2024 Centennial Programs

Vagabonds in WV
Friday November 15, 2024 6 PM
101 Railroad Ave. Elkins, WV

In 1918, the “vagabonds” group of well-known friends toured through the mountains of central Appalachia. A more recent journey to learn about that expedition will be featured at the upcoming program of the Randolph County Historical Society.

The program at the Darden Mill will begin with a reception at 6 p.m. and program at 6:30.

“Friends of history from counties all around will be interested in this program,” according to Don Teter, President of the Society. “This is one of the featured activities marking the 100th Anniversary of the Randolph County Historical Society.”

The speaker will be James Gardner, author of the book A Chance to Breathe, which relates the story of a 1918 trip through West Virginia by inventor Thomas Edison, naturalist and writer John Burroughs, automobile manufacturer Henry Ford, and tire tycoon Harvey Firestone. The itinerary included Leadmine, Parsons, Elkins, Beverly, the Cheat Mountain Club, and Bartow.

Gardner was born and raised in Akron, Ohio, and has been a practicing attorney for more than thirty years. His book is not just the story of those travelers, but also of Gardner’s research journeys with his father, an engineer and longtime “Firestone Man,” and retracing the route of the famous “vagabonds.”

The program will be held in conjunction with the annual general membership meeting of the Randolph County Historical Society at the Darden Mill. The event is free and open to the public. For more information contact [email protected].

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Tuesday May 21 6:30 PM
Elkins YMCA
400 Davis Ave
Elkins, WV

The Randolph County Historical Society will be opening their Centennial Celebrations with a program on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 at 7 PM, doors open at 6:30. This event will take place at the Elkins YMCA in the Assembly Room on the third floor. Light refreshments will be available for attendees.

The event will feature a program on the founding of the Randolph County Historical Society which took place at the Elkins YMCA one-hundred years ago. With focus on the charter members who founded the Randolph County Historical Society, the presentation will explore their roles within the Society and as community members dedicated to preserving the history of Randolph County for future generations.

The centennial celebrations will continue throughout 2024 to 2026 with more events and programs to come. The Randolph County Museum in Beverly will open Friday, May 24, 2024 and remain open for visitation on Fridays and Saturdays, 10 AM to 4 PM through Labor Day weekend. Admission is free. On display will be the centennial exhibit “100 Years of History” which highlights the history of the early Randolph County Historical Society as well as more recent developments that have built the Society as known today

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2023 Programs

This presentation will discuss the need for maps and how it was addressed,
highlighting the work of Confederate topographer Jedediah Hotchkiss, who got
his start as a military mapper in early July 1861 at Camp Garnett and Rich
Mountain. Hotchkiss continued his work in (West) Virginia at Valley Mountain
with Generals William Loring and Robert E. Lee in August and September 1861,
and eventually embarked upon one of the most remarkable mapping projects of
the war in response to Stonewall Jackson’s request for a comprehensive map of
the Shenandoah Valley.
Don Teter, President of the Randolph County Historical Society, earned a
degree in History and Political Science from Davis and Elkins College, and spent
over 35 years self-employed as a land surveyor. He has been presenting
professional continuing education seminars for twenty years, and has been
Assistant Professor of Surveying at Fairmont State University since 2018.
The program can also be viewed online – On Zoom
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2018 Programs

May 5, Saturday, 1:00 PM at Randolph County Museum, Beverly

DAR – Preserving Local History

Join us for a public program about the John Hart Chapter of the
Daughters of the American Revolution, and their work supporting local
and family history in Randolph County. The program will honor the DAR
for their support with a Special Projects Grant for a new climate
control system for the Randolph County Museum building, recently
completed. The Randolph County Commission and other project funders will
also be recognized.

The program will include a tour of the Museum and a reception. The
public is invited to attend.

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DAR Program Supports Randolph County Museum

Come celebrate a unique partnership to preserve local history at the Randolph County Museum in Beverly. The John Hart Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) will be featured in a program honoring preservation of the Museum building.

On Saturday May 5, 2018 at 1 p.m., the Randolph County Historical Society will present its spring program “DAR Preserving Local History.” The presentation will share about the local and national DAR organization and their work. A Special Projects Grant awarded by the National Daughters of the American Revolution made possible the installation of a climate control system in the Randolph County Museum.

“This partnership gives an opportunity to highlight the preservation work of the National DAR, and how we brought their help to a much needed project supporting our local Randolph County history,” said Barbara McCreary, Vice-Regent of the John Hart DAR chapter. “We invite all of those interested in local and family history to come join us in this celebration, and to see the progress at the Randolph County Museum.”

The program will recognize and thank the National Daughters of the American Revolution and the Randolph County Commission for their support for the climate control project, followed by a tour of the museum and a reception. Community members are invited to attend.

The climate control installation was made possible by the $10,000 DAR grant, matched with a contribution of $10,000 from the Randolph County Commission. Randolph County Historical Society is still seeking remaining funds for the $25,000 project.Installation of the gas heating system, with air conditioning and humidity control, will help to preserve the 1828 Bosworth building where the Museum is housed. Replacing outdated and inadequate electric baseboard heaters, the new HVAC system will help maintain steadier temperatures and humidity in the building year round, which will improve preservation of the historic building and the Society’s extensive collections.

The DAR Special Projects Grants Program, which was initiated in 2011, provides local community grant funding to support projects exemplifying the DAR mission areas of Historic Preservation, Education, and Patriotism. The program is open to public charity 501(c)(3) entities only. The grant application must be sponsored by a DAR chapter or by a DAR State Society. Projects must be completed with one year of initial grant funding.

For more information about the May 5th program see www.randolphhistoricalwv.org or call 304-637-7424. For more information about DAR visit www.dar.org .
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For more information:

Barbara McCreary
[email protected]
304-642-8320

Phyllis Baxter
[email protected]
304-642-7427