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.
WILLIAMSON, W.Va.—Of all the placenames associated with West Virginia, that of the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River may be the subject of some of the most hotly contested debates among historians. Wandering through the state’s southernmost mountains, the stream sources at the end of Great Flat Top Mountain on Big Stone Ridge and … Read more
The former West Virginia State Penitentiary at Moundsville, West Virginia, in Marshall County, was a castellated gothic-style prison in operation from 1876 until 1995. It is now a tourist attraction popular with historians and paranormal enthusiasts.In 1863, West Virginia had only just seceded from Virginia and suffered a shortage of public institutions, including prisons. Governor … Read more
Whether or not you believe in tales of “Mothman,” if you live in West Virginia, you’re likely to have heard them. The legend is almost inescapable in a state so renowned for its monsters and mountain mysteries.And while most folks associate the man-beast with the region around Point Pleasant on the Ohio River, there’s another … Read more
If you’re a West Virginian who came of age after 1971, chances are you can hardly remember a time when John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” wasn’t the state’s unofficial anthem.Though not officially adopted as a “state song” until 2014, it was, seemingly, performed at every event everywhere in the state. It became West … Read more
BECKLEY, W.Va. — While recent bigfoot sightings in southern West Virginia have gained national attention, one investigator says it’s no surprise, given the number of sightings he’s cataloged in the southern mountains.Investigator Les O’Dell says he’ll attest to the trustworthiness of a recent report of an encounter in October 2019 near the New River Gorge … Read more
MOUNT HOPE, W.Va. — Due to its remarkable fertility, the valley of Dunloup Creek in south-central West Virginia was once called by settlers “Egypt.” But pioneers discovered something even more remarkable when they arrived—a prehistoric ruin built by an earlier culture, and only a few recollections of the ancient stone works survive.The legendary ruin stood … Read more
Bluefield State College announced today the founding of the Pete Sternloff Center for West Virginia Musicology, which will archive and promote the history of music created and performed in southern West Virginia.College President Robin Capehart says the center will fill a much-needed gap in the preservation of and education about the music that flourished in … Read more
Thanks to the Internet, almanacs aren’t printed as they once were, but in West Virginia, where communications were hampered by the mountains, these useful guides were vital to farmers and all who depended on their brand of calendared information. Wheeling, in what’s now the northern panhandle of West Virginia, was a principal source of printed … Read more
West Virginia will suffer six more weeks of winter, French Creek Freddie predicted on Wednesday during a Groundhog Day celebration at the West Virginia Wildlife Center in Upshur County.Freddie, the state’s most popular weather-predicting groundhog, came out of hibernation on Wednesday to provide his annual forecast to fans and followers in attendance.“Freddie was happy he … Read more
Older folks who live in the valley of Paint Creek may recall legends about how the stream was named: an ancient warpath followed it through the mountains, and warriors celebrated their battles by painting trees along the trail a bloody red. According to late archaeologist Sigfus Olafson, the stories were true. The route was actually … Read more
