Introduction

This website is my research project for West Virginia University's Regional Research Institute and the Research Experience for Undergraduates Program. My research focused on the Wharf and Warehouse District of Morgantown, West Virginia. I chose to study this area because little research has been done concerning the Wharf District and, at this time, the area is at the center of a major revitalization program in Morgantown. I wanted to record the changes in the geography of this area throughout history. In addition, I wanted to make the results easily accessible to the public by creating this website.

The website has been divided into five sections: History of the Morgantown area, Birth of the Wharf District, Decline of the District, Gentrification, and Resources. The History section provides a brief overview of the settlement and development of Morgantown. The next section describes Morgantown's growth and the need to incorporate more land into the city, which led to the rise of South Morgantown. This is followed by a section describing the factors leading to the destruction of buildings in the Wharf District and its eventual decline. Gentrification and revitalization of the district's economy is discussed next. Lastly, the Resource page contains a list of sources I used throughout the project, the VRMLs of the area, and a brief oral history given by Kenneth Carvell, a local historian and former professor at West Virginia University.

The numerous histories written concerning Morgantown's past mention little of South Morgantown, now more commonly known as the Wharf District. Currently, a major revitalization program centers on this district. This research focuses on three time periods: the Wharf District's development beginning with Morgantown's industrial revolution from 1886 to 1927, its decline due to the closing of the railroads (1970-1990), and its present gentrification (1990s). The study area includes the land between Decker's Creek and Warren Street on the north and south sides and the Monongahela River and Bridge Street (the present day Don Knotts Boulevard) on the east and west. Finding information for this research was difficult due to the nature of the area. The Wharf District, as Kenneth Carvell notes, emerged as the location of warehouses for storing supplies transported by the railroad. The area attracted little attention during its peak because it was an area of necessity, not beauty. Therefore, photographs are scarce.