David Sibray
HEROLD, W.Va. — The mountains that tower above the Birch River bear the brunt of winter storms that sweep across central West Virginia, and it was here on a snowy night that a legendary battle between man and nature was fought. The legend has grown obscure, but there’s little dispute that Bill Barnett was a … Read more
SINKS GROVE, W.Va. — Unknown to many residents of the Greenbrier Valley in southern West Virginia, a six-mile crack in the surface of the earth has been hiding beneath their feet. Visible only from the air, the “Monitor Lineament” is one of the strangest landforms in this scenic landscape of bluegrass pastures, vanishing brooks, and … Read more
WEIRTON, W.Va. — When pioneers and other explorers first ventured into what would become West Virginia, they encountered artifacts of a much earlier age — carvings, burial mounds, and stone walls, the origins of which natives could not explain with certainty. Petroglyphs inscribed in rock featuring human and animal figures were perhaps the most striking … Read more
WITCHER CREEK, W.Va. — It wasn’t long ago that country folk in West Virginia might tell tales of a turkey witch. Of all the forms a witch could take, that of a wild turkey was the most feared, especially among the farms at the edge of the deep forests where turkeys are most at home. … Read more
GILBERT, W.Va. — As the tale goes, folks in the neighborhood of Codger Town in Wyoming County were haunted by a thundering rumble, the origins of which were attributed to a ghost they called “Old Thump.” Reuben Mitchell heard it himself as a boy in the ’60s. “I’ll never forget it! One night, I was … Read more
MOOREFIELD, W.Va. — Tales of supernatural lights are not uncommon in the Appalachian Mountains. While science has dispelled some of these phenomena, the lore remains, and one example in West Virginia has yet to be studied and solved. In the case of the Brown Mountain Lights of western North Carolina, scientist George R. Mansfield in … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In West Virginia, nature has provided an unmatched setting for wildlife portraiture. With a plentiful population of critters and dramatic and diverse scenery, it’s a cornucopia for artists who strive to capture wildlife in paint and pigment. Artists who wish to share their work with a perpetually appreciative audience are invited to … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated in West Virginia before being celebrated nationally, thanks to a politician who hoped to provide some potential for peace during the U.S. Civil War. The anniversary of the first Thanksgiving was not nationally celebrated until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared a day of “thanksgiving and praise” to … Read more
ELKINS, W.Va. — West Virginia has been asked to furnish a second Christmas tree to Washington, D.C., this year — to appear on the Ellipse near the Washington Monument. While a first tree is being delivered to the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol, a second tree has been raised at the White House near … Read more
GLEN JEAN, W.Va. — According to National Park Service officials, a forest fire that has swept over more than 2,000 acres in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve in southern West Virginia is now at 70 percent containment. Known as the Steep Valley Fire, it continued to burn in the War Ridge and … Read more
