Contact:  Margaret Hambrick  /   Executive Director         304-646-2439             304-645-3398

Founded    in    1963,    the    Greenbrier    Historical    Society    is    dedicated    to    community    enrichment    through education   and   preservation   of   the   history   and   culture   of   the   Greenbrier   Valley.   The   Greenbrier   Historical Society   is   a   regional   organization   that   serves   the   West   Virginia   counties   of   Greenbrier,   Monroe,   Summers, and Pocahontas.

January News Release 2022 On   Monday,   January   17,   The   Herbert   Henderson   Office   of   Minority   Affairs   (HHOMA)   and   Martin   Luther King    Jr.    State    Holiday    Commission    announced    the    inclusion    of    the    Greenbrier    Historical    Society, Lewisburg,   WV,      on   their   Honor   Roll   of   Service   Organizations.      The   announcement   was   made   during   the annual   Martin   Luther   King   Jr.   Ecumenical   Service which   was   held   virtually   this   year.   The   King   Center   in Atlanta   set   the   2022   King   Holiday   theme   as   “It   Starts   With   Me:   Shifting   Priorities   to   Create   the   Beloved Community.”  The   award   was   presented   by   Commissioner   Patricia   Wilson,   Chair   of   Education   Department,   West   Virginia State   University,   who   quoted   from   the   nomination   saying,   “The   Greenbrier   Historical   Society   (GHS)   has   a history   of   exhibits   presenting   local   African-American   history   starting   with   the   Invisible   Roots   and   Legends Exhibit   in   2014   for   which   Janice   Cooley,   its   curator,      received   the   “Sharing   of   Self”   award   in   2015.      In   2017, GHS   sponsored   a   monologue   about   the   life   of   Katherine   Johnson   written   by   Pamela   Barry   with   Neely Seams   acting   the   part   of   Katherine   Johnson.      They   jointly   received   the   “Sharing   of   Self”   award   in   2018.     Books about Katherine Johnson were recently donated to local schools through grant funding. Since   then,   GHS   and   Ms.   Cooley   reworked   the   Invisible   Roots   and   Legends   exhibit   and   installed   it   in newly   created   space   in   the   North   House   Museum.      It   was   then   replaced   by   the   current   exhibit   “Echoes   of Slavery   in   Greenbrier   County”   which   explores   the   impact   of   slavery   on   the   black   people   who   remained   in the area after the Civil War and through to the present day. A   pop-up   exhibit   about   the   life   and   work   of Anthony   and   Fanny   Carter,   a   black   family   who   was   freed   in   the 1837, explores what it was like to make a living at that time in a slave-holding town. The   celebration   of   the   200   years   of   the   North   House   from   1820   to   2020   included   a   book   written   by Americorps   member   Sarah   Shepherd   and   featured   sections   on   the   enslaved   people   who   worked   in   the house.   The   exhibit   also   contains   panels   with   the   names   and   histories   (as   much   as   is   known)   of   the enslaved people who made the house run.  All     three     of     these     exhibits     are     available     on-line     at     https://www.greenbrierhistorical.org/events-- exhibits.html.         Black    History    365    is    an    educational    resource    for    teachers    and    parents    to    provide information   to   help   them   address   racial   issues.      It   is   available   at   https://www.greenbrierhistorical.org/black- history-365.html .   A   Black   History   Walking   Tour   of   downtown   Lewisburg   was   created   in   2021   with   16   businesses,   churches, and   a   cemetery   affiliated   with   the   black   community.    Most   businesses were   active   from   the   1830's   to   the 1930's with the churches still active today.          The   programming   cited   above   is   unique   in   the   state   of   West   Virginia   and,   indeed,   would   not   be   found   in most museums across the country.” GHS   President   Janice   Cooley   said   “These   exhibits   demonstrate   the   promotion   of   human   and   civil   rights   as well   as   tolerance   by   fostering   an   understanding   of   the   contributions   made   by   African-American   people   to the   development   of   the   Greenbrier   Valley   while   enslaved   and   when   free.   On   behalf   of   the   staff   and   Board of   Directors   of   the   Greenbrier   Historical   Society,   I   thank   the   Herbert   Henderson   Office   of   Minority   Affairs and the Martin Luther King Jr. State Holiday Commission for this award and recognition.“ PHOTO CAPTION:  A portion of the exhibit “Echoes of Slavery in Greenbrier County.”  (click photo for larger view)