Cody Straley
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Authentically West Virginian, Mail Pouch barns are gaining national attention. Now, three roadside barns in West Virginia, painted with the slogan “Chew Mail Pouch,” have been added to the National Register of Historic Places. The
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — Every year around Veterans Day, Professor Josh Keck leads his Mountwest Community and Technical College students and other volunteers on a cleanup at Huntington’s forgotten cemetery. There are several prominent burial grounds within the city, including Spring Hill Cemetery and Woodmere Memorial Park. The one Keck brings his volunteers to, however, is … Read more
QUNNIMONT, W.Va. — The New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in West Virginia is a treasure trove of sights, where forested mountain walls conceal ghost towns, industrial ruins, and lost historical gems. An overlooked monument in the gorge Some sights require more effort to find than others, however, though travelers on WV-41 passing through … Read more
MILTON, W.Va. — Breece D’J Pancake soared like a meteor through the American literary universe in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Kurt Vonnegut wrote of him, “I give you my word of honor that he is merely the best writer—the most sincere writer I’ve ever read.” Who was Breece D’J Pancake? A rising voice … Read more
KENOVA, W.Va. — Every summer for nearly a century, people have flocked to Dreamland Pool in the small city of Kenova, West Virginia. On US-60 in Wayne County, it’s the first landmark drivers encounter when entering West Virginia from Kentucky. It’s also the region’s largest surviving public swimming pool and has long been a source … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — In a landmark moment for historic preservation, the Warwood Historic District in northern Wheeling has officially become the largest area in West Virginia ever nominated to the National Register of Historic Places. This condensed, working-class neighborhood, which comprises a whopping 1,214 individual buildings and structures, surpasses the previous record holder, the nearby … Read more
CHARLESTON. W.Va. — Two-thousand-twenty-four has proven record-breaking for historic preservation in West Virginia. Twenty sites, buildings, and districts were nominated to the National Register of Historic Places—the highest number in 18 years. The listings cover a wide range of historic resources in the state—from farms and cemeteries to monuments and African American sites. According to … Read more
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. — At the corner of Logan and Wayne streets on the north side of town sit two nondescript buildings, one brick and one concrete. They are not much to look at. Some might call them neighborhood eyesores. But these two properties are linked to a fascinating story of perseverance and prosperity during the … Read more
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s newest historical sites is also one of its most unusual. At the heart of the Marshall University campus, a fountain shaped from a mass of green metal rods stretches upward to the sky. A jet of water erupts from its center and empties into a reflecting pool. Generations … Read more
CEREDO, W.Va. — On the south side of Main Street in the Town of Ceredo, West Virginia, a small community along the Ohio River in Wayne County, the Ceredo Historical Society Museum is home to a remarkable artifact. The modest, one-room structure at the end of a row of houses is a vital repository for … Read more
