How Pruntytown reformatory became a bogeyman in W.Va.
PRUNTYTOWN, W.Va.—If you were an unruly boy growing up in West Virginia before the 1980s, there's a chance your misbehaviors were met with the...
Devil's Saddle poem tells of girl's meeting with "granny witch"
Throughout the history of Appalachia, one may encounter the legend of granny witches—solitary women believed to possess uncanny powers. Many served in very real...
How the "Tug Fork" in southern West Virginia got its name
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...
How the West Virginia town of "Hundred" got its name
HUNDRED, W.Va.—There was a time in the 1850s, soon after completion of the B&O Railroad, when passengers would clamber to the car windows to...
Restoration of historic Blue Sulphur Springs pavilion expected soon
One of the state's most evocative historic landmarks, the pavilion at Blue Sulphur Springs could be restored to its original appearance by 2023 and...
Three new Civil War heritage signs installed in Wheeling
Three new Civil War Trails signs have been installed in Wheeling, West Virginia, the first phase of a project focused on updating content and...
Lost W.Va. saltworks known to only a few locals, adventurers
The legend of the lost Mercer Saltworks near the New River in southern West Virginia may be remembered now by only a few locals...
Tecumseh may have been born in West Virginia, not Ohio
It's widely accepted today that Tecumseh was born in Ohio, but a handful of historians contend that he, one of the most influential Native...
"Mudwall" Jackson led failed attack on fort in central W.Va.
During the first years of the U.S. Civil War, marauding bands of guerillas roamed the hills in what's now central West Virginia. Most were...
Did the first U.S. serial killer live in a quiet corner...
On the morning of March 18, 1932, Harry Powers plummeted through the gallows at the West Virginia Penitentiary and dangled for 11 minutes before...
Mystery surrounds lost Washington graves on Hurricane Creek
How did a great-nephew of George Washington come to be buried in a virtually forgotten graveyard in the Kanawha Valley near Winfield, West Virginia—more...
Some mysterious W.Va. rock features may have sacred origins
Editor's Note: If you're familiar with the outdoors in West Virginia, you've likely seen rocks piled in what might seem "the middle of nowhere."...
