The history and prehistory of West Virginia reveal a fascinating journey from ancient Native American cultures to its role in America’s story. Prehistoric sites, such as the Grave Creek Mound, showcase the region’s mound-building cultures that left behind impressive burial mounds and earthworks. Later, European settlers ventured into the rugged Appalachian Mountains, forging frontier communities and thriving amidst challenging terrain. During the American Civil War, West Virginia famously seceded from Virginia to remain loyal to the Union, becoming the 35th state in 1863. Coal mining played a vital role in shaping West Virginia’s economy and identity, fueling America’s industrial growth and leaving a lasting legacy in the state’s communities and culture. Today, visitors can explore historic towns, Civil War battlefields, and preserved pioneer homesteads that tell the rich, enduring story of West Virginia’s resilient spirit and deep mountain roots.
CAMP CREEK, W.Va. — Only a few local historians may remember the obscure and chilling tale of Charles Anderson Mills, more infamously known in the neighborhood of Nubbins Ridge in Mercer County as “Likker Charlie.” A ruthless moonshiner who, on his deathbed, confessed to the violent murders of dozens of victims, Mills and two of … Read more
COWEN, W.Va. — Cowen today is a sleepy town of 500, perhaps best known for its location near a quiet lake. It was hardly so in 1900 when railroads were first being extended into the dark interior of the Allegheny Mountains. One of the last ancient forests in the eastern U.S. was being timbered, and … Read more
SCARY, W.Va. — Though nothing remains on the battlefield along the Kanawha River today, the Battle of Scary Creek was one of the most significant engagements in what’s now West Virginia during the Civil War. Fought in 1861 near Saint Albans, West Virginia, it was also one of the first battles in the war and … Read more
PHILIPPI, W.Va. — Stored for years in an old barn, the creations of a rural mad scientist, the hardened cadavers known as the “Philippi Mummies” are as grotesque as anything you might imagine, and they’re attracting tourists to this quiet river town in the shadow of the Allegheny Mountains. Everything you’ve heard about them—it might … Read more
WEIRTON, W.Va. — When pioneers and other explorers first ventured into what would become West Virginia, they encountered artifacts of a much earlier age — carvings, burial mounds, and stone walls, the origins of which natives could not explain with certainty. Petroglyphs inscribed in rock featuring human and animal figures were perhaps the most striking … Read more
WHEELING, W.Va. — Thanksgiving Day was first celebrated in West Virginia before being celebrated nationally, thanks to a politician who hoped to provide some potential for peace during the U.S. Civil War. The anniversary of the first Thanksgiving was not nationally celebrated until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln declared a day of “thanksgiving and praise” to … Read more
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV—Shepherd University’s George Tyler Moore Center for the Study of the Civil War will host a free author’s talk with historian Curtis Older on Thursday, October 12, at 7 p.m. in the center at 136 W. German St., Shepherdstown, West Virginia. Older will present from his book “Hood’s Defeat Near Fox’s Gap: Prelude to … Read more
ONA, W.Va. — In a nondescript woodland along US-60 (with a modern concrete bridge looming in the background) lies the site of what was once a major tourist attraction in the pleasant valley east of Huntington, West Virginia. On an overgrown patch of hillside, ruins remain of a luxury spa and resort that once drew … Read more
FAYETTEVILLE, W. Va. — America’s newest national park is also a classroom for Black History, says a spokesman for an adventure resort bordering the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. Observed each February in the U.S., Black History Month traces its roots to groundbreaking historian and scholar Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who long ago … 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
