David Sibray

David Sibray is the founder, publisher and editor-in-chief of West Virginia Explorer, a news and travel magazine devoted to the state’s history, tourism, outdoor recreation and economic development. For more information, he may be reached at 304-575-7390 or at editor@wvexplorer.com
The historic hotel standing at Burnt House occupies the site where an earlier residence burned and gave the Ritchie County community its name, according to an early county history. Charred material reportedly found beneath the later building provides additional evidence of an earlier fire at the site. (WVExplorer Illustration)

West Virginia’s Burnt House boasts a famous ghost story, but an old history tells another tale

BURNT HOUSE, W.Va. — For generations, the unusual name of this Ritchie County community has been explained by a dark tale involving murdered travelers, a burning tavern, and an enslaved woman whose ghost reportedly haunted the site. But one of the county’s earliest published histories tells a substantially different story, raising questions about how much … Read more

September view at Dolly Sods Wilderness, Tucker County, Allegheny Highlands Region

Monongahela National Forest sets opening dates for recreation sites

ELKINS, W.Va. — Officials at the Monongahela National Forest have announced the 2024 opening dates for developed recreation sites across the 921,000-acre forest in eastern West Virginia. Campground and picnic shelter reservations for some sites may be made at Recreation.gov, and roadside camping, or dispersed camping, is available in much of the forest year-round. According to … Read more