The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia has announced that the Davis Coal and Coke Company Administrative Building just south of the historic River Street District of Thomas has been recognized as a significant endangered historic building for 2019.

It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011 because of its importance as the Tucker County headquarters of the company founded by legendary railroad and coal magnate Senator Henry Gassaway Davis from 1900 until 1950. The Alliance is adding it to the West Virginia Endangered Properties List because it has been sitting vacant since the 1980s and is structurally failing.

In 1995, the City of Thomas assumed the building and has been able to maintain the exterior walls and roof but not the structural problems inside the building. The Friends of Blackwater took an interest in the building and has partnered with the City of Thomas and Vandalia Heritage Foundation to seek additional funding. The future is looking bright. In July 2019, the West Virginia State Historic Preservation Office granted $29,100 to Vandalia Heritage to replace joists on the first floor and repair a structural wall in the building.

There are still many unknowns, and the Friends of Blackwater are looking to bring more attention to this important project by nominating it to the West Virginia Endangered Properties List. The current plan is for the City to enter into a long term lease with the Vandalia Heritage Foundation to redevelop the building, but no actuals plans are in place, making this project still unsecure. The Friends of Blackwater initiated this endangered properties recognition process on behalf of the City of Thomas and has solicited the assistance of the Preservation Alliance for historic preservation technical assistance, as well as applied for grant funding to develop an adaptive reuse plan for the building. The mostly likely redevelopment path for the building would be to have retail space on the main floor, with offices or residential space on the second floor and in the attic. You can donate to this project by visiting, https://saveblackwater.org/donate/.
 
The West Virginia Endangered Properties List is a collection of historical resources in danger of being lost. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is the statewide nonprofit organization dedicated to historic preservation in our Mountain State. It maintains the West Virginia Endangered Properties List and administers the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program. For more information contact Danielle LaPresta Parker, 304-345-6005  dlapresta@pawv.org  

We very seldom ask you to support a particular historic preservation effort, as there are so many worthwhile and deserving projects in West Virginia, but we’re making an exception with this message for an Endangered Property. For 80 years the Homestead School and community center has been the beating heart of the Tygart Valley Homestead community in Randolph County, WV. Created by Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal program to provide housing and work for unemployed coal miners and others who lost their jobs in the great Depression, the community helped people gain home ownership through sweat equity. Descendents of many of the original Homesteaders still live in the community today, and have for years supported the school through our Tygart Valley Homestead Association. The unique architecture and historic importance of the community led to its being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 as “Tygart Valley Homesteads Historic District.”

Declining enrollment and budgetary problems resulted in deferring much needed upkeep, and eventually led to the County Board of Education placing the Homestead School on its closure list. The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia in 2016 named the school a significant Endangered Property .A determined community effort led by the Tygart Valley Homestead Association convinced the Board of Education to rescind the closure decision, but shortly after this victory a freak windstorm damaged the school building to the point that the school system determined it was no longer safe for student occupancy. 

This was a major setback, but we of the Tygart Valley Homestead Association didn’t give up, and convinced the powers that be to turn the building over to us for a token payment. We managed to raise enough money to get the roof fixed, and have done major upgrades to the school’s electrical system, but now we are faced with a daunting project: bringing the school building back up to standard so it can continue to serve as a community center.
The number one item on our priority list is to bring the restrooms up to modern standards – some of the 80 year old original fixtures are still in place. Donate at gofundme.com/homesteadcommunitycenter

National Heritage Area designation for Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area became official with  the President’s signing on March 12 of S.47, the John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management, and  Recreation Act, the also known as the Natural Resources Management Act.  

The Bill also included a wide variety of designations and land management bills from across the country,  including the Sportsman Act and permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund.  The bipartisan bill passed in the Senate on February 12, and in the House on February 26, by  overwhelming majorities.  

Sen. Joe Manchin, sponsor of the original Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area Act, and a co‐ sponsor of the Senate Natural Resources Management Act, said “The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area  is a treasure that has done a great deal for West Virginia. This national designation is long overdue.”  The Appalachian Forest designation bill was also co‐sponsored in the Senate by Sen. Shelley Moore  Capito, Sen. Ben Cardin, and Sen. Chris Van Hollen.  

The companion House bill is sponsored by Rep. David McKinley, with co‐sponsors in the previous session  from Rep. Evan Jenkins, Rep. John Delaney, and Rep. Alex Mooney, and in the current session adding co‐ sponsors Rep. Carol Miller and Rep. David Trone.  

“Creating an Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area will allow us to continue to celebrate and  promote the beauty of our state, preserve our heritage and plan for the future,” Rep. McKinley said of  the legislation. “National Heritage Areas deliver a significant economic return and helps us showcase the  sometimes‐hidden gems of our cultural heritage.” 

“We are incredibly excited to be finally receiving National Heritage Area designation for the Appalachian  Forest,” said Phyllis Baxter, Executive Director of Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, Inc, the coordinating  entity for the newly designated area. “We have been working on this for fifteen years, and are so  pleased to now be nationally recognized. This designation will increase our visibility to attract tourism,  and increase our capacity to help local communities.” 

National Heritage Areas are designated by Congress as places where natural, cultural, and historic  resources combine to form a cohesive, nationally important landscape. With the official national  heritage area designation the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area can earn recognition as being  nationally significant, and will have access to National Park Service technical assistance and funding to  provide more services to the region.   

The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area works in 16 counties of West Virginia and 2 counties of western  Maryland on conservation, forestry, cultural heritage, tourism and community development. With the  overall theme of forest heritage, the initiative works with willing partners to explore and enhance the  relationship between the forested mountains and the people who live here.  

For more information see www.appalachianforest.us, email afha@appalachianforest.us, or call 304‐636‐ 6182. 

A recent study of the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s AmeriCorps program suggests its heritage tourism programming is an important economic engine for West Virginia, according to Danielle Parker, executive director for the alliance.

The study found that more than half of travelers who visit the program’s heritage sites traveled from more than 50 miles and that each visit generated nearly one night’s hotel stay and an average of $271.30 for the local economy, Parker said.

Heritage tourism usually include museums, state parks, historical theaters, and living history sites such as Jackson’s Mill, near Weston, or Carnegie Hall, in Lewisburg.

The study also found that museums and historical organizations contribute positively to the quality of life in the state’s cities and towns and that people enjoy and learn from their visits to sponsor organizations, Parker said.

The alliance worked with McMahon Consulting Group to study the effects that the program and heritage tourism have on West Virginia.

“We discovered that AmeriCorps members are essential to providing an excellent visitor experience and to developing their site for tourists,” Parker said.

“It’s clear from the study that AmeriCorps members’ service is leading to more effective organizations and improving the quality of visitor experiences.”

The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is a statewide service initiative in which AmeriCorps members are engaged to Main Streets thrive and communities capture their history, and to preserve beloved historical landmarks.

AmeriCorps members serve one-year terms at historical organizations where they complete special projects aimed at developing heritage-tourism destinations and improving the sponsoring organization’s ability to carry out its missions.

There are more than 20 historical sites sponsoring Preserve WV AmeriCorps members in 2019, Parker said. Two high-profile sponsors include Cockayne Farmstead, at Glen Dale, and the Waldomore, at Clarksburg.
​
Jessica Kittle, assistant director for the memorial foundation for Pricketts Fort State Park, reported that her organization’s participation in the program for two years benefited the foundation “by helping us fulfill our mission of preservation through various projects that we would not have been able to complete on our own.”
The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is celebrating its sixth year of operation and is currently competing to become a nationally-recognized program.

Download the full report here.

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., is praising federal legislative action this week for protecting the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area, which is part of 18 counties including Randolph County.

Manchin, a ranking member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, secured the permanent reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the national designation of the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area and an increase in the funding cap for the Wheeling National Heritage Area as part of the Natural Resources Management Act.

“I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to finally permanently reauthorize LWCF so our land management agencies can operate fully and without the fear of losing access to the funding they rely on. The Appalachian Forest Heritage Area is a treasure in Randolph County and this national designation is long overdue,” Manchin added.

“By reauthorizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund, this bill supports West Virginia’s heritage and outdoor recreation economy and keeps faith with the important idea that America’s outdoors and public lands are part of who we are as a nation,” said Angie Rosser, executive director of West Virginia Rivers.
LWCF is a conservation tool that ensures states and federal public land management agencies are able to protect and conserve our natural resources without relying on taxpayer dollars. In West Virginia, LWCF funded the acquisitions of the Gauley River National Recreation Area, New River Gorge National River and Dolly Sods. Since 1965, more than $243 million in LWCF funds have been spent in West Virginia on more than 500 projects, both on state and federal lands.
​
This includes improvements to local parks and public spaces in 54 of West Virginia’s 55 counties.

To read the full article, visit the Intermountain's website at www.theintermountain.com/news/local-news/2019/02/forest-heritage-area-receives-designation/?fbclid=IwAR1sTMTTTLEegcPCRiZrjqIitSA2InvF1267CLT4wF1MFTAPznAV8dW4BKA

You can nominate your favorite historic preservation project or a deserving volunteer or professional to be recognized and celebrated at the 2018 West Virginia Historic Preservation Awards.   Complete a nomination form and email it and photos to AmeriCorps@pawv.org by 5pm on Friday, August 17, 2018, and your nomination will be considered. 

Award recipients receive a complimentary ticket to the banquet and a special award.  The banquet will be held at the Blennerhassett Hotel in Parkersburg, WV on Friday evening, September 21, 2018. 

Download a nomination form here.

Visit here to read about past award winners.

The Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia’s statewide service initiative where members help main streets thrive, help communities capture their local history, and help preserve beloved West Virginia landmarks. The purpose of the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program is to implement historic preservation and heritage tourism projects throughout WV by way of historic resource reuse, improvement, and interpretation. A historic resource could be a building, museum/archival collection, structure, landscape, or historic district / downtown commercial district. Members' service will emphasize community development and revitalization through projects focused on historic preservation, volunteer management, and cultural heritage tourism development.
 
Members will be placed with individual sites across the state, ranging from museums and archives to Main Street organizations and city agencies. Preserve WV AmeriCorps offers 2 main categories of site placements for members: Museums, Archives, and Heritage Sites; and Historic Districts, Revitalization Sites, and Thematic Regional Sites. Within those categories, each site has individual needs. A detailed description of all sites and their specific task lists (plus more information about the program) will be provided to applicants upon receipt of the initial application; alternately, you can email dlapresta@pawv.org for a copy in advance.
 
All members’ duties will include some combination of the following:

•  Increase site capacity by recruiting and training volunteers.
• Preserve and enhance site quality through collections management, collections care/maintenance, and preservation activities.
• Increase sites’ public utilization by creating new exhibits; developing tours; conducting living history demonstrations; assisting patrons with research; planning/managing events; organizing beautification or public art projects; and creating walking tours.
• Provide assistance to sites by creating/revising policies; performing outreach marketing; researching/writing Clio entries; creating interpretive or wayfinding signage; completing preservation needs assessments; completing National Register of Historic Places nominations and state Historic Property Inventory forms; completing multi-building inventories; and doing project-specific, non-federal fundraising (10% of time or less).
• Required: Propose (and, if approved, organize and fundraise for) a hands-on, preservation-oriented, group project.
• Required: Participate in 3 community-oriented, Civic Service Projects.

 
Application process:

1. Complete the My AmeriCorps application at https://my.americorps.gov/
2. Complete a questionnaire at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/6WFJ6MN  
3. Each applicant must review the site descriptions and task lists (supplied via email on request or after receipt of the application) & email a cover letter to dlapresta@pawv.org explaining sites of interest & why he/she would like to serve at those sites & be a good fit for service. Applicants can apply to more than one site at once, using the same letter. If desired, applicants can attach a resume or CV.
4. Once the My AmeriCorps application, questionnaire, and cover letter have all been submitted, the applicant will be considered for a phone interview.

 
For more information, see http://www.pawv.org/americorps.html