Lore and Legend

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 the university’s Eberly College of Arts and Sciences in Morgantown, West Virginia, say that modern … Read more

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. — One of the most appealing of all Appalachian legends is that of the tale of the Lost Silver Mine of Johnathan Swift. More than 200 years after the alleged events in this story transpired, treasure hunters continue to search for the vein of silver that Swift claimed to have lost. Many believe … Read more

HARPERS FERRY, W.Va. — It’s fair to say that almost anyone who has listened to or read the history of American folk songs is familiar with the haunting melody and words of the “Shenandoah” folk song. “Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you, Roll away, you rolling river Oh, Shenandoah, I long to see you, … Read more

RIFFLE, W.Va.— The blockbuster Men in Black film franchise might seem a world away from the hills of West Virginia, but the legend starts here in a quiet corner of the Mountain State where an obscure and mysterious writer sat pecking away on his typewriter. Gray Barker, born 100 years ago in Riffle, in Braxton … Read more

LITTLETON, W.Va. — In the summer of 1918, a procession of billions of ravenous “worms” passed through the hills of eastern Wetzel County, spreading disorder wherever it traveled. Some who saw it claim to have been attacked in the march. Others claimed to have lost crops and, seemingly, cattle. Wetzel County worm invasion shocks residents … Read more

BIRCH RIVER, W.Va. — Each day, more than 10,000 motorists speed past the turn-offs onto Polemic Run Road in central West Virginia, but few leave the expressway and wander into the wooded hills to the west. Those who do gain access to a world few others see. The one-lane road mounts steeply up Barnett Hill, … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Which are the five most haunted towns in West Virginia? That’s hard to say, such things being difficult to pin down. (We encourage readers to add their favorite haunted towns in the comments at the end of the article.) By and large, West Virginians love ghost stories, and as a result of … Read more

MAPLEWOOD, W.Va. — How did “Shades-of-Death Creek” in southern West Virginia gain such a strange name? The mystery has long been a subject of speculation in the highlands east of the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Such a clear and beautiful stream, the waters of which help turn the world-renowned gristmill at Babcock … Read more