On Saturday, September 21st from 11am-2pm, AHI will be hosting its first Fairy Garden Party. Bring your kids out to enjoy a magical afternoon filled with fun activities in our Eleanor Roosevelt Memorial Garden and in our historic Center Hall!
We will have wand and crown making stations, DIY terrariums, scavenger hunts, and other fun crafts and activities. There will be great snacks, drinks, and a nice woodland tapestry to make the perfect backdrop for your little fairies!
Kids are encouraged to dress up, use their imagination, and enjoy a nice afternoon at AHI.
Admission is $15 per child and all proceeds go towards our Center Hall restoration efforts. handmade gift bags,
The Arthurdale Heritage Visitor Center and Craft Shop will be closed Monday, September 2nd in observance of Labor Day. If you’re interested in a tour, visiting, or have any questions, we will still be open regular hours on Saturday and Sunday!
We at Arthurdale Heritage will be closed for the 4th and 5th of July in preservation of Independence Day. We will reopen and continue operations on Saturday, July 6th with the help of our great volunteers!
Join us as we celebrate the 85th anniversary of Arthurdale; Eleanor Roosevelt’s little village, at the 2019 New Deal Festival ! Your admission includes access to all museum buildings and exhibits, live music performances, the Antique Car, Truck, and Tractor show, artisan demonstrations, Craft Market, horse drawn carriage rides, hay rides, children’s petting zoo, children’s activities and more! Discounted tickets to the 2019 New Deal Festival are available now through July 11th!
Learn more about the amazing history in your backyard during Preston County History Days on June 16, July 21, August 18, September 15, and October 20. The Arthurdale Heritage Museum will have free admission to the museum for Preston County residents during the regular hours of 1 – 5 p.m.
Some sites charge admission; parking is free.
Arthurdale Heritage, a five-building museum complex representing the New Deal subsistence homestead project championed by Eleanor Roosevelt, including a restored homestead, on Rt. 92. Craft Shop also open.
1:00 – 5:00 p.m.
Aurora Area Historical Society, in its new building, features collections ranging from old-time retail and farming to manufacturing and home life, as well as extensive groups of area photos, at 23904 George Washington Highway (Rt. 50).
1:00 – 4:00 p.m.
James McGrew House in Kingwood, 1841 brick home built by the prominent businessman involved in the formation of West Virginia. Gift shop also open. Along Rt. 7
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Szilagyi Center in Rowlesburg featuring the World War II Museum, Preston County Sports Museum, B&O bridges exhibit, Emporium and café, on Rt. 72
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Preston County History House in Terra Alta with three floors of Preston County history exhibits and photos, including genealogy records, 109 East Washington Street
1:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Tunnelton Train Depot Museum is a 1913 brick train station constructed for the B&O Railroad and an extensive collection of artifacts. Nearby are two historic train tunnels, Boswell Street (from Rt. 26, in the center of town, go through the short underpass and the train depot is on your left).
1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Plus three outdoor Civil War Trail sites in Aurora and Rowlesburg.
The 2019 Goat Gallop 5k Run / Walk is just around the corner and we can’t wait! Join us on Saturday, June 15 for a gallop around historic Arthurdale with the herd. Celebrate the history of Preston County by enjoying an event in the heart of Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Little Village”.
Registration will be open online and onsite until the event.
Last Saturday morning, a man stumbled upon Arthurdale Heritage. He said he had just spent the day driving around Preston County, looking for unique things to feature on Roaming West Virginia. He was pleasantly surprised to discover Arthurdale! Check out the article and video here!
“You can certainly make a day out of it, or a whole weekend out of it. This is just a small portion of what this part of West Virginia has to offer. “
After
graduating from WVU last year with a degree in International Studies, I decided
to take an AFHA AmeriCorps position at Arthurdale Heritage. My year of service
here has been incredible. It’s not only a great resume booster, but also the
perfect transition from college to a career. Thanks to the meaningful work we
do here, I have learned so many new skills and can now market myself in so many
different directions. I’ve seen improvements with my public speaking,
confidence, networking, marketing and communication, people skills, and so much
more. It also provides invaluable experience if you want to work in the
nonprofit world.
Because
of this position, just to name a few examples, I’ve been in the paper twice, on
the news once, and on two separate occasions met a WV Senator and a WV
Representative. It truly has been a year of personal development, while also
making a difference in the community.
About the site, Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. (AHI)
Arthurdale
is right next door in Preston County and is a wealth of unique American
history. It was the first community created under the New Deal Homestead
Subsistence Act. It became Eleanor Roosevelt’s pet project and therefore, she
spent a great deal of time here. AHI comprises of the Center Hall complex, Administration
building, Forge, old Esso station, and two original homes. One of the coolest
things about this AmeriCorps position is that they actually provide housing for
their members—a perk not common of other AmeriCorps sites and programs. I get
to live in one of the beautiful original homes that the museum owns! Besides a
free place to stay while serving for a year, there are other perks to joining
AmeriCorps, as well. You get bi-monthly stipends, eligibility for SNAP and
other assistance programs, loan deferral, and upon completing your term, you
receive an education award of nearly $6,000 that can go towards more schooling
or towards student loans.
The
community is so fun to work with, too! Being a small nonprofit, we rely a lot
on volunteers and fundraising. Those two struggles, believe it or not, are some
of the best parts of working here. Many of the volunteers are descendants of
original homesteaders or grew up in Arthurdale their whole lives, so they have
amazing stories to share. Just being a part of this community alone has made my
time here worthwhile.
What do you do?
Day-to-day
activities can range from giving tours, to planning events, handling the social
media page, helping with unique classes (from weaving to baby goat yoga),
volunteer recruitment and management, and overall doing what you can to help
the small non-profit museum. You can also attend an array of seminars, courses,
conferences, and receive free admission into events to represent AHI, such as
Cheat Fest. Serving here is pleasant, fulfilling, and fun! AHI gets two
AmeriCorps members a year which makes it even more enjoyable. Serving at AHI has been one of the best decisions I’ve made
upon graduation. Both of us AmeriCorps members are grateful for this experience
and want to share it with some of those unsure of what to do or looking to
serve next year.
AmeriCorps member participating in baby goat yoga
AmeriCorps members Torey and Meredith passing out candy to trick-or-treaters at AHI
Meredith presenting our beautiful and historic Center Hall as the perfect rentals for all events, including weddings.
Receiving a neat donation
The 2018-2019 AmeriCorps’s service project: Shoe Drive Benefit Concert.
Museum building E-2 that one AmeriCorps member gets to live in!
A BIG thank you to Tom Belmaggio for donating two photos, three reflectors, and two sets of post office boxes!! The reflectors were made in the forge and had come from Wagner house U3. The post office boxes are from the original post office, which was a part of our Center Hall complex, located right next to the Craft Shop. It is so neat to have these items back here to display!
The post office likely moved to its current location in the ’60s. Two postmasters that worked at the original location, however, were Mr. Lovett and Mr. Vanaman. Does anyone have any information about the original post office that they could share with us?
Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. was honored to host Rep. McKinley, his wife Mary, and 14 staff members to celebrate our 18 county area being designated as the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area (AFNHA).
Years of hard work and dogged determination by Rep. McKinley and members of AFNHA paid off and will bring a vast array of new opportunities to the area. This is a huge plus for regional tourism!
Thank you Rep. McKinley and AFHA for your years of perseverance to get our 18 county area designated as a National Heritage Area. This is a HUGE win for tourism.
Representative McKinley and his wife, Mary are passionate about historic preservation! Congressman David B. McKinley, P.E., (WV-1) was honored as a champion of the Historic Preservation Tax Credit in 2018.
Executive Director, Darlene Bolyard, talks about the national importance of Arthurdale as the nations first New Deal Community. #ThisPlaceMatters
Congressman McKinley spoke about the importance of working together for the greater good. #BiPartisanEffortsProduceResults #ThisPlaceMatters
handmade gift bags,
handmade charms,
wand making activity,
crown making activity,
scavenger hunts,
The 2019 Goat Gallop 5k Run / Walk is just around the corner and we can’t wait! Join us on Saturday, June 15 for a gallop around historic Arthurdale with the herd. Celebrate the history of Preston County by enjoying an event in the heart of Eleanor Roosevelt’s “Little Village”.
