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.
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — For millions of tourists, Fayette County and its New River Gorge is a destination for healing and rejuvenation—a wonderland of hiking trails and kayaking streams. But a century ago, newspapers across the U.S. had named it “Bloody Fayette,” and with good reason. Coal had been discovered in the county in vast quantities, … Read more
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — An open house for historians and history buffs will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, April 27, at the historic Level Tavern on US-219 at Organ Cave near Lewisburg, West Virginia. Being hosted by Foxfire Realty and the Greenbrier Historical Society, the event will provide visitors the opportunity to explore … Read more
OAK HILL, W.Va. — Historians in West Virginia say they’re baffled by a strange arrangement of monuments in a cemetery near the New River Gorge. They hope to discover why the graves are interred under remarkable wedge-shaped concrete forms. “Something very unusual has gone on here,” says David Sibray, the publisher of West Virginia Explorer … Read more
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — While the interior of West Virginia remained a virtual wilderness through the late 1800s, wharves along the Ohio River bustled with commerce. Communities such as Wheeling and Parkersburg blossomed into mighty cities. Before the advent of railroads and locks, steamboats plied the river in great numbers, transporting many passengers from the East … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Tucked away in a wooded gorge near the West Virginia Capitol, one of the highest waterfalls in the region also powered one of its first mills. However, its history had faded into obscurity until a rare map led historians to a remarkable manuscript. Though the falls and mill were the source of … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — There was a time when Wheeling was being proposed as the location for a new capital of the U.S., though the idea never attracted much interest. Situated at the junction of the Ohio River and the National Road, two of the expanding nation’s most influential travel routes, the burgeoning city was also nearer … Read more
PRUNTYTOWN, W.Va. — If you were an unruly boy growing up in West Virginia before the 1980s, there’s a chance your misbehaviors were met with the threat of banishment to “Pruntytown.” Pruntytown! Any infraction that could not otherwise be dealt with might lead to the mention of the word by adults. For many, the threat … Read more
HUNDRED, W.Va. — There was a time soon after the completion of the B&O Railroad when passengers would clamber to the car windows to catch a glimpse of “Old Hundred.” He was a marvel of a man who, even after his hundredth birthday, labored in his fields to the delight of passersby. The town of … Read more
RICHWOOD, W.Va. — The word “hillbilly” was a The Appalachian Mountains extend across the entire Mountain State, east to west and north to south. (Photo courtesy Rick Burgess.)[/caption] Comstock wrote, “The word is said to have originated as a means of distinguishing people who lived in the mountainous region of the county from those who … Read more
BULLTOWN, W.Va. — During the first years of the U.S. Civil War, marauding bands of guerillas roamed the hills in what’s now central West Virginia. Most were loyal to the Confederacy, though they often acted in their own interests, raiding towns and farms at will. To counter their activities, the Union established a fort on … Read more
