History / Prehistory

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

SHINNSTON, W.Va. — For many residents, West Virginia is known more for its mountains than for tornadoes. Yet some of the state’s deadliest weather disasters have come not from floods or winter storms but from violent tornadoes that swept through towns with little warning. While West Virginia experiences fewer tornadoes than the Great Plains states, … Read more

The 1777 attack known as the Foreman Massacre left 22 frontier militiamen dead and remains one of the most significant Revolutionary War-era sites in the Ohio Valley. MCMECHEN, W.Va. — The steep hills rise abruptly from the Ohio River at McMechen Narrows, creating one of the most dramatic landscapes in West Virginia’s northern panhandle. Today, … Read more

TOP-OF-ALLEGHENY, W.Va. — The highest battlefields of the American Civil War lie not in Virginia’s rolling countryside but atop the rugged mountains of eastern West Virginia, where soldiers fought for control of strategic mountain passes and vital transportation routes through the Alleghenies. Today, many of these remote sites remain largely overlooked by travelers, hidden among … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The W.Va. Department of Tourism has announced the recipients of the 2026 History Heroes Awards, recognizing volunteers and preservation advocates who have helped safeguard the state’s rich historical legacy for future generations. The annual awards honor individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to local museums, historical societies, preservation organizations, genealogy groups, and … Read more

MINNORA, W.Va. — In a wooded gap along a rural road near Minnora, two graves have long fascinated local residents and students of West Virginia history. Known collectively as the Mike Fink grave site, the burial ground marks the location of a deadly frontier encounter that occurred during the turbulent years when Native Americans and … Read more