David Sibray
PAX, W.Va. — While the U.S. and Canada turn to the groundhog on February 2 for an end-of-winter forecast, a new online tool created in West Virginia is poised for a stand-off with the scrappy rodent. Created by West Virginia developer Jonathan Moore, the “Early Spring Predictor” uses real-time weather data and historical temperature trends … Read more
ELKINS, W.Va. — The Preservation Alliance of West Virginia is adding the Middleway Historic District in Jefferson County to the West Virginia Endangered Properties List. The measure highlights the risks that could result from the construction and operation of the proposed Mountain Pure water bottling facility by Sidewinder Enterprises. The proposed development by Sidewinder is … Read more
OAK HILL, W.Va. — A new round of grant funding is available for coal heritage projects in the southern West Virginia, provided through the National Coal Heritage Area Authority. Linda Hawkins, a spokesperson for the authority, said the agency is seeking proposals for funding for projects that support community efforts to interpret, preserve, and promote … Read more
HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — The month of May marks the beginning of West Virginia’s rainy season, the time of year when storms build quickly over her mountain forests and come bearing down on her valleys. It was during one such deluge that infamous Irish prize-fighter Yankee Sullivan fought a clandestine match with English rival Bob … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Winter in the rugged mountains of what is now West Virginia could be perilous. An overnight snow squall or a sudden drop in temperature often turned life-threatening without warning. How did settlers endure such harsh conditions? Historians suggest that cooperation among settlers and a quick adaptation to the unfamiliar Appalachian environment were … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — January’s Wolf Moon harks back to a time when the haunting howl of wolves echoed across the Mountain State, the final stronghold of Canis lupus in the eastern United States. According to historical accounts, the last eastern wolf prowled the remote Allegheny Mountains in east-central West Virginia until 1897, when 17-year-old Daniel … Read more
SHADY SPRING, W.Va. — Perched more than 1,400 feet above the New River, the panoramic overlooks of the New River Gorge at Grandview offer views of the world-famous gorge at its widest and deepest. The rock outcrops, shaded by rhododendron, highlight why Grandview is one of West Virginia’s must-see attractions and a crown-jewel of the … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia can be a snowy place. Though not nearly as snowy as Maine or Alaska, it snows much of winter, and winter storms have shaped its culture. This is especially so it the lofty Allegheny Mountains where most of its ski resorts are located. Several key moments, both natural and human-made, … Read more
HINTON, W.Va. — Beneath the surface of clean-flowing streams in West Virginia, a multitude of strange creatures lurk, but none is perhaps more shocking to encounter than the hellbender. Also known as the devil dog, the mud devil, and the Allegheny alligator, its names testify to the strangeness of what turns out to be an … Read more
STANAFORD, W.Va. — No marker commemorates the tragedy, few locals know of the matter, and historians are not fully in agreement about what transpired. Yet, as many as 11 people lost their lives that frigid morning in 1903 in what’s now called the “Stanaford Massacre” or the “Battle of Stanaford.” “No one even bothered to … Read more
