Archer to hold book signing at Tamarack in Beckley

Jun. 17—BECKLEY — Local author Bill Archer will hold a book signing Tuesday, June 20, at Tamarack in Beckley for his new publication, "The West Virginia Turnpike."

The book signing coincides with West Virginia Day, and will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Copies of the new book also will be available for purchase at the event.

"This is my 11th book for Arcadia Publishing's Images of America Series," Archer, a former journalist, said. "The book starts in the Pre Columbian period when First Nations people traveled through the Appalachian Mountain region for commerce, hunting and wars. It examines the Union Army occupation of the region during the American Civil War and the dawn of the large-scale coal mining period in West Virginia."

Archer said chapter two of the book starts with the invention of the internal combustion engine and speeds quickly through the need for modern highways through the mountains.

"The bulk of the book takes place from the late 1940s and the broader national push for turnpikes and an Interstate Highway System," Archer said. "The book covers the development of Tamarack, the expansion of I-64 and efforts to serve the motoring public."

Archer said Randall Hash provided drone images for the book and the Turnpike Authority provided access to an "incredible archive" of the turnpike through the years.

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com

— Contact Charles Owens at cowens@bdtonline.com. Follow him @BDTOwens