West Virginia culture is a captivating blend of rich Appalachian traditions and vibrant high culture infused with the jazz of surrounding U.S. cities like Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The state is renowned for its deep-rooted Appalachian heritage, which is showcased through folk music, storytelling, and traditional crafts such as quilting and woodcarving. Visitors can experience this authentic culture at local festivals and heritage museums throughout the Mountain State. At the same time, West Virginia also embraces high culture, with world-class performances at the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed theater productions at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, and art exhibitions at the Huntington Museum of Art. This unique mix of mountain traditions and refined artistic offerings makes West Virginia a true cultural gem in the heart of Appalachia.
MONTGOMERY, W.Va. — If you grew up in southern West Virginia, you might have heard old-timers speak of the mysterious stone walls on Armstrong Mountain, strange ruins hidden in the woods just beyond the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Handed down as fireside tales, stories of their construction and purpose may have become … Read more
BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — Le Sage Natural Water, of Lesage, has been awarded a silver medal for its purified water at the 36th annual Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting competition in the eastern panhandle of the Mountain State.The world’s most prestigious and longest-running water competition, more than 100 entries from five continents competed this year … Read more
PHILIPPI, W.Va. — Did Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis secretly meet in what is now West Virginia just days after the first land battle of the Civil War? It is a question that’s lingered for more than a century and a half, whispered in local lore, debated by historians, and preserved in the pages of … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — West Virginia can be a snowy place. Though not nearly as snowy as Maine or Alaska, it does snow for much of winter, and winter storms have shaped its culture. This is especially so in the lofty Allegheny Mountains, where most of its ski resorts are located. Several key moments, both natural and … Read more
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — At least two mysteries tangle in the tale of the Neerly house. What happened to the house? What happened to “old man Neerly? And where did the late folklorist Ruth Ann Musick encounter the legend? The following version of the West Virginia tale appears in the West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia, edited and … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — By mid-January, many West Virginians will notice a subtle but welcome change: daylight is beginning to stretch a little longer each afternoon. That small gain of sunlight can create the impression that winter is already easing its grip. Meteorologically speaking, however, the opposite is true. January 15 is widely recognized by climatologists … Read more
SKULL RUN, W.Va. — A traveler motoring through the pastures in this wooded section off the Ohio River might have little idea of the dark tales that have arisen there. With its grazing cattle, it seems a world away from warfare, but according to the late historian Nathan Goff Carder, its red clay isn’t all … Read more
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — In the hills and river bottoms of Marion County in north-central West Virginia, stories have long circulated that blur the line between frontier memory and myth. Few are as strange or as enduring as a tale recorded by the late historian Glenn D. Lough in his book “Now and Long Ago: A … Read more
KEYSER, W.Va. — One of America’s most enduring holiday songs—and the animated television specials it inspired—has roots that trace back to the snowy Allegheny Mountains in West Virginia.Though its lyrics never name a place, “Frosty the Snowman” was co-written by a native of northern West Virginia, and its origins are closely tied to the winter … Read more
PRINCETON, W.Va. — In 1872, when the name Frank James still carried the weight of fear and notoriety across the border states, the older brother of Jesse James quietly rode into Princeton, West Virginia, and walked straight into the Bank of Princeton—not to rob it, but to study it. The incident, preserved in a March … Read more
