In a time of high inflation, free entertainment is at a premium. On a recent weekend, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that admittance to the Morgantown History Museum requires no more than a signature in the visitors’ log.
Morgantown first welcomed a history museum into its midst in 2000, with the Riverfront Museum in the Seneca Center. Appropriately, some of the first artifacts in this museum were pieces of Seneca Glass produced on the premises in days gone by. The Riverfront Museum closed in 2005. The City of Morgantown formed the Morgantown Museum Commission, which worked to develop the museum as it exists today. On West Virginia Day 2006, the current location on Kirk Street officially opened.
The exterior of the building tucked behind the Monongalia County Arts Center is unassuming, but inside are exhibits of artifacts from eras spanning from prehistoric to the present. Visitors can learn about indigenous cultures, regional industries, military actions and the lives of local people both famous and obscure. Displays of photographs, artwork, maps, fossils, and artifacts all serve as windows to the past. I particularly enjoyed seeing a weathered slab of rock inscribed “COLO Z.M. JAN 1 1795,” the lines so old they were almost illegible. This was a stone marker carved with the initials and death date of Zackquill Morgan, founder of Morgantown, over 200 years ago. Many of the artifacts have been donated by Morgantown-area individuals and companies, and the website (https://morgantownhistorymuseum.org/) has more information on donating time, money or historical objects.
Because visiting the Morgantown History Museum is free, patrons have the freedom to take a trip to the past for any length of time. It can be an edifying way to spend a few minutes between appointments downtown, or a pleasant way to spend a whole afternoon, followed by dinner at a nearby restaurant. It is open from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 12 p.m.-6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
EVA MURPHY is a freelance business writer for The Dominion Post. She writes a column on businesses, churches and other entities in the city. To suggestion a topic, email her at Newsroom@DominionPost.com.
