BEVERLY, W.Va. — Most Civil War enthusiasts are familiar with the name Thomas “Stonewall” Jackson, the iconic Confederate hero who died in the middle of the war from wounds received during the Battle of Chancellorsville. But few are aware of the story of Jackson’s Unionist sister, Laura Jackson Arnold. The siblings grew up in challenging … Read more
WASHBURN, W.Va. — From Otter Slide Creek to Hell-for-Certain Branch, many streams in West Virginia boast interesting placenames, but the name of this scenic brook in Ritchie County is remarkable. Locals call it “shiver-dee-freeze” or something similar, though its origin is undeniably French and hard for the typical English speaker to pronounce — Chevaux de … Read more
CLARKSBURG, W.Va. — John James Davis was shocked to learn that the Virginia Convention had endorsed secession on April 17, 1861. A Clarksburg lawyer, he was devoted to the Union and believed the decision was wrong. A few days later, he sent off a letter to his fiancée, Anna Kennedy, who lived in Baltimore with … Read more
BURLINGTON, W.Va. — Railroads in West Virginia are most often associated with the export of coal and timber, but at least one small railway in the state’s eastern panhandle was built for fruit. The Twin Mountains and Potomac Railroad, otherwise known as the “TM&P,” was built to carry fruit from orchards near Burlington, West Virginia, … Read more
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — Occasionally, you might hear old-timers speak of a time when herds of wild hogs were hunted in the West Virginia hills. Chances are, they never witnessed such a hunt, as the practice was a tradition so long ago that they likely heard of it from their grandparents. These hunts would have been … Read more
BURNING SPRINGS, W.Va. — On the night of May 9, 1863, a conflagration lit up the skies along the Little Kanawha River at Burning Springs at the site of the famous Rathbone Well, the first major oil well in West Virginia. As part of a Confederate initiative to injure the Union, Brigadier General William “Grumble” … Read more
PIPESTEM, W.Va. — Many of the thousands of people named “Farley” in the New River valley region in southern West Virginia trace their lineage back to one early settler, Drewry Farley. He and his wife, Mary Adkins Farley, established their family in an upland pasture overlooking the New River at the summit of what’s known … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Nationwide prohibition against alcohol consumption was launched in 1919 in the U.S., but West Virginia enacted its ban much earlier, and the results were deadly. In 1913, West Virginia passed the Yost Law, which was implemented on July 1, 1914. It imposed drastic changes in the lives of some West Virginians. On … Read more
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — The Nina Paden and its skipper wheeled beyond the call of duty in ferrying the Ohio River at Parkersburg, West Virginia. Of all the tales of the Ohio, theirs may rank among the most fearless. The following narrative was provided by the late Jim Wallen, a reporter for the Huntington Herald-Dispatch. It … Read more
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. — Surprising as it might seem, the iconic image of Chef Boyardee that adorns so many food packages worldwide is that of a genuine person. Moreover, Ettore Boiardi worked at The Greenbrier in West Virginia, a luxury resort a seeming world away from the streets of New York City, where he … Read more
