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Collection

Oil Lamps

The Watts Museum’s collection includes approximately 50,000 objects, photographs, and archival documents. Our artifacts represent a range of industries across West Virginia–from a rescue apparatus used at the Sago mine disaster in Upshur County, to early-nineteenth-century glassware manufactured in the northern panhandle, and oil samples drilled from wells in the Little Kanawha River Valley.

Our permanent collection continues to grow through donations and bequests. Due to storage limitations, the museum selectively accepts historical objects and documents that support its mission and collecting policy. 


    • Directions

    • Enter the address you’re arriving from in the text field to get personalized directions to the Watts Museum.

    • Parking

    • Parking permits are available for visitors of the Watts Museum. Please call 304.293.4609 in advance of your visit to reserve a parking permit for your vehicle. Permits are not needed on Saturdays. Visitors may also park in the Coliseum parking lot (no permit necessary) and take the shuttle or walk to the Mineral Resources Building.

    • Hours

    • Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 1pm – 4pm

      Call 304.293.4609 for an appointment

      Closed in August for installation of new exhibit

    • *Please note that the Watts Museum is closed on WVU holidays.

      These holidays include: Martin Luther King Day, Good Friday, Memorial Day, WV Primary Election Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, the Saturday before Thanksgiving through the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and the Saturday before Christmas through the Saturday after New Year's Day.