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ELKINS -- The Beverly Heritage Center is seeking a new executive director, after the resignation of Christoper Mielke last month.
Mielke, who had been in charge of the center since September 2020, resigned to accept a similar position in South Carolina.
He originally moved to Randolph County in 2018 to serve as an AmeriCorps member with the Appalachian Forest National Heritage Area.
Beginning in May, Mielke will be the new curator of exhibits for the South Carolina Military Museum in Columbia, South Carolina.
"This will be a great opportunity for telling new stories and for putting the exhibit design skills I learned in Beverly to good use," Mielke said.
Before moving to the area, Mielke lived in Hungary, where he received his PhD in 2017. He also lived in Jerusalem, where he was a visiting professor at Al-Quds Bard College. Mielke said he moved back to the United States because he had missed life in America.
During his tenure at the Beverly Heritage Center, Mielke opened an escape room in the historic 1841 Randolph County Jail, as well as a branch of the Elkins-Randolph County Library in the upstairs section of the Heritage Center. He also was instrumental in overhauling the permanent exhibits, gift shop and finances in order to keep up during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Chris has led the Beverly Heritage Center to make huge strides improving our professionalism as a museum, and in telling new and lesser known stories," said Phyllis Baxter, board president of Historic Beverly Preservation. "I hope that we can keep up the quality work that Chris has started here and continue to learn from his example."
The Beverly Heritage Center, located in the heart of Beverly, combines four adjoining buildings into one heritage attraction. Those structures include the 1900 Beverly Bank, the 1808 Randolph County CourtHouse, the 1907 Hill Building and the 1856 Bushrod Crawford/McClellan's Headquarters.
"Chris, along with the Library Board of Trustees, were instrumental in pushing forward with the opening of the Beverly Heritage Library Branch," said Ruth Mitchell, director of the Elkins-Randolph County Library System. "He has been a great supporter for the library in making this a reality for the Beverly community.
"As you walk through the Heritage Center, you can see his hard work, dedication and passion for his job. It has been a pleasure getting to know Chris, as well as working with him. He is going to be missed but I wish him the best of luck in his new and exciting venture."
The Beverly Heritage Center, which was developed and continues to be operated as a partnership effort of Historic Beverly Preservation and the Rich Mountain Battlefield Foundation, is seeking applicants for the executive director position. For more information, call the center at 304-637-7424.