The classroom edition of “West Virginia - A Film History”

WVPBS has announced in its Pubcaster June 2009 magazine that it will be broadcasting the four-parts of WV’s own monumental film history, “West Virginia - A Film History” starting on Sunday, May 31 at 8 PM, continuing on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. The WV Humanities Council will be releasing the DVD finally on June 20th, WV Day. The cost is $29.95 plus $3 shipping, available from them and  in retail stores. (304) 346-8500.

The study guide, timeline, and three video cassettes

What is written in the Pubcaster - “An unparalled saga of one of America’s most turbulent and least understood states, the film “West Virginia” is an exploration of three centuries of West Virginia’s history. Actor Richard Thomas narrates. The series reveals resilient people confronting some of the greatest challenges of the American experience. This series, which premiered on WVPBS in 1995, is being broadcast to celebrate its release on DVD.”

Mark Payne from the WV Humanities Council told me in March at WV History Day at the Legislature about the release of this landmark series. I have been quite concerned about the lack of access to the series for at least five years. People from around the state and country contact me on a regular basis, asking about buying the series for relatives and friends. Tamarack and other retail outlets sold the series for years, but one day, their VHS copies ran out, and the DVD was not available. Now it will be. Unfortunately, FREE copies will NOT be sent to WV’s schools and libraries. But I am sure that someone in every WV school and community will be able to find $29.95 to purchase a copy. Congrats to Ken Sullivan and the WVHC for making this keystone film history available once again. And thanks to WVPBS for continuing to broadcast it during recent years when there was no DVD copies available.  

Here is my description from 1995-

WEST VIRGINIA - A FILM HISTORY Time Varies 1995 VHS WNPB-TV
This portrait documents historical events from the state’s first inhabitants to the present day and follows the contributions of the men and women who shaped the state’s cultural, economic, and political landscapes. Using paintings, still photographs and motion picture clips, the series helps students explore what it means to be a West Virginian. Narrated by Richard Thomas. Includes a Teacher’s Guide and Index Guide. Series include:

 PART I: A HIDDEN LAND - 73 M. - Opens with the Shawnee Indians who have lived undiscovered for centuries along the Ohio River. We watch as their lives are slowly changed by the arrival of white settlers into the Shenandoah and Potomac valleys. As British settlements grow, the French also in forces to claim land. The result is bitter warfare that engulfs the area of decades, resulting in the Indians’ departure from their land. Along the way, we meet such figures as Celoron de Blainville, George Washington, Andrew Lewis, Mary Ingles, Lord Dunmore, Chief Logan, Chief Cornstalk, and Betty Zane.

PART II: STATE OF WAR (Late 1700s-1865) - 73 M. - Begins in the late 1700s and takes us through the Civil War. Covering the growth of religion, industry, and transportation routes during the post-war years, this section explores the regional culture of western Virginia. It concludes with the divisive war and the subsequent birth of the new state of West Virginia. Key people in Part II, include circuit rider Francis Asbury, Alexander Campbell, writers David Hunter and Strother and Rebecca Harding, John Brown, General “Stonewall” Jackson, Senators Waltman Wiley and John S. Carlile, Anna Jarvis and President Lincoln.

PART III: WEST VIRGINIA (1865-1913) - 120 M. - Covers West Virginia from he end of the Civil War to the beginning of unionization and the coal wars in 1913. It tells of the internal migration of blacks to the state and the missionary zeal of those determined to help hem; of the infamous Hatfield-McCoy feud; and of the Industrial Revolution. The Railroad sweeps through the state, bringing immigrant workers in and taking natural resources and money out. By the turn of the century, coal is king and miners are left fighting for a degree of freedom and independence. During the dynamic period in West Virginia’s history, we meet such personalities as educators Nathan Cook Brackett and Sarah Jane Foster, railroad and business tycoons Henry Gassaway Davis and Collis Potter Huntington, the legendary Hatfields and McCoys, independent mine operator John Cooper, and union organizers Frank Kenney, Fred Mooney and Mother Jones.

PART IV: ALMOST HEAVEN (1913-Present) - 120 M. -

Opens on the Matewan Massacre and the Battle of Blair Mountain. Under the leadership of John L Lewis, miners’ unions seek growth. However, with the onset of the Depression, the fall of the post-war coal market, and the mechanization of the mines,West Virginia’s communities and inhabitants suffer great poverty. We watch as figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt and President Johnson work to improve the living conditions in Appalachian West Virginia. Despite hardships, West Virginians emerge as a courageous and determined people who take great pride in their state. Figures encountered in this final section of the film include union loyalist Sid Hatfield, Sheriff Don Chafin, UMWA leader John L. Lewis, social worker Mary Behner, Eleanor Roosevelt, the talented musicians of “It’s Wheeling Steel,” John F. Kennedy, Governors William Marland, Wally Baron and Senator Robert Byrd.  

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