Book Reviewed: Around Morgantown (WV) (Images of America) by Wallace Venable and Norma Venable

A pictorial history of Morgantown, West Virginia

The “Images of America” series has published a series of pictorial history of many towns and cities of United States, and they are fascinating to read. This is another book from the series about Morgantown, West Virginia that is very enjoyable and you can find some valuable historical pictures of the city, some of the photographs belong to late 1800s and early 1900s.

A brief summary of the book is as follows: Morgantown was established in 1772 by Zackquill Morgan, and in 1773 it had a stockade fort, and by 1785 the Virginia Assembly gave a formal charter to the town. Morgantown continued to grow with exports of lumber, food, iron, and pottery which could be transported by Monongahela River. In fact the history dates back a little further. The West Virginia National Guard Armory on the Mile ground is home to Battery B of the 201st Infantry Field Artillery and the 249th Army Band. The unit traces its origins to Captain Morgan Morgan who formed the company in 1735 and served in General Washington’s Militia in the 1755 campaign. In 1767, Charles Mason and Jeremiah Dixon noted in their journal that coal is found in plenty in Monongahela and Cheat lake valleys. In 1900, coal production was 80,000 tons. Before 1776, travelers reached Morgantown by walking buffalo paths and Native American war trails. Before 1910, the cars were delivered to the town by steamboat. The major road construction to the north and south was finished in 1923.

Morgantown is known for the West Virginia University. In its rich history, the faculty voted to admit women in 1889 and African Americans in 1954. The intercollegiate football, the equivalent of modern NCAA program was started at WVU in 1891. In 1946, under the GI Bill, the student enrollment swelled to 6,000 and now it has gone up to 25,000 and still growing.

Morgantown has few major monuments but it has many good distinguished buildings. Some of the fascinating images I found in this book includes; an 1865 picture of the bridge connecting Morgantown and Westover when the population of the town was only 684. The 1892 photograph of North Walnut Street taken on the Wool Market Day; a 1915 photograph showing a trolley coming down on High Street from Fayette Street toward Walnut Street. Even at that time, the downtown was a bustling place with lots of businesses. The 1921 picture of Seneca Factory on Beechurst Avenue, showing the chimney and water tank, the prominent landmarks of Morgantown. The 1897, 1900 and 1910 pictures of Woodburn Circle of WVU campus; the 1931 picture of field house on Beechurst Avenue; the 1924 picture of Old Mountaineer Field during a football game; the 1902 and 1925 pictures of the corner of Pleasant and Main (now High Street); the 1902 picture of Professor’s Row on Wiley Street; the 1916 view of Morgantown from South Park Hills and many more.

I very much enjoyed reading this book and recommend to anyone interested in the history of West Virginia and Morgantown.