Hidden History Weekend

 

Join us for the tenth Annual Hidden History Weekend: September 28-30, 2018

Celebrate the wonders of Appalachian heritage and the rich sites and stories of our region's diverse history! Free programs will take place at New River Gorge National River, the National Coal Heritage Area, Tamarack, the town of Hinton, and Babcock, Carnifex Ferry Battlefield, Pipestem Resort, and Twin Falls Resort State Parks.

2018 Hidden History Weekend Schedule:

Pre Events:

September 8 - 9 Thunder on the Gauley: Battle of Carnifex Ferry
Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park, Summersville
Civil War encampment and battle reanactment. Sept. 8: 9:00 am - dark. Sept. 9: 9:00 am - 4:00 pm with battle reenactment at 2:00pm.

September 22 "Love Your Park" Bluestone Trail Event
Bluestone National Scenic River, Pipestem/Hinton
Join local communities across the country to help protect and preserve these treasures. 10:00 am - 2:00 pm near historic Lilly town site. RSVP: 304-465-2634.

September 22 - 23 Lumberjackin' Bluegrassin' Jamboree
Twin Falls Resort State Park, Mullens
Enjoy bluegrass music, food, arts and crafts, and a woodsman competition (Satuday 10:00 am). Sept. 22: 10:00 am - 7:00 pm. Sept. 23: 11:00 am - 5:00 pm.

September 22 - 23 Country Roads Festival
Hawks Nest State Park, Ansted
Enjoy music, food, arts and crafts, and a car show

 

Friday, September 28, 2018

Artist in Action: Painter Ginger Danz

10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Tamarack, Beckley.
Meet Tamarack artist Ginger Danz as she demonstrates her quirky and colorful painting style, each piece interpreting heritage and culture.

Barney Law Orchard Walk

10:00 to 11:00 am.
Meet at Pipestem Resort State Park's Nature Center, Pipestem.
Take a short hike to the historic home site and orchard of Barney Law, a former park resident.

Historic Granada Theater Tour

6:00 to 7:00 pm.
Meet at Granada Theater, 537 Commerce St., Bluefield, WV.
Join Bluefield Preservation Society's Skip Crane for a tour of this historic theater, once home to vaudeville acts and a movie theater. Explore behind the scenes too, the balconies, organ room, stage, and dressing rooms.

Matewan Screening

6:00 to 8:00 pm.
Meet at Historic Fayette Theater, Fayetteville. $5 donation.
See the 1987 movie "Matewan," a locally filmed drama about a West Virginia mine war and the challenges faced during the coal boom of the early 20th century. Also view a short documentary about the making of this film.

Saturday, September 29, 2018

Artist in Action: Painter Ginger Danz

10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Tamarack, Beckley.
Meet Tamarack artist Ginger Danz as she demonstrates her quirky and colorful painting style. Each piece highlights our region's rich heritage.

Bluestone Walk with History Bonus

10:00 am to 12:00 pm (plus extend option to 1:30 pm).
Bottom of Pipestem Resort State Park’s tramway, Pipestem.
2 mile walk (bonus adds 0.5 mile). Explore the Bluestone River Gorge, a place earliest settlers called home. Also celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

 

The Last Hunt

Sandstone Visitor Center
10:00 AM-4:00 PM
Two hundred and fifty years ago, as summer came to an end, the Delaware and Shawnee tribes departed their towns just north of Ohio River and started up the Kanawha and New River bison traces to occupy their fall and winter hunting grounds one last time before British colonists swept into the valley after the boundary negotiations of 1768. Step back in time as living history interpreters portray a typical fall hunting camp of a small family group of Delaware and Cherokee on their last hunt in the New River Gorge. Demonstrations on shelter construction, cooking, skin tanning, and preserving food for winter use will be conducted throughout the day. Stop by Sandstone Visitor Center in Sandstone, West Virginia anytime during this presentation.

10:00-10:30 AM Demonstration of temporary hunting lodge construction
11:00-11:30 AM Useful native plant walk
1:00-1:30 PM Skin tanning demonstration
2:00-2:30 PM Food preparation/preservation demonstration
3:00-4:00 PM Cherokee Ostenaco History Alive! presentation in the theater; This presentation is a History Alive! program of the West Virginia Humanities Council.

 

Memories of Matewan the Movie

10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Visit the future site of the Coal Heritage Discovery Center (814 Main St.), Mt. Hope.
Come and go as you please to see photos and memorabelia from the making of the movie Matewan at the site used for costuming and other production elements during the making of this movie.

Hands on History

11:00 am to 12:00 pm and 2:00 to 3:00 pm.
Meet at New River Gorge National River's Canyon Rim Visitor Center, Lansing.
Come and go as you please for these informal talks that highlight history topics like coal mining, railroading, early settlement/fur trade, quilting, and whitewater recreation.

Historic Hinton Trivia Tour

12:00 to 4:00 pm.
Meet at Summers County Visitor Center on the corner of Temple St. and 2nd Ave., Hinton.
Discover Hinton's hidden history on this district trivia tour. All participants receive a prize with their returned correct answers.

Rafting History of the New River Gorge

12:00 to 1:00 pm and 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
Meet at the Nature Center canopy in front of the lodge at Hawks Nest State Park , Ansted.
Get an adrenaline rush from the shore on a talk about the area's rafting history, it's changes since 1967.

Historic Thurmond and Matewan Movie Tour

3:00 to 4:30 pm.
Meet at New River Gore National River's Thurmond Depot Visitor Center, Thurmond.
1 mile easy walk. Tour the Thurmond Historic District as we highlight the area's industrial heritage, plus its connection to the making of the movie Matewan. Some movie production cast will be on hand.

Haunted History Hike

7:00 to 9:00 pm. 2 miles.
Meet at the Rend Trail parking area on Route 25 near Thurmond. 2 miles walk.
Hear legends and stories from Appalachia into the dark of night. Program not recommended for children under 9 years old. Bring a flashlight.

 

Sunday, September 30, 2018

Artist in Action: Painter Ginger Danz

10:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Tamarack, Beckley.
Meet Tamarack artist Ginger Danz as she demonstrates her quirky and colorful painting style, each piece an interpretation of our region's rich heritage and community.

Country Roads Walk

10:00 to 11:30 am.
Meet at Pipestem Resort State Park's Park Headquarters, Pipestem.
See the park's pre-history as your take this easy walk along the road and through the woods to an old farm site.

Hands on History

11:00 am to 12:00 pm and 2:00 to 3:00 pm.
Meet at New River Gorge National River's Canyon Rim Visitor Center, Lansing.
Come and go as you please for these informal talks on highlight history topics like coal mining, railroading, early settlement/fur trade, quilting, and whitewater recreation.

History of Hawks Nest

12:00 to 1:00 pm and 4:00 to 5:00 pm.
Meet at the Nature Center canopy in front of the lodge at Hawks Nest State Park , Ansted.
Go back in time to discover the cool history of the area, the park, and the tunnel.

Lost Town of Lilly Hike

1:30 to 4:00 pm.
Meet at the iron gete at the far end of Bluestone State Park's Old Mill Campground, Hinton.
4 mile round trip hike. Follow the Bluestone Turnpike Trail to the historic town site of Lilly. Explore the story of this place and the Bluestone National Scenic River.

Historic Matewan Tour

3:00 to 4:30 pm.
Meet at the Matewan Mine War Museum, Matewan.
Tour the Matewan historic district where history happened, the beginnings of a movement for reform fair working conditions and the right to unionize in the early 20th century. Also tour the Matewan Mine War Museum.

Walking Tour of Historic Bramwell

3:00 to 5:00 pm.
Coal Heritage Interpretive Center (Depot), Bramwell.
4 block walk. Join Mayor Lou Stoker and hear stories of early coal barons and their families on this sidewalk tour of historic downtown Bramwell.

Story Lab Mini-workshop

4:00 to 5:00 pm.
Meet at New River Gorge National River's Grandview - Shelter #1, Grandview.
Experiment with storytelling and interview techniques to discover more of your own family's history, tools you'll be able to use again and again.

Appalachian Spooky Stories 'Round the Campfire

7:00 to 8:00 pm.
Meet at New River Gorge National River's Grandview - Shelter #1, Grandview.
Let traditional Appalachian stories told at the fireside bring an extra chill to the dark of night. Program not recommended for children under 9 years old.

 

Post Events

October 6 "Love Your Park" Bluestone Trail Event
Bluestone National Scenic River, Pipestem/Hinton
Join local communities across the country to help protect and preserve these treasures. 10:00 am - 2:00 pm near historic Lilly town site. RSVP: 304-465-2634.

October 5 - 7 Fall Photo Workshop
Twin Falls Resort State Park, Mullens
Sharpen your photo skills and learn how to capture special moments that last a lifetime. Starts Oct. 5, 7:00 pm; ends Oct. 7, 12:30 pm. COST: workshop $81 plus lodging. Reservations required: call 304-294-4000.

 

Park Museums

Museums that feature are history during this event:

Babcock State Park: Glade Creek Grist Mill, Clifftop.
Open Saturday - Sunday 10:00 am - 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm - 5:50 pm

Campbell-Flannagan-Murrell House Museum, Hinton.
Open Saturday 12:00 - 4:00 pm

Coal Heritage Museum, Madison.
Open Monday,Thursday - Saturday 12:00 - 5:00 pm

Coal Heritage Interpretive Center at the Depot, Bramwell.
Open Monday - Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm, Sunday 11:00 am - 3:00 pm

Explore Summers County Visitor Center, Hinton.
Open Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Graham House, Lowell.
Open Saturday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm

Hinton Railroad Museum, Hinton.
Open Tuesday - Saturday 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Mine Wars Museum, Matewan.
Open Friday - Saturday 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

New River Gorge National River: Canyon Rim Visitor Center, Lansing.
Open daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

New River Gorge National River: Sandstone Visitor Center, Sandstone.
Open daily 9:00 am - 5:00 pm

New River Gorge National River: Thurmond Depot Visitor Center, Thurmond.
Open Saturday - Sunday in September, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm

Pipestem Resort State Park: Nature Center, Pipestem.
Open Wednesday - Sunday 12:30 pm - 4:30 pm

Princeton Railroad Museum, Princeton.
Open Wednesday - Saturday 11:00 am - 4:00 pm, Sunday 2:00 - 5:00 pm

Veterans Memorial Museum, Hinton.
Open Saturday 12:00 - 4:00 pm