The Pocahontas County Bicentennial will feature premier events and special projects. These events and projects focus on the history and tradition of the county while promoting a sense of pride in our community.

In addition to our featured premier events and special projects, local festivals and reunions will have the opportunity become part of the bicentennial celebration.

Please visit our CONTACT page if you’d like to have your event included here.

Events

– Full Calendar –

Premier Events & Special Projects

DRAMAS

“The Ballad of Cass” by Missy McCollum, an adaptation of “Cass: The Play” by former Cass resident and playwright, Nicolette Maleckar, will be staged as an outdoor Promenade immersive theatrical experience. At different sites in historic Cass, small groups of viewers will stop to observe and participate in short vignettes, depicting residents and events of Cass at the turn of the 20th Century.

The play will focus on the social upheaval of the railroad and lumber industry entering the rural areas of Appalachia, as well as the resilience and spirit of the residents.

Tickets will be available for July 16th, 17th, 23rd and 24th; 2 PM matinees and evening shows at 6PM at the Cass Community Center.

Sponsored by Blackhurst Burner Reunion and Pocahontas County Dramas, Fairs and Festivals.

TIME CAPSULES

Van Reenan’s Funeral Home, Lantz Funeral Home, Kimble Funeral Home, Wallace and Wallace Funeral Home have graciously donated time capsules and distribution to various localities will occur during the bicentennial celebration.

Each capsule will be filled with representative items relevant to the location.  Ideally, the time capsules will be opened up in 50 years, for the 250 year ‘Sestercentennial’ celebration, which is the semiquencentennial.

Time Capsules have been placed:
– June 2021 Pocahontas County High School in honor of its 50 year anniversary opening in Dunmore WV.

To be placed in:
– Huntersville, WV
– Pocahontas County Court House
– others TBA

BICENTENIAL QUILTS

Two bicentennial quilts containing reproduction fabrics and pieced together by local quilters will be part of a traveling exhibit around Pocahontas County during the celebration.

OFICIAL KICK-OFF OF THE BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATION

A mock bill signing of the act that created Pocahontas County will take place in Huntersville Saturday December 18, 2021 in recognition of the 200 year anniversary December 21, 1821.

The public is invited to commemorate this historic event when Pocahontas County was created from three Virginia counties.  Huntersville Historical Traditions will host a ceremony, readings and proclamations. Refreshments will be served.   The ceremony will take place at the Old Presbyterian Church.

Sponsored by First Energy, Citizens Bank of West Virginia, Pocahontas County Commission, Bicentennial Commission.

The Bicentennial Commission is seeking descendants of the original document signers to participate in this historical event re-creation.

8 RIVERS BICENTENNIAL TROUT COMMUNITY ART PROJECT

This special project features 8 large trout sculptures decorated/embellished/painted by artists. The bicentennial trout icons will be permanently installed in 2021 prior to the kickoff celebration.

Placement of the trout icons will be in Cass, Durbin, Green Bank, Snowshoe, Huntersville, Hillsboro, Marlinton and at the Court House.

TIMBER/TIMBRE: FALLING TREES AND RISING VOICES – MUSIC AND LOGGING IN WEST VIRGINIA, 1880-1930

A series of programs offered in conjunction with a traveling exhibit, Timber/Timbre: Falling Trees and Rising Voices –– Music and Logging in West Virginia, 1880-1930. The exhibit tells the history of the timber industry in the Allegheny Highlands region of West Virginia, as expressed through song.

Presented in partnership with the Pocahontas County Bicentennial Committee, the Pocahontas County Convention and Visitors Bureau, Cass Scenic Railroad State Park, and the Mountain State Railroad and Logging Historical Association, the West Virginia University History Department and the Royce J. and Caroline B. Watts Museum.

Originally on display at the Watts Museum through May 27, 2021, the exhibit curated by Danielle Petrak and Kristen Bailey will next travel to Cass Scenic Railroad State Park. The exhibit will open to the public at Cass on June 5, 2021 and remain open through early October 2021. The exhibit will move to the McClintic branch of the Pocahontas County Library in Marlinton on October 16, 2021.

The museum exhibit will be accompanied by a series of cultural programs through the summer and fall of 2021, with appropriate COVID-19 restrictions and precautions. Please join us for the following events, all of which are free and open to the public:

  • June 5, 2021 – Setting Up Camp. Opening of the museum exhibit at 1pm in the Cass Museum. This event will also feature a roundtable discussion at 3pm at Cass featuring Pocahontas County and WVU historians Dr. Hal Gorby, Dr. Chris Haddox, and Bill McNeel, discussing the history of the timber industry in West Virginia and the impact of songwriting on history.
  • July 17, 2021 – Timber! Exhibition of tools and machines of the logging industry from 10am to 2pm at the Cass Store. This event will also feature music of the timber camps as presented by History Alive! actor Rich Pawling.
  • August 28, 2021 – Cooking on the Mountain. A cooking competition open to the public from 10am to 2pm at the Cass Store. Contestants will be required to use only ingredients found in a typical logging camp from 1880-1930. First prize is an overnight stay in a company house at Cass. Cooking contestants must pre-register by August 1, 2021. To register or for more information, contact Kristen Bailey at klwilkes@mix.wvu.edu.
  • September 11, 2021 – Music on the Mountain. From 10am to 4pm at Cass Scenic Railroad Park. This event will feature both informal “picking on the porch” music from 10am to noon, with visitors encouraged to join, as well as a free lecture and demonstration of traditional timber music at the Cass Store from 2pm to 4pm, hosted by the Augusta Heritage Center.
  • October 16, 2021 – Opening of the Exhibit at the McClintic Library in Marlinton. From 10am to noon, enjoy a Harvest Music lecture. A music demonstration featuring musicians from the Augusta Heritage Center begins at 7pm at the Marlinton Opera House.
  • November 2021 – Making History. An event at the McClintic Library about preserving local history, featuring collaborative talks with both Pocahontas County and WVU librarians. (Dates and times to be announced)

The exhibit and all programming will be open and free to the public.

The exhibit and cultural programming are presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities. Additional funding has been provided by the WVU Humanities Center.

February 2022 – Black History Month
The first trial in the newly formed Pocahontas County took place in January 1826 in the county seat of Huntersville. The court record states “Trial and examination of Peggy, a slave owned by William Poage, Jr is charged with murder of her infant child.”

  • Week 1: Introduction of the Judge and Jury and the charges.
  • Week 2: The accusers and the Prosecution.
  • Week 3: The Defense
  • Week 4: The Verdict

With the use of local voice talent, this historical event will be played out based on historical documentation. Revised script by Ruth Taylor

POCAHONTAS COUNTY HISTORY IN OUR SCHOOLS

A series of guest speakers will circuit through PCHS during the year long celebration. Pocahontas County history will be presented to the elementary and middle schools during the bicentennial.

POCAHONTAS COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM

The Pocahontas County Historical Society Museum was dedicated and opened on June 5, 1963, during West Virginia’s Centennial Year. Present were the noted author, Pearl S. Buck, and the Governor of West Virginia, W. W. Barron. The property was acquired by the Historical Society from Mrs. Anna V. Hunter in 1962 and restored for use as a museum.

Within the Museum can be seen mementoes and artifacts of the various eras of Pocahontas County history – from the Indians to the present. Displays include tools, spinning wheels and looms, as well as logging and railroad items. Young visitors will be delighted by doll collections and music boxes.

Stroll the Grounds and explore The Kee Cabin. This two-story hand hewn log cabin was built in the 1830’s on Kee Flats south of Marlinton. The Kee Family lived there until the 1840’s. It was in this small cabin that they raised eight children.

Visit the Pocahontas County Historical Museum website for seasonal operations schedule and admission fees.
pocahontashistorical.org

PEARL S. BUCK HISTORY ALIVE PERFORMANCES

Born in Hillsboro, West Virginia to missionary parents, Pearl Buck grew up in China, but she never forgot her West Virginia roots. She received the Pulitzer Prize for her 1931 novel, The Good Earth – the first American woman ever to be awarded the honor. She was also a humanitarian and social activist who was deeply concerned about the welfare of children worldwide.

2022 Performances at Pearl S. Buck Birthplace, Hillsboro WV:

  • Saturday June 25th @ 2 p.m.
  • Saturday September 10th @ 2 p.m.

These events are sponsored by: The Levels Depot, Hillsboro and WV Humanities Council
Portrayed by Missy McCollam of Beverly, WV.
School performances and other West Virginia venues may also be scheduled by emailing missy@theoldbrick.org