Online Exhibit In Celebration Of West Virginia
Day

CHARLESTON, W.Va. - In celebration of West Virginia Day, Governor Joe Manchin
III and First Lady Gayle Manchin today introduced the Division of Culture and
History’s new online exhibit, “A State of Convenience: The Creation of West
Virginia,” during an event in the Great Hall of the Cultural Center.

“I am very excited about this online addition to our state’s Division of Culture
and History,” the governor said. “West Virginians truly understand the
importance of family and community. We are so proud of our heritage, and this
exhibit showcases our state’s past – highlighting the work of our forefathers as
well as the important events that make West Virginia and West Virginians what we
are today.”

The online exhibit tells the story of the formation of the state of West
Virginia in the words of the statehood leaders, from the early differences
between eastern and western Virginia through the establishment of the new state
of West Virginia in 1863. Featuring photographs and documents from the
collections of the West Virginia State Archives, the exhibit will be available
on the Division’s website at www.wvculture.org as well as the governor’s
official Web site at www.wvgov.org .

Exhibit highlights include images of more than 60 statehood leaders; statehood
letters, documents and speeches, including a broadside for the order of
ceremonies for the inauguration of West Virginia and the election ticket of
Arthur Boreman, the state’s first governor; and transcriptions of the
proceedings of the statehood conventions, the debate in the U.S. Senate
regarding admitting West Virginia to the Union, President Abraham
Lincoln’s written opinion on the admission of West Virginia, Boreman’s inaugural
address, and the first state constitution. Many items in the exhibit have never
been available on the internet before now.

Items will be added to the online exhibit on an ongoing basis. Anyone with
statehood-related memorabilia who is willing to donate those items to the
Archives is encouraged to contact Fredrick Armstrong, director of archives and
history, at (304) 558-0230.

West Virginia Day is celebrated each year on June 20, which is the anniversary
of the state’s creation in 1863. The state’s annual celebration of the holiday
will be held on Tuesday at West Virginia Independence Hall in Wheeling, with
speeches, music and children’s activities. Known as the “birthplace of West
Virginia,” Independence Hall was the site of a series of events leading up to
the state’s creation, including the first constitutional convention. For more
information about the West Virginia Day celebration, call Independence Hall at
(304) 238-1300.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History, an agency of the West
Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, brings together the state’s past,
present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and
history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Visit the Division’s
website at www.wvculture.org for more information about programs of the
Division. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal
Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.