Collections : [West Virginia and Regional History Center]

Collection includes original copies of correspondence relating to Virginia and West Virginia, as well as newspaper clippings, photographs, and research notes. Events pertaining to the Civil War and the formation of West Virginia are covered. Among the most important items are the private correspondence of Waitman T. Willey (1835-1861 and 1866-1868); data pertaining to education in Mason County, West Virginia (1861-1875); typescript copies of letters of Samuel Woods (see also A&M 1445); typescript copies of diary of Lieutenant Fabricius Augustus Cather (for originals, see A&M 3633); private correspondence (1939-1941); Mercer County records; Marion County records; McDowell County records; and Jackson, Mineral, Raleigh, Taylor, Pendleton, Pleasants, Greenbrier, and Wood County items. Also includes information relating to Harpers Ferry, Shepherdstown, and Parkersburg. Other matters of interest are contained in letters written by John Brown, Wills DeHass, and Alexander Boetler, and references to Stonewall Jackson, James Rumsey, genealogy of the Robertson family, and battles of the Civil War.

Highway maps for the 55 counties of West Virginia created in 1937. They are in two tones (blue on white), in varying dimensions (including items in the range of 36 in. x 36 in. to 36 in. x 58 in., etc.), and scaled to 1 inch equaling 1 mile. Features indicated on the maps include: roads (US, primary state roads, secondary state roads); state, county, district, and corporate lines; railroads; streams; parks and forests; highway bridges; county seats; cities and villages; lodges; farms; houses; businesses; oil and gas wells; commercial airfields; schools; churches; mines; power plants; factories; hotels; and other information.

West Virginia land records, including receipts for fees paid, surveys, certificates of survey, land patents, grants, correspondence and other material. Some of the records are copies rather than official documents. The records are sorted by the names of buyers and stored in envelopes. Recorded to the fronts of the envelopes is information relevant to their contents.

Transcriptions of six Revolutionary War pension applications from the Mason County Order Book 1828-1833. Also contains genealogies from Mason County families, including the Somerville, Edwards, Lemaster, Lewis, Long, etc. Contains numerous obituaries from Mason County. Several articles and newspaper clippings written about Mason County topics including the Battle of Point Pleasant, Presbyterian Church (Point Pleasant), the Silver Bridge Disaster, etc.