David Sibray
WASHBURN, W.Va. — From Otter Slide Creek to Hell-for-Certain Branch, many streams in West Virginia boast interesting placenames, but the name of this scenic brook in Ritchie County is remarkable. Locals call it “shiver-dee-freeze” or something similar, though its origin is undeniably French and hard for the typical English speaker to pronounce — Chevaux de … Read more
BURLINGTON, W.Va. — Railroads in West Virginia are most often associated with the export of coal and timber, but at least one small railway in the state’s eastern panhandle was built for fruit. The Twin Mountains and Potomac Railroad, otherwise known as the “TM&P,” was built to carry fruit from orchards near Burlington, West Virginia, … Read more
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — Occasionally, you might hear old-timers speak of a time when herds of wild hogs were hunted in the West Virginia hills. Chances are, they never witnessed such a hunt, as the practice was a tradition so long ago that they likely heard of it from their grandparents. These hunts would have been … Read more
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — One of the strangest tales to come out of Greenbrier County in West Virginia may be the legend of the Sinking Creek caverns. Little information exists outside of one harrowing account, reprinted here, but that account characterizes the largely uncharted world extending over more than 80 miles just beneath the valley’s surface. … Read more
CREDE, W.Va. — Spring and early summer are peak seasons for deer births, and it’s not uncommon for people to stumble upon a solitary fawn nestled in tall grass, under a tree, or even in their backyard. With no mother in sight, the instinct for many of us is to assume the fawn has been … Read more
POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — America’s quintessential Atomic Age monster, Mothman continues to attract attention in the Ohio Valley, so much so that more than 30,000 visitors attended the annual Mothman Festival in West Virginia. As much as people might know or suspect about the legendary beast, which made its first recorded appearance in 1966, three … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — There is perhaps no more extraordinary place of honor for a statue in West Virginia than in the plaza in front of its state Capitol. And perhaps there is no better statue to raise there than that of Abraham Lincoln, who signed the proclamation that brought the state into being. However, what’s … Read more
PINCH, W.Va. — The legend of a now well-publicized West Virginia monster known regionally as the “White Thing” may have first been documented by a folklore student from Kanawha County in the late 1950s. The tale of the mysterious “malevolent” creature, which was alleged to haunt the hills of western West Virginia, appeared to defy … Read more
BRUCETON MILLS, W.Va. — Twenty-five new campsites have been opened at Coopers Rock State Forest near Morgantown, West Virginia, doubling the number of sites on the 12,747-acre park renowned for its views of the Cheat River canyon. According to Brett McMillion, director of the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources, each new site is equipped with … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Free Fishing Days will return June 7-8, allowing anglers and their families to fish for free in public lakes, streams, and rivers in West Virginia. Brett McMillion, director of the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources, said the annual event has helped anglers pass on the practice to new generations. “One of the … Read more
