Preston County History Day

On Preston County History Day, see how others lived because history is in more places than you’d think.
Learn more at Arthurdale Heritage, open 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; the Aurora Area Historical Society Museum, 1-4 p.m.; Old Hemlock near Brandonville, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. tours only (reservation required); the McGrew House in Kingwood, 1-3 p.m.; the Head, Heart, Hands & Health Museum in Reedsville from 2-4 p.m.; the Szilagyi Center museums in Rowlesburg from 1-4 p.m.; the History House Museum in Terra Alta, 1:30-4:30 p.m.; and the Tunnelton Train Depot from 1-4 p.m.
Walk back in time and learn about the groundbreaking efforts of the nation’s first New Deal subsistence homestead project at Arthurdale, the first time the federal government would serve as a landlord for deserving families, including health care, local schools, and new homes with electricity, indoor plumbing, and refrigerators.
Open the door to appreciating why Aurora’s mountaintop air was once part of a Victorian summer resort town for wealthy city residents. Coming there by train or Route 50, grand hotels, pools, and even a casino welcomed the summer people and their staff.
At 17098 Brandonville Pike, Old Hemlock, the 1782 stone/log country home of renowned outdoors author George Bird Evans and his wife features exhibits on Mr. Evans’ work as an illustrator and author on upland bird shooting. Also, the Evans’ English Setter breeding efforts are part of the tour.
Based on the work of many volunteers, visitors will understand more about the special accomplishments of Kingwood businessman, James McGrew, who also participated in the process of West Virginia staying in the Union and becoming the 35th state. Additional exhibits of county life are included.
Over 100 years of 4-H history are on display in the Reedsville museum devoted “To Make the Best Better.” The traditions of 4-H life, quilts, prize-winning projects, and other mementos recall special times for the youth of the county and their leaders’ support.
The Szilagyi Center in Rowlesburg provides amazing connections to World War II’s heroes, Preston County’s high school athletic history, and railroad bridges. Shortly before West Virginia was added to the Union in 1863, a confrontation between Union and Confederate troops happened in Rowlesburg, so check out the Cannon Hill sign in the town park, too.
The History House features extensive exhibits based on collections from county residents, including a bell and a model of a sailing ship, and various records of family histories and government records from earlier centuries.
The 113-year-old Tunnelton Train Depot museum illustrates railroad life and commerce that were a part of daily living during much of the 20th Century. A model train display, great for kids, has been set up in the depot built by the B&O Railroad for handling the U.S. mail, passengers, coal shipments, and freight.
Also, there are three outdoor Civil War Trail sites near Aurora and Rowlesburg, and the Virginia Iron Furnace located along Rt. 26 near Albright. Iron was smelted using a waterwheel-powered system.