Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login

Standing Up for Steel – Senator Byrd’s Steel Loan Program

10/27/2015

 
By Jody Brumage

In West Virginia, Senator Byrd is widely remembered for his support of coal, the industry and the miners as a driving force in the state’s economy. However, Senator Byrd also supported the steel industry, both within and outside West Virginia. In the late 1990s, the Senator pushed for the passage of the Steel Loan Guarantee Program which provided much needed economic assistance to the struggling industry.
​
The steel industry in West Virginia is centered in its northern panhandle, especially in the city of Weirton. Beginning in the early twentieth century, steel production in Weirton provided massive economic benefit to the region and employed thousands of workers. By the 1990s, Weirton Steel along with the entire U.S. steel industry was in decline and hundreds of workers were being laid off. One of the reasons cited for this decline was the flood of foreign imported steel at cheap prices, forcing the downsizing of domestic steel production.

Read More

Allegheny Parkway – Part II

10/20/2015

 
By Jody Brumage

Click here to view the first blog in this two-part series:

The 89th Congress commenced in 1965 with a clear message of purpose. President Lyndon Johnson had announced his intentions to develop a large program of laws designed to fight a war on poverty and racial injustice in the United States, and many members of the Senate and House of Representatives shared this initiative as they returned to the halls of the Capitol. For Senator Robert C. Byrd, the time was right to again reintroduce legislation to build the Allegheny Parkway, a project he had been working on for four years. 
​
Before Senator Byrd could focus on his legislation to establish the parkway, another major piece of legislation was brought to the floor by his colleague from West Virginia, Senator Jennings Randolph.
Picture
During the study of the parkway, several disputes over the proposed route arose, especially in the Canaan Valley and Potomac Highlands regions where the parkway was intended to provide access to some of West Virginia’s most notable natural landmarks, including Seneca Rocks and Spruce Knob.

Read More

The Allegheny Parkway – Part I

10/6/2015

 
By Jody Brumage
For decades, Senator Robert C. Byrd succeeded in passing legislation which designed and constructed West Virginia’s 424 miles of the Appalachian Corridor Highways. The documents and photographs in the Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers Collection illuminate the difficult task of achieving congressional approval for these massive infrastructure projects and reveal his first unsuccessful attempt to win approval for a proposed scenic highway in eastern and southern West Virginia. The lessons of this decade-long battle undoubtedly helped to prepare Senator Byrd for his later successes in winning the support of the federal government for major infrastructure improvements in West Virginia.
​
Picture
The original planned route of the Allegheny Parkway, linking western Maryland to southwestern Kentucky.

Read More
    Welcome to the Byrd Center Blog! We share content here including research from our archival collections, articles from our director, and information on upcoming events. 

    Categories

    All
    Director's Posts
    Intern Blogs
    Posts From The Archives

    Archives

    January 2023
    November 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    November 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    April 2019
    March 2019
    December 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    November 2012
    October 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    December 2011

    RSS Feed

Picture
213 North King Street
PO Box 5000
Shepherd University
Shepherdstown, WV 25443
(304) 876 - 5702

Our Mission:

The Byrd Center advances representative democracy by promoting a better understanding of the United States Congress and the Constitution through programs and research that engage citizens.
© 2021 Robert C. Byrd Center for
​Congressional History and Education
  • Home
  • About
    • Latest News
    • Statement on Systemic Racism
    • Leadership
    • Our Partners
    • Parking and Directions
  • Education
    • People Powered 2023 Program
    • Educational Resources
    • Teacher Institute
    • Internship Program
  • Research
    • Congressional Collections >
      • Robert C. Byrd Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Sr. Congressional Papers
      • Harley O. Staggers, Jr. Congressional Papers
      • Scot Falkner CAO Papers
    • Blog
    • Digital Collections
    • Oral History Project
    • Plan a Visit to the Archives
    • Collecting Policy
  • Events
    • Forum on Pollution
    • Formidable - author event
    • Summer Fundraiser 2023
    • Voices of the Community
    • Constitution Day
    • Past Events
  • Support Us
    • Friends of the Byrd Center
    • Name a Seat
    • Annual Report
  • Reservations
  • Login