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Hollow of History: Women of West Virginia

2026 Graduate Student Exhibit Award Winner
On Display: Fall 2026 - Spring 2027 | Downtown Library Graduate Commons Room
Curated by: Kendall T.W., WVU Department of History
Exhibition Talk & Presentation: Spring 2027 (Date and time TBA)

"Each West Virginia hollow is rich with history; this exhibition exposes another precious fissure rich with educational minerals." — Kendall T.W.

"Hollow of History: Women of West Virginia" is an exhibition celebrating four extraordinary women and their monumental contributions to the Mountain State through artistry, advocacy, and academia. The exhibit, held within the WVU Downtown Library, centers on their crucial legacies to firmly integrate their names into the lexicon of West Virginia’s most celebrated historical figures. 

Dr. Ancella Bickley and Dr. Brucella Jordan, historians and poets, and Anna McCright and Elizabeth Harden Gilmore, educational and community leaders. Notably, three of these historic figures: Drs. Bickley, Jordan, and McCright are proud WVU alumni. 

The exhibit invites viewers to think about well-known and lesser-known West Virginian historical figures. The public and collective memory of West Virginia would remain incomplete without these trailblazing women.

Related Digital Resources:
African American Family Tree Museum
The Norman Jordan African American Arts & Heritage Academy
The Dr. Ancella Bickley Collection at WVU Libraries West Virginia and Regional History Center
The Elizabeth Harden Gilmore House (National Park Service)
WV Humanities Council History Alive! Program"

Photo of Ancella Radford Bickley, likely taken when she was the VP of Student Affairs at West Virginia State University.