About WAMCC

WAMCC Mission

The mission of the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center is to provide through programs of informal education, opportunities for the
local citizens and visitors to be acquainted with the cultural and historic heritage of the greater Weirton area.

This organization shall establish a facitlity to preserve, house, and display historic artifacts and provide programs to serve the public. The
programs shall reflect the cultural, social, commercial, ethnic, spiritual, and historic aspects of the area.

History of WAMCC

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 501(c)(3) nonprofit 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
Since 2011, the Museum has taken residence in the former Home Furniture building, located at 3149 Main Street in downtown Weirton. The building interior and facade were fully renovated and beautified by Dennis Jones and members of the WAMCC board of directors thanks to generous grants from the Pugliese Charitable Foundation and the J.C. Williams Charitable Trust.
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."

WAMCC Logo

The WAMCC Logo, shown above, was designed in 2007 by Dennis Jones, who was Museum Secretary at that time. The logo was composed using Microsoft Office Powerpoint software. The center portion is a photo of the large wooden eagle, which once sat atop the Weirton Steel Employees' Honor Roll, starting in 1944. The eagle is on display at the museum flanked by flags and Howitzer shells, which were manufactured by Weirton Steel Company to help put
an end to World War II.

Use of the WAMCC logo without written permission of the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center is forbidden.

WAMCC Officers

President/Executive Director: Savannah Schroll Guz Vice President: Pamela Makricosta Treasurer: Paul Zuros Secretary: Kim Salter President/Executive Director emeritus: Dennis R. Jones Board Members Edmund DiBacco Ed Giacchino Kalpana Gupta Dr. J. K. Luthra George Pandelios Robert Shirer