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Amanda Larch HinchmanAmanda Larch Hinchman

Amanda Larch Hinchman is a freelance journalist and editor and graduate of W. Page Pitt School of Journalism & Mass Communications at Marshall University. In her spare time, she enjoys hiking, antique shopping, reading, and baking. She resides in Hurricane. She is a regular contributor to West Virginia Explorer. She can be reached at amandajlarch@gmail.com.
Visitors stroll through the recreated 19th-century village at Heritage Farm Museum and Village near Huntington, West Virginia, the state's only Smithsonian Institution Affiliate. The 150-acre destination combines Appalachian history, artisan demonstrations, wildlife and outdoor adventure.
Landmarks / Museums

Heritage Farm, West Virginia’s only Smithsonian affiliate, belongs on every Ohio Valley road trip

by Amanda Larch Hinchman

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Few travelers expect to find West Virginia’s only Smithsonian Institution affiliate tucked into the hills outside of one of its largest cities. Yet Heritage Farm Museum and Village has become one of Appalachia’s most distinctive destinations, combining seven museums, an interpretive 19th-century village, artisan demonstrations, wildlife encounters, mountain biking, zip lines and … Read more

David Sibray and Amanda Hinchman visit the Criel Mound in South Charleston, West Virginia.
Culture

Prehistoric burial mound in West Virginia contains remarkable secret

by Amanda Larch Hinchman

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rising above the end of this city’s central avenue, the prehistoric Criel Mound—one of the largest burial mounds in West Virginia—has long captivated both onlookers and archaeologists alike. Over the years, its origins have sparked countless theories—ranging from tales of mythic giants to speculation about a lost tribe of Israelites. In … Read more

David Sibray strolls the track around Oakes Field in the shadow of the former Charleston Ordnance Center.
Attractions

Fading memories of a wartime powerhouse: South Charleston’s ordnance plant

by Amanda Larch Hinchman

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Rising behind a series of pleasant neighborhoods, one of the largest manufacturing complexes in West Virginia seems to hide in the landscape of the Kanawha Valley. Now known as the South Charleston Industrial Park, a collection of six massive buildings established as the Charleston Ordnance Center, a naval ordnance plant, played … Read more