In the early 1900s, towns such as South Charleston, Clarksburg, and Salem (Harrison County) were filled with French or Flemish speakers. They were Belgian immigrants, mainly from the Charleroi region, who came to work in the window-glass industry. They brought with them skills that had been centuries in the making--handed down from generation to generation.

As in many cases with the glass industry, their motivation to move to West Virginia was for its cheap natural gas and sand. The Belgians came from an area brimming with coal, steel, and glass factories, similar to West Virginia. They left Europe because jobs were scarce and workers had little say in their workplaces. In the U.S., they found strong unions and got involved in politics, even electing Socialist mayors in some towns. They also kept their culture alive through food, music, clubs, and festivals.

By the 1920s, machines had replaced most skilled glass workers, and large companies took over the industry. However, some jobs, like glass cutting, remained for later generations.

The South Charleston Interpretive Center has a museum exhibit dedicated to the Belgians who founded modern South Charleston.