West Virginia Recreation Resources - 1935
See West Virginia and its state parks as they were in 1935, from the Green Brier Hotel at White Sulphur Springs to CCC men working on the Lost River Park. Also featured are Cacapon and Watoga state parks and the town of Berkley.
This film focuses on State Parks of West Virginia. In part 1, views of cities, factories, steel furnaces, hydroelectric plants, rivers, canals, and locks depict the State's industries and waterways. It shows Green Brier Hotel at White Sulphur Springs and the town of Berkeley. Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) men work in Lost River Park. Tourists ride horses, picnic at an outdoor table, and examine an old house. Children crippled by polio perform handicraft and sunbathe in Berkeley hospital. In part 2, visitors to Cacapon State Park ride bicycles and horses. It shows the forest, the artificial lake, picnickers, wild turkey, and deer. Visitors to Watoga State Park picnic, swim, and fish.
Transcripts (PDF):
CREATED BY
Department of the Interior. Division of Motion Pictures.
ARC ID 11654
LOCAL IDENTIFIER 48.22
REPOSITORY:
Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records Section, Special Media Archives Services Division (NWCS-M), National Archives at College Park, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD, 20740-6001.
For information about ordering reproductions of moving images held by the Motion Picture, Sound, and Video Records Section, visit:
SUBJECTS
Civilians
Deer
Fishing
Hotels
Picnicking
Poliomyelitis
Swimming
Turkey
West Virginia
Department of the Interior. National Park Service.(1916 -1933 ), Producer
MORE INFORMATION:
More information is available in the National Archives online catalog:
Famous from West Virginia
Look at some of the Famous people who where or had lived in West Virginia... Some great names have came from here as one can see...
All rights and names credited in credits
Shootout in Matewan, West Virginia, May 19, 1920
It was the Stone Mountain Coal Corp. that evicted the coal miners from the coal camp houses at Matewan. Here are a few of those very homes that have survived.
The film was made in West Virginia with the town of Thurmond standing in for Matewan. Other scenes were filmed along the New River Gorge National River.
(Movie quote) Sid Hatfield: I've met Mr. Felts [the owner of the Baldwin-Felts agency]. I wouldn't pee on him if his heart was on fire.
A contingent of the Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency arrived on the no. 29 morning train with orders to evict families that had been living at the Stone Mountain Coal Camp on the outskirts of town. The detectives carried out several evictions then dined at the Urias Hotel before walking to the depot to catch the five o'clock train back to Bluefield, West Virginia. Matewan Chief of Police Sid Hatfield had decided that enough was enough, and intervened on behalf of the evicted families. Hatfield, a Tug River Valley native, was an adamant supporter of the miners forming the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA). Police chief Hatfield intercepted the detectives before they reached the train depot and claimed to have arrest warrants for the detectives from the Mingo County sheriff. Detective Albert Felts then produced his own warrant for the arrest of Sid Hatfield (likely to have been obtained in case the police chief interferred with their lawful duites as could be expected). Upon inspecting it Matewan mayor Cabell Testerman said it was fraudulent. Unbeknownst to the detectives, they had been surrounded by hidding armed miners, who were watching intently. Who actually fired the first shot can not be confirmed. Seven detectives -- including Felts -- died along with four townspeople, including Mayor Testerman whose widow later married Sid Hatfield. (There is speculation from historians that Sid Hatfield himself killed Mayor Testerman in the confusion...Sid married the mayor's widow two weeks after the shooting.)
This is a scene from the movie Matewan (1987) which is online:
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The New York Times, March 22, 1921
JURY ACQUITS 16 OF COAL STRIKE MURDER; Finds Sid Hatfield and Others Innocent of Killing Detective in West Virginia.MEN GO BACK TO MATEWAN But Are Still Under Indictment for Other Murders--County Prosecutor Resigns.
WILLIAMSON, W. Va., March 21.-- Police Chief Sid Hatfield and fifteen other men of Matewan were found not guilty today of connection with the death of Albert C. Felts, a private detective.
The New York Times, August 7, 1921
WELCH, W. Va., Aug. 6.--Self-defense is the claim of C.E. Lively, BaldwinFelts detective, held under bond in connection with the shooting and killing of Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers, Mingo.
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Two of the men killed in Matewan that day were the brothers of agency owner, Thomas Felts. In retaliation, Felts had the Matewan police chief, Sid Hatfield, killed as the sheriff and his deputy were being tried in Welch, WV. As they walked up the steps to the courthouse suddenly appeared the detectives who waited in ambush at the top. Sid and his deputy were filled full of bullets. Afterwards, detective Hugh Lucas emptied a gun into the courthouse wall as though Hatfield had shot at them and then placed the gun in Sid's hand after detective Charley Lively had shot him behind the ear to make sure he was dead.
(2 minutes)
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Police chief Sid Hatfield and his friend and deputy, Fred Burgraff, smelled trouble and they met the Baldwin-Felts men at the train station. Burgraff's son Hawthorne, now eighty-three years old picks up the story.......
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Testimony on the Matewan Massacre. Testimony of Sid Hatfield.
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8/20/08 - This song is about a true story that happened in my hometown of Welch, WV. David Grubb and I wrote the song -- both of us are McDowell County natives. My daughter, Jessi Shumate, helped me sing the song and Nathan Lawson played the banjo. I played all the rest. I hope you enjoy.
(6:23 minutes)
Pictures taken from the 2008 installment of Terror of the Tug, a play written by about the coal wars of southern West Virginia -- it was the 9th year of it being performed in McDowell County, Playwright Jean Battlo along with the director, music director and the cast are all local people. (7:08 minutes)
The Great West Virginia Flood Of 1985
West Virginia Home
Driving up the Holler
WV Senator H. Truman Chafin
WV Senator H. Truman Chafin (D-Mingo) whips a crowd of mountaintop removal coal employees into a frenzy using fear-inducing rhetoric. For more info visit: wvablue.com
The Azgen—West Virginia's Moon-Eyed People
Most of present-day West Virginia was void of permanent Native American settlements when European colonists began their westward push. Why? The area is rich in game and other resources; why not live there?
In 1773, at the behest of Virginia Governor Lord Dunmore, Thomas Bullit travelled to present-day southwestern Ohio to seek permission from the Shawnee to establish settlements in the Can-tuc-kee lands (which included large portions of modern-day West Virginia). Shawnee chief Black Fish was unable to grant permission; he did not feel it was his to give, the land belonged to the ghosts of the Azgen, a tribe of “moon-eyed” people who were murdered by the ancestors of the Shawnee. Because of the ghosts, the Shawnee refused to settle on the land and only used it—respectfully—as hunting grounds.
Who were these moon-eyed people? According to many legends, they were a light-skinned, nocturnal people with large eyes. They had a sensitivity to light and could only see in the dark.
The Cherokee also have legends of moon-eyed people. According to Cherokee legends, the moon-eyes were nocturnal and lived in circular earthen houses. Long ago, as the Cherokee made their southward migration, they encountered the large-eyed white people and waged war against them. Like the Shawnee, the Cherokee also rid the land of these peculiar people.
There is another tradition in which the Creek tribe annihilated a group of moon-eyed people. According to this legend, the strange people could not see during certain moon phases. The Creek used this to their advantage and attacked the moon-eyes when they were vulnerable.
Who were, or, what were, the moon-eyed people? Some say they were albinos; some claim they were Europeans—possibly descended from Madoc, the Welsh Prince; author Barbara Alice Mann, of Seneca descent, has written that the moon-eyed people were mound-building astronomers who merged with the Cherokee. What we do know, is that a group of people strange to the Native Americans were in present-day West Virginia long ago; they were eventually annihilated. The question then becomes, could the ghosts of the Azgen—the moon-eyed people—play a role in the paranormal in West Virginia?
This story and other strange tales can be found in my book Wild & Wonderful (and Paranormal) West Virginia.
Incredible 400 Acre West Virginia Farm
Immaculate Farm Auction
Saturday, September 15, 2018 at Noon
Registration & Inspection will begin at 10:00 AM
600 Hileman Road Bruceton Mills, WV
A dream property featuring over 400 acres of rolling hills with a magnificent 4-bedroom, 3.5 bath home, this homestead offers country living with easy access to highways and metro areas. Just 5 minutes from the Bruceton Mills Exit of I-79, the farm also includes a large horse barn, utility and machinery barns, gently sloping pastures and wooded ground with prime hunting opportunities. Popular destinations Deep Creek Lake and Morgantown are less than 30 minutes away.
Recent Timber Appraisal of over $330,000
Extremely Well-Maintained 4 Bedrooms, 3.5 Bath Home
3,200 +/- Sq. Ft.
Master En Suite features Double Vanities, Walk in Closet, & Deck with Serene Views
All Bedrooms have Private Full Bathrooms
Newly Renovated Kitchen with Stainless Steel Appliances, Granite Countertops, Custom Built Cabinetry with Applied Carvings, Island, & Pantry
Elevated Dining Area with Spectacular Views of Foliage
Open Concept Living Room features Stone Fireplace with Tons of Natural Lighting
First Floor Laundry & Utility Room
Full Finished Walk-Up Attic
Full Partially Finished Basement with 12 Ft. Ceilings
Hardwood Floors throughout
Property to be sold fully furnished with high quality bedroom suites, living room furniture, & dining room set.
Rolling Hills & Wooded Areas
Spectacular views: views of three states (PA, MD, WV) from the highest point
The property will be offered in different combinations and as a whole.
JOE R. PYLE COMPLETE AUCTION & REALTY SERVICE
Joe R. Pyle, Broker
(888) 875-1599
5546 Benedum Drive Shinnston West Virginia 26431
joerpyleauctions.com
Joe R Pyle WV212
West Virginia | Wikipedia audio article
This is an audio version of the Wikipedia Article:
West Virginia
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The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.
- Socrates
SUMMARY
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West Virginia ( (listen)) is a state located in the Appalachian region in the Southern United States and is also considered to be a part of the Middle Atlantic States. It is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Maryland to the east and northeast, Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. West Virginia is the 41st largest state by area, and is ranked 38th in population. The capital and largest city is Charleston.
West Virginia became a state following the Wheeling Conventions of 1861, after the American Civil War had begun. Delegates from some Unionist counties of northwestern Virginia decided to break away from Virginia, although they included many secessionist counties in the new state. West Virginia was admitted to the Union on June 20, 1863, and was a key border state during the war. West Virginia was the only state to form by separating from a Confederate state, the first to separate from any state since Maine separated from Massachusetts, and was one of two states admitted to the Union during the American Civil War (the other being Nevada). While a portion of its residents held slaves, most of the residents were yeomen farmers, and the delegates provided for gradual abolition of slavery in the new state Constitution.
The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States. However the Bureau of Labor Statistics classifies West Virginia as a part of the Mid-Atlantic. The northern panhandle extends adjacent to Pennsylvania and Ohio, with the West Virginia cities of Wheeling and Weirton just across the border from the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, while Bluefield is less than 70 miles (110 km) from North Carolina. Huntington in the southwest is close to the states of Ohio and Kentucky, while Martinsburg and Harpers Ferry in the Eastern Panhandle region are considered part of the Washington metropolitan area, in between the states of Maryland and Virginia. The unique position of West Virginia means that it is often included in several geographical regions, including the Mid-Atlantic, the Upland South, and the Southeastern United States. It is the only state that is entirely within the area served by the Appalachian Regional Commission; the area is commonly defined as Appalachia.The state is noted for its mountains and rolling hills, its historically significant logging and coal mining industries, and its political and labor history. It is also known for a wide range of outdoor recreational opportunities, including skiing, whitewater rafting, fishing, hiking, backpacking, mountain biking, rock climbing, and hunting.
Crazy Border Crossings -- twelvemilecircle.com
U.S. Route 119
The route between Charleston, West Virginia and Pikeville, Kentucky does something interesting in the vicinity of Williamson. In the space of 3 miles it crosses a state border 5 times. Starting in West Virginia the road crosses into Kentucky then into West Virginia, then into Kentucky, then into West Virginia and finally into Kentucky.
Crazy!
This geo-oddity needed to be captured on film.
A community overwhelmed by opioids
At the epicenter of America's opioid epidemic, Huntington, West Virginia’s growing addiction problem has overwhelmed everyone from first responders to business owners to newborns. So far, the city's robust efforts to fight back haven't been enough to curb the overdoses. Hari Sreenivasan reports as part of our series, America Addicted.
Drone footage of historic Wheeling, West Virginia
Elaine Purkey Sings Keepers of the Mountains
West Virginia activist songwriter Elaine Purkey plays her original song Keepers of the Mountains at Ya'sou Greek Restaurant in Kimball, WV on July 8, 2017. Keepers of the Mountains was written for activist Larry Gibson from Kayford Mountain, WV.
Elaine Purkey is from Harts Creek in Lincoln County. She wrote songs for the 1989 Pittston Coal Strike and the Ravenswood Aluminum Lockout (1990-92). She has performed at concerts and festivals across the United States including the Smithsonian Folklife Festival in Washington, D.C. Her song “One Day More,” written for the Ravenswood Lockout, is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings compilation Classic Labor Songs. Purkey is portrayed in the 2014 film Moving Mountains, based on a book by Penny Loeb. A proud mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, Purkey teaches singing classes to children at the Big Ugly Community Center.
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Visit the West Virginia Folklife Program blog at: wvfolklife.org
The West Virginia Folklife Program is a project of the West Virginia Humanities Council and is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) Folk & Traditional Arts Program. West Virginia Folklife is dedicated to the documentation, preservation, presentation, and support of West Virginia’s
vibrant cultural heritage and living traditions.
For more information on the West Virginia Folklife Program, visit
The West Virginia Humanities Council is a nonprofit corporation governed by a board of directors whose members are drawn from all parts of West Virginia. It is the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities, supported by the NEH, the State of West Virginia, and by contributions from the private sector. The purposes of the West Virginia Humanities Council are educational, and its mission is to support a vigorous program in the humanities statewide in West Virginia.
For more information, visit: wvhumanities.org
CHURCH OF GOD SETH WV
SISTER MARY SHELTON-8-2-2017
Kermit, West Virginia (USA), November 2015
During a beautiful warm November day overlooking Kermit in West Virginia. Nice little town. Worth a trip, beautiful nature.
Fire destroys Guyandotte home in Huntington, WV: Aftermath
January 11, 2012 4:32 a.m. Aftermath of a Guyandotte structure destroyed by fire in the 300 block of Prospect Street. Huntington, WV
NEWS
Fire destroys Guyandotte home
January 11, 2012 @ 09:29 AM
CURTIS JOHNSON
Herald-Dispatch.com
HUNTINGTON — Firefighters say extreme clutter and hydrant location complicated the effort to battle a house fire Wednesday in the city's Guyandotte neighborhood.
Dispatchers received word of the fire at 4:32 a.m. It was located in the 300 block of Prosepect Street.
The need to use a specific fire hydrant forced firefighters to close W.Va. 2, a major Huntington thoroughfare known as Bridge Street.
The route remained closed for more than two hours, but Huntington Fire Deputy Chief Scott Earl said crews reorganized near daybreak to open at least a portion of the road.
Two firefighters needed medical treatment. One was taken to an area hospital for exhaustion. The other received minor burns and indicated he would see his personal physician, Earl said.
The deputy chief said clutter inside of the two-story home snarled the effort as his firefighters could not freely move about the house. That forced them to take a defensive posture, which left piles of clutter inside to burn itself out.
Haunted Places in West Virginia
From Charleston to Huntington, Morgantown to Parkersburg, Wheeling, Weirton, Fairmont and more! Check out our scary list of the most terrifying haunted cemeteries, parks, monuments, and places in West Virginia! Enjoy!
Photos:
Marshall Univeristy Old Main Building by WVfunnyman ( is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (
St Peters church - Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, USA-30Sept2011 by John Picken ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
Ghost Tours of Harpers Ferry by Michel Curl ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
The West Virginia State Capitol Building in Charleston, WV by O Palsson ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
20110918 38 West Virginia State Capitol, Charleston, WV bhy David Wilson ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
Mens Hall (Boreman Hall) WVU Morgantown WV by John M. Bocan ( is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 (
West Virginia State Penitentiary, Moundsville, WV by Rhonda Humphreys ( is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (
Weston State Hospital by Tim Kiser ( is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 (
Building View at Dusk by Richie Diesterheft ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
00084_p_9ace59yae0054 by jeff covey ( is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0 (
Redi-Rock_cobblestone-gravity-frestanding-park-FosterSupply-BlennerhassettIsland-3 by Redi-Rock International ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
BerkeleyCastle WestVirginia by Jeanne Mozier is in the Public Domain
1610 - Berkeley Springs - WV9 by Andrew Bossi ( is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.5 (
Lake Shawnee Amusement Park by Forsaken Fotos ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
These hang over the lake by Forsaken Fotos ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
Lake Shawnee Amusement Park by Forsaken Fotos ( is licensed under CC BY 2.0 (
Why This Town Has Been On Fire For 50 Years
This week Reactions is shining light on why a small town in PA, Centralia, has been on fire for over 50 years. It's because of science. Well, chemistry, technically.
In 1962, an underground fire started in the coal-mining town of Centralia, Pennsylvania. Fifty-three years later, that fire still burns. In this week’s episode of Reactions, we explain the history and science behind the Centralia mine fire. Does anyone still live there? How could the fire keep burning for so long, and why hasn’t it been extinguished? From a chemical standpoint, what is fire, anyway?
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Photo credits:
David DeKok, Centralia Photo Archive (at 3:19)
Music credits:
Reole - I Got My Own
Sublustris Nox - Lost In the Woods
Producer:
Elaine Seward
Writer:
Sam Kean
Executive Producer:
Adam Dylewski
Scientific consultants:
Steven Maguire
Darcy Gentlemen, Ph.D.
City of Logan Fire Dept. ( part 2 )
Me and my boys at 1000 doin work