Preston County History Day celebrates various aspects of life in earlier centuries, proudly restored and preserved by volunteers. On October 19, the last Preston County History Day of the year, visit Arthurdale Heritage, open 10 a.m.-3 p.m.; the Aurora Area Historical Society Museum, 1-4 p.m.; the McGrew House in Kingwood, 1-3 p.m.; the Head, Heart, Hands & Health Museum in Reedsville, 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 1-3 p.m. to learn our important history has been preserved.
Yes, Eleanor Roosevelt is a part of the story at Arthurdale, the nation’s first New Deal subsistence homestead community constructed by the federal government to help families during the Great Depression. Her 33 trips made there gave her the opportunity to evaluate the groundbreaking project handled by the Department of the Interior.
Stop in at Aurora’s museum along Rt. 50 to learn about its mountaintop resort days from the 1880s when hotels, casinos and pool halls brought big city residents to the county, along with displays of a well-stocked vintage general store with products we don’t see anymore. Enjoy all the quilt squares on the building’s side too.
The multi-story brick home of one of the founding fathers of West Virginia, James McGrew, will show you the lifestyles of the day. His business endeavors also helped Kingwood and the county grow. Additional displays show other aspects of Kingwood in earlier times.
In Reedsville, learn about 100 years of 4-H history in the county at the Head, Heart, Hands & Health museum through exhibits about members’ traditions, projects (some were wearable), and the programs for all ages. Participating in 4-H provided formative efforts outside the home and school.
At the Szilagyi Center, housed in the old school in Rowlesburg, you can learn about the challenges our servicemen faced in World War II, also about our county’s high school sports heroes over the years, and aspects of construction of railroad bridges. Also, check out the Cannon Hill sign in the nearby riverfront park explaining the April 1863 skirmish when the Confederate army marched in on a Sunday morning to destroy a strategic railroad bridge.
The History House has extensive archives of family and other county historical records, along with rooms of exhibits about earlier ways of life, to explore. Check out the preserved animal collection but not right after eating.
Explore the Virginia Iron Furnace along Rt. 26 and marvel at how iron ore was mined and smelted so that America would have more steel. Also, there are three outdoor Civil War Trail sites near Aurora and Rowlesburg explaining the failed Confederate raid meant to blow up the railroad bridge and its effect on those areas of the county.
You may also like the following events from Arthurdale Heritage, Inc.:
Also check out other
Health & Wellness events in Arthurdale,
Sports events in Arthurdale,
Trips & Adventurous Activities in Arthurdale.
