Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education

Maximizing the Impact of Federal Projects: The Belleville Dam and Lock

10/17/2017

By Jody Brumage

In the middle of his first term in the United States Senate in 1963, Senator Robert C. Byrd secured federal appropriations to support flood control and river navigation projects. Many of these projects were authorized through the Flood Control Act of 1962 which authorized the use of federal funding, administered through the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, to construct dams, levies, and other flood protection infrastructure. In West Virginia, several projects authorized under this legislation were located along the Ohio River which forms the western border of the state and has historically acted as a major industrial transportation route for coal and other goods and resources. In 1965, Senator Byrd successfully increased funding for flood control projects in West Virginia to $45 million and initiated a series of programs to take advantage of the many facets of these large infrastructure projects.

Senator Byrd and a representative from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers inspect a map of the Ohio River.

Celebrating Constitution Day and Remembering Vietnam

9/19/2017

After kicking off our 2017-2018 film series with a free screening of the acclaimed documentary film Tickling Giants on September 6, the Byrd Center’s fall events calendar moved into high gear last week with two timely thought-provoking events.

On Thursday, September 14, we celebrated Constitution Day with our signature annual event, the Tom E. Moses Memorial Lecture on the U.S. Constitution. This year’s guest, Ganesh Sitaraman, a Professor of Law at Vanderbilt University and former policy advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren, discussed his new book The Crisis of the Middle Class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic with a packed house. Sitaraman’s engaging talk highlighted how the current extreme levels of income disparity in the U.S. represent a distinct deviation from the relative economic equality that characterized the colonial and early republic eras in America. Audience members offered insightful questions in an extended Q&A session following the formal remarks and carried those conversations on through a reception and book signing that capped the evening’s events.

Ganesh Sitaraman delivers the 14th Annual Tom E. Moses Memorial Lecture on the Constitution.

Corridor L: Building and Expanding a Path for Tourism in West Virginia

9/5/2017

By Jody Brumage

Corridor L is one of West Virginia’s segments of the Appalachian Development Highway System, connecting two U.S. Interstates, I-77 and I-79. The road travels over one of the state’s most recognizable landmarks, the New River Gorge Bridge, and is an important link to major tourist and recreation sites. Like the other corridor highways in West Virginia, Corridor L was originally planned in 1965 with the passage of the Appalachian Regional Development Act. Construction on the highway, originally a two-lane road, was initiated in 1969 and completed a decade later, extending for 70.2 miles through Raleigh, Fayette, Nicholas, and Braxton Counties. The famous bridge, carrying the highway over the New River, was completed in 1977 and stood as the world’s longest single-arch steel span (a record which remained unbroken until 2003).

A map of the Appalachian Corridor Highways in West Virginia. Corridor L is marked in yellow near the center. (e-WV, West Virginia Humanities Council)

Congressman Staggers' Recognized for Horse Protection Law

8/15/2017

By Jody Brumage

As we process the collections in our archive at the Byrd Center, we often come across photographs that pique our interest. Some of the most compelling are photographs which capture meetings between the members whose papers we preserve and celebrities. Looking into related documents in the collection, we uncover stories behind legislative efforts or projects which led to these intriguing meetings. One such image is a photograph of Congressman Harley O. Staggers with actor Lorne Greene, famous for his role as Ben Cartwright in the long-running television western Bonanza. Taken in 1976, the photograph shows Greene presenting Congressman Staggers with an award on behalf of the American Horse Protection Association following the passage of amendments to the Horse Protection Act.

Congressman Staggers receiving an award from Lorne Greene in 1976.

The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977

8/9/2017

By Jody Brumage

Forty years ago, Congress passed the most comprehensive set of laws seeking to improve working conditions and benefits for miners in the United States. The Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 was built on the foundation of several important legislative achievements in the long effort to make mining a safer industry. This act brought several different regulations and oversight groups under one organizational structure and improved the safety net for miners who suffered the ramifications of this dangerous occupation, such as respiratory illnesses like Black Lung.

Creating the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge

8/1/2017

By Jody Brumage

This week, our traveling exhibit, Robert C. Byrd: Senator, Statesman, West Virginian is going to be featured in the West Virginia Press Association Convention at Canaan Valley. We thank the press association for this opportunity to share the exhibit with representatives of the press from across the state, many of whom have helped us to spread the word about various events on our exhibit tour over the past sixteen months. The upcoming trip inspired us to look into the archives and see what role Senator Byrd played in the creation of one aspect of this scenic region: the Canaan Valley National Wildlife Refuge.

A scene along the Little Blackwater River in Canaan Valley. (US Fish and Wildlife Service).

The Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act of 1970

7/25/2017

By Jody Brumage

Congress passed the Public Health Cigarette Smoking Act in 1970, banning the advertising of cigarettes and tobacco products on television and radio. The bill, signed into law by President Richard Nixon on April 1, 1970, was the product of over five years of efforts to curb the public health crisis posed by smoking as well as a continual power struggle between an executive agency, the Federal Communications Commission [FCC], and Congress over which branch had the authority to impose such a ban on cigarette advertising.

In 1964, U.S. Surgeon General Luther Terry published Smoking and Health, formally acknowledging research conducted over the past decade proving a correlation between smoking and lung cancer as well as other respiratory diseases. The report prompted the FCC to announce in the summer of 1964 that it would require tobacco companies to display a warning of the consequences of smoking on its products and eventually in its advertising. Following a massive lobbying effort from the tobacco industry, Congress took up the issue in an effort to impose its authority.

Cover of Surgeon General Terry's 1964 report on the health effects of smoking. (U.S. Public Health Service, Wikimedia Commons).

Clearing a Path to Protect the New River Gorge

7/19/2017

By Jody Brumage

The New River is one of West Virginia’s most widely-known natural landmarks, thanks to its status as a National River and its iconic bridge, the third longest single-span arch in the world. One of the oldest rivers in the world, the New River flows from North Carolina northwest into Virginia and West Virginia where is eventually becomes the Kanawha. When Congress passed legislation to bring the New River under federal protection in 1978, Senator Byrd wrote to President Carter, saying that a “national river designation would make West Virginia the home of a fine new national recreation area. Visitors from other states would be welcomed to share with us the excitement and pleasures of one of America’s oldest natural wonders – The New River Gorge.”

A view of the New River Gorge from a brochure advertising public meetings on the proposed national scenic river in 1975.

Remembering our History in Celebration of Independence Day

7/4/2017

Throughout his career, Senator Byrd urged his constituents and all Americans to learn about the history of the United States. Believing that an informed electorate was essential to the continuance of representative democracy, Senator Byrd encouraged programs such as "Teaching American History" and Constitution Day which provided funding and annual observances on which to reflect on the evolution of our country. Senator Byrd also wrote extensively on the history of the United States, both in his published books and in his weekly newspaper column.

Beginning in his first term in the United States Senate, Senator Byrd wrote a weekly column entitled Byrd's-Eye View. Printed in newspapers across West Virginia, the column became one of the most direct methods of communicating between Senator Byrd and his constituents. While many of the columns offer his perspective on significant legislative efforts or updates on projects around the state, Senator Byrd occasionally used the column to speak on a broader level. As our national celebrates the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, we are sharing some of those Byrd's-Eye View columns in which Senator Byrd reflected on the legacy this momentous occasion.

Senator Byrd delivers a speech at Independence Hall in Philadelphia in July 1987 during the Bicentennial of the United States Constitution. On the rostrum behind him are (left to right) Senate Minority Leader Robert Dole, Congresswoman Lindy Boggs, Speaker of the House Jim Wright, and House Majority Whip Tony Coelho.

Saving the Bowden Fish Hatchery

6/27/2017

By Jody Brumage

For over a century, West Virginia’s sport fishing industry has been supported by federal and state administered hatcheries. We detailed the history of some of these hatcheries in a blog from June 2015. In this week’s Post from the Archives, we are examining the effort to save one of the state’s largest hatcheries in the mid-1990s.

Bowden Fish Hatchery is located along the Shavers Fork River in Randolph County, just a few miles outside of the city of Elkins. Established in 1958 by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the hatchery was built in the early 1960s. Senator Byrd visited the site shortly after construction was completed. At the time, Bowden was the third federal hatchery built in the state after White Sulphur Springs in Greenbrier County and Leetown in Jefferson County.

Senator Byrd takes a break to fish while visiting constituents at one of West Virginia's many recreational lakes in the early 1960s.

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