History / Prehistory

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Throughout this publication, you’ll see West Virginia abbreviated in two ways: “WV” and “W.Va.” This is intentional. We follow journalistic guidelines that emphasize clarity, even if it means using different forms depending on context. Which abbreviation for West Virginia is correct? According to official style guides for American English, “W.Va.” remains the … Read more

It’s an argument as old as West Virginia itself — is West Virginia a northern state or a southern state? Let us know what you think. Vote here. [poll=”2″]   Stay tuned for our North-South article On May 8, 2014, we’ll present the opinions of geographers, historians, social scientists, and include various other comments we’ve … Read more

John Brown wasn’t the only abolitionist to make history in West Virginia. While Brown launched his raid at Harpers Ferry in 1859 to arm slaves, Eli Thayer established his colony “Ceredo” in 1857 to peacably demonstrate the efficiency of free labor. Author and historian Kenneth Bailey will discuss the history of Ceredo, West Virginia, at … Read more

How has West Virginia changed over the last 150 years? Three counties in the southern state had yet to be created and two had yet to be added to the Eastern Panhandle when Augustus Mitchell produced this 1863 map of Virginia and West Virginia. But far more change comes to light when one examines the map … Read more

Burial mounds, mysterious carvings, inexplicable stone walls — relics of the prehistoric past are found throughout West Virginia, but perhaps too few people know of them, and West Virginia Explorer would like to change that. This week we’ll launch an eight-month initiative to locate every protected public landmark of native and prehistoric origin and publish … Read more