FAYETTEVILLE, WV (LOOTPRESS) – West Virginia’s first museum dedicated to the iconic pepperoni roll is planned for Fayetteville, in the heart of the New River Gorge.
The small museum will feature two rooms, one housing the museum exhibits and another offering merchandise.
The project is being led by local resident Rachel Adkins, who said the attraction is intended to provide a unique option for visitors and residents, particularly on rainy days.
Adkins is also the artistic mind behind the popular themed vacation rentals Appalachian Escapes.
The museum will be located inside Studio B Art Boutique Wine & Beer Gallery which is moving into the building that also holds Charlie’s Pub on S. Court Street in Fayetteville.
Adkins plans to have the museum open in March.
In a Facebook post announcing the project, Adkins wrote, “We are officially building a tiny museum: The West Virginia Pepperoni Roll Museum! (Yes, I know they were created up north a bit, but no one has made a museum about them so we’re going to do it!)”
According to Adkins, the museum will explore the history of the pepperoni roll and its ties to the state’s coal mining heritage.
“It will tell the history of pepperoni rolls, of course, and their connections to coal mining. But it will touch on a number of other topics related cooking, lives of coal miners and their wives, company towns, scrip, and the challenges and joys of the mountains,” she wrote.
Adkins is also seeking public participation for the exhibits. “I would dearly love to get quotes about pepperoni rolls – or their favorite packed lunches. Triple bonus points if you’re a past or current coal miner – or coal miner’s wife,” she said.
Those interested in contributing are encouraged to submit quotes and recipes. “If you’d like to be in a tiny local museum, please leave a quote below along with the person’s name and either their current age or the dates they were a coal miner,” Adkins wrote.
“Additionally, I’d love to feature local recipes for pepperoni rolls. Triple bonus points if it’s a picture of an old handwritten recipe card.”
A website for the new museum has also been created.
