Born of Rebellion: West Virginia Statehood and the Civil War exhibit at the Byrd Center

Born of Rebellion: West Virginia Statehood and the Civil War exhibit is now at the Byrd Center at Shepherd University until September 27th.  The West Virginia Humanities Council, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), created the exhibit  dealing with the legal question of statehood of West Virginia and a kaleidoscope of state wide perspectives. This comprehensive, large-scale experience covers sectional tensions within Virginia preceding the Civil War, the violence and chaos of the war surrounding West Virginia’s formation, and the difficult aftermath as the new state struggled to forge its destiny during Reconstruction.

Born of Rebellion explores this tumultuous and complex era from a wide range of perspectives, including politicians, common soldiers, women, and African Americans, along with the diary of Upshur County teenager Sirene Bunten, who was only 16 when West Virginia achieved statehood in 1863 and her observations as a girl who loses two brothers to the war.

For more information see Born of Rebellion