of a project to digitize some of our glass plate negatives.  Previous blog posts have discussed the glass plate negatives of the Fred T. Newbraugh collection (scans online here) and the James Green collection (scans online here).  From those posts, we learned about the evolution of glass plate negative technology, from the time-sensitive “wet collodion” process in the mid to late 1800s to the “dry” process that arose in 1880.  Now we’ll learn how WVRHC staff members are cleaning a century’s worth of dust and dirt off of our glass plate negatives to preserve and provide access to our region’s history.   Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Michael Ridderbusch, Associate Curator, WVRHC.

In a 1923 interview entitled “Makes Money From Just Fun,” Broadway star Eleanor Williams is described as the “chief laugh-maker” in “The Love Child,” the show running at the time (ca. 1922-1923).  “At last a comedian has been found who does not wish to do serious roles,” observes the reporter, “only in this case the player happens to be a comedienne!”  The interview continues:  “No,” said Miss Williams emphatically, “I do not care to do serious parts at all, am not ambitious in that direction.”  “I think it’s wonderful to be able to make people cry.  But I get an actual thrill from laughter and it’s the thrill that I love best.”  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

John Robert Clifford (1848-1933) was a pioneer in every way.  Driven to achieve, Clifford made significant contributions towards civil rights as an activist and as editor and publisher of the Pioneer Press, a newspaper published in Martinsburg, West Virginia.  The first African-American newspaper in the state, the Pioneer Press gained readers across the country as it sought to address the “moral, religious and financial needs,” not just for African-American subscribers, but all of humanity, on a weekly basis. Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

One of the highlights of the WVRHC is the journal of John W. M. Appleton, part of A&M 92.  Appleton was an officer in the 54th Massachusetts Infantry during the Civil War, and later became Adjutant General of West Virginia.¹  Appleton’s journal is a unique and valuable research tool, telling the story of one of the first all-black regiments in the Union Army through Appleton’s eyes and containing sketches, photographs, and newspaper clippings that give us greater insight into that time. Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Michael Ridderbusch, Associate Curator, WVRHC.

The West Virginia and Regional History Center is continuing to digitize the negatives of the Gravely and Moore collection in order to enhance their accessibility to researchers.  A previous installment of this blog highlighted Gravely and Moore photos of a busy World War II era bus depot in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.  In this installment we show images recently “discovered” of businesses in Charleston, West Virginia.  Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

Library on the third floor of Martin Hall.

The study of Library History has become a popular field in recent years.  With the rise of interest in historical libraries, library practices, librarianship and librarians, we’ll take this opportunity to look at our own library history and the librarians who worked to make information accessible to students in the early years of West Virginia University.  This blog is part one in a series on the evolution of the WVU library and its librarians.

Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

Though many of us don’t think about it, the buildings that make up the landmarks of our daily lives change over time.  West Virginia University is no exception.  Interiors are refurbished, wings are added, facades are restored, and new buildings are being constructed even now.  Some of our campus landmarks have been memorialized in holiday ornaments, donated to the WVRHC as part of a collection in processing which will soon be A&M 3950, tentatively called the Vaughn L. Kiger Collection of Historical Photographs and Records Regarding Morgantown.  These ornaments are part of a series produced by Heritage Collection in the 1990s.  I’ve paired each ornament below with an older photograph from our West Virginia History OnView database to highlight some of the changes, or lack thereof.   Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Michael Ridderbusch, Associate Curator, WVRHC.

Recently, when reviewing the images resulting from scans of negatives from our Gravely and Moore photography collection, photos were uncovered that systematically document the facilities and operations of a busy bus depot during World War II.  According to a current online exhibit by the Smithsonian, “Americans On The Move,” the 1930s and 40s were a time when bus travel was a “glamorous and modern” mode of transportation that hit its peak during the years of World War II.  The photographs we discovered date from this golden era, documenting a Greyhound bus depot in Winston-Salem, North Carolina in September 1942.  This blog will present a selection of images from this grouping of negatives.

Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

The nameplate of the Daily Citizen, and the wallpaper on which the WVRHC’s copy was printed.

As we celebrate Independence Day this July 4th, we look back to another 4th of July one hundred and fifty one years ago to events that occurred a mere fourteen days after West Virginia achieved statehood on June 20, 1863.  It was on July 4th, 1863, that Lieutenant General John C. Pemberton surrendered to General Grant at Vicksburg, an event considered by many to be an important turning point in the Civil War. Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

Though the West Virginia and Regional History Center’s collections focus on the history of our state and the central Appalachian region, their scope extends across the globe.  West Virginians have travelled far and wide to see and do incredible things, and the WVRHC keeps their stories for posterity.  These travelers include WVU students who served in World War II and documented their experiences abroad (see A&M 120); businessman Stephen B. Elkins, who lived in Santa Fe, NM in the 1870s and recorded information about illegal land speculation in his letter book (see A&M 3979); and poet Maggie Anderson, who collected information on the Danish Resistance Movement when she traveled to Denmark in the 1990s (see A&M 3956).  Today’s post is about Reverend Edward Evans Parrish, a native of Monongalia County, WV who took his family west on the Oregon Trail in 1843-1844 and kept a travel diary for most of the trip. Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Michael Ridderbusch, Associate Curator, WVRHC.

The digital revolution has transformed the economics of photography, allowing almost anyone with a cell phone access to an inexpensive and convenient method to create photographs.  It’s consequently difficult to imagine a time when photography was an expensive and cumbersome process, usually requiring the attention of full time professionals.

Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Stewart Plein, Rare Book Librarian.

The Monongalia Academy

Chartered in 1814, the Academy’s administration was guided by a group of Morgantown men who served as its trustees.  Three men among this group who served as trustees were instrumental to the life of the Academy, and credited with the civic and business development of Morgantown.  Although many others served as trustees for the Monongalia Academy over time, this look back over the succeeding two hundred years since the Academy’s charter examines the lives of some of the Academy’s leading principals. Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Jane Metters LaBarbara, Assistant Curator, WVRHC.

We would like to mark the 70^th anniversary of D-Day (the invasion of Normandy by Allied troops in World War II) by telling the story of Private Ralph J. John, who served with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Battalion, Headquarters Company 112th Infantry, 28th Division. Read the rest of this entry »

Blog post by Michael Ridderbusch, Associate Curator, WVRHC.

Recently, the West Virginia and Regional History Center has turned its attention toward digitizing its collections of glass plate negatives.  Among the first to be scanned were the plates in the Newbraugh collection, a grouping of 91 images documenting Berkeley Springs that were collected by local historian Fred T. Newbraugh.  Current and future researchers can feel fortunate that Mr. Newbraugh chose to publish a number of these photographs with identification in his 1976 book, Warm Springs Echoes, since it’s probable that the content of many of these photos would otherwise have been left unidentified.

Read the rest of this entry »