People’s U: St. John Catholic Church – Through Flood & Fire
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People’s U: St. John Catholic Church – Through Flood & Fire
October 24, 2017 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm
West Virginia History through Archives–Preserving the Mountain State’s Stories
CLASS 4: “Through Flood & Fire: Preserving the Records of St. John Catholic Church in Benwood, West Virginia”
The Catholic community of Benwood can be traced back nearly 150 years and has weathered disasters ranging from floods, wind, and fire, not to mention one of the worst mining disasters in the history of West Virginia. When a 2015 fire destroyed the Benwood’s St. John Catholic Church, it was feared that the rich written history of the parish was lost. Jon-Erik Gilot, Director of Archives & Records at the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston, will discuss how a team of local archivists were able to triage and salvage the church’s historical records, photographs, and artifacts. He will outline how the wet, soot-covered records were preserved and are today more accessible than ever before. Jon-Erik will also discuss what steps are being taken to ensure the safekeeping and preservation of parish records, and how the disastrous fire helped him to uncover his own familial ties to St. John Church.
Instructor Jon-Erik Gilot is Director of Archives at the Diocese of Wheeling-Charleston. He has a BA in History from Bethany College and a MLIS in Archives from Kent State University.
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Learn more about the Fall 2017 People’s University Series at http://
The People’s University is a free program for adults who wish to continue their education in the liberal arts, featuring courses taught by experts in each subject that enable patrons to pursue their goal of lifelong learning in subjects such as history, philosophy, and literature. There are no grades and patrons are welcome to attend all classes in a series or individual programs on a class by class basis.
To register for The People’s University: West Virginia History through Archives – Preserving the Mountain State’s Stories, please call the library at 304-232-0244, send an email to ocplarchives@gmail.com, or visit the Reference Desk. Classes are free and open to the public. Registration is not a commitment and you are welcome to attend any or all classes. Complimentary refreshments will be provided.