Potomac State College

Founded in 1901 as West Virginia Preparatory School to address a need in the area for quality secondary education, Potomac State College has since become a regional campus of West Virginia University. Throughout its one hundred years of excellence, the school has shaped the hearts and minds of countless students, faculty, and staff, and become an integral and beloved part of the local community of Keyser in eastern West Virginia. In Potomac State College, vintage photographs and other visual memorabilia tell the story of this developing institution, from sororities and sports teams to homecomings and bonfires, May Courts and graduations to clubs and, of course, classes. Noteworthy alumni such as Henry L. Gates Jr. and Admiral Joseph Lopez are featured, as well as important figures in the college’s history such as Coach “Horse” Lough, Dr. Elizabeth Atwater Alexander, “Ikey” Dayton, and Ernest E. Church. With a century of success behind them, the men and women of Potomac State College move into the next century with a continuing commitment to face new challenges and achieve personal goals.