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.
An enigmatic stone face carved into mossy sandstone along the rim of the New River Gorge in southern West Virginia is attracting increased attention as tourism grows in the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Though its origins are popularly regarded as a mystery, the bas-relief countenance was likely carved in the 1950s, and … Read more
The term “moundbuilder” is often used to describe two ancient cultures that archaeologists now know as the Adena and the Hopewell. These peoples lived in eastern North America from approximately 500 B.C. to A.D. 500. Their monumental earthworks captured the imaginations of explorers and continue to fascinate us today. Many mounds remain throughout West Virginia … Read more
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. … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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 … 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
