History / Prehistory

BIG SANDY VALLEY, W.Va. — Long before West Virginia became a state, before railroads climbed its mountains or highways threaded its valleys, the Appalachian wilderness began where civilization ended. To Americans living in Philadelphia or the young nation’s capital on the Potomac, the mountains beyond the Blue Ridge marked the edge of the known world. … Read more

BEVERLY, W.Va. — Every battlefield has its stories. Some are preserved in military reports and official records, while others endure because generations of local families refused to let them be forgotten. Among the most enduring tales from the Battle of Rich Mountain is that of Confederate Capt. DeLaguel, who, according to Randolph County tradition, spent … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As another round of dangerous summer heat settles across much of the eastern United States, many West Virginians will find relief in the Mountain State’s mountains, forests, and cool streams. Yet history shows that the state has endured some of the nation’s most remarkable heat waves, including two days when temperatures soared … Read more

HOPEVILLE, W.Va. — Towering above the North Fork of the South Branch of the Potomac, Champe Rocks has drawn onlookers for generations. Along with nearby Seneca Rocks, five miles to the southwest, its sandstone fins are among the most distinctive natural landmarks in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Unless they stop to read a … Read more

BERKELEY SPRINGS, W.Va. — It happens often enough that locals know where the conversation is headed. A visitor walks into a shop or hotel and asks a front-desk clerk a seemingly simple question: “So, where is Bath?” The answer usually surprises them: “You’re in Bath.” Although the Morgan County community is widely known as Berkeley … Read more

WHEELING, W.Va. — For nearly a century, a bronze Native American figure standing atop Wheeling Hill has greeted travelers arriving in the Ohio Valley. Known simply as “The Mingo,” the statue is among Wheeling‘s most recognizable landmarks. Thousands of motorists pass it each year without realizing that the monument represents a people whose history is … Read more

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Long before West Virginia became a state, a woman born in Liverpool, England, crossed the Atlantic, settled on the Virginia frontier, survived widowhood amid one of the region’s most violent conflicts, and became one of the best-known figures in Appalachian history. Her name was Anne Bailey. Known to later generations as … Read more

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Today, visitors standing at the overlook in Grand Vue Park can see the broad basin surrounding Grave Creek Mound, the largest conical burial mound in the United States. From this vantage point, they can perhaps begin to imagine the prehistoric landscape that once occupied the valley. According to archaeologist Hank D. Lutton, … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — William C. Marland was one of the most fascinating and tragic figures in West Virginia’s political history. Elected governor in 1952 at age 34, he was considered a rising star whose intelligence, charisma, and reform agenda made him one of the state’s most promising leaders. Born in 1918 in Johnston City, Illinois, … Read more

WHEELING, W.Va. — As communities across the Mountain State prepare to celebrate West Virginia Day on June 20, residents are marking more than another state birthday. They are commemorating one of the most unusual chapters in American history. West Virginia turns 163 this year, marking the anniversary of its admission to the Union on June … Read more