Clarksburg History Museum Celebrates Five Years
By Connect-Bridgeport Staff on January 22, 2024
According to WDTV, the Clarksburg History Museum celebrated its 5th anniversary on Sunday, Jan. 21. To celebrate, there were historical reenactors, exhibits to look through, and more.
Marsha Viglianco, an AmeriCorps worker for the museum, says being open for five years is a big deal.
“We started out in 2018, and then 2019, and 20, and 21 came, and we were practically closed,” says Viglianco.
The museum started out on the second floor of the Harrison County Board of Education building, but quickly outgrew that space. Now, they have 2,000 square feet, over 30 exhibits, and are getting new donations every day.
Exhibits include early Clarksburg memorabilia, Harry Powers, Stonewall Jackson, local sports heroes, and more. This year, the museum is focusing on John W. Davis, an American politician from West Virginia.
“He was from Clarksburg,” says Viglianco. “He is also the only person from West Virginia that ran as a presidential candidate in 1924.”
The museum has some events planned to celebrate the 100th anniversary of his candidacy, including a birthday party and a tour of where he grew up. Stonewall Jackson’s 200th birthday is also being celebrated this year, with a civil war tour around Clarksburg, and a four county tour documenting Stonewall’s time in West Virginia.
As for 2024, Viglianco says there are a lot of upcoming projects.
“We have been invited to move to the Union Bank Building,” says Viglianco. “The people that own the Hilton Garden Inn are purchasing that building, and have invited us to move into the ground floor and have our museum exhibited there.”
New hands-on exhibits for children are coming to the museum as well, including a gas safety exhibit by Hope Gas, and an FBI exhibit.
“Everything that we do, we try to involve as many businesses, community organizations, anyone that wants to join in and help,” says Viglianco. “We’re trying to bring business, tourism, and people to Clarksburg.”
The museum is completely funded by donations. If you want to check it out, they are open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Click HERE for updates if they become available.
