63.6 F
Beckley
Friday, June 2, 2023
Home Culture History

History

Welcome to the History news directory at West Virginia Explorer, where you’ll find an archive of the most recent West Virginia history news published at West Virginia Explorer.

Wreck of steamer Rebecca reveals historic danger of Ohio River

Artist's conception of wreck of steamboat Rebecca at Parkersburg in 1869.
PARKERSBURG, W.Va. — Deep in the rugged interior of West Virginia, where rivers arise as tumbling young streams, it can be easy to forget...

Historian reclassifies Civil War "skirmish" as an all-out battle

Far more than a few soldiers were engaged in the Battle of Hurricane Bridge.
HURRICANE, W.Va. — Early research on a Civil War engagement at Hurricane Bridge tended to underestimate the number of soldiers involved, leading historians to...

New River Gorge region in W.Va. once a bloody "Wild West"

Montgomery, West Virginia, as it appear about 1910. (Photo: Joe Green Collection)
FAYETTEVILLE, W.Va. — For millions of tourists, Fayette County and its New River Gorge is a destination for healing and rejuvenation—a wonderland of hiking...

New River Gorge region in W.Va. a classroom for Black History

The Quinnimont Missionary Baptist Church served the needs of segregated mining communities in the early 1900s.
FAYETTEVILLE, W. Va. — America's newest national park is also a classroom for Black History, says a spokesman for an adventure resort bordering the...

Historians find evidence of famous visitor at W.Va. tavern

William Clark documented his stay at the Halfway House in a diary.
ANSTED, W.Va. — Historians investigating the history of a landmark tavern in southern West Virginia have uncovered evidence that explorer William Clark, of the...

Then there was the time West Virginia had four governors

West Virginia Governor's Mansion at Charleston, WV, Kanawha County, Metro Valley Region
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Too much government? As complex as politics in West Virginia, or any other state, might seem today, there was a time...

West Virginia uniquely tied to Thanksgiving Day celebration

Union soldier Larkin Goldsmith Mead holds a Thanksgiving turkey at Camp Griffin, Virginia, c. 1861.
The anniversary of the first Thanksgiving was not nationally celebrated until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared a day of "thanksgiving and praise" to be...

Word "hillbilly" once a term of endearment in Appalachia

"Dance" by Porte Crayon, an illustration for Harper's New Monthly Magazine; May 1872.
According to some authorities, the word "hillbilly" was a term of endearment in the Appalachian Mountains in the early 1800s, though it later developed...

Public invited to open house Oct. 15 at Wyoming County landmark

The Itmann Company Store complex is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
ITMANN, W.Va. — Foxfire Realty and the Wyoming County Historical Society will host an open house for the public from 10 a.m. until 4...

Mystery surrounds tale of frontier slave who defended fort

A historic marker recounting a version of the Dick Pointer tale stands near his monument.
LEWISBURG, W.Va. — Settlers who pushed westward across the Alleghenies in the 1700s engaged in a deadly gamble. Despite the threat of attack by...

Museum installing monuments to commemorate Mine Wars

Community members gather to plan a Mine Wars monument installation at Marmet.
MATEWAN, W.Va. — The first of two monuments commemorating the Battle of Blair Mountain in West Virginia will be installed this weekend in Logan...

Hikers, paddlers can visit New River's lost "Island of the Dead"

Headstones hide in the dim light of wooded Red Ash Island in the New River Gorge.
THURMOND, W.Va. — Victims of a smallpox pandemic that swept through the New River Gorge in the late 1800s may have been buried in...

Sponsors

Stay Connected

15,641FansLike
1,540FollowersFollow
1,187FollowersFollow