“Archives and Lifelong Learning” is the theme of American Archives Month. Archives such as those of the West Virginia University West Virginia & Regional History Collection exist not just for the use of history scholars doing “serious research,” but also for high school students working on History Day papers, families researching the ownership of their land, and individuals writing their family histories.

Nearly half of the several thousand visitors to the collection each year fall into the latter categories. The collection is open to the public and admission is free.

Celebrate American Archives Month by visiting the collection. Explore the facility, and examine the current exhibit, which marks the 150th anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War. The display contains a wide range of items, including Stonewall Jackson’s writing set, the diaries of First Lieutenant (later Major) Fabricius A. Cather, and sheet music from the Civil War.

You can also visit us online http://www.libraries.wvu.edu/wvcollection to find out more about the available materials.

A few interesting new acquisitions include West Virginia land records from 1865-1896 (A&M 3833), records regarding Kirtanananda Bhaktipada Swami who founded the New Vrindaban Hare Krishna community near Moundsville (A&M 3830), and photograph albums of student life at West Virginia University, ca. 1895-1900 (A&M 5164).

June 20 will be the 150th anniversary of West Virginia’s admission to the Union. The collection will unveil a special West Virginia Day Statehood Exhibit and host speakers to celebrate the occasion.

-WVU-

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