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    • Preserve WV AmeriCorps

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – PATRICK

9/30/2016

 
My name is Patrick Corcoran and I was born and raised in southern West Virginia.  Thirteen years ago, I learned about the Americorps VISTA program, and subsequently served as a member with the Coal Heritage Trail Authority (now the National Coal Heritage Highway Authority), based out of Beckley, WV.  At the time, in that position, I was able to use my recently attained Bachelor’s Degree of Arts (Glenville State College-Glenville, WV) in history and political science, to help alleviate poverty throughout my home region.  This was done by helping build community capacity, as well as, raising awareness regarding the heritage tourism industry.
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​Most recently, I received my Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science, along with a Graduate Certificate in Archives and Special Collections, from University of Southern Mississippi.  As part of the certificate program, I spent the summer of 2014 in their British Studies Program, touring libraries, archives and museums in and around London and Edinburgh. My new AmeriCorps member position, at Eastern Regional Coal Archives, dovetails perfectly with this newly acquired education.  My scholastic experience is being practically applied in the field, creating valuable hands-on opportunities.

I chose to enlist a second, nonconsecutive term of service with AmeriCorps because I wanted to continue an institutional relationship that had begun in the summer of 2015.  To elaborate, my graduate certificate program required an informational repository internship, which allowed me to work with Eastern Regional Coal Archives last summer.  To be honest, I knew I wanted to continue assisting ERCA when I finished my degree, but didn’t know how to approach the issue, since I knew they operated on a tight budget.  Toward the end of my collegiate program, while pondering the idea of re-enlisting with AmeriCorps, I had the exciting realization that ERCA might be able to become a host site for me.  After several phone calls and meetings, in a relative blink of time, the process was underway.  Through collaboration with the Preservation Alliance of West Virginia and National Coal Heritage Area, this dream with ERCA became a reality.

Since beginning my year, it has been an exciting time for all of us at the archives. In part, because this is the first time that an AmeriCorps member has been stationed here.  Therefore, we are all learning as we go.  We are making and taking our projects one day at a time, after having created short and long term goals for the year.  A strong personal reason for wanting to be at Eastern Regional Coal Archives is to be immersed in the history of my home.  Volunteering with the archives allows for research and projects that connect me to the past, and occasionally, to my hometown of Welch, in McDowell County.

Eastern Regional Coal Archives is a repository of coal-related history.  The scope of this archives focuses on the Pocahontas Coalfields, which is mostly under southern West Virginia and a bit into southwestern Virginia.  Mining company records, correspondence, industrial artifacts, railroad memorabilia, photographs, architectural materials, et cetera consist of the core of the archives.  ERCA was founded in 1983, during the centennial celebration which marked the opening of the Pocahontas coalfields, a main seed collection being donated by the Pocahontas Operators Association.  The archives is located on the second floor of Craft Memorial Library in historic downtown Bluefield, WV.

MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – AMANDA

9/29/2016

 
I was born and raised in Morgantown, WV. I am a 2006 graduate of Morgantown High School and a 2013 alumna of WVU, where I received a B.A. in International Studies with emphases on Latin American government, culture and history and a Spanish minor. This is my 2nd AmeriCorps year; I completed my first year of service in August 2015 with High Rocks Educational Corporation in Pocahontas County, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit whose mission is to educate, empower, and inspire young people in West Virginia.
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MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – HAILEY

9/28/2016

 
​My name is Hailey Horn and I am a West Virginia native from Oak Hill- most commonly known as the little town you have to drive through before you get to the “cool” town of Fayetteville, WV. I attended Oak Hill High School and graduated with honors in 2010. While I was in high school I was quite the athlete; I played sports year round as I bounced from soccer to basketball to tennis. Today I wish I could dribble a basketball without being winded.
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MEET THE PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS – KAYLA

9/27/2016

 
​My name is Kayla Piechowiak and I am the oldest of three children. I am from Mt. Airy, Maryland, where I attended South Carroll High School. In high school, I was in the choir and the National Honors Society. I also played recreational soccer, and started coaching for my sister’s team. I was a member of the Girl Scouts through high school.

I attended Shepherd University to receive my bachelors’ degree. I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a degree in History with a concentration in Historic Preservation. I graduated as a McMurran Scholar by nomination of the faculty and received the Henricksson prize for the best senior thesis in my semester. I want to continue my education to get a PhD in History to pursue a career in museum work, and eventually teach public history.
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SEVENTEEN PRESERVE WV AMERICORPS MEMBERS BEGIN SERVICE YEAR

9/9/2016

 
Seventeen Preserve WV AmeriCorps members have been deployed across the state to provide direct services in the areas of historic preservation and heritage tourism.  A statewide service initiative, the Preserve WV AmeriCorps program places service members at historic non-profit sites or local government agencies for a one-year period where they complete specific projects aimed at improving historic resources and managing volunteers for special events.  The end goal of these projects is community revitalization, with a focus on long-term historic preservation and increased use of historic properties and museum collections. “AmeriCorps member projects have a heritage tourism and community development focus.  The main purpose of these projects is to increase visitation at historic sites, encourage visitors to spend more money in our communities, and re-develop these properties for new uses.  The projects meet the long-term mission of the alliance, which is to preserve the Mountain State’s cultural heritage for future generations,” explained Danielle LaPresta, the program director for Preserve WV AmeriCorps and executive director for the alliance.

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  • News
  • Contact
    • Ways to Give to PAWV
  • Advocacy
    • Most Endangered Properties
    • Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits
  • Programs
    • Annual Awards >
      • 2025 Awards
    • Blair Footsteps Interpretive Trail
    • Frances Benjamin Johnston: A West Virginia Icon >
      • Selected Photos
      • Behind the Lens Activity
    • West Virginia Historic Preservation Conference
    • Webinars >
      • Webinar Archive
    • West Virginia Historic Theatre Trail
    • WV New Deal Trail
  • Resources
    • Fund Your Preservation Project
    • Historic Preservation Professionals Directory
    • Preservation Techniques >
      • Historic Building Assessment
      • How to Recycle Asbestos
      • Mothballing Property
      • Window Rehabilitation
    • Preserve WV AmeriCorps