Historic Preservation Month

This Place Matters:

During the month of May, Main Street Morgantown encourages the community to celebrate National Historic Preservation Month.  Come together as communities across the country celebrate their heritage and preserve their history. Historic preservation is the practice of protecting and preserving buildings, structures, and other artifacts of historical significance. This is important because our built environment is a reflection of our cultural identity, and historic places provide us with a tangible link to our past.

Main Street Morgantown invites you to join our local celebration of National Historic Preservation Month with the theme “People Saving Places."  Notice your surroundings and recognize the beauty and significance of historic buildings and structures. We hope to inspire people to appreciate their surroundings, becoming advocates for preservation and the protection of historic buildings for future generations.

We invite non-profits, government organizations, businesses, and citizens to celebrate Historic Preservation Month in their own way by hosting events, social media campaigns, and other initiatives. Let's work together to raise awareness about the importance of historic preservation and inspire people to take action.

  • Share a photo of a favorite historic building or architectural detail.
  • Organize a display of historic books or photos for others to see.
  • Go on a historic walking tour or organize one of your own.
  • Follow our social media in May for then and now photos of favorite Downtown buildings.

To celebrate Historic Preservation Month, we encourage everyone to share photos and stories of their favorite historic buildings on social media using the hashtags #PeopleSavingPlaces #MorgantownWV and #DowntownMorgantown. Let's build a movement to preserve our history and protect our heritage for generations to come.

Celebrations from across the community

Events & Activities

  • (5/2) Love Where You Live and Work Community Downtown Clean-Up
    • 2-5pm with City of Morgantown (photos)
  • (5/4) Spring Arts Walk (5/4) - "People Saving Places - Historic Preservation Month" (photos)
    • 11am-3pm High Street, Downtown Morgantown
  • (5/7) Historic City Hall Ribbon Cutting (5/7)
    • 5:30pm with refreshments & public tours, 389 High Street
  • (5/15) High Street Cruise-In
    • 4-8pm, Downtown Morgantown. (photos)
  • (ongoing) "Looking Up" Scavenger Hunt
    • Available from Main Street Morgantown & Morgantown History Museum or download
  • (ongoing) Self-Guided Historic Downtown Walking Tours
    • Available from Main Street Morgantown & Morgantown History Museum or download
  • (ongoing) Downtown Mural Walk
    • Available from Main Street Morgantown & Morgantown History Museum or download
  • (ongoing) Morgantown History Museum
    • Free Admission during opening hours (link)

Displays

  • "Morgantown's Black Entrepreneurs of the 19th & 20th Century" by Stewart Williams & Jennie Smith
    • Morgantown Public Library System, Morgantown Branch 2nd Floor
  • Historic City Hall: 100 years of Metropolitan Theatre | Don Knotts 100th Birthday
  • Morgantown History Museum
    • Black History Exhibit
  • Monongalia Arts Center: Past, present and future of the MAC
  • Warner Theater Marquee
    • 147 High Street (link)
  • 'Morgantown Restored' Storefront Activation (link)
    • 141 High Street

Multimedia Celebrations

Press

View Past Historic Preservation Month Celebration