Lore and Legend
The house that vanished overnight: West Virginia’s Neerly House haunting
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — At least two mysteries tangle in the tale of the Neerly house. What happened to the house? What happened to “old man Neerly? And where did the late folklorist Ruth Ann Musick encounter the legend? The following version of the West Virginia tale...
Colonel Ludington’s legendary giant ox was real, and it weighed 4,450 pounds
FRANKFORD, W.Va. — Long before viral videos and roadside attractions, West Virginia produced a...
Quiet West Virginia village of Clayton named for 1835 hot-air balloon crash
CLAYTON, W.Va. — Few West Virginia place names come with a tale as improbable or as theatrical as...
Why paranormal tourism is booming in almost heaven West Virginia
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Paranormal tourism is booming across West Virginia, but the increase in ghost...
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How an obscure, mysterious writer in West Virginia invented UFO lore as we know it
Mysterious Wetzel County worm invasion wreaked havoc in West Virginia in 1918
Polemic Run, West Virginia: A roadside journey hidden off the expressway
Investigator: West Virginia ground-zero for UFO research, ET encounters
First documented poltergeist in U.S. haunted this historic W.Va. town
MIDDLEWAY, W.Va. — The Wizard Clip haunting, the first documented poltergeist in America, occurred in the late 1700s in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia. Though centuries have passed, its legend endures, earning residents the nickname “Clippers” to this day....
Biggest of the year, Beaver Moon will light November sky, recall early West Virginia history
BEAVER, W.Va. — For those who step outside on Wednesday to look up, the full moon that rises over West Virginia will be more than a pale, familiar globe. It’s the closest and brightest full moon of the year—a supermoon popularly known as the “Beaver Moon.” Its name...
The legend of the Vegetable Man: How a bloodsucking alien left its mark on West Virginia
FAIRMONT, W.Va. — A lesser-known encounter with an extraordinary Mountain State cryptid is still capturing the imagination of West Virginians a half century later. On a warm July day in 1968, in the hills near Grant Town, West Virginia, Jennings Frederick was hunting...
Professors at WVU trace Halloween through ancient, cross-cultural traditions
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — From cauldrons to candy corn, favorite Halloween traditions in the U.S. have been brewing for thousands of years, according to two West Virginia University religious scholars. Aaron Gale and Alex Snow, associate professors of religious studies in...