Jan. 31, 2018
WHEELING, W.Va. - The West Virginia Independence Hall (WVIH) Foundation, in partnership with Wheeling Heritage, the Wheeling Academy of Law and Science (WALS) Foundation and the Ohio County Public Library, will host "West Virginia During the Civil War: A History Symposium,” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 24, 2018. The symposium will feature a morning session at the first State Capitol at 1413 Eoff Street and an afternoon session at WVIH, two Wheeling venues of vital importance to West Virginia's statehood. Schedule of events is listed below.
Admission to the morning session is by ticket only and includes a continental breakfast, a box lunch and reserved seating for the afternoon session. Tickets can be purchased for $30. The afternoon session is free and open to the public, but space will be limited and availability will be on a first come, first served basis.
The symposium lineup features five Civil War historians: Travis Henline, Rick Wolfe, Hunter Lesser, Kris White and Eric Wittenberg.
To reserve your seat today, or if you have questions about the symposium, please send an email to [email protected] or call (304) 905-1690.
Proceeds go to the West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation, and used for educational programming by the Foundation, whose mission is to cooperate with the state of West Virginia to preserve, restore and maintain the site of the state’s birthplace and to provide a stable, permanent and secure archival environment for permanent exhibits reflecting the history of the state. To learn more about the West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation, please visit the organization's web site at wvindependencehallfoundation.org.
For more information about this event or WVIH, contact Debbie Jones, site manager, at (304) 238-1300 or [email protected].
West Virginia Independence Hall has been on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) since 1970. It was originally built as a federal custom house in 1859, served as the home of the pro-Union state conventions of Virginia during the spring and summer of 1861 and as the capitol of loyal Virginia from June 1861 to June 1863. It also was the site of the first constitutional convention for West Virginia. Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1988, the museum is maintained and operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, with the cooperation and assistance of the West Virginia Independence Hall Foundation. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, with the exception of major holidays. The museum is located on the corner of 16th and Market Streets in Wheeling.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the Office of Secretary of Education and the Arts with Gayle Manchin, cabinet secretary. The division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Full Schedule: West Virginia During the Civil War: A History Symposium
Morning Session at the First State Capitol
9 – 9:45 a.m. Registration, continental breakfast
9:45 – 10 a.m. Introductory Remarks
10 – 10:45 a.m. Travis Henline: "West Virginia Statehood"
11 – 11:45 a.m. Rick Wolfe: “Colonel William Powell – The Iron Man.”
Noon – 12:45 p.m. Hunter Lesser: "Robert E. Lee’s Feuding Generals: Wise vs. Floyd"
12:45 – 2 p.m. Lunch, book signings, explore exhibits
Afternoon Session at West Virginia Independence Hall
2 – 2:45 p.m. Kris White: "West Virginia & the Gettysburg Campaign"
3 – 3:45 p.m. Eric Wittenberg: "The Great Law Book Raid: The Battle of White Sulphur Springs"
3:45 p.m. Book signings, explore exhibits
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