photo by: Emma Delk

Trent Dayton, Americorps member with the Marshall County West Virginia Historical Society, points out artifacts in the Marshall County History Museum’s new 1919 Moundsville High School time capsule display.

The Marshall County History Museum invites residents to explore the facility, including a new 1919 Moundsville High School time capsule display, this Friday during its open house.

The open house will be held at the museum on 13th Street in Moundsville from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Trent Dayton, an Americorps Member with the Marshall County Historical Society, said he and MCHS board members will welcome visitors to the museum on Friday.

The museum houses artifacts dating back to the county’s early pioneer days up to the 1980s. Dayton said visitors to the museum on Friday will enjoy a “new flow” to the exhibits as he and volunteers have been changing and moving displays to prepare for the event.

“I’m working on moving things around, organizing a little bit and getting new items on display,” Dayton said on Monday.

A new display Dayton is excited to unveil to visitors on Friday is the 1919 Moundsville High School time capsule. The capsule was originally placed during the construction of the now-demolished Moundsville High School on Tomlinson Avenue.

The museum display will mark the second time the capsule’s contents have been exhibited since it was opened at Moundsville Junior High School in 2000. The capsule’s contents were first temporarily displayed at the Masonic Temple in Moundsville before it was donated to the MCHS last year.

“The time capsule was on display for a little bit at the Masonic Lodge, and then it was packed away and kept in storage,” Dayton said. “Late last year, the time capsule owner donated it to us because they were moving. We looked through it, and there were a lot of cool items in there.”

Items from the capsule that will be displayed include lists of local residents, photographs of prominent Moundsville citizens, business documents, newspapers, pins and artwork.

One of Dayton’s favorite artifacts from the capsule is a painting of the Grave Creek Mound by Sallie Cockayne, one of the daughters of former Cockayne Farmstead owner Samuel Andrew Jackson.

“There’s a picture of Evan G. Roberts in the time capsule that is now on display,” Dayton added. “I had never seen him [Roberts] before, so it was fun to put a face to a name that is still really well-known in Moundsville today because of the trust he set up.”

Dayton said the additions to the museum’s collection from the time capsule add to the overall picture of Marshall County’s history provided by the museum. He noted that residents often visit the museum to look at pictures of the evolving streetscapes of Moundsville and see what businesses have come and gone in the city.

“Whenever people come to the museum for the first time, they are stunned by everything we have,” Dayton said. “They always seem to find a connection to their personal life through items at the museum, so I think any first-time visitors on Friday could have fun trying to find the connection to their life through what artifacts we have here.”

Visitors to the museum on Friday can also learn about the volunteer opportunities available with the MCHS and receive membership information. MCHS membership requires a $20 annual payment.

“There are plenty of volunteer opportunities available at the museum, Cockayne Farmstead and the different events we host throughout the year,” Dayton said. “If you become a member of the historical society, you get discounts to events and play a role in helping preserve Marshall County history.”