Senators Stephen B. Elkins and Henry Gassaway Davis are best known as senators and industrialists who developed the railroad, timber, and coal industries around Randolph County, and are the namesakes of the towns of Elkins, Davis, Gassaway, and Davis & Elkins College. But it is rumored that they were actually the outlaws Frank and Jesse… Continue reading The Real Story of Stephen Elkins and the Outlaw Cole Younger
Every year hundreds of people converge on the tiny town of Helvetia for one of the most unique festivals in West Virginia. Fasnacht takes place annually on the Saturday before Ash Wednesday. Only at Fasnacht can you find homemade masks, a candlelight parade, a square dance, Swiss food, and the burning of Old Man Winter,… Continue reading Celebrate Fasnacht “The Mardi Gras of Randolph County”
The Museum of American Glass in West Virginia, located in Weston, is a free museum that tells the story of glass manufacturing and glassware in the United States and West Virginia. With thousands of beautiful pieces on display, this museum has something for everyone to enjoy. The museum has been open since 1993. Weston is… Continue reading Experience the History of All Things Glass in Weston
Springtime in West Virginia means it’s ramp season. Ramps, also known as wild leeks, are a wild edible plant that’s known as the first green of the season. The plant has been eaten for generations as a spring tonic and is nowadays celebrated across the country at community festivals small and large called ramp feeds.… Continue reading Ramps are a stinky springtime specialty
Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper were country, gospel, and bluegrass musicians from Randolph County who recorded several top-ten country hits and performed on the Grand Ole Opry for 20 years. Wilma Lee Cooper was born as Wilma Leigh Leary on February 7th, 1921 in Valley Head. She grew up singing since age 5 and performing gospel… Continue reading Wilma Lee and Stoney Cooper: Randolph County’s Country Music Stars
In January 2019 Elkins community members gathered at the Darden Mill for the Third Annual Darden Fest, a music benefit organized by AmeriCorps members with the Appalachian Forest Heritage Area to raise money for ArtsBank (a local non-profit that organizes arts education outreach programs in Randolph County schools). Listen to some of the highlights below:… Continue reading Community Sounds: DardenFest
From 1905-1954 the Riverside School was the only public school for African-Americans in Randolph County, and is one of the oldest public school buildings in Elkins. Because they were excluded from white schools, the only educational opportunities available to African-Americans in Randolph County around 1900 were those offered in independent institutions like private homes or… Continue reading Riverside: the heart of Elkins’ Black community for 50 years
Old-time music from West Virginia is known for several family traditions that continue to this day, like the music of the Hammons family and the Kessinger brothers. Another well-known musical family was the Carpenter family who are said to be some of the original white inhabitants of what is now central West Virginia. The family… Continue reading Camp Chase: West Virginia Song Tells Civil War History
The Green Bank Science Center is open to visitors year-round. It houses a world-class astronomy facility (the Green Bank Observatory) whose telescopes are used by scientists around the world to observe and record radio waves throughout the universe. Astronomers use the telescopes at Green Bank to observe celestial phenomena like black holes, supernovas, pulsars, and… Continue reading Green Bank Observes the Unseen Forces of Our Universe and Searches for Extraterrestrial Life
Did you know that the namesake of the Cheat Mountain Salamander excursion train is found only in West Virginia? This rare critter is found in Grant, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Randolph, and Tucker counties and is one of the few vertebrate species unique to the Mountain State. The Cheat Mountain salamander’s tail is shorter than the length… Continue reading Cheat Mountain’s Unique Ecological and Cultural Heritage
