LOCAL HISTORY
The Morgantown History Museum stands as a beacon of local and regional heritage, offering a comprehensive look into the rich tapestry that has shaped Morgantown and its surrounding areas.
Morgantown History Museum
The foundation of what would become the Morgantown History Museum was laid in 1995, when a small group of historians met at a local restaurant to discuss the creation of a county history museum. This was the museum development contingent of a much larger organization known as Morgantown Action Together (M.A.T.), which was itself part of the Morgantown Chamber of Commerce. As part of the long-term project called, “Vision 2000”, the Riverfront Museum, Inc. (RMI) was formed with Jane Labys as the first President. Labys held the position until her death in the crash of TWA Flight 800 on July 17, 1996. Understandably shaken, the organization continued under the new President Pamela Ball Redmond.
.jpg)
In 2000, Redmond oversaw the creation of the Riverfront Museum in a small space at the Seneca Center, a multi-use office space and shopping center that is located in the former Seneca Glass Factory.
The museum received donations of historical items from the community, including a large gift of 5000 pieces of Seneca Glass. The museum’s reputation grew through community outreach and activities, including expert speakers and off-site displays. Through these efforts, RMI fostered interest within the City of Morgantown, closed the Riverfront Museum, and founded the Morgantown Museum Commission (MMC) in 2005 in preparation for the creation of the Morgantown HIstory Museum.
​
The MMC opened the fledgling Morgantown History Museum on June 20, 2006 (West Virginia Day). The museum told the history of Morgantown through its many cases of artifacts, including many from the former glass factories and coal mining industry. A feature of the museum was a functional printing press which was donated by Hastings Funeral Home. The festivities of the day included historic musical performances, WV Centennial artifacts, and a birthday cake in the shape of West Virginia.
​
Five years later, the collaborations with community leaders, off-site events, and expert presentations paid dividends with the help of successful grant funding. In 2011, the Morgantown History Museum was conceived as the first city-sponsored museum in the area. That same year, the Smithsonian Institution designated the Morgantown History Museum as one of six state organizations to receive Smithsonian’s Main Street status. This prestigious designation was bestowed upon the museum again in 2014, and that brought much-deserved accolades, increased donations of artifacts, and many new members for the Friends of the Museum (501-C-3), its support organization.
​
The Morgantown history museum’s ongoing mission is to preserve and promote the history of Morgantown and Monongalia County. Both permanent and rotating exhibits place visitors into a picture of the region’s past, and lead them along a timeline into current events. Artifacts and documents tell the history of Morgantown’s progression through the centuries. These include the original tombstone of Zackquill Morgan, who founded Morgantown in 1772, a beautiful collection of Morgantown glassware (including some chosen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for the White House) and a display of memorabilia from celebrity Don Knotts, a Morgantown native.
​
The museum’s entire collection spans an immense timeline from prehistory to the present, including fossilized plants, local Native American artifacts, colonial exhibits, Civil War era historical documents, local artwork and pottery, historical military items, and industrial artifacts from several area factories and mines. Prominent among these is a former local printing press, which is still operated as a living exhibit for tour groups.
​
The museum is a repository of local history, and accepts donations of artifacts on a continual basis. Those wishing to donate artifacts or documents to the museum are welcome to contact the museum to discuss a donation or loan of artifacts.
Monongalia County:
A Short History
Monongalia County, known locally as Mon County, is located in the U.S. state of West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 105,822, making it West Virginia's third-most populous county.
Monongalia County was formed when the District of West Augusta in Virginia was divided into three new counties - Monongalia, Ohio, and Yohogania. The governor at the time was Patrick Henry, who is well known for his “Give me liberty or give me death!” speech that reputedly turned the tide of support for the War of Independence during the Second Virginia Convention on March 23, 1775.
The century that followed saw the larger Monongalia County separated into parts of at least 12 other counties. They are: Washington County, PA (1781), Fayette County, PA (1783), Harrison County, WV (1784), Randolph County, WV (1787), Lewis County, WV (1816), Preston County, WV (1818), Marion County, WV (1842), Barbour County, WV (1843), Taylor County, WV (1844), Upshur County, WV (1851), and Tucker County, WV (1856). The creation of so many counties from Monongalia earned it the nickname, “Mother of Counties”.
​
Monongalia County was at the center of the statehood for West Virginia. When Virginia seceded from the Union, the western counties were determined to stay part of the United States. The statehood referendum was put forth to US Congress on May 13, 1862, by Senator Waitman T. Willey and was signed by President Abraham Lincoln on December 31, 1862. This West Virginia statehood document shared the President’s desk with the Emancipation Proclamation, which was signed one day later on January 1, 1863.
​
Since the era of statehood, Monongalia County has seen rapid growth in education, arts, and industry. West Virginia University was founded in 1867 on the site of the Woodburn Female Seminary in Morgantown.
​
One of the earliest art forms in Monongalia County is pottery. The first recorded potter is a man named Master Foulk, who mentored many prospective potters. While no known pieces of his pottery remain, it is believed that his was the first established pottery west of the Appalachian Mountains. A well-known apprentice of his, John Thompson, opened Thompson Pottery at Morgantown, which produced a well-known stoneware pottery that is still valued by collectors. Many Thompson Pottery pieces are kept in local museums, private collections, and at the Smithsonian Institution.
The coal industry boomed along the Monongahela River in Scotts Run, Osage, Arnettesville, and other areas of the county in the twentieth century. The latter is the location of the Pittsburgh Coal Seam, which led to Monongalia County becoming the leading coal producing area of the country for half a century. Even today, Monongalia County is ranked as the eighth largest coal producing county in West Virginia.
​
During the dark times of the Great Depression, Monongalia County became the focus of a social experiment known as Arthurdale. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who visited the county often, recognized the plight of the mining families in Scotts Run and was determined to help. As a result, an entirely new community was built in Preston County, named Arthurdale, and relocated 165 families in a homestead community in an attempt to pull them out of poverty.
Monongalians were among the 58,000 West Virginians who served during World War I, and even more served as part of the 233,985 of the state’s citizens who served during World War II. In addition, Morgantown played an exceptional role as the location of the Morgantown Ordnance Works. It was there that the DuPont company based research and development of heavy water, a key ingredient in the development of the first nuclear weapons. Production ceased at the site in 1945 when the war ended.
​
Glass production in the county boomed during the twentieth century. Seneca Glass and many other glass factories designed and created colorful glassworks fine enough to be chosen by First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy for the White House Dining Room. Nearly 35 different glass factories operated in Monongalia County throughout the twentieth century.
The museum collection includes industrial artifacts from the Sterling Faucet Factory, General Woodworking Company, and many other local businesses. Local artists in various media are also featured through works of pottery, music, and others. A permanent feature of the museum is a functional printing press once owned by Shavers Printing, and it now produces fine printed materials for museum visitors during special events and group tours.
​
Many theaters operated in the city of Morgantown, including the century-old Metropolitan Theatre. A celebrated son of Morgantown, Don Knotts, is featured prominently in the museum through an exhibit featuring his life events and artifacts related to his success in tv and films. He also has a star on the Morgantown Walk of Fame and a bronze statue in front of the Metropolitan Theatre on High Street.
small_tif.png)
CONTACT
Address: 175 Kirk Street,
Morgantown, WV 26505
morgantownwvhistory@morgantownwv.gov
Phone Number: 304-319-1800
Wed - Fri: 11 a.m. - 5 p.m.
​​Sat - Sun: 12 p.m. - 6 p.m.
The museum is closed on all major holidays