Prehistoric Sites

Criel Mound, South Charleston

Prehistoric landmarks in West Virginia had long suffered from neglect and destruction, chiefly as a result of prejudices and misunderstandings, though in recent years they have come to the forefront of heritage tourism and are now taking their rightful place as monuments that memorialize peoples whose existence has otherwise been lost.

Before the era of significant European influence, many native peoples occupied the lands that are now West Virginia in great numbers, establishing settlements throughout the valley regions where agricultural endeavors were most easily carried out.

The most obvious indication of their habitation are burial mounds, many of which still dominate the landscape in the valleys of the Ohio, Kanawha, and Monongahela rivers. The Grave Creek Mound in Moundsville, in South Charleston, and Camden Park Mound in Huntington are among the largest and best known examples, though hundreds of mounds may yet exist.

Though not as obvious, native residents also left a record of their habitation in the form of petroglyphs — carvings rendered in stone, many of which feature stylized images of beasts and even human figures.

Here follows a list of protected landmarks of prehistoric and proto-historic age. Others exist, but to help provide protection, we have not included them here.

NOTE: If you choose to visit this or any other petroglyph in West Virginia, officials at the W.Va. Division of Culture & History request that you please refrain from touching the rock. Oils in human skin can cause the rock to more quickly erode.

Prehistory

The largest of the two Oak Mounds rises overlooks the West Fork River.

Three little-known facts about West Virginia's moundbuilders

Charity Moore -
The term “moundbuilder” is often used to describe two ancient cultures that archaeologists now know as the Adena and the Hopewell. These peoples lived...
Cairn on a West Virginia ridge. Photo courtesy Charity Moore.

Some mysterious W.Va. rock features may have sacred origins

Charity Moore -
Editor's Note: If you're familiar with the outdoors in West Virginia, you've likely seen rocks piled in what might seem "the middle of nowhere."...
A historic marker along U.S. 60 promotes the location of the Mount Carbon Walls.

Ancient stone walls on Armstrong Mountain no old-timer's tale

David Sibray -
If you grew up listening to the lore of old-timers in southern West Virginia, chances are you've heard of mysterious stone walls atop Armstrong...
The West Virginia Turnpike follows part of an ancient warpath through the West Virginia hills.

Legend of ancient warpath along the W.Va. Turnpike is fact

David Sibray -
Older folks who live in the valley of Paint Creek may recall legends about how the stream was named: an ancient warpath followed it...
Forests in what became West Virginia were managed in ways we're only beginning to understand.

Ancient West Virginia forests once a mosaic of landscapes

David Sibray -
Historians once assumed that West Virginia had been shaded by a vast unbroken forest, but an expert on old forests in the Mountain State...