City officials have several events planned to mark Huntington’s 150th anniversary.
By Jean Hardiman
HQ 113 | SPRING 2021
Look around the city of Huntington and signs of its rich history — marked by both successes and tragedies — are everywhere: the Keith-Albee Performing Arts Center, the stately Memorial Arch, the Memorial Fountain at Marshall University, even the floodwall.
But mostly, the city’s beautiful story is found in its people. Some have been here for generations and remember the downtown storefronts at Christmastime. Some recall the manufacturing boom of the 1950s. Others are younger or newer to the city, but relish the local eateries and the energy of a Marshall University ballgame. They’re raising young families and working daily to revitalize the region.
All of these Huntingtonians should have the chance to celebrate the city’s landmark 150th birthday, even in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. That’s why city officials have been working hard for months to give residents numerous ways to celebrate their beloved home as safely as possible in 2021.
“It’s important to put stakes in the ground to see where you’ve been and to understand where you’re going,” said Mayor Steve Williams. “Oftentimes, we have a better understanding of where we are if we look to see where we have been. What brought us to where we are today, and what do we need to change?”
Just as there are different types of people in Huntington, there have been different ways to celebrate — from selling commemorative Blenko glass earlier this year to April’s Mountain Stage concert in the Joan C. Edwards Stadium at Marshall. And as more pandemic restrictions are lifted, more activities are planned for later in the year. Local officials agree that while it’s been a challenging environment for planning such a large celebration, it has been worth every ounce of effort.
“The more we got into COVID, we started to say to ourselves, ‘This isn’t going to last forever,’” said Bryan Chambers, director of communications for the City of Huntington. “If we can come out of this at some point during the 150th year, people are going to want something to do to celebrate and to feel normal.”
Marshall Artists Series Executive Director Penny Watkins couldn’t agree more. So, she went to city officials with the idea of hosting a Mountain Stage concert in April.
“Our hope was for people to experience things that allow them to reflect on how this community has provided for them over the years, how this community has progressed,” Watkins explained. “People need to be reminded of the resiliency in our community and how it has overcome numerous challenges. At the same time people need to see how our city is moving forward.”
The sponsors for the yearlong celebration of Huntington’s sesquicentennial are AT&T, Mountain Health Network and Marshall University.
Kaylin Staten is the event coordinator who was hired before the pandemic hit and has been on her toes ever since. Despite knowing that things can change at the last minute, she’s been working with the Sesquicentennial Committee to arrange a lineup of ways that community members can celebrate. Some of them are tied to a certain date, while others are opportunities for people to get involved on their own timetable.
“We wanted multiple generations to feel involved,” Staten explained. “It was vital from the time I was brought on board to have events that appeal to the masses.”
As it happens, Collis P. Huntington’s 200th birthday is on October 22 this year, so a series of 150th anniversary events have been planned for that date as well.
The Time Capsule
As a way to capture citizens’ memories, reflections and hopes for their city, and to preserve them for people in the future, Huntington is creating a time capsule this year. Specially made to preserve items, it’s the size of a large microwave and will be filled with letters and photos on acid-free paper, as well as other items that tell Huntington’s story.
The city has collected stories from key figures in the city but is also issuing an invitation to citizens to share their own thoughts on Huntington so that its future residents can peek into the past. City officials would like to capture the economic, political, cultural and social elements of our community. To that end, they have asked the school system, faith communities, businesses, neighborhoods and Marshall University to participate. To learn more, visit www.cityofhuntington.com/huntington150.
The time capsule has been described as a love letter to the future and is intended to be opened a century from now, giving future Huntingtonians a look into what their predecessors loved about their city.
The mayor himself will share heartfelt stories about what makes Huntington special to him. He remembers how the community embraced him when he moved here at age 16, attending Huntington High and later Marshall.
“Why do I love Huntington? It taught me to never give up, always persevere,” Williams said.
There are thousands of stories to tell.
RCBI will create a custom plaque for the time capsule, and Coalfield Development will design and build a display pedestal, where it will sit in City Hall for the next century.
The city will accept submissions of photos and stories, which will be vetted by the Sesquicentennial Committee. Those chosen will be put in the capsule, with a limited number of other objects that can stand the test of time. The time capsule will be officially sealed at a ceremony on October 22. Also planned that day is the unveiling of a bust of Collis P. Huntington by Huntington artist Carter Seaton.
Huntington Sesquicentennial Art Exhibit
Later that afternoon on October 22, the celebration will continue with an opening reception for a Huntington Museum of Art exhibit featuring works of Huntington artists throughout the city’s history. The exhibit will be on display September 18 – January 22. The museum also plans to release a biographical dictionary containing more than 700 biographies of artists who have called Huntington home.
There also will be an unveiling of a special new artistic vision for the city, dreamed up by renowned artist and Marshall alumnus Don Pendleton.
“You can get there from here, and Don Pendleton is an example of that,” Williams said. “Because of his affinity for Huntington, he wanted to do something to help Huntington be able to brand itself. It’s going to be unveiled in October — another gift for Huntington.”
Collis P. Stage Production
Written several years ago by Clint McElroy, the patriarch of one of Huntington’s current first families of entertainment, this stage production about Collis P. Huntington and the founding of the city will be performed over the weekend of October 22-23 at the Jean Carlo Stephenson Auditorium in City Hall, with safety regulations in place due to the pandemic.
Other tributes to the anniversary are in the works for that day as well, including performances by Marshall University music groups.
Community Cleanups
A series of cleanups were organized in late April and early May, but anyone who wants to clean up a section of Huntington to honor the city’s 150th will get some help — the City of Huntington will provide supplies and equipment for neighborhood groups, businesses, civic groups and whoever wants to organize a cleanup. Then the city’s Public Works department will pick up all the garbage and haul it away.
Literary Laureate
Having a designated writer capture the spirit of the city in words is another way the city is celebrating. Daniel O’Malley, an award-winning writer and assistant professor in Marshall University’s Department of English, was chosen as the city’s first literary laureate. It’s a two-year appointment, during which he’ll celebrate the city through the written word.
“We are very excited about that,” Chambers said. “Huntington is a very strong, arts-centric community; and certainly writers, storytellers and poets are a component of that. We applaud the Mayor’s Council for the Arts for taking the lead on this.”
Heritage Farm Exhibit
As the City of Huntington celebrates both its 150th anniversary and the bicentennial of Collis P. Huntington’s birth, Heritage Farm is taking this historic opportunity to open a new mini exhibit in honor of these occasions.
“The exhibit will be in our Progress Museum which shows how the C&O Railway played such an integral part in the establishment of Huntington,” noted Audy Perry, executive director of the Heritage Farm Foundation. “The centerpiece will be the Collis P. Huntington trunk, a rare artifact donated to Heritage Farm two years ago that is very likely the only remaining possession of the railroad magnate in the city.”
“Heritage Farm Museum & Village is a wonderful asset to this community, and we were very excited to help fund this exhibit,” Chambers said.
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City officials stress that they want all Huntingtonians to have an opportunity to be included in the yearlong celebration.
“We want to encourage people to get involved in whatever capacity — whether they want to write an essay for the time capsule, organize a cleanup effort or attend one of the events we have planned,” said Staten. “The celebration has taken on a life of its own, which is awesome. We have a great lineup of events, and it’s good to see that residents are really excited about this special year.”
Businesses, organizations and individuals can go online to www.cityofhuntington.com/huntington150 to find media toolkits to combine their efforts with the city’s.
“The sesquicentennial is a reminder of that dream that was established in 1871, when the city’s first residents were embarking on a new frontier forged by the western terminus of the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway,” said Williams. “They set out to make something out of nothing. Today, 150 years later, Huntington is home to a major university, a burgeoning health care network, a revitalized downtown and so much more. In 2017 Huntington was named ‘America’s Best Community.’ Who would have dreamed? This is definitely a time to celebrate.”
