Byrd Exhibit Opens at United Hospital Center

​Since its debut one year ago this month at Shepherd University, the traveling exhibit Robert C. Byrd: Senator, Statesman, West Virginian has been on display at fifteen different locations across West Virginia and Washington DC. Around the state, we've visited thirteen towns and cities in eleven different counties. The most recent stop on this tour is West Virginia University Medicine’s United Hospital Center, located in the north-central region of the state at Bridgeport in Harrison County. 

WVU Medicine United Hospital Center in Bridgeport, WV

​United Hospital Center (UHC), completed in 2010, is a state-of-the-art healthcare facility, replacing a previous hospital built in the 1970s after the merger of St. Mary’s and Union Protestant Hospitals in the Clarksburg-Bridgeport area. The bright atrium located on the main level, framed by gardens that extend around the perimeter of the hospital center, provides an impressive setting for public gatherings and exhibit displays. The hospital has previously hosted traveling exhibits including West Virginia Humanities Council’s Born of Rebellion exhibit on West Virginia statehood.

Visitors gather around the Byrd Exhibit on display in the atrium of the United Hospital Center.

Visitors to the Bridgeport/Clarksburg area can see numerous projects which Senator Byrd supported, including the Louis A. Johnson Veteran’s Affairs Medical Center, the Clarksburg Federal Building, Robert C. Byrd High School, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Criminal Justice Information Services Center. Outside of the city, Senator Byrd also supported projects throughout Harrison County’s towns including infrastructure and educational programs. 

The Byrd Exhibit opened with a public reception at the hospital on Tuesday, April 11, 2017. In addition to the UHC staff, the Auxiliary to the UHC and the Harrison County Historical Society supported bringing the Byrd exhibit to Bridgeport. At a reception for the exhibit sponsored by the Harrison County Chamber of Commerce, Denise Steffich, Coordinator of the Auxiliary to the UHC and Crystal Wimer, Executive Director of the Harrison County Historical Society delivered remarks in addition to Byrd Center Director, Dr. Ray Smock. We also thank Matt Chisler, UHC Director of Public Relations for coordinating our visit to the hospital center.
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The Byrd Exhibit will be on display at the UHC until Monday, May 15, 2017.