Institute, West Virginia
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Institute is an
unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...
on the
Kanawha River The Kanawha River ( ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately 97 mi (156 km) long, in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The largest inland waterway in West Virginia, its watershed has been a significant industrial region of th ...
in Kanawha County,
West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...
, United States.
Interstate 64 Interstate 64 (I-64) is an east–west Interstate Highway in the Eastern United States. Its western terminus is at Interstate 70, I-70, U.S. Route 40 (US 40), and U.S. Route 61, US 61 in Wentzville, Missouri. Its eastern ter ...
and West Virginia Route 25 pass by the community, which has grown to intermingle with nearby
Dunbar Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the Anglo–Scottish border, English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and ...
. As of 2018, the community had a population of 1,489, 54% of whom were African American. The town was founded by a formerly enslaved woman, Mary Barnes. Institute is home to
West Virginia State University West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Color ...
(formerly the ''West Virginia Colored Institute'' and the source of the town's
toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...
) and the West Virginia State Police Academy. Its economy includes several major industrial plants, which have had a number of environmental incidents polluting the local community.


Industry

In August 2008 a chemical plant explosion here killed two and injured eight at the
Bayer CropScience Bayer AG (English: , commonly pronounced ; ) is a German multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company and is one of the largest pharmaceutical companies and biomedical companies in the world. Headquartered in Leverkusen, Bayer's a ...
facility.


History


Prehistoric community

The community is the location of the
prehistoric Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins  million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use o ...
Shawnee Reservation Mound, one of three remaining Adena-era earthwork mounds and
enclosure Enclosure or inclosure is a term, used in English landownership, that refers to the appropriation of "waste" or "common land", enclosing it, and by doing so depriving commoners of their traditional rights of access and usage. Agreements to enc ...
s found in an eight-mile stretch along the river. Also called Fairgrounds Mound and Poorhouse Mound, it is now located within Shawnee Regional Park. The mound is about 20 feet high and 80 feet in basal diameter, but was originally 25 feet high and greater than 80 feet in diameter. In the late 19th century, the
Smithsonian Institution The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
inventoried an Adena-era complex along the Kanawha River that had more than 50 earthwork mounds and ten enclosures. These works were likely built by indigenous peoples from approximately 300 BCE to 200 CE. During a 1902 archaeological exploration by
Gerard Fowke Gerard Fowke (June 25, 1855 – March 5, 1933) was an American archeologist and geologist best known for his studies of Native American mounds.Leahy, Ethel C. ''Who's Who on the Ohio River and Its Tributaries''. Cincinnati: The E.C. Leahy Publishin ...
, a total of 27 fully wrapped mummies were discovered in near perfect conditions due to the unique qualities of the local weather conditions. Most of these mounds have been lost to development in the area, particularly of Charleston."Shawnee Reservation Mound"
Shawnee Reservation Park, hosted on Angelfire.com, accessed 31 Oct 2009


Settlement and history

The community was established on the land of formerly enslaved Mary Barnes. She bequeathed land to her children that became Institute and later the
West Virginia State University West Virginia State University (WVSU) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, land-grant university in Institute, West Virginia, United States. Founded in 1891 as the West Virginia Color ...
. A synthetic rubber plant was constructed in the town during World War II. Located on the campus of West Virginia State University are the historic East Hall and
Canty House Canty House, also known as "The Magnolia," is a historic home located on the campus of West Virginia State University at Institute, Kanawha County, West Virginia. It was built about 1900, as a simply designed, two-story frame farm house. In 19 ...
, both listed on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
in 1988. State legislator and “colored” orphans institute superintendent Howard H. Railey died at his home in Institute.


References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Kanawha County, West Virginia Unincorporated communities in West Virginia Charleston, West Virginia metropolitan area Populated places on the Kanawha River Populated places established by African Americans