Museum in the Park at Chief Logan State Park will sponsor a Frontier Days Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 8 - 9. Activities will take place from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., on Saturday and 1 - 6 p.m. on Sunday. The event is free and the public is invited to attend.
Local and regional reenactors will create an encampment on the Museum’s grounds and demonstrate different techniques used by settlers to survive and be comfortable in early America. Visitors can learn about candle dipping, needle crafts, blacksmithing and gunsmithing, leather working, horn and wood carving, flint knapping and making tools, sheep shearing, spinning wool, and various techniques for gathering, preparing and storing food.
In addition, on Saturday, visitors can join reenactor Henry Tucker as he recounts tales and stories of his ancestor William Tucker, an 18th-century frontier scout who fought at the Battle of Point Pleasant on October 10, 1774. The West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive! program will sponsor two presentations during the weekend. On Saturday, William Hunt will portray the 18th-century mediator and scout, Andrew Montour, who could speak French, English, and at least seven native tongues. The Sunday presentation features Dan Cutler as the famous Shawnee Chief Cornstalk. History Alive! presenters have conducted thorough research on the characters they portray. The presentation has three parts: A monologue by the character, public participation in a discussion with the character and public discussion with the presenter. A specific schedule of events for the entire weekend is attached.
Visitors also are invited to tour the current exhibits at the Museum, including the newly-installed Riding the Rails: Railroads Connecting West Virginia, which details railroad development in West Virginia and has artifacts from the West Virginia State Museum collection including a C&O Adlake Kero Lantern, a C&O Yellow Dog Lamp which burned on waste oil, and claw hammers, to name a few.
Other exhibits include Ladies Fashion Dolls of the Nineteenth Century which features 56 costumed dolls from the West Virginia State Museum; We Are Marshall, which displays items produced as props for the movie production; Dehue . . . A Special Place which examines aspects of coal camp life; The Ron Moxley Collection: Native American Artifacts, which includes a nutting stone found in Chief Logan State Park; and Black Diamonds takes a look at coal mining throughout West Virginia with an emphasis on the southern part of the state. There are also two quilts made by the late Katie Barnette of Logan and award winners from the 2007 West Virginia Juried Exhibition on display.
For more information about Frontier Days Weekend, contact Elizabeth Williams, site manager at the Museum in the Park, at (304) 792-7229.
The Museum in the Park is a regional cultural center showcasing the best in West Virginia history and the arts. It features changing exhibits and displays of artwork and historical items from the collections of the West Virginia State Museum and the State Archives. One area of the museum is dedicated to local and regional history. It is operated and maintained by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History and is located four miles north of Logan on West Virginia Route 10 at Chief Logan State Park. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday from 1 - 6 p.m.
The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices are located at the Cultural Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Cultural Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.
Frontier Days Weekend Schedule
Saturday, November 8
Museum in the Park is open from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
10 a.m. - 5 p.m. – Craft Demonstrations
11 a.m. - 4 p.m. – Kids’ Arts and Crafts Activities
noon - 12:45 p.m. – Cannon and Flintlock Firings
1 - 2 p.m. – West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive! program
featuring William Hunt as Andrew Montour
2 - 3 p.m. – Sheep Shearing Demonstration
3 - 4 p.m. – Schoolroom Demonstrations on Manners and Social Conduct on the Frontier
(20-minute sessions, space is limited)
4 - 4:45 p.m. – “History with Henry”
Reenactor Henry Tucker recounts the experiences of his ancestor William Tucker
5 - 8 p.m. – Tall Tales of the Frontier around a Campfire with ’Smores for kids of all ages
Sunday, November 9
Museum in the Park is open from 1 - 6 p.m.
1 - 4 p.m. – Kids’ Arts and Crafts Activities
1 - 5 p.m. – Craft Demonstrations
1 - 1:45 p.m. – Cannon and Flintlock Firings
1 - 2 p.m. – Schoolroom Demonstrations on Manners and Social Conduct on the Frontier
(20-minute sessions, space is limited)
2 - 3 p.m. – West Virginia Humanities Council’s History Alive! program
featuring Dan Cutler as Shawnee Chief Cornstalk
3 - 4 p.m. – Schoolroom Demonstrations on Manners and Social Conduct on the Frontier
(20-minute sessions, space is limited)
3 - 5 p.m. – Cannon and Flintlock Firings and ’Smores for kids of all ages
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