Arthurdale Heritage, Inc.

Arthurdale Heritage, Inc. Arthurdale Heritage, Inc.
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Arthurdale Heritage is dedicated to building a resilient community inspired by the history, legacy, and folk arts of Arthurdale--the nation's first New Deal Community--and its people. is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with a mission to build a resilient community inspired by the history, legacy, and folk arts of Arthurdale--the nation's first New Deal Community--and its people.

Learn how to make Kombucha at home in this hands-on workshop with Cody Woodring from ! Go through the step-by-step proce...
06/18/2026

Learn how to make Kombucha at home in this hands-on workshop with Cody Woodring from ! Go through the step-by-step process while learning something of the science behind how Kombucha is made. We will discuss wild ingredients and seasonal flavorings for your Kombucha as well. Students will be able to take home their kombucha.

When: Monday, June 22, 6pm-8pm
Where: Center Hall, 18 Q Rd. Arthurdale, WV 26520
Registration required: https://www.arthurdaleheritage.org/event/kombucha-workshop-2/

For this week's homesteader highlight, we're focused on the Johns Family!In 1935, Vernon George and Thelma (Barnes) John...
06/17/2026

For this week's homesteader highlight, we're focused on the Johns Family!

In 1935, Vernon George and Thelma (Barnes) Johns along with their six children moved into Q-10. Their five boys were Raymond (14), Vernon Jr. (13), William (8), Robert (7), and Arthur (1) plus their only daughter Norma who was 11. (Some of his records reverse his first names.)

Vernon Sr. had served in WWI and mainly worked as a coal miner. While working on the Arthurdale project, he was a truck driver and plumber helper for 55 cents per hour. In the 1950 census, Vernon was working here for the government as a school bus driver, Thelma was working in the shirt factory, and Raymond was working in the furniture factory. By 1942, Vernon Sr, is working in a mine in Cassville.

Raymond graduated with the first class at Arthurdale High School – which had only three members. During WWII, Raymond was a Marine who served in the South Pacific while Vernan Jr, was stationed in Alaska with an artillery battery. William spent a year in the Navy just after the war ended.

Raymond married and moved to Steubenville OH. In the 1950 census, he was working for the Pennsylvania RR as a brakeman. Robert married homestead daughter Kathleen Radabaugh and Arthur married homestead daughter Norma McLaughlin.

By the mid-1950s most of the family is living in Detroit. The 1956 Lincoln Park city directory shows that Raymond and Vernon Jr. are both married and running the Jones Brothers Gulf Service Station. Their father works with them. Charles is an agent with Prudential Insurance, William is working for Wiseman Construction, and Robert is a welder for Lincon Mercury.

Robert moves his family to California and eventually owns six Union Oil Service Stations. Arthur and his family move to Oxnard CA where he had a career in banking. Our archives are incomplete, if you know more about the family, please share it with us.

Please join us in the dedication of the Fairfax Slave Cemetery on Friday, June 19 at 11:00am. The memorial service and p...
06/15/2026

Please join us in the dedication of the Fairfax Slave Cemetery on Friday, June 19 at 11:00am. The memorial service and program will be held in Center Hall (18 Q Rd. Arthurdale, WV) with a short graveside service following at the cemetery. Local poets and musicians will perform, and Dr. Tamara Bailey, Associate Professor of History at West Virginia Wesleyan College, will offer the main address focused on the history of the cemetery as well as remembrance and oral tradition more broadly. Light refreshments will be served, and a shuttle service will be provided between Center Hall and the cemetery.

This event is free, but please RSVP! Learn more about the history of this cemetery here: https://www.arthurdaleheritage.org/event/fairfax-slave-cemetery-dedication/

For this week's Homesteader Highlight, we're focused on the Pysell Family.Perry Ray and Goldie Naomi (Lambert) Pysell mo...
06/10/2026

For this week's Homesteader Highlight, we're focused on the Pysell Family.

Perry Ray and Goldie Naomi (Lambert) Pysell moved into Q-6 with their daughter Martha Lucille who was about five. He was one of the eleven men from Preston County who were originally chosen to be homesteaders. They had been living in Reedsville where he was a miner. While Arthurdale was under construction, he worked as a plumber helper and later went back into the mines.

Lucille remembered that she and her friend Betty Wiles briefly met Eleanor Roosevelt. It was at a garden club meeting, and they were placed in the front row of a group picture. They were only five or six years old and, unfortunately, she misplaced her copy of the photograph.

After graduating from Arthurdale High School in 1947, Lucille attended Morgantown Business School. In the 1950 census, Lucille was living with her parents in Q-6, working as a secretary for West Penn Power in Morgantown.

A close girlfriend introduced her to Paul E. Edwards, whose family had moved to Morgantown from Huntington. He had served in the Army Air Force during WWII then earned a BS in Business Administration at WVU. They married February 8, 1952. In that year’s Morgantown City Directory, Paul and Lucille were living in Arthurdale with her parents and Paul was the assistant manager for a finance company.

They moved to Pittsburgh where Paul worked for General Motors Acceptance Corporation for many years. They raised their three sons there. His marriage to Lucille lasted 55 years until his death at the age of 80 in 2007. Lucille died at the age of ninety-three in 2023.

We've got a double feature this Saturday at Arthurdale Heritage! Roosevelt Run 5k Event Schedule8:00–9:00 a.m. – Registr...
06/08/2026

We've got a double feature this Saturday at Arthurdale Heritage!

Roosevelt Run 5k Event Schedule
8:00–9:00 a.m. – Registration & packet pick-up
9:00 a.m. – 5K Race begins
9:05 a.m. – Kids Race begins
10:30 a.m. – Awards ceremony
11:00 a.m. – Event concludes

Click here to find out how to register: https://www.arthurdaleheritage.org/roosevelt-run-5k/

Later that evening, 7pm-9pm, we'll have our WV Day Square Dance in our Outdoor Event Space, featuring live music from Half Past Four and calling by Taylor Runner and special guest Lou Maiuri! This event is FREE and beginner friendly. Learn more at https://www.arthurdaleheritage.org/event/west-virginia-day-square-dance-2/

Just arrived in the Craft Shop! 🌞These adorable hand-crocheted plushies are as cuddly as they are charming -- and they m...
06/05/2026

Just arrived in the Craft Shop! 🌞

These adorable hand-crocheted plushies are as cuddly as they are charming -- and they make the perfect gift for all ages! Handmade by talented local makers Echo Peak Handmade of Bruceton Mills, WV, and Tracy Helmick of Fairmont, WV, each piece is crafted with care and creativity.

From bunnies, puppies, and ducks to frogs, raccoons, possums, and more, there's a new furry (or feathery!) friend waiting for everyone. Stop by the Craft Shop and find your favorite before they're gone!

Visit the Craft Shop
⏰ Tues. - Sat. 10am - 4pm
📍 18 Q Rd., Arthurdale, WV 26520
🌐 www.arthurdaleshop.com

Thank you to our wonderful group of volunteers from the Preston County Master Gardeners who keep our flowerbeds and Vete...
06/04/2026

Thank you to our wonderful group of volunteers from the Preston County Master Gardeners who keep our flowerbeds and Veterans Memorial looking so beautiful! We are beyond thankful for their expertise and generous volunteer efforts! If you get a chance to stop by, summer is the perfect time to visit Arthurdale!

For this week's Homesteader Highlight, we're talking about the Estep family!On Friday, June 6 in 1936, Charles Elmo and ...
06/03/2026

For this week's Homesteader Highlight, we're talking about the Estep family!

On Friday, June 6 in 1936, Charles Elmo and Ellen (Wotring) Estep moved into F-2 along with their three-year-old son Robert Alan. The truck that they borrowed carried all of their furniture and belongings and still had room for their cow. Their next-door neighbors were Clinton and Irene Wolfe. Irene was Elmo’s sister and Clinton was Ellen’s first cousin. The next day the neighborhood women helped them move in and brought food to make dinner. The men helped Elmo plant the corn.

They had been working for the Works Progress Administration where they could only earn about $30 a month. In Arthurdale, they could earn $70 a month with the prospect of owning their own home. Elmo went to work building houses until the fall when he became a school janitor. He later worked in the tractor factory, then took a welding course and started working in McKeesport for US Steel. He would stay there during the week and come home on the weekends. Ellen worked for Silman Manufacturing during the war years. She always enjoyed quilting, sewing, and crocheting.

They moved into B-1 when it became available. The new house had been an infirmary while the National Youth Administration was in Arthurdale doing job training for young men and women.

Robert married Lelah Smith from Cascade and spent six years in the Army. They had two daughters but he died suddenly from a heart attack in 1980 and his father Elmo died six weeks later. Ellen continued living in Arthurdale and became a foster mother to a girl named Wanda, whom she later adopted. Ellen died in 2002 at 93. Elmo, Ellen, and Robert are all buried in the Arthurdale Cemetery.

Address

18 Q Road, Rte. 92
Arthurdale, WV
26520

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 4pm
Wednesday 10am - 4pm
Thursday 10am - 4pm
Friday 10am - 4pm
Saturday 10am - 4pm

Telephone

+13048643959

Website

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