Celebrate southern West Virginia’s hidden and not-so-hidden history at this week’s Tenth Annual Hidden History Weekend, September 28-30, 2018. This free event celebrates the wonders of Appalachian heritage, the rich sites and stories of our area’s diverse history. This week’s public programs will take place at New River Gorge National River, the National Coal Heritage Area, Hinton Historic District, Tamarack, and the West Virginia state parks of Babcock, Carnifex Ferry Battlefield, Hawks Nest, Pipestem Resort, and Twin Falls Resort. Highlights this year include The Last Hunt, a living history presentation at Sandstone Visitor Center, where 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. Several special events will focus on 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; these include a screening of the movie, a Thurmond Matewan movie tour, a memorabilia tour at the Coal Heritage Discovery Center, and a historic tour of the town of Matewan. Dates and times for these programs as well as the entire 2018 Hidden History Weekend event schedule is available online at https://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/hidden-history-weekend.htm.
Other event programs include guided hikes and walking tours to historic sites and communities, storytelling, a photo exhibit, and more. Spend just a bit of time exploring history or the entire weekend discovering details of area heritage. All programs are FREE unless otherwise noted. Wear comfortable shoes for all guided hikes. Water, snacks and a camera are other useful tools to bring along.
Find out more about area heritage: www.nps.gov/neri, www.coalheritage.org, www.wvstateparks.com, www.exploresummerscounty.com, and www.tamarackwv.com. You can also find updates on the New River Gorge National River’s Facebook page athttp://www.facebook.com/newrivergorgenps or follow us on Twitter at https://Twitter.com/NewRiverNPS.
