Fairmont's Woodlawn Cemetery headstone dedication to kick off cultural tourism in Fairmont
Oct. 13—FAIRMONT — Fairmont's historian, Fairmont State University professor Manuel Raymond Alvarez, will bring more history to life here in town throughout this and the coming season. It's part of his plan to turn the city into a hub for historical tourism.
"We have a series of events coming up, but they're really geared toward promoting the fact that the cultural tourism aspect is here," Alvarez said. "History starts here. Help the economy by spending money here. That's the cultural tourism aspect."
Alvarez, who teaches in the college of business at Fairmont State, will hold a headstone dedication at Woodlawn Cemetery on Saturday, honoring a 17-year-old boy who died in 1915. It is the first event, along with a presentation Alvarez plans to give at Fairmont State's Frank and Jane Gabor West Virginia Folklife Center on Oct. 20, where Alvarez will discuss Austrian miners who came to Harrison and Marion counties from 1910 through 1925.
Lydia Warren, director of the Folklife Center, said Alvarez is a common sight at the center. He does a lot of research there about history, cemeteries and genealogy. The center supports the events that Alvarez puts on, and is a rich resource for anyone doing this type of work.
What strikes Warren about the dedication that Alvarez is holding at Woodlawn is for a grave that was forgotten until Alvarez unearthed information about its occupant a few years ago. Until Saturday, the grave was unmarked.
"It's important and significant to remember forgotten people who have passed on, because everybody's story is important," Warren said. "Often, we are left with history that's told by the people who had enough power and money to have a statue made for them, the people who have the ability, who are literate and have the ability to write and publish books and letters. And so I think the most fascinating history and revealing history can sometimes come from the people whose narratives are not captured."
Warren pointed out that back then, the person in the unmarked grave might have been her, as it would have been for most people, since most people aren't rich. Engaging with the history of the common person can teach contemporary people more about themselves. It also shows the progression of time and how things have, or haven't, changed.
"We're all kind of dealing with a lot of the same things and these other people were able to make it," she said. "It can give hope for the future, that we can make it out of whatever struggle or dark period we're going through."
Alvarez also sits on the board of directors for Woodlawn Cemetery.
Nancy Bickerstaff, president of Woodlawn's board of directors, said that the story behind the 17-year-old buried there is one that speaks to her personally. Harold Goodenough played football for a high school in Fairmont, but died in 1915 from Typhoid fever. Bickerstaff has two grandsons, J.D. Smith and Frankie Smith, who played football as well. They are 23 and 21 respectively. They sat Bickerstaff down and made her learn football, which is why she's a fan today. This connection through her grandsons and football resonated between her and Goodenough.
"As a parent, a grandparent and a great-grandmother, I never would forget my child, my children or my grandchildren," she said. "The parents moved to Ohio or somewhere like that. I can understand it will be hard to go through trying to get a monument when you live that far away. Maybe they just forgot. I don't know what happened. I'd like to know what that story is. Those kinds of things just catch me. I have a soft spot for children and teenagers, young people. That's just my nature."
Woodlawn Board Vice President David Smith said that learning stories such as Goodenough's allows people to reflect on how times have changed. Dying of typhoid is nearly unheard of now. However, he pointed out that learning about the people in the cemetery is more than an intellectual exercise. It's a personal, emotional one as well. A connection that he wishes younger people would build with those who have passed.
"So when I grew up to see my aunts and uncles, now it brings back memories," he said. "I can remember things about them. It kind of brings them back whereas, you know, when I wasn't on that cemetery, you never really thought about it much. It would be nice if people started taking a little more interest in it at a younger age. It's when you're ready to retire that these things become a little more important."
Alvarez recently received a grant to train docents, with the goal to have more events at Woodlawn. This might help with Smith's concerns as well as building the cultural tourism that Alvarez wants to see. He's also working on a cookbook with recipes from 1922. It will contain vintage recipes from the wives of educators, coal barons, bankers and more.
"History really starts here," he said.
Reach Esteban at efernandez@timeswv.com
