The Mission of the Historical Society
The Randolph County Historical Society formed on May 1st, 1924 in Elkins, West Virginia. Their ongoing mission is to protect and present the heritage of Randolph County. The past projects of the Society have included creating programs, historical markers, and various publications. The Society holds periodic programs of historical interest that are open to the public. Check out our occasional newsletters for more details about events.
The original preamble of the society was printed in the 1924 Randolph County Historical Society’s Magazine of History and Biography and is as follows:
Whereas, There is a personal and patriotic obligation resting upon the citizenship of every community to assemble and preserve its traditions, customs and history; and Whereas, The Pioneers and their descendants in the Tygarts Valley, and especially in that portion embraced within the limits of Randolph County, made history worthy of perpetuation;
Therefore, for the purpose of discovering, procuring, and preserving whatever may relate to the natural, traditional, civil, military, literary, and genealogical, and any other history of this community, and especially Randolph County, for the benefit of the present generation, and the generations yet to come.
This statement from 1924 still holds true after 90+ years of the historical society’s commitment to preserving the history of Randolph County.
Randolph County Museum
The Society opened the Randolph County Museum in 1973 at the Blackman-Bosworth building located in Beverly, West Virginia and has been presenting the history of Randolph County residents ever since. The Randolph County Museum is housed in the Blackman-Bosworth Store, and also includes a Subscription Schoolhouse, and the Jacob Stalnaker Cabin. The Society also owns the Mt. Iser Confederate Cemetery located in Historic Beverly.
The Randolph County Museum has a fairly substantial collection of artifacts from various time periods including the pre-historic era, the American Civil War, World War I, and the not so distant past. The items throughout the museum are used to tell stories about the residents of Randolph County as displayed in the exhibits.
Besides having unique historic buildings, the Historical Society has published several books about the area. Some titles include: Randolph 200, by Donald Rice, and Historic Beverly, a Guidebook, by Donald Rice and Phyllis Baxter. Both books are available for sale in the Randolph County Museum gift shop.
Volunteer with Us
We are always looking for new members to help with our preservation efforts in the Randolph County area! A membership to the Randolph County Historical Society would include periodic newsletters that provide information about our programs, artifacts, and local stories. For more information, or to join please visit our support page!
Current board members
President, Don Teter
Vice President, Carolyn Channell
Treasurer, Logan Smith
Secretary, Phyllis Baxter
For more information
Contact Us