Traveling West Virginia: The Mountaineer Military Museum

I saw a sign one day, pointing the way to the military museum in Weston, WV. That day I was traveling with my sisters, exploring the Museum of American Glass in Weston, but I made a mental note to seek out the museum sometime when Larry was with me. Last month I was telling stories at the library in Weston and we decided this was the day to find the museum.

Originally built as the Weston Colored School, a school for black children built in 1882 during segregation and in use until 1954 in ,the Lewis County School Board donated use of the building for the Mountaineer Military Museum.

The building looks deceptively small from the outside but it houses a fascinating and sobering collection.

The museum is a work of remembrance for founder Ron McVaney and his wife Barbara. McVaney and several of his friends went into the military together during the Vietnam war. McVaney was sent to Germany, while his friends were sent to Vietnam. McVaney was the only one to come home alive, and he made a vow then that his friends would never be forgotten. The museum, begun after his retirement, is his way of keeping that promise.

The museum was not actually open the day we visited but Mrs. McVaney was there doing some work and graciously allowed us to enter. Inside the door, a visitor is immediately met but a corridor lined with portraits.

Mrs. McVaney explained that this is their Hall of Fame, and that any family in West Virginia can send in pictures of military family members to be displayed in the museum. The number of portraits quickly filled the hall and the display has spread to other places in the building as more arrive almost daily.

We were amazed at how professionally and creatively the museum was arranged. Many of the items were the Mcvaneys personal collection, but as word got out donations poured in from West Virginians around the state, and even from out of state.

She must have been a very special teacher; many soldiers wrote to Miss Darnall
during their time of service in WWII

The school board built on a new room as the collection grew, and the new space allowed the McVaneys to bring in an old Army Jeep,

and to build a little hut (they call it the "hooch") where veterans and others can spend quiet time in meditation.

A beaded curtain covers the entrance to the hooch. The beads were recommended by vets
who remembered the hooches in Vietnam--a place to relax and maybe party.

A video runs in the room, a moving tribute to veterans of all wars.

The displays are organized by time periods and wars/conflicts, from the Civil War to the present. The Civil War display is no larger than any of the others; in fact it might be smaller but that seemed all right to me, since that war is well covered by other museums, while later conflicts like Korea get little attention.

I was pleased to see that women vets were not overlooked. Almost every war display included something about the females who were part of the armed forces.

Uniformed mannequins stood with each display.

I was surprised to see that even Desert Storm and the Iraq War were included, and are continuing to be developed.

The museum continues to grow as donations continue to be made for the various displays. I know we're already looking around our house and thinking about what we have that might be better used by the museum.

I highly recommend the Mountaineer Military Museum as a place to visit: it reminds us of the toll of war, the sacrifice made by many, and of the responsibility we all have to remember those who defend our country. It's a humbling experience, and I left thankful that there are people like the McVaneys who give so much that we might all benefit.

The museum has limited hours as it is staff by volunteers. Call ahead if you would like to visit when the museum is closed and a tour might be possible. Located at 345 Center Avenue, Weston WV 26452, the museums hours are Friday and Saturday from 10am-4pm in the summer, and in winter on Saturdays only from 10am-4pm.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

Traveling West Virginia: The Mortuary Museum, Continued

I suppose technically I should not title these two posts as "Traveling West Virginia" since the Peoples Mortuary Museum is in Marietta, Ohio, but since it's just across the river, and since Bill Peoples, owner of the museum, is a cousin of Don Knotts (the famous Barney Fife of Andy Griffith fame), I'll let it stand.

The museum had more than just hearses. Mr. Peoples has been collecting for years and his museum reflected his good eye:

First is this pretty wood bed, actually called a funeral board. It can be folded up neatly into a suitcase shape, and that was how it was stored because it was re-used as needed. The pretty netting was a necessity in warm weather when doors and windows might be open or there were many people coming in and out, letting in insects.

This looks like a wicker coffin, doesn't it? It's actually a basket used for the wake or visitation period of someone whose remains were not fit for viewing. The basket would be closed and placed on the funeral board. At the time of the funeral the body would be removed from the basket to the actual casket. These baskets were also stored and re-used. And this, I learned, is the origin of a term we sometimes use when someone is in really bad shape: we might refer to them as a "basket case."

The harness in the above photo was donated by a man from Waverly, WV, who found it hanging in his barn, where it had been for many years. It was originally harness used for a horse drawn hearse. Mr. Peoples sent the old, dirty leather to the Amish to be restored. They cleaned it very well, but the leather is too dried out to actually be used again.

 Mr. Peoples also has an early embalming table on display. He is holding an early electric pump for embalming fluid. On the shelf above is a brass cylinder that was an experimental model using air pressure.

At the opposite end of the embalming table is a large, early hair dryer. Really. And here we thought those were an invention of the 60's! 

Babies sometimes had to be placed in baskets as well. The ribbons on the basket would be pink or blue, depending on the child's gender. These were also stored away, and it is sad to think how often they might have been used in the days when disease took so many children.

 It was customary until the 1920's or later for the deceased to be laid out in private homes rather than in funeral parlors. In the photos below you can see an elaborate setup that would be brought into the home by the funeral director, and set up in the parlor. Even the heavy drapes were brought in and placed across picture windows to block out the light and heat. Large fans were brought in during hot weather. At the time of the funeral the body would be placed in its casket, and the trappings would all be stored away for the next use. Mr. Peoples noted that young people did not like going into the parlor because everyone connected that room of the house with death, and so when the use of funeral homes became the norm the term used for the room became the "living" room, and funeral parlor became another term for the funeral home.

In the photo above left you can see a wood box. That was a casket made to hold the body of someone who had died from something that was thought to be infectious. A glass-paned door allowed people to look in at the deceased, and could be opened if needed. Another small door in the center of the lid could also be opened so flowers and other items could be placed in the coffin. Obviously, the size of this one indicates it was for a child.

I asked Mr. Peoples about the story I had heard about houses, particularly in the south, that had two front doors. I was told that one of those doors was for the living, and one for bringing the dead out of the home in the coffin. That door would open directly into the parlor, making transport of the large box easier. Mr People's said that he had not heard of the two doors before, but he did know that some large Victorian houses were built with one larger window on the side of the parlor to be used for taking the coffin out of the house.

Death is not a happy topic, but this museum was fascinating for its look at changing customs. Touring the museum gave me a new perspective on the funeral industry and I learned some interesting history and lore, and I was not one bit depressed when we left. As with anything, the more we know, the better equipped we are to understand.

And I'll think hard before I refer to anyone as a basket case again!

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.

In the Mountains of West Virginia, Part 2: The Museum

I took a couple hours to tour the local historical society museum in Marlinton, Pocahontas County, WV. 

Outside the museum is a this odd structure called a "river ark". These structures followed the huge flotillas of logs that passed down the rivers to the mills; the men slept and ate in the ark in between working long hours to keep the logs moving smoothly downstream past obstacles like rocks and rapids, deadfalls, etc. It was dangerous, hard work and I can imagine how tired and hungry they would be after a day--or-night--of it.

This unassuming sign tells a sad story--beyond it in quiet green graves lie an unknown number of Confederate soldiers who dies of measles in the first year of the war.

 I was surprised to see the strange shadowy light on the side of this photo. I suppose it is a trick of the sunlight.

One of the surprises inside the museum was this fascinating music box. It's huge! It is played by cranking the handle to the left; the drawers below contain more metal rollers with different songs on each one--not paper like player pianos, but metal like music boxes. It still plays beautifully.The box belonged to the family that once owned the home that currently houses the museum.

An American-made record player, this one has a device that lifts the needle arm so the record is not scratched. It also plays very well.

I asked if there were any ghost stories connected with the house and was told there were not, but this room had a strange feel to it, almost as if someone or something had been interrupted when I came in.

I don't think it was the mannequin that caused the feeling, although she must give passers-by on the road a jolt if they happened to see her in the window.

A family graveyard on the property holds graves that pre-date the Civil War; some birthdates are as early as the early 1700's.

An iron coal chute door tells of how the house was once heated. The coal furnace is no longer in use, although my tour guide remembers when it was still the heat source, and she had to go to the creepy basement to load it with coal.

I did not get the story behind the log cabin on the grounds, as the guide had to attend to new visitors.

I found the notching intriguing; it is a different style than the cabins on this side of the mountains. The glass in the window has some really wavy panes.

Old tools rest quietly by the cabin wall, a testament to the ways of the past.

Copyright Susanna Holstein. All rights reserved. No Republication or Redistribution Allowed without attribution to Susanna Holstein.