The West Virginia Botanic Garden, Inc. (WVBG) will celebrate the centennial of the Tibbs Run Reservoir on Saturday, May 19th, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. at the botanic garden. This event is free and open to all. The WVBG is located at 1061 Tyrone Road in Morgantown. Tyrone Road runs between Route 7 and Route 857, west of Cheat Lake.
The highlight of the program will be the “unveiling” of eight new signs to interpret the history of bringing clean water to Morgantown and the development of the reservoir, which served Morgantown residents from 1912 to 1969. These permanent signs will make the botanic garden an outdoor museum that interprets the remaining reservoir structures such as the main dam, diversion dam, and spillway, in addition to being a place where visitors can enjoy an old-growth forest and beautiful designed gardens.
There will be a brief formal program at 1:30 p.m. Ralph Lemley was the long-time reservoir caretaker, and his family members will share stories about him during the program and when you visit the sign for the Lemley home at the site of the WVBG Eclectic Garden. Tim Ball, general manager of the Morgantown Utility Board, will also speak. After the program, visitors can enjoy refreshments and walk around the Reservoir Loop Trail to see the signs. This trail is .72 miles long and is accessible to those with disabilities.
The botanic garden is open daily, free of charge, from dawn to dusk. For more information about the May 19th program and the West Virginia Botanic Garden, go to www.wvbg.org.
This project is being presented with financial assistance from the West Virginia Humanities Council, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations do not necessarily represent those of the West Virginia Humanities Council or the National Endowment for the Humanities.
