The West Virginia State Archives of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History will present a panel discussion on Civil War research and writing on Monday, Sept. 29, from 6 - 8 p.m., in the Norman L. Fagan West Virginia State Theater in the Cultural Center, State Capitol Complex in Charleston. The program serves as the state’s kick-off program for National Archives Month which takes place in October. The Civil War panel discussion is free and the public is invited to attend.
Panelists will include West Virginia Civil War authors and historians Richard Andre and Steve Cunningham, both of Charleston, Joe Geiger of Huntington and Terry Lowry of South Charleston. The group will provide a brief overview of their work and the Civil War research they conducted at the West Virginia State Archives Library. A question-and-answer session with the audience will follow the discussion. The evening will conclude with a booksigning by the authors.
Andre has co-authored numerous books on West Virginia history, including Bullets and Steel: Fight for the Great Kanawha Valley, 1861-1865; Kanawha County Images: Volumes 1 and 2; Roar Lions Roar; Capitols of West Virginia; and Sternwheelers on the Great Kanawha. Cunningham has authored several articles on the Civil War and is the former president of the Kanawha Valley Civil War Roundtable, an organization which promotes the study of Civil War history in West Virginia and its lasting effects on society and supports the preservation of Civil War sites and artifacts. Cunningham also maintains the award-winning West Virginia in the Civil War website at www.wvcivilwar.com.
Geiger is the acting director of archives and history for the Division, where he has been employed for 10 years serving as historian, webmaster and assistant director. He also is an adjunct professor in the history department at Marshall University. Geiger has published a number of articles, and a book, Civil War in Cabell County, West Virginia, 1861-1865. Lowry, archives and history’s military records specialist, has penned numerous Civil War books including September Blood: The Battle of Carnifex Ferry; Last Sleep: The Battle of Droop Mountain; The Battle of Scary Creek; Images of the Civil War; and histories of the 22nd Virginia Infantry and 26th Battalion Virginia Infantry.
For more information about the Civil War panel discussion, contact Bryan Ward, acting assistant director of archives and history, at (304) 558-0230 or e-mail him at bryan.ward@wvculture.org.
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 Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural 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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