Logan-DOWNTOWN-Welch

1946 West Virginia Urban Coalfield Life 2006
The Photographs of Russell Lee and Earl Dotter

Friday March 2 the photo exhibit Logan – Downtown – Welch 1946 West Virginia Urban Coalfield Life 2006, The Photographs of Russell Lee and Earl Dotter opened at the Museum in the Park at Chief Logan State Park. Supported by a Coalfields Grant from the West Virginia Humanities Council, the Clifford M. Lewis, S.J., Appalachian Institute at Wheeling Jesuit University has mounted this exploration of life in the two mining communities utilizing photographs taken by Russell Lee in 1946 and photographs taken by contemporary photojournalist Earl Dotter during the summer of 2006.

Last year the Institute’s exhibit Our Future in Retrospect? Coal Miner Health in Appalachia also combined the rich archive of Russell Lee photographs at the National Archives and contemporary photographs by Earl Dotter. The size and richness of Lee’s photos of Logan and Welch in the Archives prompted the Appalachian Institute to apply for a Humanities Council Coalfields Grant to once again marry photographs taken six decades ago with new pictures taken by Dotter. Dr. Jill Kriesky says “We are honored that the West Virginia Humanities Council has chosen to fund the follow-up exhibit that highlights economic and social changes in Appalachian coal communities over time. Like the first exhibit, the Downtown exhibit will further the Institute's mission to generate discussion about how to improve life in our region for all of its citizens.”

The Logan – Downtown – Welch exhibit will be at Chief Logan State Park until April 1. The park is 4 miles north of Logan on Rte. 10 (Off Corridor G/ Rt. 119 take Old Logan Rd exit and follow signs). The Museum in the Park is open Weds.-Sat 10 A.M. – 6 P.M.; Sun. 1 P.M. – 6 P.M. The Museum phone number is 304-792-7229.

Photo by Russell Lee, 1946

Photo by Earl Dotter, 2006

West Virginia Quilts: A tradition of excellence

Museum in the Park currently is hosting an exhibit of local and statewide pieces including quilts and coverlets, sculptures, and paintings. These pieces, both from the West Virginia State Museum Collection and from local artists, depict the rich cultural heritage of West Virginia.

The Museum in the Park at Chief Logan State Park has opened a new exhibit, Remembering Buffalo Creek, a solemn recollection of the Feb. 26, 1972 tragedy. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Artifacts pertaining directly to the disaster, including the uniform worn by Lila Hinchman, former director of the Logan County Chapter of the American Red Cross, are on display. The Red Cross flag that hung over Man High School following the disaster to mark the school as a shelter and temporary Red Cross headquarters also is featured.

In addition, the exhibit features two films about the disaster, both made by filmmaker and producer Mimi Pickering for Appalshop, Inc. The Buffalo Creek Flood: An Act of Man (1975, 40 minutes) chronicles the flood which killed 125 people, injured 1,100 and left 4,000 homeless when a coal-waste dam collapsed at the head of a hollow in Logan County. Buffalo Creek Revisited (1984, 31 minutes) was filmed 10 years after the flood and looks at “the second disaster on Buffalo Creek,” in which the survivors’ efforts to rebuild the communities shattered by the flood are thwarted.

More about the exhibit.

Other exhibits and activities include:

Dehue...A Special Place
A a comprehensive exhibit created by WVU with help of former Dehue resident Dolores Riggs Davis. The exhibit explores many aspects of coal camp life, from the business of coal mining to the social aspects of living in a community like Dehue.

Fallen Field and Rising Light
A coalminer's memorial by internationally known artist David Jeffrey, a Wyoming County native, continues on display through December.

An Early History of Firearms in West Virginia
Continues through January 2007. A selection of firearms from the West Virginia State Museum and local collections spans the 1700s to the Civil War era.

Omar Photography Project:
This exhibit is now traveling, but is now one of our online exhibits.

Museum in the Park was opened on May 31, 2003, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by West Virginia Senate President Earl Ray Tomblin. The facility, which is located in the former park restaurant, is operated by the West Virginia Division of Culture and History.

Chief Logan State Park, located four miles north of Logan on State Route 10, is one of the most visited parks in the state’s system. The 3,300-acre park features a new $8.5 million conference and convention center, as well as a campground, outdoor amphitheater and wildlife center. The Division will manage the museum under an agreement with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, which operates the park.

Summer hours: Beginning May 3, the Museum hours are Wednesday-Saturday 10:00am-8:00pm, Sunday 1:00pm-8:00pm. Closed Monday and Tuesday. These hours will last through September 3.
Hours for the fall season: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 - 6 p.m. Sunday, beginning Sept. 6. The museum is closed Monday and Tuesday.

Hours for the holiday season: 5 to 9 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and 1 - 9 p.m. Sunday. The new hours will be in effect from Saturday, Nov. 25, through Saturday, Dec. 30, to coincide with the annual holiday light exhibit at Chief Logan State Park.

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