Who are we and why are we doing this photographic survey?

My name is Michael Elyard and Beth is my lovely wife.  I was born and raised in Clarksburg, WV. As I was growing up, our family traveled throughout West Virginia and I was exposed to many interesting and historical locations.  Unfortunately, I was not interested in history as a young student, and did not research our state’s vast history past purely superficial levels. 

After leaving the state for over 20 years as I served in the US Air Force, Beth (originally from Wisconsin) and I returned to West Virginia in 2008 as our son, Spencer, attended WVU.  As I explored the state on my motorcycle, I became more and more interested in the historical markers along the roadsides.  When I contacted Joe Geiger at the WV Archives and History with questions about the markers, we developed a friendship based on our mutual interest. 

I soon discovered his office wanted to go out and survey all of the markers throughout the entire state, but lacked the manpower, time, and resources.  In 2009, in a rare moment of brilliance, I suggested that I ask my fellow riders around the state to seek out and photograph all 700+ remaining markers.  Soon, I had the help of over a dozen riders who were searching back roads and byways for old markers. Over the next few years, our group managed to photograph 835 markers, many of which had been listed as missing. 

Since we finished that project, hundreds of old markers have been repaired/replaced and 160 new Sesquicentennial Markers have been added.  I thought it was time for an updated photo survey.  Beth and I have wanted to explore more of West Virginia, so we decided to take the challenge of traveling out to all 55 counties and photographing the 1,000+ markers on the current list.  We know it will probably take several years, so there will be empty pages as this is a work in progress.  We hope you enjoy the site, and we hope it encourages you to get out and explore!