West Virginia and Regional History Center Tour, March 25, 2015

If you missed The Regional History Collection and Rare Books Collection Tour, you missed a wonderful opportunity to explore the foremost historical archives library in the State of West Virginia. Over spring break, Stewart Plein and Kevin Fredette graciously arranged a private tour for our group. Among other things, we learned that the Center holds documents relating to the Civil War and our early statehood era, along with the works of Pearl S. Buck and all four Folio editions of the plays of William Shakespeare. We also learned about photographs, maps, and newspapers included in its collection. And we only saw a small part of what is available. For complete information on the Center, visit their website at https://wvrhc.lib.wvu.edu/

Some retirees shared their experiences

Just a quick note to tell you what a terrific time we had today touring the WV and Regional History Center and the WVU Rare Books Collection! Had no idea we housed so many treasures, be they letters, diaries, maps, newspapers or those 50,000 pictures- WOW!. The library staff were extremely knowledgeable and so enthusiastic in explaining not just the content of some of the individual holdings but also the historical background to those holdings and the history of book printing, illustrating and binding. It was a most enlightening afternoon- looking forward to the next outing. Also enjoyed grabbing a bite to eat before the event with other retirees in the Mountainlair Food Court
Clarke Ridgway, Retiree

I want to thank everyone who was involved with today’s event for WVU retirees—The West Virginia Regional History Center and Rare Book Collection Tour. The presentations were extremely informative and it was exciting for me to see rare books, learn about fore edge books and view original copies of Sanford Fire Insurance Maps. The West Virginia and Regional History Center is truly a WVU gem. Again many thanks for a fascinating afternoon.
Lee Beaumont, Retiree

The tour was great! I was very impressed with the rare books room. I plan on spending a lot of time doing family research in the near future. Thanks for setting up the tour.
Judy Morris, Retiree