Preserve WV Stories

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – JOE

10/31/2016

Stories. My love of stories goes back to the earliest of memories. It was not until I was about 10 years old that it dawned on me that history was the ultimate story. The thing that always bothered me about history, however, was the way in which it is taught in most K-12 schools, a series of facts to be memorized and rarely analyzed. History is a lived experience and must be understood and studied as such. Once I realized that history was the story of who we are as a people and as a nation, my life’s work truly began.

My name is Joseph Obidzinski, but most people just call me Joe. I am serving as the AmeriCorps Member with PAWV and will be responsible for managing the West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail. I hail from a suburb of Detroit called Livonia. The love that I developed for history made my choice to major in history during my time at Grand Valley State University (located just outside of Grand Rapids, Michigan) a “no-brainer”. I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in 2006. During my time there, I was introduced to the field of Public History. This introduction made the direction of my life’s work clear. Shortly thereafter, I undertook a series of internships to further my professional skill set. These included serving as a collections intern at both the Great Lakes Naval Memorial and Museum and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. During that time, I also served as an intern to a former professor who chaired a committee of organizations throughout west Michigan to commemorate the bi-centennial of the abolition of the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, called “Remembering the Crossings”. All of those experiences helped to broaden and shape my understanding of the past and how we simultaneously interact with and are affected by the past.

EVER WONDER HOW A GRISTMILL RUNS?

10/18/2016

By Joe Obidzinski

Something that is often heard on a tour of the Blaker Gristmill at Jackson’s Mill is how much fun a job like ours would be to do day in and day out. This is very true, but often people do not understand just how much work goes into getting our mill ready to run. Here is just a brief snippet of some of the tasks necessary. Think of this as an episode of Mike Rowe’s Dirty Jobs, only without the trademark and host, and our subject being a 220+ year old machine that was disassembled from its original location in Greenbrier County and moved to its present location at Jackson’s Mill.

WILD AND WONDERFUL NORTH BEND TRAIL SOJOURN

10/17/2016

By Jennifer Wilt

My site is a four-county Heritage Tourism initiative that started in 2013 between Doddridge, Gilmer, Ritchie and Tyler counties. Our goal was to identify the historic and cultural assets that all four counties have in common and promote them as thematic trails packages. One of the most-used assets in our region is the North Bend Rail Trail.

The North Bend Rail Trail is a recreational trail for cyclists, hikers and equestrian enthusiasts. It is operated by West Virginia State Parks and at one point passes through North Bend State Park near Cairo in Ritchie County. Once simply an abandoned railroad, the trail is now part of the 5,500 mile coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail. Stretching 72 scenic miles, the North Bend Rail Trail passes through thirteen tunnels and crosses 36 bridges. The trail runs from Wood to Harrison counties and traverses the full east-west length of Doddridge and Ritchie counties. Since the North Bend Rail Trail is one of our largest regional attractions and given the fact that I am also a North Bend Rails to Trails Foundation board member, I take a particular interest in the trail.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – ROB

10/13/2016

As a native of Jefferson County, West Virginia, the idea of coming back to my home state and county brought a sense of service and excitement at the very thought. Having spent the previous three and half years working for the Shenandoah Valley Battlefields Foundation, a great organization, I felt as though I needed to redirect my career trajectory. I was aware of AmeriCorps prior to applying for my current service position, but I was not aware that there were opportunities to serve in the capacity of historic preservation. Once I found that I could serve in Jefferson County with an amazing group, the Jefferson County Historic Landmarks Commission, I was all in.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – JASON

10/12/2016

My name is Jason Wright and I was born and raised in north central West Virginia, specifically Marion, Harrison, and Monongalia Counties. I graduated from Lincoln High School in Shinnston in 1989. I spent the 1990s working in the food service industry and as a musician. Tiring of this lifestyle, I attended West Virginia University for several years before moving to Bloomington, Indiana from 2006 to 2013. Having returned to the Mountain State, I went back to WVU to finish my bachelor’s degree in geography. This I achieved in December, 2015.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – CHARLOTTE

10/11/2016

My name is Charlotte Riestenberg, and I am the half-time Preserve WV AmeriCorps Member for the Harrison County WV Historical Society. I am from Clarksburg, WV but was born in West Palm Beach, FL. I graduated from Robert C. Byrd High School in 2015. During my time in high school I was a member of the Robert C. Byrd show choir Vocal Intensity, a member of the theater department, president of the RCB FFA Chapter, and co-captain for the colorguard. In the fall of 2015, I started my college career at Fairmont State University. For my first semester I was an Undeclared Major. I was struggling to find a major that I was interested in. I did not want to be one of those students who constantly changed their major. While I decided on a major, I decided to join the Collegiate Singers and Fairmont State Marching Band as a color-guard member because these were things I knew and loved. This made my first semester easier. Finally, by spring of 2016, I decided on majoring in history with minors in folklore studies, outdoor recreation leadership, and museum studies. I started getting more involved in the activities at the Frank and Jane Gabor Folk Life Center at Fairmont State. I and other students collected and edited stories for the Traditions Magazine that the Folk Life Center produces every year. We gathered stories from the Ruth Ann Musick collection. I started gaining interest in archival work and preservation.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – JESSICA

10/10/2016

For the next year, Jessica Linback will be serving with the Park Service at the New River Gorge National River to complete condition assessments and compile reporting on historic sites and structures within the Park. Originally from San Diego, CA, Jessica completed her MA in International Cultural Heritage Management at Durham University in the UK. While obtaining her Master’s degree, Jessica completed a work placement as an Assistant Heritage Consultant with the UK-based architecture firm Purcell, which works largely on projects involving the preservation and adaptive reuse of historic structures. At Purcell, Jessica completed an Historic Building Appraisal of the 17th century Bishop Cosin’s Almshouse which lies within the Durham Castle and Cathedral UNESCO World Heritage Site. Also during her time at Durham, Jessica collaborated with several of her classmates to prepare a Conservation and Management Plan for the Galilee Chapel addition to the 11th century Durham Cathedral. This Plan was prepared as part of the Heritage Skills in Education competition, and was awarded Best Understanding of Significance and overall Best Conservation Management Plan in the University division.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – MAUREEN

10/6/2016

My name is Maureen Lavelle and I am the new Preserve WV AmeriCorps member at the Old Hemlock Foundation in Bruceton Mills, Preston County, West Virginia. Although I proudly hail from Boise, Idaho, I have spent most of the last few years exploring and working all over the country. I earned my Bachelor’s degree from Willamette University in Oregon, and after graduating in 2014, I spent the first of several summer seasons working for the National Park Service at Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Battlefield. During the winter months I would often pick up odd jobs that ranged from working as a prep cook in a café, to serving as an aide for two Idaho state senators. I’ve learned some pretty valuable lessons from my assortment of jobs, especially about my own goals and work ethic.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – EDWARD

10/5/2016

Good day! My name is Edward Pride IV and I am the Preserve WV AmeriCorps Member at Waldomore in Clarksburg, Harrison County. I am entering my second year with Preserve WV AmeriCorps, having served the previous year at Waldomore. A native of Morgantown, I am a proud West Virginian who hopes to contribute and improve upon our state. Through the Preserve WV AmeriCorps Program, AmeriCorps Members are able to utilize historic preservation as a means to revitalize communities while preserving historic resources throughout the Mountain State. As a new year of service approaches, a flurry of activity has taken over Waldomore while an extensive renovation continues. In the coming months, completion of the renovation and the reopening of this historic structure are just some of the tasks that will be performed.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – SAMANTHA

10/4/2016

Hello all! My name is Samantha Hartford, and possibly the most important thing I can tell you about myself is that I love learning – both figuring new things out myself, and helping others learn. Perhaps you can attribute this to the fact that I was raised by two schoolteachers, frequently hiking or combing the beach.

I grew up just north of Seattle, Washington, and to this day I love the Pacific Northwest very much. However, when it came time to go to college, I decided that I should take the opportunity to experience living in a new place. Accordingly I did my undergraduate degree in History with minors in Paleontology and Environmental Studies at Westminster College in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – JOE

EVER WONDER HOW A GRISTMILL RUNS?

WILD AND WONDERFUL NORTH BEND TRAIL SOJOURN

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – ROB

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – JASON

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – CHARLOTTE

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – JESSICA

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – MAUREEN

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – EDWARD

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – SAMANTHA

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