Published January 2004 — Download PDF of the original newspaper column
Byrd's-Eye View By U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd Celebrating West Virginia's Past
Beginning at an early age, West Virginians are taught the history of our state. Our state's heritage and traditions are important lessons to learn, for they highlight the struggle and the sacrifice that were so key to the establishment of West Virginia as the 35th state in the Union. Several organizations sponsor initiatives to more fully immerse West Virginia's young people in that heritage. The West Virginia Division of Culture and History serves as the umbrella organization for many of those initiatives. For instance, that group, since 1979, has operated Camp Washington- Carver in Fayette County, named for Booker T. Washington and George Washington Carver. Dedicated in 1942, the camp originally served from 200 to l,600 black youths in vocational agriculture, soil conservation, and home economics. Today, it serves as a resource for all West Virginians, preserving our mountain heritage, folklore, and arts with a dinner theater series, concerts, and festivals. Each year, more than l 0,000 people wind through the roads of Fayette County to visit the camp and participate in one of its many cultural programs. In addition to its unique cultural role, Camp Washington-Carver also is a site of historic note. The camp is one of West Virginia's best-preserved and most ambitious examples of Roosevelt-inspired Works Progress Administration projects. Recognizing the importance of this history, I have made it a priority to protect national parks, landmarks, and other sites of significance so that they survive for many decades to come. Recently, in an effort to preserve Camp Washington-Carver's history, I added $150,000 to federal legislation to help the West Virginia Division of Culture and History make critical upgrades at the camp. These improvements will help to ensure that thousands more visitors can enjoy the camp's many programs while learning about an important part of West Virginia. Even as West Virginia communities move forward with efforts to modernize and revitalize their economies, preserving the heritage of the Mountain State remains a top priority. The activities underway at Camp Washington-Carver, which combine historic appreciation and cultural heritage with economic development, serve as a model for others to follow. January 28, 2004