David Sibray

Until just after the Civil War, large parts of the valley of the Ohio River in what’s now West Virginia were controlled by pirates. Sparsely settled, these marauders in watercraft hid easily in the river’s coves, sporadically raiding ships and riverside communities. The opportunity to plunder along the route, far from civil authority, was extremely … Read more

To see it now, a visitor might hardly guess the Ohio River at Parkersburg was a stretch of river that many boat captains feared. Long ago known as the “Graveyard of the Ohio,” it was considered one of the most dangerous sections on the 981-mile river. Now a popular destination for water recreation—fishing, kayaking, and water … Read more

STRANGE CREEK, W.Va. — Too much time may have passed to confirm anything of the indomitable legend of Strange Creek, long among the most haunting tales in West Virginia history. Few travelers now pass through the old town by that name or ascend the stream  that follows a winding course from the Elk River into … Read more