Travels in the 2nd half

  Those of you who are regular readers of mine, know that one of my favorite things to do is to explore small art museums when I travel. A recent drive through West Virginia brought me to a wonderful example in the town of Huntington. Huntington WV sits on the banks of the Ohio River, in the northwestern corner of the state. It is home to around 45,000 residents and also to Marshall University. It was founded in 1873 as a hub for the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad to serve as a link between Virginia and the Ohio River Valley. It has been also been home several steel plants. Pullman Square - CC by-SA3.0 via wikicommons As with many mid-western cities, Downtown Huntington suffered greatly in the period after 1970. However there have also been attempts to revitalize the area. Pullman Square, a shopping and cultural center, was built in 2004, and has been an anchor for the  growth of restaurants and shops in downtown. Nearby is Heritage Station, which is the location of the Visit...

Photo via www.arts.WVU.edu   On my way to Lexington KY, I decided to stop in Morgantown, in order to visit West Virginia University. It is not a place that many people just happen to find, but it is beautiful part of the country, and worth the trip. WVU Mountaineer Morgantown sits along the Monongahela River in a valley between ridges of the Allegheny mountains. While there is some small industry, the University is the city’s primary business. Morgantown was founded in 1772 by brothers Zachquill and David Morgan. It was positioned at a great spot, because the Monongahela is completely navigable up to the point it joins with the Allegheny to form the Ohio River. West Virginia was made a state in 1863, because the residents in this area did not agree with Virginia’s decision to join the Confederate States. In 1867, the state legislature created a land-grant university and established it on the site of three schools in Morgantown. One year later this was renamed as West Virginia Unive...