Sept. 19, 2019
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The Fall 2019 issue of GOLDENSEAL is dedicated entirely to the 250th anniversary of the founding of Wheeling, twice the capital of West Virginia. It is available for purchase at select retailers and/or by calling the GOLDENSEAL office. GOLDENESEAL, West Virginia’s magazine of traditional life since 1975, is published quarterly by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History. Attached is a list of retailers where GOLDENSEAL magazine is available.
In this edition, Rebekah Karelis traces the last 250 years of Wheeling history, highlighting the Zane family’s early settlement; National Road; the Wheeling Suspension Bridge; the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad; immigration; the birth of West Virginia as a state; various industries such as iron and nail production, tobacco and breweries; the importance of the city’s labor history; and efforts to rejuvenate the historic downtown.
Seán P. Duffy looks at the same time period through the lens of Wheeling’s African Americans, including the city’s role in the slave trade, Jim Crow laws, Lincoln High and other black schools during segregation, and recent efforts to recognize Wheeling’s black community.
In other articles, Sue-Beth Warren examines the restoration of West Virginia Independence Hall, our state’s birthplace; GOLDENSEAL editor Stan Bumgardner writes about Wheeling’s ethnic food heritage and Mount de Chantal Visitation Academy, a prominent Catholic school for 160 years (closing in 2008); Barb Howe tells of the incomparable Sister Joanne Gonter, a longtime teacher and organist at Mount de Chantal who served before and after the transitional Vatican II period of the 1960s; photographer Steve Brightwell takes readers on a visual tour of Wheeling, including the Artisan Center and Madonna of the Trail statue; Carl E. Feather relates the life of Wheeling podiatrist Dr. Roy Harmon Jr. and his wife, Mary Ellen; Roy’s son Dave Harmon recounts some great times riding in his father’s smoky, rumbling Studebaker; Mark Swiger details a history of Wheeling Steel (later Wheeling-Pitt Steel) and how Mike Fahey climbed the corporate ladder from a laborer to management; and professional singer Mollie O’Brien remembers the many great musical times she experienced in her hometown.
In addition, the issue includes regular features by state folklorist Emily Hilliard and Feather. Hilliard profiles Carol Dougherty and Our Lady of Lebanon church and school. In his Back Roads column, Feather visits with three intrepid preservationists—Jeanne Finstein, Hydie Friend and Margaret Brennan—who, along with many who laid the groundwork, such as Beverly Fluty and Snookie Nutting, have helped revitalize the city by restoring and reusing historic structures.
To order the Fall issue, call the GOLDENSEAL office at (304) 558-0220. The cost is $5.95 plus shipping or $20 for a one-year subscription (four quarterly issues).
GOLDENSEAL magazine can be purchased at the following retail outlets:
Four Seasons Books, Shepherdstown, Jefferson County
State Museum Gift Shop, Culture Center, Charleston, Kanawha County
Taylor Books, Charleston, Kanawha County
West Virginia Market Place at Capitol Market, Charleston, Kanawha County
Appalachian Glass, Weston, Lewis County
Grave Creek Archaeological Complex, Moundsville, Marshall County
Railroad Depot, Bramwell, Mercer County
Book Exchange, Morgantown, Monongalia County
Ruby Memorial Hospital Gift Shop, Morgantown, Monongalia County
Cacapon Resort State Park, Morgan County
Nicholas Chronicle Newspaper, Summersville, Nicholas County
Oglebay Institute, Wheeling, Ohio County
West Virginia Independence Hall, Wheeling, Ohio County
Wheeling Artisan Center, Wheeling, Ohio County
Tamarack: The Best of West Virginia, Beckley, Raleigh County
Pipestem Resort State Park, Summers/Mercer County
Tygart Lake State Park, Taylor County
Blackwater Falls State Park, Tucker County
Hundred Farm Supply, Hundred, Wetzel County
Witschey’s Market, New Martinsville, Wetzel County
Peoples News, Parkersburg, Wood County
Twin Falls State Park, Wyoming County
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