CHARLESTON – The State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) of the West Virginia Division of Culture and History has published “Transportation in the Mountain State by Water, Road, Rail and Air,” a 13-month calendar highlighting how the state’s mountainous terrain, abundant rivers, narrow valleys and dense forests have challenged its people and industries. The public is invited to request a copy of the free calendar while supplies last.

Each month, the calendar focuses upon a different aspect of travel or a structure built to facilitate navigation in West Virginia, including the Staunton to Parkersburg Turnpike, the same route where Confederate General Albert G. Jenkins led his men to occupy Weston in Lewis County and destroyed the telegraph line during the Civil War; The Wheeling Suspension Bridge, the first bridge to be constructed across the Ohio River; the Great Bend Tunnel in Summers County, which took 800 to 1,000 men and boys, including the legendary John Henry, three years to cut through more than one mile of solid rock; the Capon Springs Resort in Hampshire County and Old Sweet Springs Resort in Monroe County; the Rumsey Monument in Jefferson which commemorates James Rumsey’s successful use of steam to power a boat engine on the Potomac River in 1787; the Sloan-Parker House and Travelers Rest in Hampshire County, which both served as a stagecoach stop on the Northwestern Turnpike and more.

To request a free copy of the calendar, write to West Virginia Division of Culture and History, 2012 Calendar, The Culture Center, 1900 Kanawha Boulevard E., Charleston, W.Va. 25305 or call Conni McMorris at 304-558-0240 or email her a conni.l.mcmorris@wv.gov. “Transportation in the Mountain State by Water, Road, Rail and Air” 2012 calendar was funded in part by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

With the leadership of the West Virginia Department of Education and the Arts, Kay Goodwin, cabinet secretary, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History brings together the state’s past, present and future through programs and services in the areas of archives and history, the arts, historic preservation and museums. Its administrative offices, led by Commissioner Randall Reid-Smith, are located at the Culture Center in the State Capitol Complex in Charleston, which also houses the state archives and state museum. The Culture Center is West Virginia’s official showcase for the arts. The agency also operates a network of museums and historic sites across the state. For more information about the Division’s programs, visit www.wvculture.org. The Division of Culture and History is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.