ELKINS — The Randolph County Historical Society will celebrate its 100-year anniversary with a banquet at the end of the month.

The centennial celebration will take place Jan. 31 at the Oxley House at the Tygart Hotel, with the event beginning at 6 p.m. and dinner served at 6:30, followed by a historical presentation program. Tickets for the event must be reserved through the Randolph County Historical Society by Jan. 22. Net proceeds will support the Historical Society.

In January, 1925, the Randolph County Historical Society celebrated its founding with a “first annual” banquet at the Tygart Hotel in Elkins, according to a press release from the Randolph County Historical Society.

Covering the 1925 event, The Inter-Mountain wrote at the time, “From a standpoint of interest, improvement, and learning it has not been surpassed at any time in our city.”

The evening’s program, titled “Speakin’ Easy at the Tygart,” will be presented by Historical Society president Don Teter.

Teter will bring examples from Randolph County history together to “explore the ups and downs of the Tygart Hotel, along with some of the ‘Speakin’ Easy’ happenings in Elkins in the 1920s,” according to the release.

“The country was in the midst of the turmoil of Prohibition at the time, and Teter will share some of those challenges,” the release states. “Of particular interest is the story of Charles Darwin Gillispie, a questionable Tucker County businessman, whose efforts to achieve mainstream success by building the Hotel Gassaway, later renamed the Tygart, led to a small fortune at first, but later to bankruptcy.”

According to the release, the Centennial Banquet’s “20s inspired menu” will feature a choice of New York strip or airline chicken, house salad and rolls, roasted asparagus, herb crusted potatoes, with pecan cinnamon rolls or cheesecake for dessert.

Tickets are available online at randolphhistoricalwv.org, or by mail with a check, names and contact information for attendees, and entrée choice to RCHS, PO Box 342, Elkins, WV 26241. 

For more ticket information, contact Logan Smith at jlogansmith@hotmail.com.

For information about the evening’s program, Teter can be contacted at 304-642-1221 or at donald.teter@fairmontstate.edu.

For more information, email randolphcountymuseum@gmail.com or call 304-636-6182 ext 1.