By Jody Brumage

Senator Robert C. Byrd participated in countless dedications, groundbreakings, ribbon cuttings, and other similar ceremonies during his half-century of service in the United States Senate. Many of these events are recounted in photographs, documents, and objects that are now preserved in the collections at the Byrd Center. One such series of photographs illustrate the dedication of the visitors center at Seneca Rocks, one of West Virginia's most widely-known natural landmarks. The rocks were included in the first National Recreation Area created in the United States, signed into law by President Lyndon Johnson in 1965. Over a decade later, Senator Byrd journeyed to Pendleton County to dedicate the new visitors center in 1978. The experience was one of the most unforgettable dedications the senator attended in his career. 

By Jody Brumage

Throughout Senator Byrd's fifty-one years in the United States Senate, one constant issue to which he devoted great attention was the difficult life faced by the state's coal miners. For decades, West Virginians employed in the mines faced significant challenges including poor safety standards, insufficient pay, and lack of disability benefits, including any aid for victims of black lung. These issues further compounded an already dangerous job, brought to light in many disasters that took place throughout the Appalachian Coalfields, including the Farmington, WV mine explosion of 1968 which killed 78 miners. In the wake of the disaster, Senator Byrd seized the opportunity to improve conditions for miners and obtain increased federal aid and oversight over the coal industry.