David Sibray
FORT GAY, W.Va. — A West Virginia high school that closed 13 years ago is being converted into apartments, offices and community space, giving a new purpose to a landmark that has stood in this small Wayne County town since 1931. Eight affordable apartments on the second floor of the former Fort Gay High School … Read more
HILLSBORO, W.Va. — A star-filled sky above a Civil War battlefield, a magnolia warbler among the leaves, and a dog cooling off in a mountain stream are among five photographs selected this year to capture summer in West Virginia’s state parks and forests. The winning images were taken at five destinations across the state and came … Read more
LANSING, W.Va. — Two unbanded peregrine falcons have been confirmed at the New River Gorge Bridge, an encouraging development nearly two decades after conservationists began an ambitious effort to restore the species to the central Appalachians. Bridge Walk guides, who lead tours along the catwalk beneath the landmark span, observed the two birds together Monday … Read more
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Sheltered near where the Kanawha River empties into the Ohio, one of West Virginia’s most unusual surviving pieces of prehistoric art stands. Carved into a large stone is the outline of a four-legged creature with a long body and an enormous tail curling inward upon itself. Known today as the Panther … Read more
GLENVILLE, W.Va. — In a West Virginia county with fewer than 8,000 residents, a $26 million university development is about to make its most visible public debut. Glenville State University will dedicate the new Ike and Sue Morris Stadium on Thursday, opening the centerpiece of a health, fitness and athletics complex whose significance extends well … Read more
Editor’s note: The following historical account by the late historian Nathan Goff Carter contains graphic descriptions of injuries and death. DUNBAR, W.Va. — On the morning of July 4, 1891, a passenger train departed Charleston for Columbus, carrying families, railroad employees, and excursionists bound for Independence Day celebrations. About eight miles into the journey, engineer Pat … Read more
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — As darkness falls over the Ohio River, a sternwheeler departs from the Ohio shore, carrying passengers toward a West Virginia island lit by hundreds of candles and lanterns. For two nights this October, visitors to Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park will step off the Island Belle into a landscape of period music, dancing, … Read more
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. — For six weekends beginning in September, controlled releases from Summersville Dam will turn the Gauley River in West Virginia into one of the world’s premier whitewater destinations. Veteran river guides say this year’s unusually wet conditions could add another variable to the celebrated fall season. The 2026 Gauley Season begins Sept. 11 … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — Long before Dolly Parton‘s name began arriving on packages of children’s books in West Virginia homes, the young country singer was coming to the Mountain State to perform. Parton’s documented associations with West Virginia span 57 years, beginning with appearances alongside Porter Wagoner at Wheeling‘s WWVA Jamboree in 1969 and continuing through … Read more
PIPESTEM, W.Va. — West Virginia communities seeking ways to attract residents, expand outdoor recreation, and turn existing natural and industrial resources into economic assets will be the focus of a statewide trails conference planned for November. The West Virginia Trails Conference is scheduled for Sunday, Nov. 8, through Tuesday, Nov. 10, at Pipestem Resort State … Read more
