By Rachael, VISTA Mark your calendars – FestivALL Charleston is right around the corner. Starting June 16th, Downtown Charleston, WV will host its annual multi-arts, multi-venue summer festival, partnering with over 60 arts and community organizations and hundreds of local, regional, national and international artists. “It’s a place and event where you can stroll and be happy, where you can look at art, hear music, watch street performers, and just mingle with people. You never quite know what treat will be up the street, what sight will bring delight.’
One of FestivALL’s most popular events is Blues, Brews & BBQ. Come by to enjoy great craft brews, delicious food, and the best blues artists on Friday, June 24th.
Another FestivALL favorite, Wine & All That Jazz will be on Saturday, June 25, 2016 on the beautiful banks of the Kanawha River overlooking the Capital Dome. This event, produced by Charleston’s Fund for the Arts, is a daylong concert and garden party featuring local West Virginia’s vineyards, delicious food, and array of exciting musical performers. This year FestivALL Charleston presents Mountain Stage with Larry Groce featuring Lucius, Margaret Glaspy, Rachael Yamagata, and William Matheny on Saturday June 26, 2016. “Come watch the city become a work of art!” For more information: http://festivallcharleston.com/ Event schedule: http://festivallcharleston.com/events By Brenna, Preserve WV AmeriCorps
Big Things are Happening in Fairmont – An Update on the Spadafore Building In my short stint as an AmeriCorps member I have been privy to witness a fantastic boom in historic preservation and reuse in Fairmont, WV. In a little over nine months I have experienced the opening of six new business, with a seventh to open next month and all within our historic downtown. To celebrate these wonderful accomplishments Main Street Fairmont is hosting a series of Main Street Mondays, in collaboration with the City of Fairmont, to officially welcome three new restaurants to the historic downtown. The second Main Street Monday took place Monday, May 16, at Fox’s Pizza Den (previously known as the Spadafore building), 94 Fairmont Ave., Fairmont. Restaurant owner Mark Offut, co-manager Steven Hammond, Fairmont City Council members, Marion County Commission members and members of the Main Street Fairmont Board of Directors were all in attendance. City Manager Robin Gomez presented Fox’s Pizza with a special proclamation in thanks for contributing to downtown Fairmont’s continuing revitalization. Owner Mike Offutt and his partner Adam Rohaly, formed Fuzzy Mammoth Development LLC with intentions of purchasing this historic building to breathe new life into a once blighted area. Offutt and Rohaly then bought the Spadafore building together to redevelop into a restaurant and fashionable downtown apartments. Along with other local businesses, Fox’s hopes to revitalize historic downtown Fairmont. “I am really excited about what is happening downtown,” Hammond said. “We really wanted to contribute to the revitalization OF downtown. I think that the more people who come here, not just to our restaurant, but to other restaurants around us in the downtown area, the more this is going to build up. It’s an exciting time right now.” The Spadafore Building, c.1928, is a three story Art Deco influenced building that was listed on the National Register as a contributing structure in 1995 when Fairmont perused their historic downtown nomination. This building may sound familiar as it was the center of a Historic Preservation Review Commission (HPRC) dispute back in 2012 when the Fairmont Community Development Partnership(FCDP) looked to demolish the building to make way for a parking lot in the interest of another historic structure rehabilitation. For more information check out the PAWV newsletter volume XIX, number 2, Summer 2012. Other Main Street Mondays are planned during the month of May. The Freight House, location 101 Fairmont Ave., was celebrated with a ribbon cutting Monday, May 9th. The Downtown Grill, 323 Adams St., will be celebrated with a ribbon cutting at 10 a.m. Monday, May 23. Appalachian Forest Heritage Area
Thematic Tour Map Project Request for Proposals Appalachian Forest Heritage Area has been working since 2001 in 16 counties of the highlands of West Virginia plus 2 counties of western Maryland on conservation, and community and heritage tourism development to benefit our forest communities. One of AFHA’s primary goals is to develop thematic tours that network and link sites across our region in order to increase tourism. Primary funding for this project is from ARC FlexEGrant through the West Virginia Development Office. AFHA is seeking proposals from qualified individuals to execute the following scope of work for our organization. The distinct products to be produced will be:
In addition, consultant shall:
Qualified individuals (or teams) selected for this project will:
Proposals should include
Please send proposals by email to: afha@appalachianforest.us Any attachments not suitable for email may be submitted by weblink, dropbox, or google drive. Please contact us to ensure communication of these documents. Proposals should be received by 5 pm on June 20, 2016. AFHA reserves the right to extend deadline if sufficient acceptable proposals are not received. AFHA reserves the right to reject any proposals for any reason. For questions call Phyllis Baxter at 304-642-7427 or Logan Smith at 304-636-6182. Education Coordinator Position Available
Spark! Imagination and Science Center in Morgantown, West Virginia is seeking a part-time, salaried Education Coordinator. Under the supervision of the Executive Director, the Education Coordinator will be responsible for the development and implementation of hands-on, interactive educational programs for students, families and life-long learners. Duties Include:
The Education Coordinator will work approximately 20 hours per week. Hours will be flexible, but will include many Saturdays and some evenings. This position requires driving in a personal vehicle, mileage will be reimbursed. The salary will start at $18,000-$22,000 depending on experience. A bachelor’s degree is required. An M.A. in Education, Museum Studies, Public History, and other related fields or 3 years of museum experience is preferred. Cover letter, resume and three references should be emailed to Julie at director.cdmwv@gmail.com by June 30, 2016. For more information about Spark! visit sparkwv.org Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV), the statewide nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation, is seeking a full-time (estimated approximately 40 hours per week) Program Associate to help with implementation and administration of the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program, and to assist with other PAWV activities and projects. Salary is negotiable for successful candidate, but is likely to be in the $25,000 to $28,000 range.
Position will begin full-time in late August 2016, and if possible, the successful candidate will attend an AmeriCorps training in Charleston July 7-8 with the program director. This position has a three-year expectation, hopefully renewable long term. Qualifications: Successful candidate MUST be organized and meticulous with paperwork, a self-starter, and computer literate with comfort in Word, Excel, email, and social media. Candidate should have training (college degree expected, advanced degree preferred) and background in one or more of the Preserve WV AmeriCorps focus areas of public history, historic preservation, tourism, community development, cultural resource management, or public administration. Previous AmeriCorps experience and/or previous involvement with PAWV will be a plus. Successful candidate must work closely with a wide variety of people, including community members, site supervisors, representatives of partner organizations, AmeriCorps members, other staff, and organization Board members. Good written and verbal communication skills, positive attitude, professionalism, calm demeanor in response to stress or conflict, and comfort with speaking in groups will all be needed. Associate will work primarily out of the PAWV office in Elkins, WV located at the 421 Davis Avenue, but remote work from a home office is negotiable for the right candidate (this candidate will be required to report to the Elkins office on some occasions). Schedule may be flexible other than required meetings, activities, and deadlines. Moderate reimbursed travel will be required. Duties will include:Program associate will be directly supervised by, and report, to Danielle LaPresta (PAWV Executive Director). Associate will also work with Lynn Stasick (PAWV Field Services Representative), and with PAWV assigned AmeriCorps members, in a small team environment. Program Associate will assist Executive Director with duties for Preserve WV AmeriCorps program that include, but are not limited to:
Program Associate will be expected to assist the Executive Director with the following PAWV organizational activities:
To apply, please submit by email:
Applications will be accepted until Monday, June 20, 2016, or until a suitable candidate is selected. Hiring for this position is dependent upon organization receipt of requested funding. For more information or to submit application: Danielle LaPresta, Executive Director dlapresta@pawv.org 304-345-6005 By Crystal Wimer, Preserve WV AmeriCorps serving at Harrison County Historical Society
Recently, I read a new book on how to sustain historic house museums entitled Anarchist Guide to Historic House Museums. The authors, Frank Vagnone and Deborah Ryan, theorize that the key to sustainability lies in more community engagement and a more balanced approach when it comes to preserving its collection and improving visitor experiences. Historic house museums are not just storehouses for artifacts, but should be interpreted as places for community engagement and dialogue. Often, the Harrison County WV Historical Society struggles to get feedback regarding its programming and from its volunteers, and I was ready to experiment with new methods for better community engagement. As I was reading the Anarchist Guide, I unintentionally tested Vagnone and Ryan’s theories on community engagement with my volunteers. Then later, I deliberately used them on a recent tour of the Stealey-Goff-Vance House. I discovered there was better engagement with our historic house museum and the HCWVHS when I encouraged physical interactions with our artifacts. Unbeknownst to me at the time, my first “test subjects” were our volunteers. The artifact collection housed in the rear display room and dining room had to be packed in preparation for repairs to the foundation of the Vance House. I’ve had trouble retaining volunteers to work in the archives, so I believed that working with the collection in the house would produce a similar outcome. To my surprise as my volunteers worked with artifacts week after the week, the more they kept dropping hints about wanting to reorganize artifacts in other rooms of the house. The question I heard over and over for five weeks was “Well, once we’re done with this, what’s next?” Apparently, our volunteers formed a connection while handling the artifacts when they were packing them for storage. For them, the packing process was like uncovering rare treasures. Their fascination with our collection inspired them to want to assist more with reorganizing the collection and unpacking it when the preservation work is over. Since the packing finished, these new volunteers have been regulars at our open meetings and programs. Now, my volunteers may have been unknowing “guinea pigs,” but my Vance House tour with the Stealey family was a planned trial of the Anarchist Guide’s theories. Previous house tours were restricted to the main floor, and we typically didn’t allow visitors to sit on the furniture or handle the artifacts. The Anarchist Guide; however, advocates letting visitors handle stable artifacts and giving them access to areas previously off-limits. So, this is exactly what I did with the Stealey family on their tour. The Stealeys were permitted to visit all locations in the house including the basement, attic, and artifact storage areas. Visitors rarely get to see the house’s original electric switch because it’s in the attic’s gable, but they did on this tour. If one of the children wanted to see an artifact up close, I brought it down and once I determined it was stable for them to handle, I let them. They also excitedly took advantage of the open invitation to take as many photographs as they wanted. During the tour, the Stealeys still learned about the history of the Vance House, but this Anarchist-style tour was so much more personal because they had the freedom to explore every aspect of the house. I knew the tour was a success just based on the high level of enthusiasm from the family at the time. But, it wasn’t until I received an email from Mr. Stealey the following week that I officially knew these Anarchisttechniques should be something the HCWVHS does for future tours. Mr. Stealey wrote: “Thanks so much for taking time to show us the house. We really enjoyed the informative tour. You did a great job with a lot of information/history to tell/show us. My kids keep saying that they could not believe that you let them look at and pick up stuff.” Again because they were allowed to connect to the artifacts and the house, they were actively engaged with history, and they had a unique experience at the Vance House that they will remember years later. So through my experiences, it seems Vagnone and Ryan’s theory on better community engagement through making connections with artifacts works. Through their engagement with our artifacts, the newer volunteers are eager to start new projects at the Vance House, and the Stealey family had a unique experience that they won’t forget because most museums don’t allow visitors handle the artifacts. So, I encourage West Virginia’s historic house museums to give their visitors access to their artifacts. Because who knows? Those visitors could turn into new volunteers, members, or possible donors, and I don’t know of any historic house museum that wouldn’t want more people caring about history. This position is made possible through an AmeriCorps State and National Grant provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service and Volunteer WV. The State, Tribal, Local Plans & Grants Division recently announced FY16 Underrepresented Community Grant applications are now available on Grants.gov. (Funding Opportunity Announcement #P16AS00184)
Deadline: 11:59 EST on July 15, 2016 Eligible applicants: THPOs, Tribes, SHPOs, County/City Governments, & Certified Local Governments [may partner with others including nonprofits, National Heritage Areas] Eligible Projects: survey, inventory, and designation of historic properties that are associated with communities currently underrepresented in the National Register of Historic Places and among National Historic Landmarks Project budgets: $15,000 minimum, $50,000 maximum, no match is required. Questions? preservation_grants_info@nps.gov or (202) 354-2020 Within one year of the completion of the grant, all projects must result in:
For more information: Underrepresented Community Grants (https://www.nps.gov/preservation-grants/community-grants.html). By Ian Gray, Preserve WV AmeriCorps serving at the Old Hemlock Foundation Most days when I head into the “office,” the first thing to do is reach down and greet the black and white ball of energy that runs to the front door. While serving with a pair of dogs is a soothing experience and an incredible perk, it also stands as a metaphor of the unique legacy and nature that makes Old Hemlock (http://www.oldhemlock.org/) so special. Many places claim it, but we at Old Hemlock can truly say that our history is alive. Enthralled by the Allegany Mountains, grouse hunting, and English setters from a young age, George Evans knew the type of life he wanted to lead and lived it well. Finding success as a graphic artist in New York, George was able to secure the funds to acquire the country home he dubbed Old Hemlock and demonstrate enough talent to convince his art director at Cosmopolitan that working from the beauty of the West Virginia mountains was in everyone’s best interest. After the interruption of WWII, George quickly wrapped up his professional illustration career and turned his full attention to the things he loved the most, his wife Kay, grouse and woodcock hunting, writing, and breeding the line of gun dogs that have become a living legacy. Every March, that living history gathers in the rolling hills of southwestern Pennsylvania in the form of a small herd of beautiful dogs and their doting owners. For three days, the Hunting Hills Shooting Preserve is filled with the sounds of joyous conversation, the sharp crack of gunshots, and collective barking from dozens of Old Hemlock setters eager to hit the field and find the waiting birds. Having never even held a gun, much less embarked on a hunting trip, being able to simply follow the dogs and owners into the field was an eye-opening experience. I had read the literature and had a basic grasp of the history associated with Old Hemlock, but the three-day immersion made everything come together. The bond between gunner and dog, the beauty of the slender setter on point, the exhilaration of a productive shot and subsequent retrieve, and so many other things described so eloquently in the pages of George’s writings were now before me in living color. In each dog rested the legacy of the man and woman who so carefully bred the line and the equally carefully selected owners carried on George’s view of hunting and respect for the game. While we are blessed at Old Hemlock with the natural beauty of nature around us and a literal house full of artifacts to tell the story of George and Kay, the real legacy and best storytelling tool will always remain the dogs and owners who gather at the reunion. Luckily for myself, the first AmeriCorps member to serve here realized the same thing and left an incredible resource to build off of and add to. At every reunion, stories of times spent with George and Kay, their writings, their legacy, and, most numerous, the line of setters can be heard around the tables and out in the field. The history that the foundation was established to preserve rests in the hearts and minds of the close knit group of dog owners that form the Old Hemlock family, and in an external hard drive sitting in a box on a shelf back at the foundation. These precious stories, around twenty interviews, were copiously compiled and transcribed to provide the foundation with an Oral History archive of the anecdotes, thoughts, and feelings that were alive in the oral tradition but never written down or recorded. At the recent reunion, I got the chance to try my own hand at adding to the already rich archive.
Over the three days, three interviews were conducted capturing the perspectives of a new member to the Old Hemlock family and two individuals that experienced a common interest in dogs and gunning evolve into ownership of a setter placed by George and Kay and a treasured friendship. Having conducted oral history interviews before, I knew the stories shared by interviewees can be powerful, and it’s often surprising how much people are willing to share. However, I was still amazed and horned at what was spoken of in the interview process. First and foremost, talking to the interviewees brought the subject and history squarely into the present. The interviewees’ testimony made memories of George and Kay, the dogs, and past reunions seem if they had happened only yesterday. I was brought back to the moments shared by the interviewees that conjured warm feelings of fond embraces, and at one point a few tears of joy, and felt, in some small way, that I had gotten to meet the people behind the wonderfully written books I had been reading the past few months. Beyond the figurative aspect of the past existing in the present, each interview made clear the story of Old Hemlock has yet to end. As the new member to the Old Hemlock family aptly demonstrated, the writings of George and Kay, the line of setters, and the annual reunion continue to carry on their memory have ensured that legacy will not die anytime soon. Old Hemlock’s mission is to preserve and promote the legacy of George and Kay and it benefits immensely from that legacy being more than static objects and writings, it is a group of people and a line of dogs that continues to grow with every new litter or owner. With this archive of interviews laying at my fingertips, the natural next step was to get the content out of the archive and into the public sphere. The internet is a truly wonderful thing. A few clicks of the mouse can share virtually anything around the world in an instant. Having basic video editing skills in my tool belt, the possibilities inherent in the over twenty hours of raw video stuck out like a sore thumb. Each interview contained segments that eloquently and powerfully spoke to the many aspects of Old Hemlock’s history that were screaming to be shared and help the foundation’s mission. After taking inventory and some brainstorming, a plan emerged. Each interview would be dissected and the beset of the best content pulled out to form short (one to four minute) clips and then organized into groups (the impact of George’s writing for example) to be uploaded to the foundation’s YouTube page and shared with the online world. So far, the subsequent implementation has provided further valuable experience in video editing and gleaned a deeper appreciation for the past and present so enthusiastically shred by the interviewees. Each time I hear and see the voices and faces on the screen, faces that went from strangers to incredibly welcoming and good natured people over the reunion, the tales told become more and more like conversations shared in the relaxed atmosphere of the reunion rather than files on some hard drive. Each clip sheds new light on the muti-faceted story we celebrate here at Old Hemlock and puts it in words that seem to be inspired from the pen of George and Kay as they look down on what they would be proud to call their legacy. As George poignantly stated, “Some men tell of beauty, speak of grace. I tell of grouse dogs that enriched me beyond measure and made me glad.” [1] Thanks to that intimate love for the dogs and his tireless effort to perfect the line, the Old Hemlock Foundation has, itself, been enriched beyond measure in the dogs that still bear the breeders mark and the owners who carry on a living memory that shows no signs of fading. [1] George Bird Evans, An Affair with Grouse (Bruceton Mills: Old Hemlock, 1982), 110. This position is made possible through an AmeriCorps State and National Grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service and Volunteer WV.
On behalf of the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia (PAWV), the statewide nonprofit dedicated to historic preservation, I am writing in regards to the Beckley Newspaper Building located at 345 Prince Street, which is the subject of a possible demolition project using HUD federally-funded Community Development Block Grants (CBDG). The PAWV respectfully requests that this project be reconsidered and the funds be repurposed as they can be used for various purposes that contribute to the economic vitality of the district and the downtown, providing a great benefit to low- to moderate-income residents.
The purpose of the CDBG is to benefit low- to moderate-income citizens in your community. It is the understanding of the PAWV that the Beckley Newspaper Building is owned by a private citizen, and the citizen has neglected the building for years, in addition to not addressing broken windows and insecurity. This has led to the building’s consideration as being a slum and blight on the City of Beckley. It is also the understanding of PAWV that demolishing this building could be considered Clearance under the National Objective for Slum/Blight Removal. For the CDBG to be eligible in this case, the project is meant to “benefit all residents in a particular area, and at least 51% of those residents are low- to moderate-income persons (CDBG grant guidelines).” The PAWV humbly submits the following questions related to the implementation of these guidelines when selecting this project:
In addition to clearance, CDBGs can be used for rehabilitation and historic preservation of buildings. The PAWV has additional questions related to this project and how it could continue to contribute to the national register designation and the local historic preservation ordinance.
The Beckley Newspaper Building is a historic site in the nationally-significant Beckley Courthouse Square Historic District. This honorary designation creates funding opportunities for all the property owners in the district. These funding opportunities include historic preservation grants (up to 50% of expenditures) and a historic tax credit (up to 30% of expenditures for commercial properties). The structure at 345 Prince Street is directly connected to the property at 341 Prince Street by a fire escape. These two properties should be treated as one cultural resource, although the National Register listing for the Beckley Courthouse Square Historic District describes these two buildings as separate. It is important to recognize that the 66 year-old building at 345 Prince Street, which is where the Raleigh Register newspapers were printed, is directly associated with the Gorman, Sheatsley, and Hatchinson or Beckley Newspaper Office building next to it. Back then the newspaper probably built two separate buildings because of the noise from the printing presses and the greater fire risk in the newsprint building. According to the November 1956 Telephone Directory for Beckley, when the Raleigh Register newspaper was operating, both buildings shared the same address, 341 Prince Street. However, by the time the Beckley Courthouse Square Historic District was listed in 1994 the two buildings had different addresses and received separate evaluations. WWNR radio occupied the former Raleigh Register newsprint building with its current 345 Prince Street address while Gorman and Sheatsley Law firm occupied the former Beckley Newspaper building at 341 Prince Street. With this information in mind, these two properties are directly related and connected. The PAWV submits one final question:
The PAWV would like to thank the City of Beckley for the opportunity to submit the comments and questions related to the Beckley Newspaper Building project. We would also like to offer our services related to developing a historic preservation plan for the Beckley Newspaper Building and for any projects affecting the Beckley Courthouse Square National Historic District. The PAWV is sensitive to the challenges the City faces on a daily basis but respectfully suggests that the CDBG funds could be used in an alternative way that benefits low- to moderate-income citizens, as well as preserving the historic character of the district. Please contact me for any questions about the content of this letter.
The reason behind the exhibit’s creation was from a lack of information and display on the African-American community in the Shepherdstown museum. The idea of adding a new exhibit started with the donation of a baseball uniform from a local team, the Shepherdstown Red Sox. The Red Sox were a baseball team of local African-American townspeople from the 1930s up to 1970. They played ball on Sunday afternoons, and we learned that those same people, plus others, were also a part of a choir group, the Brothers of Harmony. This group would travel around to religious organizations and perform choir concerts, and this with everything else, created busy Sundays. The April 1st event was for Historic Shepherdstown Commission members and was for them to get together and see the museum before its reopening. The president of our commission stood in the new exhibit and greeted everyone who came up to see the exhibit. She talked to each of them telling about the exhibit, the history, and the background of the artifacts on display. Two people helped us with the mechanics of the construction of the exhibit, Rob McDonald and Angie Faulkner. Rob was instrumental in our ability to create the physical exhibit. Rob built a kiosk for a spinning information booth displaying three individuals who were interviewed for the exhibit. He also had a huge part in the development of the large display box we used for that exhibit. Angie put our ideas and thoughts into the world of graphic design and imagery. All of our graphics for that exhibit were designed and developed by Angie for use in the museum. The two of them together helped us to make a fantastic new exhibit that was up to par with professional exhibits. Saturday April 2, 2016 was the moment of truth for the new exhibit. On this day, the Historic Shepherdstown Commission and Museum had an open house for the public. This open house had some of the members from the Shepherdstown Red Sox and the Brothers of Harmony come. These members were the ones who made the exhibit go from a thought to an actuality, through interviews and donations of artifacts for the exhibit. These men and their families stuck around for the majority of the day, talking and catching up with one another. Later in the day a newspaper editor came up to the men and interviewed them about the exhibit and its opening. These men were extremely pleased with the outcome of the exhibit. They made this point when talking to the newspaper editor. The editor stayed for a while and then left with a story to tell. The exhibit open house, shortly after this, came to an end around 5 p.m. and the ball players and choir members were there the whole time. They are now publicly in the story of the oldest town in West Virginia.
To learn more about this exhibit and the Shepherdstown Red Sox, visit http://historicshepherdstown.com/portfolio-item/red-sox-uniform/. The exhibit can be viewed at the Entler Hotel located at 129 E. German Street in Shepherdstown, WV. The museum is regularly open Saturdays from 11:00 am to 5:00 pm and Sundays from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm. Private tours are available upon appointment. Call 304-876-9010 for more information. This project was made possible through the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program – funded through a grant from the Corporation for National and Community Service and Volunteer WV. |
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