The Vietnam War came during a period of key transition for the Mountain State. The state’s coal industry saw an uptick in production and over 30,000 West Virginians joined or were drafted during the conflict. At the same time, the war years witnessed tensions at home, as West Virginians organized a variety of social causes, driven by the activism of the War on Poverty at home. This presentation will focus on the war years here in the Northern Panhandle region and in West Virginia. The area was a great microcosm of the war years, as many locals served in Southeast Asia, others from local colleges and various social classes protested the war, and local coal miners, joined by veterans were involved in efforts to democratize the United Mine Workers of America.

Dr. Gorby is a historian of West Virginia and Appalachia, whose work focuses on the role of immigrants in the state's steel and coal mining industries, particularly during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His current work continues to focus on working class history as well as the modern political economy in West Virginia during what he calls the "Age of Globalization," as the state's economy began to be affected by global economic changes from the 1970's well into the 2000's.

Come and enjoy our free summer lecture series every Monday of June and July at noon, hosted by the Marshall County Historical Society and the Moundsville-Marshall County Public Library, and sponsored by the EQT Foundation.