West Virginia culture is a captivating blend of rich Appalachian traditions and vibrant high culture infused with the jazz of surrounding U.S. cities like Pittsburgh and Washington, D.C. The state is renowned for its deep-rooted Appalachian heritage, which is showcased through folk music, storytelling, and traditional crafts such as quilting and woodcarving. Visitors can experience this authentic culture at local festivals and heritage museums throughout the Mountain State. At the same time, West Virginia also embraces high culture, with world-class performances at the West Virginia Symphony Orchestra, acclaimed theater productions at the Greenbrier Valley Theatre, and art exhibitions at the Huntington Museum of Art. This unique mix of mountain traditions and refined artistic offerings makes West Virginia a true cultural gem in the heart of Appalachia.
PAX, W.Va. — Tales of roadside ghosts account for many of the most famous ghost stories in West Virginia, according to the publisher of the Mountain State’s popular website for the paranormal, West Virginia Ghosts.Jonathan Moore, who has been publishing first-hand tales of the supernatural submitted to the website by visitors since 1999, says four … Read more
Photographer O. Winston Link may best be known for his ties to Virginia, home of the O. Winston Link Museum at Roanoke, but museum manager Lynsey Allie says his ties to West Virginia are strong, though fewer people know of them.“O. Winston Link has fans all over the world,” Allie says. “They come here, of … Read more
SUTTON, W.Va. — Many West Virginians have heard of a mysterious incident in Braxton County that involved a possibly celestial creature known as the Flatwoods Monster.It was alleged to have appeared in the darkened woods behind the local grade school in 1952, only moments after a “flying saucer” had been sighted scooting over the trees.Though … Read more
LIBERTY, W.Va. — Eighteenmile Creek wanders quietly through the low hills of northern Putnam County, revealing not in the least any potential for tragedy along its banks. Yet, tragedy visited a group of hunters camping one night in a cave in the early 1800s.Where precisely this horrific incident occurred is not widely known, though some … Read more
LYNCO, W.Va. — Scientists studying ancient carvings in West Virginia say stories that propose a non-native origin for prehistoric landmarks ignore evidence and may dishonor Native American heritage. Mysterious though the carvings are, officials with the Council for West Virginia Archaeology stressed the problem in an open letter that rebutted assumptions that carvings in a … Read more
GRANT TOWN, W.Va. — If you’ve had the opportunity to descend into a West Virginia coal mine, you might have come away with a new sense of the absolute darkness. The coal itself absorbs what little light might reach into the deep.Though the darkness can inspire dread, the nature of mining can lead the mind … Read more
GRANTSVILLE, W.Va. — Nights in rural Calhoun County are counted among the darkest in West Virginia, so it’s little wonder that the tale of one of the state’s strangest hauntings comes out of its hills. The phantom, which supposedly manifested in the valley of the Little Kanawha River in the late 1800s, is still a … Read more
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — After learning about my series of articles on West Virginia prehistory in West Virginia Explorer Magazine, Olivia Jones, an adjunct anthropology instructor who recently joined the museum’s archaeological staff, suggested that we work together to address common misconceptions about “giant” Native Americans interred in West Virginia’s burial mounds.What is the “giant” myth?“The so-called … Read more
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Settlers who pushed westward across the Alleghenies in the 1700s engaged in a deadly gamble. Despite the threat of attack by the Shawnee, the daring few who took the risk to settle in that wilderness felt the promise of land was worth the danger. Such was the case with Andrew Donnally, who … Read more
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Great Seal of West Virginia may be as fascinating to some West Virginians as the U.S. dollar bill is for other Americans. It’s full of symbolism, the origins of which continue to be examined. Some of its symbols are mysterious, while others are likely more obvious.What is a state seal? A … Read more
