Culture

WHEELING, W.Va. — For nearly a century, a bronze Native American figure standing atop Wheeling Hill has greeted travelers arriving in the Ohio Valley. Known simply as “The Mingo,” the statue is among Wheeling‘s most recognizable landmarks. Thousands of motorists pass it each year without realizing that the monument represents a people whose history is … Read more

POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. — Long before West Virginia became a state, a woman born in Liverpool, England, crossed the Atlantic, settled on the Virginia frontier, survived widowhood amid one of the region’s most violent conflicts, and became one of the best-known figures in Appalachian history. Her name was Anne Bailey. Known to later generations as … Read more

MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — Today, visitors standing at the overlook in Grand Vue Park can see the broad basin surrounding Grave Creek Mound, the largest conical burial mound in the United States. From this vantage point, they can perhaps begin to imagine the prehistoric landscape that once occupied the valley. According to archaeologist Hank D. Lutton, … Read more

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — William C. Marland was one of the most fascinating and tragic figures in West Virginia’s political history. Elected governor in 1952 at age 34, he was considered a rising star whose intelligence, charisma, and reform agenda made him one of the state’s most promising leaders. Born in 1918 in Johnston City, Illinois, … Read more

WHEELING, W.Va. — As communities across the Mountain State prepare to celebrate West Virginia Day on June 20, residents are marking more than another state birthday. They are commemorating one of the most unusual chapters in American history. West Virginia turns 163 this year, marking the anniversary of its admission to the Union on June … Read more