About WAMCC
 
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                                    A Humble Beginning
The Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center had its humble beginning in
the year 1984, when June Eiselstein, former Director of the Mary H. Weir
Public Library, applied for a grant and held a series of community meetings.  
The purpose of the meetings was to establish a museum in Weirton to preserve
the story of Weirton Steel Company and the rich history of our local area.  
Those who remained dedicated to this cause helped the museum begin to take
shape in the year 2002, when our first Treasurer, Richard Reinard, Sr., applied
for our 501C3 Non-Profit status.  Also, under the museum's first President,
Victor Greco, WAMCC acquired many historical items from Weirton Steel
Corporation, including Employee Bulletins, photography, paintings, and 16 mm
movies.  Since there was no museum building available, it was necessary to store
and display these items at various locations throught the city.

                         Our First Museum Building
After many years of a "Museum Without Walls" the members of the Weirton
Area Museum and Cultural Center met on May 22, 2006, and decided to find
a small building location, which could provide enough room to display
(on a rotational basis) items that depicted Weirton's rich History and Culture.  
On July 1, 2006, after the Independence Day Parade, the Weirton Area
Museum and Cultural Center opened its doors for the first time at 3393 Main
Street in Weirton.  The site was previously used as Nathan and Johnny's Hot
Dog Shop and earlier used by Carr Photo.  With the new building, our
membership was faced with the hard reality of paying the bills.  Thanks to
Senator Bowman, state digest money was available to pay for supplies, but
the rent and utilities were not covered by these funds.  The following
members volunteered to take turns paying $450 rent for the first several
months:  Victor Greco, Ron Kinney, Dr. J. K. Luthra, and Dennis Jones.
The Museum Board of Directors later voted to grant these individuals lifetime
memberships in WAMCC.  

                                    Recent Years
In December of 2006 and through early 2008, WAMCC's treasury was boosted
by over sixty $200 sponsorships in the Weirton Area History Game, which was
under development.  Additional contributions were made to WAMCC from
individuals, businesses, and organizations.  In July of 2008, WAMCC began
receiving money from the Hancock County Commissioners to cover the cost
of utilities and expenses for the Museum.  The Top of West Virginia,
Convention and Visitors Bureau had also moved in to share the building at
3393 Main Street with WAMCC.  The two organizations compliment each
other very well in their public provision roles.  

Since its opening in 2006, thousands of families, individuals, and tourists from
around the world have visited our Museum.  A few of the original Museum
founders (Victor Greco, Richard Reinard, Sr., and Pamela Makricosta) remain
as active WAMCC members today.  As the interest in Weirton's unique history
continues to grow and we search for a larger facility, we salute the men and
women, who have worked so hard "Preserving Our History and Culture for
Future Generations."  

For additional information about WAMCC, including the many community
activities, please refer to the newsletters and annual reports section of this
website click here for newsletters and annual reports .