News…

Archives and History staff historian, Greg Carroll, will present “Slaves and Free People of Color in Western Virginia from 1800 – 1860” at the Thursday evening meeting of the Genealogy Club in the Archives and History Library. The discussion will take place from 6 – 7:30 p.m., Aug. 11. The session is free and the public is invited to attend.

Carroll will discuss the political and legal lives of slaves and free people of color in the region. Slavery was not the prolific institution in western Virginia that it was in the eastern part of the state. In a few areas, including the Eastern Panhandle and the Kanawha Valley, slaves were more numerous. Carroll will close his talk with a question and answer session.

Advance registration for the program is not required, but is encouraged. To register in advance, contact Robert Taylor, library manager, at (304) 558-0230, ext. 163, or by e-mail at Bobby.L.Taylor@wv.gov. Participants interested in registering by e-mail should send their name, telephone number and the name and date of the session. For additional information about the discussion or the club, contact the Archives and History Library at (304) 558-0230.

The Archives and History Library is open from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. on Monday through Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, and 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday. The library is closed on Sunday.

The West Virginia Division of Culture and History is an agency within the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts with Kay Goodwin, Cabinet Secretary. The Division, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, brings together the past, present and future through programs and services focusing on archives and history, arts, historic preservation and museums. For more information about the Division’s programs, events and sites, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

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