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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.

The Bank of Huntington, at right, appears in this view of Third Avenue circa 1880, only a few years after four armed men robbed the bank in 1875. The identities of two of the robbers remain uncertain.

Culture

The James Gang supposedly robbed this West Virginia bank, though records are less certain

September 8, 2026 by David Sibray

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — One of West Virginia’s most famous outlaw stories holds that members of the James Gang rode into Huntington in 1875, robbed a bank in broad daylight, and fled toward the mountains with thousands of dollars. The robbery certainly happened, but whether the famous outlaws were responsible remains another matter. Contemporary newspaper accounts, later … Read more

Daniel Boone prepared this survey of ten acres along Crooked Creek in Kanawha County on June 14, 1791. The original manuscript, signed by Boone, is preserved by the West Virginia State Archives. (West Virginia State Archives)

Culture

Daniel Boone lived in West Virginia for years; this document survives in his own hand

September 7, 2026 by David Sibray

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Daniel Boone is remembered as a great figure of the Kentucky frontier, but a surviving document in his own hand illuminates a lesser-known chapter of his life. The famed frontiersman spent years in what’s now West Virginia, where he surveyed land, served in the militia, and represented Kanawha County in the Virginia … Read more

The Ohio River curves through Brickyard Bend at New Cumberland, West Virginia, where more than 20 brick plants once produced millions of bricks for markets across the United States. (Photo by David Sibray)

Culture

This West Virginia town once made the bricks that paved American cities

September 5, 2026 by David Sibray

NEW CUMBERLAND, W.Va. — More than 20 brick plants once crowded what’s now a scenic stretch of the Ohio River, producing millions of bricks shipped to Pittsburgh and to cities hundreds of miles away, transforming a small West Virginia community into a nationally important industrial center. The concentration became so extensive that riverboat crews called … Read more

The West Virginia Heritage Encyclopedia identified Marmaduke Van Swearingen as the Shawnee chief Blue Jacket, preserving a long-standing legend that historical research and DNA evidence later disputed.

Culture

West Virginia legend said a white boy became a Shawnee war chief. DNA told another story

September 2, 2026 by David Sibray

RICHWOOD.. W.Va. — For generations, one of West Virginia’s most remarkable frontier stories held that a white boy born in western Virginia was captured by the Shawnee Indians, adopted their way of life, and eventually became Blue Jacket, one of the most important Native American leaders to resist U.S. expansion into the Ohio Valley. The … Read more

West Virginia Explorer publisher David Sibray examines the Water Panther Stone at Tu-Endie-Wei State Park in Point Pleasant, W.Va. The prehistoric petroglyph has been interpreted as depicting an Underwater Panther, a powerful being represented in Indigenous traditions and rock art.

Culture

Ancient spirit ‘underwater panther’ carved in stone survives in West Virginia

August 30, 2026 by David Sibray

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Sheltered near where the Kanawha River empties into the Ohio, one of West Virginia’s most unusual surviving pieces of prehistoric art stands. Carved into a large stone is the outline of a four-legged creature with a long body and an enormous tail curling inward upon itself. Known today as the Panther … Read more

Autumn At Babcock State Park in West Virginia

Culture

Fall begins Tuesday in West Virginia with temperatures in the mid-90s

August 28, 2026 by Clyde Craig

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Fall officially begins Tuesday for meteorologists, but someone apparently forgot to tell West Virginia’s weather. The first day of meteorological fall is expected to feel decidedly like summer across much of the state. The National Weather Service is forecasting a high near 94 degrees Tuesday in Charleston, following highs around 91 Sunday … Read more

Employees of the Kanawha & Michigan Railway pose with Engine No. 547 in southern West Virginia in 1909, 18 years after the railroad's deadly Fourth of July wreck near Dunbar. (Photo courtesy West Virginia & Regional History Center, WVU Libraries)

Culture

They thought it was morning fog, then this West Virginia train hit a burning trestle

August 28, 2026 by David Sibray

Editor’s note: The following historical account by the late historian Nathan Goff Carter contains graphic descriptions of injuries and death. DUNBAR, W.Va. — On the morning of July 4, 1891, a passenger train departed Charleston for Columbus, carrying families, railroad employees, and excursionists bound for Independence Day celebrations. About eight miles into the journey, engineer Pat … Read more

Star trails sweep above Blennerhassett Mansion during Mansion by Candlelight at Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park. The annual event returns Oct. 9–10, 2026. (Photo courtesy Greater Parkersburg CVB)

Culture

West Virginia’s mysterious island will glow by candlelight for two nights this fall

August 27, 2026 by David Sibray

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — As darkness falls over the Ohio River, a sternwheeler departs from the Ohio shore, carrying passengers toward a West Virginia island lit by hundreds of candles and lanterns. For two nights this October, visitors to Blennerhassett Island Historical State Park will step off the Island Belle into a landscape of period music, dancing, … Read more

Dolly Parton appears in a 1977 RCA Records publicity portrait, during the decade in which she performed at Wheeling's WWVA Jamboree in West Virginia. (Public domain)

Culture

Dolly Parton’s remarkable West Virginia story spanned nearly 60 years

August 25, 2026 by David Sibray

WHEELING, W.Va. — Long before Dolly Parton‘s name began arriving on packages of children’s books in West Virginia homes, the young country singer was coming to the Mountain State to perform. Parton’s documented associations with West Virginia span 57 years, beginning with appearances alongside Porter Wagoner at Wheeling‘s WWVA Jamboree in 1969 and continuing through … Read more

Participants run through a cloud of colored powder during a previous Color Dash for Hope at ACE Adventure Resort near Oak Hill, West Virginia. The 5K returns Saturday, Aug. 29, to raise funds for addiction recovery efforts across Appalachia. Photo courtesy ACE Adventure Resort.

Culture

Colorful New River Gorge 5K returns Saturday to support Appalachian recovery

August 24, 2026 by David Sibray

OAK HILL, W.Va. — Runners and walkers will be showered with colored powder as they cross part of the New River Gorge landscape Saturday during a 5K that raises money for addiction recovery efforts across Appalachia. The Color Dash for Hope returns Aug. 29 to ACE Adventure Resort near Oak Hill, where participants will follow … Read more

Historic town inside national park prepares legal fight to stop demolitions

In 1895, lightning struck a massive West Virginia gas well, which then blew out its own fire

For nearly 60 years, West Virginians have gathered in this park to eat from the wild

West Virginia high school closed for 13 years is becoming apartments

West Virginia power plant rules headed for public hearing

You can now spend the night 80 feet up in a West Virginia fire tower

Small West Virginia nonprofit lands $1.17 million to expand workplace healthcare

Richwood could double historic district at gateway to Monongahela National Forest

The James Gang supposedly robbed this West Virginia bank, though records are less certain

Daniel Boone lived in West Virginia for years; this document survives in his own hand

This West Virginia town once made the bricks that paved American cities

West Virginia legend said a white boy became a Shawnee war chief. DNA told another story

West Virginia brought back a giant native fish that now keeps breaking records

New 18-mile trail is revealing a hidden West Virginia river valley

Six weeks of legendary whitewater are about to begin on the Gauley in West Virginia

West Virginia trails conference looks to turn outdoor recreation into community growth

Culture

The James Gang supposedly robbed this West Virginia bank, though records are less certain

Daniel Boone lived in West Virginia for years; this document survives in his own hand

This West Virginia town once made the bricks that paved American cities

West Virginia legend said a white boy became a Shawnee war chief. DNA told another story

Ancient spirit ‘underwater panther’ carved in stone survives in West Virginia

Fall begins Tuesday in West Virginia with temperatures in the mid-90s

They thought it was morning fog, then this West Virginia train hit a burning trestle

West Virginia’s mysterious island will glow by candlelight for two nights this fall

Dolly Parton’s remarkable West Virginia story spanned nearly 60 years

Colorful New River Gorge 5K returns Saturday to support Appalachian recovery