By Phil Kabler
Staff writer

The Charleston Gazette

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Acting like a proud father, Gov. Joe Manchin couldn't resist showing up for media tours Wednesday of the all-but-completed state museum in the Cultural Center.

"This is definitely a destination. This should be a destination for every family in West Virginia," Manchin said, standing amid an 18th-century frontier life display featuring artifacts including Daniel Boone's rifle and a sword that belonged to George Washington.

"It will rival anything in Washington," Manchin declared.

The project has languished for 10 years -- including nearly five years since the old museum on the ground level of the Cultural Center was gutted -- and nearly tripled in cost from its original $6 million estimate to the final $17.6 million price tag.

"When I first came into office, I knew this thing had been languishing for quite some time," Manchin said.

It was in his first term that Manchin said he had to decide whether to come up with the final $6.5 million state appropriation, or -- as some suggested -- scrap the project outright.

Ultimately, the Legislature approved the appropriation in August 2007.

"I said, if we're going to do it, I want it to be the top of the class," Manchin said.

On Wednesday, he said the final product was just that: "This is a must-see in West Virginia. It's that good."

Leading the tour, state Culture and History Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith said the facility is complete, except for a few touchups and adjustments of lighting and special effects.

The heart of the museum is a 660-foot show path that winds through the 24,000-square-foot facility, beginning in prehistoric coal forests 300 million years ago and winding up in present-day West Virginia.

Touring the self-guided show path will take 45 to 60 minutes, Reid-Smith said. However, estimates are that to view every display and watch every documentary video in the numerous adjoining discovery rooms would require a total of 26 hours.

Rather than simply displaying artifacts behind glass, the museum is intended to be a total sensory experience, fabricated by Design and Production Inc. of Lorton, Va., whose work includes exhibits at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

Highlights include a re-creation of the courtroom in Wheeling's Independence Hall, featuring portraits of the state's founding fathers, which light up as each makes, in accompanying audio, his case for statehood for West Virginia.

Entry into a circa 1900s coal mine plunges guests into a dark and chilly coal shaft.

A few steps beyond, and visitors find themselves in a circa-1930s street scene, featuring a bank façade that houses a display of items from the Great Depression, across from a theater with a screen showing movies of the era.

A "West Virginians at War" exhibit displays battle uniforms from the Spanish-American War to the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, and features drawers visitors may open to view personal effects of servicemen from each era.

The museum also features an extensive display of Civil War memorabilia, including a rare 15-star Confederate flag from the Battle of Philippi.

Moving into the modern day, the show path features a scale model of the New River Gorge Bridge, complete with 9,500 miniature trees, and a 360-degree audiovisual display, linking to separate galleries for state crafts, fine arts, and performing arts.

While the tour features feel-good displays celebrating state fairs and festivals, as well as commemorating famous West Virginians such as Mary Lou Retton and Jerry West, it doesn't whitewash negative elements of the state's history.

Displays delve into such issues as construction of the Hawks Nest Tunnel, which claimed the lives of hundreds of workers, the 1920s mine wars, the Farmington mine disaster, black lung disease, and the ongoing controversy over mountaintop removal mining.

Likewise, a re-creation of the circa 1950s soda fountain at Scott Brothers Drug Store in downtown Charleston serves as a backdrop to examine segregation and integration in that era.

Nancy Herholdt, museum education manager, said her intent is to make the museum a true learning experience for the 150,000 schoolchildren expected to visit the facility each year. That will include providing suggested lesson plans for teachers bringing their classes to the museum, as well as an on-site classroom and computer-learning lab.

Following an invitation-only grand opening on June 20, the museum will open to the public at noon on June 21.

The museum will be open year-round from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. Although usually closed on Mondays, the museum will be open on June 22.

Tied in with the Clay Center downtown, Manchin predicted the state museum will provide a major boost for Charleston tourism.

"It's special for our state, and for a city the size of Charleston, to have two venues of this quality," he said.