Three little-known facts about West Virginia's moundbuilders
The term “moundbuilder” is often used to describe two ancient cultures that archaeologists now know as the Adena and the Hopewell. These peoples lived...
Hikers, paddlers may visit lost "Island of the Dead" in the...
THURMOND, W.Va. — Victims of a smallpox pandemic that swept through the New River Gorge in the late 1800s may have been buried in...
Archaeologists debunk myth of prehistoric giants in West Virginia
MOUNDSVILLE, W.Va. — After learning about my series of articles on West Virginia prehistory in West Virginia Explorer Magazine, Olivia Jones, an adjunct anthropology instructor...
The word "hillbilly" was once a term of endearment in Appalachia
RICHWOOD, W.Va. — The word "hillbilly" was a term of endearment in the southern Appalachian Mountains region in the early 1800s, though it later...
Bizarre 'Wild West' massacre erupted in Cowen, West Virginia, in 1905
COWEN, W.Va. — Cowen today is a sleepy town of 500, perhaps best known for its location near a quiet lake. It was hardly...
Thanksgiving Day anniversary was first celebrated in West Virginia
WHEELING, W.Va. — Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated in West Virginia before being celebrated nationally, thanks to a politician who hoped to provide some...
What historians get wrong about frontier heroine Mary Draper Ingles
HINTON, W.Va. — The tale of Mary Draper Ingles—of her escape from Shawnee captors and her return through the mountains—is the ideal American frontier...
Mysteries surround lost Washington graves on Hurricane Creek in W.Va.
FRAZIER'S BOTTOM, W.Va. — How did a great-nephew of George Washington come to be buried in a virtually forgotten graveyard in the Kanawha Valley...
The Great Seal of West Virginia—what its many strange symbols mean
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The Great Seal of West Virginia may be as fascinating to some West Virginians as the U.S. dollar bill is for...
New River Gorge region in West Virginia once a bloody "Wild...
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...
Historians find evidence of famous visitor at West Virginia tavern
ANSTED, W.Va. — Historians investigating the history of a landmark tavern in southern West Virginia have uncovered evidence that explorer William Clark, of the...
West Virginia mountains kept 1830 cholera pandemic at bay
Residents of the mountain counties of West Virginia have traditionally weathered the ravages of communicable diseases with some success. Isolation here flattened the peak...
