August 25, 2010
The West Virginia Archives and History Library of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History will continue its series of after hours lectures on Tuesday, Sept. 7, from 6 - 7:30 p.m. The session, entitled “Charleston: Then & Now,” will be conducted by Dr. Billy Joe Peyton, associate professor and chair of the history department at West Virginia State University (WVSU). The program will take place in the library at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. All sessions are free and the public is invited to attend. The library will close at 5 p.m. and reopen at 5:45 p.m. for lecture guests and participants only.
The lecture will focus on the city of Charleston and how it changed after it permanently became the state capital of West Virginia in the 1880s. People began flocking to the city for work, shopping and entertainment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Industry and commerce grew proportionately. Peyton will show views of past and present Charleston and discuss the history of the changing landscape and how it has affected the city.
Peyton holds a Ph.D. in history from West Virginia University. His public history career has included working for the university, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, National Park Service and PBS Television, as well as his current employment at WVSU. A resident of Charleston’s historic East End, he also is active in local history and preservation efforts. Peyton is the author of Charleston, published in 2010 as part of Arcadia’s Then & Now series.
Advance registration for the workshop is not required, but is encouraged to help plan seating arrangements and ensure plenty of supplies and handouts are available.
To register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, at (304) 558-0230, ext. 163, or by
e-mail at Bobby.L.Taylor@wv.gov. Participants interested in registering by e-mail should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session. For additional information about the workshop, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.
The next session, “Yiayia’s Bundle: A Greek Experience in West Virginia,” with Pam Makricosta, literacy director at the Mary H. Weir Public Library in Weirton, will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 5.
The Archives and History Library is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The library is closed on Sunday.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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