Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education

05/18/2026

Join us On June 24, 2026 at 7:00 pm in the Byrd Center Auditorium for our second half of our “The Documents that Make Us” series to celebrate the Semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence!

Hosted in partnership with Four Seasons Books, Dr. Robert G. Parkinson will present “Understanding the Declaration of Independence,” an author talk based on his new book, TYRANTS & ROGUES (WW Norton, 2026).

As the nation approaches the Declaration’s 250th anniversary, Parkinson’s work examines the document offering a fresh perspective on America’s founding.
Following the lecture, guests are invited to a book signing and reception. Books will be available for purchase at the event and in advance through Four Seasons Books. For more information visit our website: www.byrdcenter.org/upcoming-events.html

Shepherd University Shepherd University Foundation Shepherd University Department of History Shepherdstown, West Virginia Visit Jefferson County WV Binghamton University W. W. Norton & Company
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05/18/2026

Join us On June 11, 2026 at 7:00 pm in the Byrd Center Auditorium on the campus of Shepherd University as we kick off our “The Documents that Make Us” series celebrating the Semiquincentennial of the Declaration of Independence!

In honor of West Virginia Day, Dr. Kristen L. Bailey will present “Prelude: The Steps Towards Statehood,” a lecture exploring the people and events behind the creation of West Virginia as the nation’s 35th state.

Dr. Bailey is a 2025 PhD graduate of West Virginia University whose work focuses on the West Virginia Statehood movement and the broader political and economic changes of the Civil War era. For more information visit our website: www.byrdcenter.org/upcoming-events.html

This event is free and open to the public.

Shepherd University Department of History Shepherd University Foundation Shepherd University Shepherdstown, West VirginiaVisit Jefferson County WV

05/09/2026

05/09/2026

The Byrd Center Archive has been incredibly fortunate to work with and mentor some absolutely fantastic students this past academic year, and today we watched eight of them Graduate! We miss them already, and cannot wait to see what their futures hold.

Please join us in congratulating: Molly Kaltenbaugh, Linnea Vander Aarde, Dei'Ja Taylor-Mallory, Joanna Schoonover, Josiah Wink, Tabatha Delphi, and (not pictured) Ian Duckstein and Eve Garretson.

02/26/2026

Welcome, Dr. Wesson!

We are pleased to announce that Dr. Cameron B. Wesson has been selected as Shepherd University’s 17th president.

Dr. Wesson brings more than three decades of experience in higher education, including significant leadership roles and a strong commitment to academic excellence, student success, and innovative growth. During the interview process, he engaged with students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community members, and we look forward to the energy and vision he will bring to the University.

Please join us in welcoming Dr. Wesson to the Ram Fam!

Read the full announcement here: https://tinyurl.com/4jfnyv97

12/01/2025

🌟 Giving Tuesday is Tomorrow! 🌟

Support the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education this Giving Tuesday!

Your contribution helps us continue our mission to advance representative democracy through public educational programs and by preserving the priceless archives of congressional and West Virginia history.

Every gift truly makes a difference.

👉 Make your Giving Tuesday donation here:
https://www.byrdcenter.org/online-donations1.html

Thank you for supporting the Byrd Center!

11/08/2025

We were honored to welcome Michael Fanone to the Robert C. Byrd Center for Congressional History and Education.

A former law enforcement officer with 20 years of public service in the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia and the U.S. Capitol Police, Mr. Fanone was awarded the President’s Citizen Medal for his service to the nation.

During his visit, Fanone shared his deeply personal experience from January 6, 2021, describing the challenges faced by law enforcement in Washington, D.C., and at the U.S. Capitol. Mr. Fanone briefly toured our center, guided by our student interns who shared the Center’s work in preserving and promoting the history of Congress and the Constitution.

Established in 1828, the United States Capitol Police has a long history of protecting the home of our nation’s legislative branch. At the Byrd Center, we deeply appreciate their continued dedication and sacrifice in safeguarding the institutions of American democracy.

11/03/2025

We at the Byrd Center were honored to host Dr. Richard Primus and hear his outstanding lecture on his new book, The Oldest Constitutional Question: Enumeration and Federal Power. His in-depth dive into the powers of Congress and the role of the legislative branch in the 21st century was both thought-provoking and insightful. Thank you to everyone in the community who attended!

10/26/2025

On October 26, 1774, the First Continental Congress ended its initial session in Philadelphia with a list of rights belonging to Colonists and...

10/20/2025

Join us for an insightful evening with Dr. Richard Primus as he discusses his latest book, The Oldest Constitutional Question: Enumeration and Federal Power
(Harvard University Press, 2025).

🗓 Thursday, October 30
🕕 7:00–8:30 PM (Doors open at 6:45 PM)

Don't miss this chance to explore timely constitutional ideas with one of the nation's leading legal scholars.

Dr. Richard Primus, the Theodore J. St. Antoine Collegiate Professor of Law at the University of Michigan, teaches the law, theory, and history of the US Constitution. In 2008, he won the first-ever Guggenheim Fellowship in Constitutional Studies for his work on the relationship between history and constitutional interpretation. Primus is now a senior editorial adviser of the Journal of American Constitutional History. The students of Michigan Law have given him the L. Hart Wright Award for outstanding teaching on four separate occasions.

His writing has appeared in many leading law reviews as well as in The New York Times, The Atlantic, Politico, The New Republic, and Foreign Affairs. Opinions of the justices of the US Supreme Court have cited his scholarship. Primus’s most recent book, The Oldest Constitutional Question: Enumeration and Federal Power (Harvard University Press, 2025) is a challenge to decades of conventional wisdom on one of the foundational issues of American constitutional law.

RSVP TODAY:https://www.eventbrite.com/e/book-talk-with-dr-richard-primus-tickets-1708047388719