May 24, 2017
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – A new exhibit is on display at the Culture Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston commemorating America’s entry into World War I. The exhibit features 51 photographs and documents of life on the home front in West Virginia as well as experiences in Europe. The images and documents were selected from various collections in the State Archives.
The display includes men leaving for training in various camps throughout the United States, training exercises conducted, parades and bond drives to support the war effort, Red Cross nurses and workers, discharge papers, and a telegram announcing the death of a soldier. Featured are images of notable West Virginians, including Louis Bennett Jr., founder of the West Virginia Flying Corps; George Dayton, the first officer from West Virginia to die; James A. Poindexter, an African-American that served in the Army for more than 13 years; and Homer Holt, future governor of West Virginia. Among the West Virginia communities represented are Charleston, Huntington, Fairmont, Sistersville and Nitro. Many of the European images depict West Virginians in France. Many people, cities and towns across the Mountain State are highlighted for their contributions.
The exhibit will be on display through August 1.
For more information about the exhibit, contact Caryn Gresham, deputy commissioner for the division, at (304) 558-0220 or caryn.s.gresham@wv.gov.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
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