The African American Experience of Struggle and Achievement in West Virginia’s Allegheny Highlands
Their stories were here all along. For more than a century, African American workers, families and leaders helped build the towns and industries of the Allegheny Highlands. This project is bringing their history home.
From the late 19th century through the Civil Rights era, African American workers and families helped build the Allegheny Highlands. They labored on farms, in coal mines, on railroads, in timber operations, and in the towns that grew up around them. Their contributions shaped the region's economy and culture, yet their stories have largely gone untold.
The Allegheny Highlands Black History Project, sponsored by Friends of Blackwater with support from a National Park Service African American Civil Rights (AARC) grant, is a public history initiative working to change that. Through archival research, field surveys, oral history interviews, and community engagement, we are uncovering and preserving the legacy of Black communities across Tucker, Randolph, Pocahontas, Grant, and Mineral counties in West Virginia.
This is a story of resilience, achievement, and belonging. It deserves to be told.
Join Us to Experience the Story
Join Friends of Blackwater and Aurora Research Associates for a special public history program exploring The African American Experience of Struggle and Achievement in West Virginia’s Allegheny Highlands. This free, family-friendly event brings together leading West Virginia scholars to share powerful stories of resilience, culture, and community rooted in the region’s industrial past.
Date: Saturday, August 8th, 2026
Time: 4:00-5:00 PM
Location: South Branch Inn, 1500 US-220, Moorefield WV 26836
The program will feature keynote speaker Dr. Cicero M. Fain III, author of Black Huntington: An Appalachian Story, and featured speaker Dr. Tamara Denmark Bailey, Assistant Professor of History at West Virginia Wesleyan College.
Attendees will experience a virtual tour of significant Black history sites across the Allegheny Highlands and hear selections from oral history interviews that bring these stories to life. The program will conclude with an informal reception, offering an opportunity to connect and continue the conversation.
Travel assistance scholarships are available for students, teachers, and community members. All are welcome to attend and engage with this important and often overlooked chapter of West Virginia’s history.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
Dr. Tamara Denmark Bailey
Assistant Professor of History, West Virginia Wesleyan College
Dr. Cicero M. Fain II
Assistant Provost of Access & Opportunity, Marshall University Author of Black Huntington: An Appalachian Story.
Who We Are
Project Sponsor:
Friends of Blackwater works to protect and promote natural beauty, diverse creatures, unique heritage, and the outdoor recreation economy in the Mid-Atlantic Allegheny Highlands - home to the magnificent, 10,000-acre Blackwater Canyon – West Virginia’s “Scenic Crown Jewel.” Our professional staff and grass-roots citizen advocacy are a strong force for responsible conservation and sustainable progress in the Highlands. https://www.saveblackwater.org/
Project Consultants:
Aurora Research Associates, prime consultant, is a woman-owned consulting firm dedicated to preserving and interpreting the historic places that shape our communities. Led by West Virginia native Courtney Fint Zimmerman, ARA specializes in architectural history, historic resource surveys, National Register evaluations, oral histories, archival research, and environmental compliance. Working with public agencies, nonprofits, and private clients, ARA delivers thoughtful, high-quality cultural resource services that balance preservation with progress and help tell the stories of the people and places that define our shared heritage. www.aurora-llc.com
Tamara Denmark Bailey, Ph.D., historian and subject matter expert, is Associate Professor of History at West Virginia Wesleyan College. Her scholarship focuses on African American history, public history, and community engagement. Through research, oral history, and collaborative public history projects, Dr. Bailey works to preserve and interpret the diverse stories and experiences that have shaped West Virginia's communities, making history more accessible and meaningful to the public.
Mary Kay McFarland, oral history and multimedia specialist, is the managing editor of Mountain State Spotlight. Mary Kay has more than 20 years of experience in West Virginia journalism and media. She began her career as a photojournalist with The Exponent Telegram before becoming Multimedia Editor at The Charleston Gazette. In 2009, she joined West Virginia University, where she taught journalism, and led award-winning multimedia reporting projects on issues including the opioid epidemic, women's incarceration, and underserved communities.
Civil & Environmental Consultants, web design and technical support, is a multi-disciplinary firm with services in engineering, planning, ecological design, geo-spatial, environmental design, and landscape architecture. Dustin Toothman, is a registered landscape architect who specializes in community and regional planning is serving as technical support for the creation of website resources and web-based GIS deliverables. www.cecinc.com
Why It Matters
For generations, the contributions of African Americans in the Allegheny Highlands were left out of the region's official history. The mines, railroads, and towns they helped build tell only part of the story. The human story behind that labor has been largely invisible.
This project is part of a broader national effort to ensure that whose history gets told, preserved, and honored is a question answered honestly. By documenting these communities now, through research, oral history, and site preservation, we give future generations access to a fuller and more accurate picture of Appalachian and American history.
Do you have family ties to the Allegheny Highlands? Stories, photographs, or documents connected to African American communities in the region? We want to hear from you. Community knowledge is at the heart of this project. Get in Touch!
The activity that is the subject of this program has been financed in part with Federal funds from the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of the Interior, nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation by the Department of the Interior.
This material was produced with assistance from the Historic Preservation Fund, administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior under Grant Number P23AP01125-00. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Interior.