Goldenseal editor Laiken Blankenship discussed the history of the publication at the Upper Vandalia Historical Society meeting.

Goldenseal editor Laiken Blankenship was the special guest speaker at the quarterly meeting of the Upper Vandalia Historical Society, which was held on Sunday, July 27, at the Bancroft Mission. Goldenseal is a quarterly magazine which is published by the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, and features stories from around the state. The publication focuses on the history, folklore, traditional crafts, music, religion, and politics of West Virginia.

Blankenship, who is a Putnam County resident from Red House Hill, has been the editor of Goldenseal since 2022.

“I like to tell people it’s a magazine about West Virginia written by West Virginians, which I think is great,” Blankenship said. “It is not people coming in and telling our stories for us, but it’s us telling our own stories.”

She discussed the history of the publication, which made its debut in 1975. Before Goldenseal existed, there was Hearth & Fair, a publication to promote the Mountain State Art & Craft Fair held in Ripley. This short-lived publication would later become Goldenseal, named for a medicinal herb which grows in forested areas.

Blankenship encouraged people to submit articles to Goldenseal, although she did point out that since the publication only comes out four times a year, there is a long queue of articles waiting. Goldenseal features West Virginia history from statehood onward, so historical articles must focus on the years following 1863. She also discussed the Goldenseal website, which features a searchable index of topics covered in previous issues, as well as an option to purchase select back issues.

Blankenship expressed concerns about the future of the publication, since the West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History, which was recently absorbed into the Department of Tourism. While the tourism industry is very important to the state, it mainly focuses upon the present, not the history that makes West Virginia what it is. She encouraged everyone to let officials know that the magazine is important to the people of the state.

“The best thing you can do is let the people who are in charge of making these decisions know that these are things you want to see supported and you think are important,” said Blankenship.

For more information about Goldenseal magazine, go to https://wvculture.org/discover/publications/goldenseal

The Upper Vandalia Historical Society meets four times a year to discuss Putnam County and local history. Anyone who has an interest in local history and trivia is invited to attend meetings.

If you have Facebook, you can also become a member of the “Upper Vandalia Historical Society (Putnam County, WV)” group by going to https://www.facebook.com/groups/431246375713984