By Stephen Smoot
“That’s our soul. That’s who we are . . . Absolutely, our history, our culture, our arts return so much to us.”
On West Virginia Day, Governor Jim Justice, joined by First Lady Cathy Justice and Babydog introduced four new murals located in previously blank spaces known as “lunettes” – half-moon shaped area under the Capitol’s rotunda.
Cass Gilbert, the famed architect of the State Capitol also known for designing the United States Supreme Court building, intended for the open paces to hold murals.
According to Randall Reid-Smith, secretary of arts, culture, and history, as quoted by the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, “they started the west wing in 1924; they started the east wing in 1926; in 1928 they started the front of the building; and in 1929, the Great Depression hit.” He elaborated, saying that “we were reading a letter from Cass Gilbert to Gov. (William) Conley, and there were several things that were not included in the original price tag.”
Much like similar murals in the United States Capitol, “his intention for murals was they were to be historical and allegorical.”
Justice remembered early in his first term that some proposed eliminating much of the budget for the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. He said that some advised him “to get rid of our culture and arts, because we didn’t have the money to fund it, even though it was crumbs.”
Of the murals, the Governor said, “This is something that’s been talked about since the Capitol’s completion in 1932, and here we are nearly 100 years later, finally, getting this project across the finish line. I can’t wait for these to be finished.”
One mural portrays the Battle of Philippi Bridge, part of the first land conflict of the war. The painting shows Union troops rushing across the bridge to attack a Confederate position. Another mural depicts Harpers Ferry as it appeared in 1859 when attacked by John Brown.
A third mural incorporates figures from history into a dramatized depiction of the ideals behind the West Virginia State Seal, including the motto “Montani Semper Liberi.” In this interpretation, Reid-Smith says “you’ll see Abraham Lincoln and (first West Virginia Governor) Arthur I. Boreman, Francis Pierpont, and you’ll see scenes of Wheeling and Charleston.”
The west side mural features Seneca Rocks rising in the background, pushing up into blue skies from a landscape of fall colors. Its title, Shiveree of Seneca Rock, refers to marriage customs that originated in France, then made their way to America through German and Scots-Irish settlers, probably picking up old British Isles and German traditions along the way.
Shiveree (spelled many different ways) referred to a raucous party, or also good-natured harassment, held for a couple getting married. The happy couple’s impending nuptials would be greeted by loud singing, pots and pans crashing together, and even celebratory gunfire.
This tradition in the backcountry coincided with another that historian David Hackett Fischer called “bridal abduction.” Lowland Scotland provided the origin of this tradition where the bride was ceremoniously kidnapped before, sometimes after, the ceremony. Celebration included “volleys, much whooping, and an abundance of kissing, drinking, and high hilarity.”
For the purposes of the mural, the word seems to refer in general to a fun and lively celebration.
Shiveree of Seneca Rock depicts arts, culture, and recreation. Viewers can see figures weaving baskets, stitching quilts, playing music, and dancing. A cardinal, the official state bird, flies toward a figure not included in the original design. That figure, a happy rotund bulldog, appears to be the artist’s nod to West Virginia’s unofficial state canine, Babydog.
The murals highlight important aspects of Mountain State history, arts, and culture. Artists spent two months putting the murals in place on the north, south, east, and west sides of the rotunda. Seneca Rocks occupies the west side.
Four additional murals will be placed in currently blank trapezoid shaped areas near the lunettes by November.