West Virginia looks for ways to ‘modernize,’ save money on Goldenseal magazine

The West Virginia Department of Tourism says it’s looking for ways to reduce costs and increase readership for Goldenseal, the state’s traditional life magazine that’s been published for 50 years.

Goldenseal was first published in April 1975 by the West Virginia Department of Commerce and the Arts and Humanities Council, according to a history of the magazine posted on the Department of Tourism’s website .

The Department of Tourism, which was combined with the state Department of Culture and History earlier this year, prints the magazine four times a year. Topics range from “labor history, folklore, music, farming, religion, traditional crafts, food and politics.”

In an email to West Virginia Watch, Tourism Secretary Chelsea Ruby said, at its height, the magazine had more than 30,00