Civil War Art Exhibit Coming To W.Va. Recounts The Lives Of Black Soldiers

An art exhibit of full-sized portraits of 17 Black Civil War soldiers from across America alongside biographies of their lives before, during, and after the Civil War. Artist and medical illustrator Shayne Davidson has been touring the country with the exhibit titled Seventeen Men since 2012.

This spring, the exhibit is coming to Charleston’s Craik-Patton House, a historic, 19th-century home listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Reporter Shepherd Snyder sat down with Davidson and Craik-Patton House Director Nathan Jones to talk about the exhibit.

The transcript below has been lightly edited for clarity. 

Snyder: Shayne, I’m going to start with a couple of questions for you. Can you tell me a little bit about this exhibit? What inspired Seventeen Men in particular? Was there anything in particular you wanted to convey with this exhibit?

Davidson: You’ll have to bear with me, because there’s a little bit of backstory to it. I was working on a family tree for a friend, and she happened to mention that she had this tiny little album of Civil War soldiers that had belonged to her great-grandfather. And she asked me if I was interested in seeing it, even though the men in the album weren’t related to him… So I said, sure, I’d be interested in seeing it, as I also collect vintage photography. And I knew that photos of Black Civil War soldiers were very unusual. They’re quite rare. So I was interested in seeing it, and she photographed all the photos in it. There were 18 photos. She photographed them all and emailed them to me. And as I was looking at them, I thought they were really fascinating photos, even though they’re extremely tiny – about the size of a postage stamp. They’re what’s called a gem photo. And I realized that, as I was looking at them, they were identified. Somebody had written their name on the matte around the photo for each person. So I got intrigued with this little album, and I decided to do a family tree for each man to see if I could kind of give him some background. So when I had some time, I started to do full size portraits of each man, after I had done the genealogical background. And I ended up doing portraits of all the men in the album, and then writing little biographical accounts of their lives. Since then, the people who own the album have donated it to the African American Museum of History and Culture at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC, where it is on display. I knew it was a rare piece. But now I understand how rare identified Black Civil War soldier photos are. So it wasn’t really planned, it just sort of happened.

Shayne Davidson
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Snyder:  And speaking of biographies, Shayne, you said that each of the drawings in your art exhibit come with a biography of each depicted person’s life story before, during, and after the Civil War. Can you touch on that a little bit?

Davidson: Well, that was part of what inspired me to do the drawings. I found so much information out about them. Most of the men; not all, but most – there’s one man who isn’t identified. And by the way, the identifications, we’re fairly sure, were done by Captain (William A.) Prickett (of the United States Colored Troops) who owned the album. We believe that the album was a gift to him from the men. We don’t know that for sure, but we think that’s probably how it came to exist. And let me say that, as far as I know, gifts like that were extremely unusual and to have it survive is more unusual still. He apparently wrote the names of the men in the album, which allowed me to identify them and do the research into them. So there are little biographical stories about each man. Some of them were free when they signed up to serve. Several of them were signed up by their slave holders, the slave holder receiving the bounty that would have been paid to the man. And some of them it’s just a little unclear. The men who, for instance, lived in Delaware, a border state. There was one man from Maryland. It’s a little unclear whether they were free or enslaved at the time of signing up. It’s also possible that a couple of the men may have actually left the country through the Underground Railroad and came back to sign up. They may have been in Canada and came back to sign up for the USCT because they signed up in Erie, Pennsylvania, very close to Lake Erie.

Snyder: I’m going to pivot here and ask Nathan: As the director of Charleston’s Craik-Patton House, why was it important for the museum to feature this exhibit?

Jones: Well, with nearly 200,000 African American men serving as soldiers and sailors during the Civil War, it’s a subject that is not often portrayed. And I felt like it would be a wonderful opportunity for us to share this with our community. I believe it was the spring of 2020 here in Charleston, the state set up a historical roadside marker for the 45th United States Colored Troops. It was something that when I first saw it, I was excited that they had placed it there. And when (Executive Director) Drew Gruber approached me from the Civil War Trails Association with Shayne’s exhibit, I knew that the Craik-Patton House was the place for this display. I think it’s an excellent exhibit that does not get the recognition that it deserves. And that’s one of the reasons why we wanted to have it here on display at the Craik-Patton House.

Canaan Valley Resort Turns 50, Charts Path To Tourism Expansion

The Canaan Valley Resort has been a mainstay for skiers and tourists across the region. Now, the Tucker County, West Virginia, resort is celebrating its 50-year anniversary with a number of important renovations.

Canaan Valley is notable for being the first commercial ski development south of the Mason-Dixon line. Resort general manager Sam England credits the resort’s development with helping to diversify the state’s economy as a tourism boon.

“It was during a time when unemployment was high. Coal mines had been impacted by mechanization,” said England. “At that point, leaders in the state and political leadership saw the need to find other ways of employing people.”

The resort, which employs around 250 workers, is investing $1.4 million into these improvements. They include the expansion of its tube park, rental facility, and ski lodge. The resort is also introducing a new lift pass system that will reduce time in line and replace paper tickets with plastic passes.

Traditionally, Canaan Valley has attracted tourists from Washington, D.C., Pittsburgh, and Columbus, Ohio, though England says the number of overall visitors has decreased over the past few decades because of more opportunities and destinations in the region. However, ski patrol and snow sports director Rod Jones says parks like Canaan have seen an uptick in visitors since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID drove people outside to outside activities. And the whole valley saw a resurgence in visitors, you know, from Red Creek, from the Red Creek hiking area, to Dolly Sods up to Blackwater Falls, and then, of course, Canaan Valley,” said Jones. “It’s really refreshing to see how many people are coming to the valley now – Canaan Valley has really been rediscovered, if you will.”

One-hundred percent of the resort’s profits are reinvested to maintain and improve Canaan Valley Resort State Park. England says state parks are an economic buffer for tourism, and create a built-in tourist base for other outdoor recreational facilities.

Renovations for this year’s ski season were completed Dec. 18.

Martinsburg Farm Market Earns Top 10 Designation Nationally for Orchards

Orr’s Farm Market, a staple of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle, was recently recognized nationally by Fox News as one of the best orchards to visit in the United States. 

The family-owned orchard was noted as one of the “10 best U.S. apple orchards to bookmark for future travel.”

Orr’s was founded in 1954 and spans over 1,000 acres of land. Located in Martinsburg since 1995, the orchard is most known locally for its apple orchards, peach trees, and seasonal offerings like pumpkin patches. But earning a Top 10 recognition in the country isn’t something the farm expected.

“We do get awards, sometimes, maybe we’ll make a top 50 list — top 50 pumpkin patches in the U.S. or, you know something like that, but to find out that it was one of the top 10 in the country to visit was very exciting,” said general manager and third generation farmer Katy Orr-Dove.

Orr-Dove handles the orchard’s farm sales and tourism. She thinks the award is something that helps put West Virginia agritourism on the map, crediting the authenticity of the farm’s attractions for drawing national attention.

“I think in almost every area of business, West Virginia is always contending to be recognized amongst the larger states, because we do have less firepower as far as organizations that market us,” said Orr-Dove.

She said the award makes her feel like an underdog coming out on top.

“I feel like a lot of times, I’m always fighting to be seen, you know – first of all, to be respected as a farmer in general is a challenge. And then a woman farmer is a second challenge,” Orr-Dove said.

The recognition from a national media outlet also comes with sentimental value to the Orr family after the passing of Orr-Dove’s father last year.

“This was our first year doing everything without him – he is our main farmer here, our main grower. So to find out that we won that award when it’s a year from his death, it just felt like a nice closure to our season.”

With the holiday season continuing, Orr’s Farm Market is now shifting its focus to in-season events like a live nativity scene and Christmas-themed hayrides.

The Newest High School ‘Sport’ in W.Va. — Robotics Team

Robotics team competitions are now recognized as a high school co-curricular activity under the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission.

The designation was made official Nov. 1, and NASA’s Education Resource Center is leading the way. This gives students involved in robotics the same amount of recognition as varsity sports or other types of extracurricular clubs.

Program manager Todd Ensign says the program helps students develop STEM-related skills and team communication.

“It’s one of the most engaging ways to learn while having fun, so kids don’t even realize that they’re developing a tremendous amount of skills that are gonna help them with both academia as well as their future careers,” said Ensign. “It’s such a beneficial program that it seems unjust that many schools don’t have access to competitive robotics.”

NASA’s ERC program has supported STEM-related activities throughout West Virginia for years, via a grant from Fairmont State University. The program allows students to visit the ERC facility in Fairmont for hands-on activities. The program also supports STEM competitions like the Lego League Challenge and the VEX Robotics Competition — events that attract students across the state.

This new designation means more support for robotics programs statewide, including more participation and easier accessibility. Fairmont State program specialist Ryan Utzman says it also means it places West Virginia ahead of the curve.

“Over the past seven years, we’ve been working towards this. I think the first state that recognized robotics as an official activity was Minnesota,” said Utzman. “Over that period of time, six other states recognize that as an activity, but we’re still in the first 10.”

The first official robotics event is the state championship on May 16, 2022. It takes place on the Fairmont State University campus. Ensign says every high school in the state is invited to compete.

WVU Formalizes Longtime Student Gospel Choir As New Course

WVU is celebrating African American music with the Paul Robeson Mahalia Jackson Gospel Choir, a musical group recently formalized by the university. It originally began as a student organization through WVU’s Center for Black Culture and Research. After years of performing on campus, the choir is joining with the university’s College of Creative Arts, which makes it a class eligible for an hour of college credit.

It now exists as a collaboration between the two campus institutions. The choir practices in the Creative Arts Center, but is still primarily run by the Center for Black Culture and Research. It provides the school’s students and staff with a means to express their spiritual side.

“Gospel means good news”, said co-director Shirley Robinson. “I think through this collaboration, we are bringing good news on campus.”

Music director Alton Merrell says the gospel choir’s purpose is to celebrate diversity and allow students to have an African American music experience.

“I think it’s important and also helpful when a person can find other people that are familiar with their culture,” said Merrell. “Particularly for students at WVU, and our African American students in particular, the gospel choir provides a little bit of home away from home.”

Merrell, who is also the professor of jazz piano at WVU, says his life experiences helped him prepare for this new position.

“I grew up in a Black church, and within that tradition, the arts are heavily celebrated. I had a musical gift and was encouraged by those around me to use that gift,” said Merrell. “Music has been integrated into my faith, so it’s synonymous to express my faith through gospel music. I’ve been doing this all my life.”

The choir rehearses once a week at WVU’s Creative Arts Center and plans to have fall and spring performances.

WVU Researchers Using Artificial Intelligence To Help Diagnose Those With Autism

West Virginia University researchers are using artificial intelligence and other advanced technologies to help diagnose people with autism.

The program is aimed at more easily identifying phenotypes related to Autism Spectrum Disorder. These phenotypes are noticeable traits or characteristics a person with ASD might have.

“Autism phenotyping is something we are still in the dark ages with. We have no clue how many different types of autism we are dealing with,” said WVU professor Xin Li, one of the project’s head researchers.

Technology like neural imaging and behavior imaging, along with eye-tracking data will help identify these specific traits. Li says he hopes this data will find different types of ASD and help reduce the gap between a child’s birth and their diagnosis. The average age of a child newly diagnosed with ASD is 4 years old — Li says part of the goal of this research is to reduce that age in half, aiming for diagnoses at 2 years old. The earlier the diagnosis, Li says, the more effective the treatment.

Li says this research is important because of how little is known about ASD compared to other disorders. The better the technology available to diagnose those with ASD, the better phenotypes can be successfully grouped into ASD subtypes.

“If we think about something we’re familiar with — for example, a butterfly… a butterfly can have different wings, have different patterns, colors… Those are the easy traits for laymen to tell a different species from one butterfly to another one,” Li said.

Recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says 1 in 54 children in the U.S. are diagnosed with ASD.

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