The history and prehistory of West Virginia reveal a fascinating journey from ancient Native American cultures to its role in America’s story. Prehistoric sites, such as the Grave Creek Mound, showcase the region’s mound-building cultures that left behind impressive burial mounds and earthworks. Later, European settlers ventured into the rugged Appalachian Mountains, forging frontier communities and thriving amidst challenging terrain. During the American Civil War, West Virginia famously seceded from Virginia to remain loyal to the Union, becoming the 35th state in 1863. Coal mining played a vital role in shaping West Virginia’s economy and identity, fueling America’s industrial growth and leaving a lasting legacy in the state’s communities and culture. Today, visitors can explore historic towns, Civil War battlefields, and preserved pioneer homesteads that tell the rich, enduring story of West Virginia’s resilient spirit and deep mountain roots.
Falling leaves in autumn reveal a landscape in which old farms, ghost towns, and other historic sites have been cloaked through summer. That’s why it’s a favorite time for rangers and historians in southern West Virginia who wait all year for the region’s annual Hidden History Weekend, during which more than a dozen special hikes … Read more
West Virginia Archives and History will present a series of four hour-long lectures regarding West Virginia during the Civil War on Saturday, Sept. 28, in Charleston, West Virginia. During an hour-long break between the morning and afternoon sessions, attendees will have an opportunity to inspect Civil War artifacts from the personal collections of presenters and … Read more
Survival on the Appalachian frontier required unique skills around which the fourth annual Mountain Games competition September 21 at Heritage Farm near Huntington, West Virginia, has been built. A Smithsonian affiliate, the farm—which includes 15 hewn-log structures, seven award-winning museums, an artisan center, and five log-cabin inns—has expanded the fourth-annual competition to include eight events, … Read more
Appalachian writer and former gubernatorial candidate Visitor Center at Bramwell, WV[/caption] While producing an amateur musical comedy in Baileyton, Alabama, Colley met a mountain woman whose style and talk became the basis for the character, who greeted audiences with the catchphrase, “How-w-w-DEE-E-E-E! I’m just so proud to be here!” The character first appeared on the Grand … Read more
In June 1775, Colonel William Morgan hosted a barbeque just outside Shepherdstown, West Virginia, at what’s now known as Morgan’s Grove Park. The event marked the beginning of a march over more than 600 miles to join George Washington’s Continental Army in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The beginnings of the Bee Line March will again come to … Read more
Bacontown, Battleship, Black Oak Bottom — though they no longer exist, these vanished communities are among nearly 300 towns that historian Carl Wolfe has cataloged in Raleigh County. And he’s asking past and present county residents to help find more. Having witnessed the boom-and-bust economy of coal mining, Raleigh County, in southern West Virginia, is … Read more
Historians from West Virginia State University are seeking historical information about the Wolf Creek plateau area in central Fayette County, particularly the 1,000-acre Wolf Creek Park development between Oak Hill and Fayetteville, West Virginia. According to Billy Strasser, a spokesman for the New River Gorge Trail Alliance, the team is conducting a research project and … Read more
Red heart-shaped bathtubs gained world fame in the ’70s in Pocono resorts, and now three of these mementos of American romance are attracting a new clientele in West Virginia. Three tubs have made their way into luxury vacation cabins among the national parks of southern West Virginia, where they’ve become exceptionally popular draws, according to … Read more
Scheduled for the weekend of Jan. 19-21, the annual Winter Wonder Weekend this year at North Bend State Park will feature hiking, crafts, and activities—all with a 1960s theme. Emily Fleming, deputy director of the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources, which sponsors the annual event, said the 1960s was an exciting decade in Ritchie County … Read more
On January 1, 1853, the first train arrived in Wheeling, West Virginia, (then Virginia) on the newly completed Baltimore & Ohio Railroad, the first rail line linking the Atlantic seaboard with the Ohio River. The event was groundbreaking—not only for what would become northern West Virginia, but for the nation. For more than a quarter … Read more
