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NEW CUMBERLAND -- The Oct. 15 lecture in the Hancock County Museum's 2023 Summer Lecture Series will take place at 2 p.m. in the Hancock County Museum at 1008 Ridge Ave., and will be given by local noted author Paul (PJ) Zuros. His talk will be based on his recently published book, "Historic Tales of the Upper Ohio Valley," which is a compilation of his favorite newspaper articles in the series he has written about the history of the area in the upper part of the West Virginia Northern Panhandle and in the Steubenville area, "History in the Hills." He will hold a book signing after the lecture in the museum's dining room.
Zuros was born and raised in Weirton, West Virginia. Raised by parents who were interested in history, he developed his love for the past early on. His interest in local history started when he volunteered with the Hancock County Museum in New Cumberland and then later with the Weirton Area Museum and Cultural Center.
Zuros was graduated from Weir High School and went on to West Virginia University to pursue a degree in History and minor in Public Relations and Italian Studies. While at WVU, he worked for the National Park Service in Richmond, Virginia at the city's Civil War sites. He was graduated from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh with a master's degree in Public History with a concentration in Decorative Arts and Museum Studies. Over the years he has worked with the John Heinz History Center in their library and archive, the Fort Pitt Museum, and the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh. Before returning to the Ohio Valley to take the reins as executive director of Historic Fort Steuben, he was operations manager with the West Virginia Humanities Council and served as the executive director of the Historic Craik Patton House, a historic house museum in Charleston, W.Va. For nearly two years, he has been writing a bi-weekly local history column in the Weirton Daily Times and the Steubenville Herald-Star entitled, "History in the Hills," which has been turned into his book, Historic Tales of the Upper Ohio Valley. He is currently serving as Hancock County Administer. He resides in Weirton with his wife, Abigail, and four beautiful children.
As usual, tours of the museum will be available after the lecture, and refreshments will be provided in the kitchen. The lecture is free and open to the public, although donations are always very much welcomed.