New State Exhibit To Highlight How W.Va. Fossil Fuel Production ‘Built’ US Industry

Just outside the state capitol, a new exhibit will soon display West Virginia’s role in the fossil fuel industry, and how the state’s natural resources powered industrial development across the United States.

The new exhibit, entitled “West Virginia: Nature Designs a State that Fuels a Nation,” is slated to open in early 2025 at the West Virginia State Museum in Charleston. It marks the state’s participation in America250 — a national, nonpartisan celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.

West Virginia’s exhibit will highlight 11 industries and natural resources that have made the state “a global leader,” according to a Thursday press release from the office of Gov. Jim Justice.

Justice was joined by Randall Reid-Smith, secretary of the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History (WVDACH), at a groundbreaking ceremony for the project Wednesday.

During the ceremony, Justice said the federal government tasked state officials with displaying what the state has done to contribute to the success of the United States.

“For crying out loud, it’s easy,” he said. “At the end of the day, our natural resources fueled this nation. Not only did we fuel the nation, we built the world and steel production, on and on and on.”

The new extension of the state museum will feature displays about “coal, oil and gas, iron and steel, clay, chemicals, salt, agriculture, timber, glass, water and railroads,” according to the press release.

Justice added that the museum’s new extension also aims to highlight the work of workers who power the state’s industries each day.

It will feature larger artifacts, like replicas of a steam locomotive, a coal shuttle car, a block of coal and farming plows. Also included will be a roll of steel from Nucor Steel Company, which is opening a new steel plant in Mason County in 2026.

The exhibit “will always be here to make us proud of who we are and what we’ve done to build this country,” Reid-Smith said. “I don’t care if I get in trouble. It’s about fossil fuels, baby.”

WVDACH Director of Administration Sam Calvert said the project makes use of in-ground wells on the north and south sides of the museum, which were being used only to protect the building from flooding.

But Calvert said both of these wells leaked, and the land around them was also not accessible per the Americans with Disabilities Act.

America250 marked the opportunity to address these issues and an “opportunity to turn [the area] into an exhibit,” he said, adding that funding for the project came in part through appropriations from the West Virginia Legislature.

Justice and Reid-Smith expressed hope that the new exhibit can evoke a sense of pride in residents from across West Virginia who visit the state capitol complex.

“It’s a great day not only for the arts, but it’s a great day for West Virginia,” Reid-Smith said. “We now have the opportunity to tell our own story, and how our natural resources built this country.”