tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80810533904345016422024-02-19T10:04:18.926-08:00West Virginia Explorer BlogThe official blog for West Virginia ExplorerDavid Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comBlogger19125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-69289169906218596282018-08-24T16:10:00.003-07:002018-08-24T16:10:33.523-07:00“Take Me Home, Country Roads” reaching new audiences<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Bethesda Softworks this month released a cover of "Take Me Home, Country Roads" to accompany its soon-to-be released West-Virginia-centric Fallout 76 video game. Approaching its 50th anniversary, the song is again reaching new audiences, according to West Virginia Explorer publisher David Sibray: </span><a href="https://wvexplorer.com/2018/08/23/country-roads-reaching-new-audiences/" target="_blank">Country Roads reaching new audiences</a></div>
David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-12162215610227263412018-08-23T21:24:00.001-07:002018-08-23T21:24:15.307-07:00WVExplorer names Beaver, West Virginia (WV), its community-of-the-month for August 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
West Virginia Explorer has named Beaver, West Virginia (WV), its community of the month for 2018. Find out more about Beaver here: <a href="https://wvexplorer.com/communities/cities-towns/beaver-west-virginia/" target="_blank">Beaver, West Virginia</a>.<br />
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-45788538681221246362014-05-11T14:43:00.001-07:002014-05-11T17:56:51.298-07:00WV or W.Va. -- which is the correct form of abbreviation for West Virginia?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
For many years, "W.Va." was the acceptable form of the abbreviation for West Virginia. The abbreviation could hardly be confused with that of anything else. Thanks to the prevalence of coding systems, however, the form "WV" has entered into widespread use throughout the U.S. Still, authorities on American English have not come to accept the latter abbreviation. <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/2014/05/11/wv-abbreviations-west-virginia-2014/" target="_blank">What is the correct abbreviation for West Virginia</a>? The authors at West Virginia Explorer have answered the question as best as it might be answered. It all depends, they say: <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/2014/05/11/wv-abbreviations-west-virginia-2014/" target="_blank"><b>WV or W.Va. -- abbreviations for wonderful West Virginia</b></a></div>
David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-85643891282719155152014-05-03T13:06:00.002-07:002014-05-03T13:06:19.690-07:00Exploring the most haunted places in West Virginia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vWFQyW9AUzg/UNoi5D_IWvI/AAAAAAAAHBQ/UsyGi_2EKHg/s1600/GEDC0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vWFQyW9AUzg/UNoi5D_IWvI/AAAAAAAAHBQ/UsyGi_2EKHg/s1600/GEDC0669.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
In search of a spooky good time? They're not hard to find in West Virginia where entire towns are said to be haunted. Follow along with editor David Sibray as he explores the five most haunted places in the Mountain State...<br />
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<b><a href="http://wvexplorer.com/2014/03/20/five-most-haunted-places-0665/" target="_blank">Introducing the five most haunted places in West Virginia</a></b><br />
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-88915832112407226412013-11-15T10:58:00.001-08:002014-02-09T17:00:09.587-08:00Remastered version of West Virginia Explorer to launch by new year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnckw36ngBIHPstOjHvWraurqo-KZ2QMrS5Vrl0-7d1Iqe4diNVXyqqEv0vXtprcU6DKNCn9iV9g1f2T4Mh3mfgLgAS-9V1WTX2xmFUQVk0ldnJ-Bt-mY7vlriOXbJNQWthhBVi7__CkR/s1600/Exploring+at+Eagle+Rock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnckw36ngBIHPstOjHvWraurqo-KZ2QMrS5Vrl0-7d1Iqe4diNVXyqqEv0vXtprcU6DKNCn9iV9g1f2T4Mh3mfgLgAS-9V1WTX2xmFUQVk0ldnJ-Bt-mY7vlriOXbJNQWthhBVi7__CkR/s400/Exploring+at+Eagle+Rock.jpg" height="296" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Editor David Sibray atop Eagle Rock on Great North Mountain, WV</td></tr>
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Are you ready to explore West Virginia in a whole new way?<br />
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The contributing team at West Virginia Explorer will relaunch its flagship guide to West Virginia by the first of January, just as many explorers are succumbing to spring fever.<br />
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Unlike the current version of the site at <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/">WVExplorer.com</a>, the remastered site will be wholly integrated with <b>social media</b>, allowing explorers to share their love of the Mountain State in real time through <b>commentary</b>, <b>photography</b>, and <b>video and audio</b>.<br />
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West Virginia Explorer was first published in 2000 and swiftly became one of the principal online guides to West Virginia. Now in its thirteenth year, editor David Sibray says he expects 2013 to be very, very lucky for contributors and readers alike.</div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-47106027740865268552013-08-20T17:45:00.002-07:002017-04-26T21:21:42.821-07:00Sibray LLC moving to Charleston, W.Va.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7vMHs0JWoPzJOqJriZkcNxNYypU4Crz3s31ESACjfN8mxxfnoZSJTdn6jexU4vobouhqZwIKTHdt8rJpyg3AHCoN3qK7aLgmJlqfFbIHD9MoankwhJq-zSdVPDsCM-N8MZI2UDXrHLtG/s1600/Chas.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP7vMHs0JWoPzJOqJriZkcNxNYypU4Crz3s31ESACjfN8mxxfnoZSJTdn6jexU4vobouhqZwIKTHdt8rJpyg3AHCoN3qK7aLgmJlqfFbIHD9MoankwhJq-zSdVPDsCM-N8MZI2UDXrHLtG/s320/Chas.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W.Va. Capitol at Charleston</td></tr>
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Sibray Limited Liability Company, the publisher of <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/about-us/" target="_blank">West Virginia Explorer</a> and the parent of Sibray Public Relations Co, will move its offices to Charleston, W.Va., in September. David Sibray said the move will better accommodate the contributors that the company contracts across the state.<br />
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Traditionally one of top three online directories for West Virginia travel information, The West Virginia Explorer over the last year underwent a top-to-bottom overhaul, during which its rankings at search engines such as Bing.com and Google.com were re-ordered. Now that the process is complete, Sibray said the publishing house will need to provide writers, photographers, and other contributors better access to a centralized office environment.</div>
David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-58929611844729940512012-12-05T17:22:00.004-08:002018-02-02T22:45:51.193-08:00Satellite image of West Virginia at night<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQb4Gm2A-fi5Wul41Db29HClsn9mFy2EXKtV577GdUJJrijGSIrqjXnAnBHD6NIP9C447HzrbVFwddCFlwnkrVlm7Xb8ISmFO-_MpKddY0tJ2FtD3-uSICrNHI2ql_-4yG5PH8d7k2Y1k/s1600/1-dnb-united-states-lrg-jpg_220311-002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="295" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQQb4Gm2A-fi5Wul41Db29HClsn9mFy2EXKtV577GdUJJrijGSIrqjXnAnBHD6NIP9C447HzrbVFwddCFlwnkrVlm7Xb8ISmFO-_MpKddY0tJ2FtD3-uSICrNHI2ql_-4yG5PH8d7k2Y1k/s320/1-dnb-united-states-lrg-jpg_220311-002.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
New NASA satellite imagery of the Earth at night is making rounds on the Internet, and I was determined to discover what might be seen of West Virginia, my home state. It turns out, quite a lot. The Charleston - Huntington metro corridor, and the Teays Valley, in between, are obvious features. They run nearly east to west. I've added a "C" to the image just northeast of Charleston. Beckley (B) and Oak Hill, to its north, cast a glow near the center of the southern state.<br />
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Extending northeastward from a cluster of lights at Parkersburg (P), a thin but distinct ribbon follows the Ohio River and widens at Wheeling and Weirton. Morgantown (M) is the largest of clusters that follows the west flank of the Chestnut Ridge southwest to northeast from Clarksburg, to the south, far into Pennsylvania near Latrobe. One of the most surprising features, in my mind, is the scattered dim light in the coalfields south of Charleston (C) and west of Beckley (B). I expect this comes from the many small coal camps and surface-mining operations.<br />
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Other distinct features that might be discerned in this image include Columbus, (the bright, concentrated node of light northwest of Parkersburg), Pittsburgh, the large cluster of lights north of Morgantown, the D.C.-metro area along the eastern edge of the image, and the thin ribbon of development that follows Interstate 81 across the image from northwest to southeast.<br />
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I've included a <a href="http://images.statemaster.com/images/motw/us_2001/west_virginia_ref_2001.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">reference map</a> here to help orient readers who'd like to further explore this image.<br />
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Read about <a href="https://wvexplorer.com/2018/01/21/pre-industrial-nights-sky-over-wv/" target="_blank">dark skies in West Virginia</a></div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-15056535114054793302012-10-09T14:26:00.001-07:002014-05-04T21:46:54.975-07:00Burgess photography to help define W.Va.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSasCaTyI7dr241hLRTFtUxuyrlDtprQtsX9m_mN772ABFKGCKivDZrSYv02ImRKWgd8EM_uKt9mBSCDgq7U9vsqrbBOV3oRClxAsmmBurNyDVwt8IbN68zNP7uzWS__AOtXGLCeBnQ2wb/s1600/Burgess+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSasCaTyI7dr241hLRTFtUxuyrlDtprQtsX9m_mN772ABFKGCKivDZrSYv02ImRKWgd8EM_uKt9mBSCDgq7U9vsqrbBOV3oRClxAsmmBurNyDVwt8IbN68zNP7uzWS__AOtXGLCeBnQ2wb/s320/Burgess+1.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></div>
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Photographer Rick Burgess has agreed to provide West Virginia Explorer with <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/photo-galleries/gallery-west-virginia-images-rick-burgess/" target="_blank">imagery</a> needed to help define West Virginia. His landscapes will be featured as editorial content when the remastered version of the guide is unveiled in late October, according to David Sibray, editor and publisher of the online guide to West Virginia.<br />
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"Rick has been able to help illustrate a version of West Virginia of which I think many West Virginians were unaware, to say nothing of tourists," Sibray said. "When his work began to appear on Facebook, I though to myself, 'Here's a guy who's seeing the state as no one else is seeing it.'"<br />
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Sibray said West Virginia Explorer, which was first launched in 1999, will be opening its pages to photographers who wish to share their vision of the Mountain State. Potential contributors are welcome to call Sibray at (304) 575-7390 or contact him at dsibray@gmail.com.</div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-71789543968938456002012-08-22T10:40:00.001-07:002014-05-04T21:47:54.894-07:00Burning Rock underwrites ATV content<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizyINsc4JgFWROXhwPjbnY4caLu5G8riBVplmycNoM0G0p-WTMmhhbqR3yBKZ5AmhvG_N0bvXudcaNDIBo_vl9a5Vb47gRNqXBaD_EfLImcBkgxU6BWpyDrXLcgJAbkAkOwAmwdITkNRr/s1600/Mud-Lady.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjizyINsc4JgFWROXhwPjbnY4caLu5G8riBVplmycNoM0G0p-WTMmhhbqR3yBKZ5AmhvG_N0bvXudcaNDIBo_vl9a5Vb47gRNqXBaD_EfLImcBkgxU6BWpyDrXLcgJAbkAkOwAmwdITkNRr/s200/Mud-Lady.jpg" height="200" width="198" /></a></div>
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Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park has agreed to underwrite the expansion of <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/recreation/atv-touring/" target="_blank">ATV touring information</a> at West Virginia Explorer. Perhaps best known as a destination for ATV touring, the park's partnership with the online guide will provide vacationers detailed information on off-road adventures throughout the Mountain State. Please visit the website for <a href="http://www.burningrockwv.com/" target="_blank">Burning Rock</a> to find out more about the cabins, camping, and off-road adventure packages the parks offers as well as its 2,500 foot zip-line. Thanks, Burning Rock!</div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-4695916029232599562012-08-15T11:48:00.002-07:002014-05-04T21:51:06.844-07:00ACE helps sponsor reboot of WVExplorer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhG6Kpktk9bBnSRHWy_8CYyYnkrAKuUyHESjnrqmN1fD093zYHMDIWMiBww4UXpUr6an555SFIyaNS38H2pJnEoDQGYtWUrnn_M_GhHFUWTaHBS3hcXr3h0RJ8jVTBCNu8-ygi7MeLrtC/s1600/Ace+Raft.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhG6Kpktk9bBnSRHWy_8CYyYnkrAKuUyHESjnrqmN1fD093zYHMDIWMiBww4UXpUr6an555SFIyaNS38H2pJnEoDQGYtWUrnn_M_GhHFUWTaHBS3hcXr3h0RJ8jVTBCNu8-ygi7MeLrtC/s320/Ace+Raft.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://aceraft.com/" target="_blank">ACE Adventure Resort</a> has been named among the chief sponsors of the reboot of the West Virginia Explorer, the Web-based guide to West Virginia first launched in 1999. Long one of the chief advertisers associated with the guide, the resort has provided the funding necessary to write and edit thousands of pages of information.<br />
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After September 1, explorers of West Virginia will find forums, galleries, and thousands of interactive articles authored by professional writers where the long-standing flagship site for West Virginia Explorer had existed. The site will also solicit visitors to enlist for free memberships, which will qualify them for travel packages and prompt them to sign up for specialty newsletters. Thank, ACE, for helping us build West Virginia!<br />
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UPDATE: ACE's investment paid off in February 2014 when the <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/ace-reboot-big-win/" target="_blank">reboot of West Virginia Explorer</a> was unveiled. LinkedIn Version: <a href="http://www.linkedin.com/company/west-virginia-explorer" target="_blank">ACE reboot: a big win! - West Virginia Explorer</a></div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-50566367639770360272012-08-08T07:55:00.001-07:002014-05-04T21:51:49.089-07:00Allegheny Restoration sponsors new historic landmarks content<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJGc5SKbdbDearonTEOg_GJEteRXxgZf6RNuO2ln1PIfAC6vwKZ9aZs5VFHjdF89LW3dbQFVsmT-G4kNReiQf0GVu33808Ee_s3Emxvxyd4R8SjkFroXjPO5i9A1XKAY5sOzhezFeum1c/s1600/Wharton+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZJGc5SKbdbDearonTEOg_GJEteRXxgZf6RNuO2ln1PIfAC6vwKZ9aZs5VFHjdF89LW3dbQFVsmT-G4kNReiQf0GVu33808Ee_s3Emxvxyd4R8SjkFroXjPO5i9A1XKAY5sOzhezFeum1c/s200/Wharton+2.jpg" height="150" width="200" /></a></div>
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If you're a fan of West Virginia architecture, you may already know their work. Woodburn Hall at West Virginia University, the West Virginia Capitol at Charleston, the B&O Roundhouse at Martinsburg -- each of these buildings, and many more throughout the Mid-Atlantic, have been expertly restored with the help of <a href="http://www.alleghenyrestoration.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Allegheny Restoration & Builders Inc.</a> Their work in restoration and new construction is renowned.</div>
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What better sponsor for our forthcoming <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/attractions/historic-landmarks/" target="_blank">guide to historic landmarks</a> could we find? When we unveil our new online compendium of West Virginia in September, you'll be able to peruse more than 200 pages of historic site and district information sponsored by <a href="http://www.alleghenyrestoration.com/index.htm" target="_blank">Allegheny Restoration</a>. Their builders, designers, and carpenters share our enthusiasm for maintaining the best of West Virginia, and we couldn't be more happy to partner with them. Please be sure to consider a consultation with Allegheny Restoration before you embark on a renovation of a historical structure. </div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-91846516701243367862012-08-02T20:45:00.001-07:002014-05-04T21:45:30.824-07:00New River Climbing School to sponsor new rock climbing content<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUKQlSi7J0I9ye4UQXT2xU1JfcOcx0SFWxmTjT8dtzQqLfnrswUYnqoakGw15gHwXZrVrjUu4o3N1B5G6OpDtkHlwZKIQPMOUSeofPt-QLxoOHc_pVj8lr_LIQfL9aOvihOFgwtTZ6v4C/s1600/1-Climbing+School-001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqUKQlSi7J0I9ye4UQXT2xU1JfcOcx0SFWxmTjT8dtzQqLfnrswUYnqoakGw15gHwXZrVrjUu4o3N1B5G6OpDtkHlwZKIQPMOUSeofPt-QLxoOHc_pVj8lr_LIQfL9aOvihOFgwtTZ6v4C/s200/1-Climbing+School-001.jpg" height="200" width="182" /></a></div>
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West Virginia is among the chief rock climbing destinations in the eastern United States, and West Virginia Explorer and <a href="http://www.newriverclimbingschool.com/" target="_blank">New River Climbing School</a> are teaming up to provide the most thorough guide to West Virginia climbing available online. New River Climbing School has agreed to sponsor the development of our <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/recreation/rock-climbing/" target="_blank">climbing information </a>and help guide us in our mission to explore new climbing areas across the state. Instructors David and Molly Wolff will also serve as editorial advisers, assisting in our effort to expand the sport. </div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-41483583424095430472012-04-29T12:59:00.001-07:002012-04-29T22:04:54.560-07:00Once Upon a Pavilion in West Virginia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPq7belLXJn5AMkhSIHj47zVHqT-ZBsNQ9tRHqXfv6Ead58ZNaf6rTNMc7ctwbSguDr7610efquGnivcVLbVlSAu4Mb_L9OGTYA0V7dmFlI_zpf0ev5gohc2q0C76vlJinLsoFVPk4Rkr/s1600/White+Sulphur+Spring+WVExp.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirPq7belLXJn5AMkhSIHj47zVHqT-ZBsNQ9tRHqXfv6Ead58ZNaf6rTNMc7ctwbSguDr7610efquGnivcVLbVlSAu4Mb_L9OGTYA0V7dmFlI_zpf0ev5gohc2q0C76vlJinLsoFVPk4Rkr/s320/White+Sulphur+Spring+WVExp.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An early spring snowfall blankets the White Sulphur Spring.</td></tr>
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PERHAPS NO IMAGE OF WEST Virginia hospitality is more enduring than that of the pavilion at <a href="http://www.greenbrier.com/" target="_blank">The Greenbrier</a> at White Sulphur Springs. Since the 1830s, the dome that shelters its famous mineral spring has come to symbolize the brand of gracious accommodation for which the southern <a href="http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Allegheny_Mountains" target="_blank">Allegheny Mountains</a> of the state are renown.</div>
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But the pavilion at White Sulphur is only one of several that decorate such springs in the Virginias. I asked <a href="http://www.lewisburg.org/history/robertconte.htm" target="_blank">Dr. Robert S. Conte</a>, resident historian at The Greenbrier, what he knew of the tradition. Conte and author Stan Cohen have traveled the region together before, seeking out such landmarks. Conte says these buildings appear to take two forms, depending upon their function. Those that shelter springs in which the visitor is expected to bathe are usually enclosed by bathhouses. Those in which the water is imbibed most often take the form of the pavilion.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g1-YhIvHhu8IK3p0hRB5sLrErepE9-TZCZvBk1OH_TV33Ttu4tQG7O8DmAA4ubocwz8LH2CmbtFoRpFFoRHghSff1wdsddoHn7-O403etDEkN7byRCHddsyn59eFhlHWVj1vd3Lm52Pl/s1600/Blue+Sulphur+2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6g1-YhIvHhu8IK3p0hRB5sLrErepE9-TZCZvBk1OH_TV33Ttu4tQG7O8DmAA4ubocwz8LH2CmbtFoRpFFoRHghSff1wdsddoHn7-O403etDEkN7byRCHddsyn59eFhlHWVj1vd3Lm52Pl/s200/Blue+Sulphur+2.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Endangered pavilion<br />
at Blue Sulphur Spring</td></tr>
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Why a pavilion? Why the columns? Conte says it's no surprise that mineral springs would attract attention in a classical form. "If you think about it, springs are pretty miraculous. They're places where a life-sustaining force issues out of the ground. And in this case, we're not talking about just any water."</div>
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Mineral springs such as those at The Greenbrier, at Bath, England, or at Bath, West Virginia (better known as Berkeley Springs), have long been thought to be imbued with healing properties, and the tradition of visiting them for the purpose of health is traced back to Classical times in Western society.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLsmxq3ovr_5bd_PazlWu6xOB4XYuUrtAUFcmZJUnOA43TowfIAYBd2h-UX6qnzYo-nypGAw30-oicKmaIbqh_dZoZdM5CWNfEouwe618YcJq6GKUw9oyak1CfyyiFcDQUjfT5f-HMy3q/s1600/Pavillion+at+Pence+Springs-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLsmxq3ovr_5bd_PazlWu6xOB4XYuUrtAUFcmZJUnOA43TowfIAYBd2h-UX6qnzYo-nypGAw30-oicKmaIbqh_dZoZdM5CWNfEouwe618YcJq6GKUw9oyak1CfyyiFcDQUjfT5f-HMy3q/s200/Pavillion+at+Pence+Springs-001.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pavilion at Pence Spring</td></tr>
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So it's not surprising to find a statue of Hebe, the Greek goddess of youth, adorning the dome at White Sulphur Springs, nor should it be surprising for the Classical form of a columned pavilion to be found at White Sulphur Springs or at other springs in the region. The equally massive <a href="http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Blue_Sulphur_Springs" target="_blank">pavilion</a> at Blue Sulphur Springs, now endangered, is a second example of the style on a monumental scale (and is all that survived destruction by Union forces at the site.)</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pavilions at Salt Sulphur Springs</td></tr>
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In West Virginia, spas took on added importance. Wealthy residents from the South could also escape the summer heat when they visited the mountains. In a verifiable sense, Conte said, their vacation saved them from diseases which flourished in the southern heat. The elite would spend much of the season traveling between spas. As might be expected, a prevailing sense of taste and pageantry developed around the custom of visiting the spas in a circuit.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pavilion at Barger Springs</td></tr>
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As a result of the demise of the Antebellum economy during the Civil War, many spas fell into economic ruin. Some, such as The Greenbrier and the nearby Pence Springs Hotel, were invigorated by completion of railroads later in the century. Others wholly collapsed. Still more exist in some intervening form -- stable, endangered, undergoing restoration.</div>
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I've had the chance to visit many of these landmarks and have mapped some in hopes of encouraging interest. Several pavilions, such as the example at Blue Sulphur Springs, are in dire need of restoration, but all deserve appreciation.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HFKLFsd-Lcn35Bp4hl_BX9duQbddhYNDnDn5gCDl5ts0Xlkyunp8C-61MdOzm5BQJPvE52QyVYtrJ5cO1NzRHqVnoijYA0BvIVQMoOGIp5hgGwAU03HOl7B2gag9oe2ZbDSyS_yl1f-h/s1600/Lee+Spring%252C+Lost+River+State+Park-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3HFKLFsd-Lcn35Bp4hl_BX9duQbddhYNDnDn5gCDl5ts0Xlkyunp8C-61MdOzm5BQJPvE52QyVYtrJ5cO1NzRHqVnoijYA0BvIVQMoOGIp5hgGwAU03HOl7B2gag9oe2ZbDSyS_yl1f-h/s200/Lee+Spring%252C+Lost+River+State+Park-001.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lee Spring, Lost River State Park</td></tr>
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For more information on mineral springs in Virginia and West Virginia, I recommend what many enthusiasts consider the seminal work on the subject <a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/historic-springs-of-the-virginias-stan-cohen/1005205307" target="_blank">"Historic Springs of the Virginias: A Pictorial History"</a> by Stan Cohen. <span style="text-align: -webkit-left;">I've also created a rudimentary map of spring pavilions in West Virginia at Google Maps, which includes these and other pavilions and springs -- </span><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212891696199194405817.0004bedd431bdbe5009ef&msa=0" style="text-align: -webkit-left;" target="_blank">West Virginia Spring Pavilions</a><span style="text-align: -webkit-left;">.</span></div>
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<br /></div>David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-61311437357394317972012-04-23T16:46:00.002-07:002012-04-23T18:04:37.819-07:00John Henry Statue to be removed for repairs Wednesday afternoon<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Detail of John Henry statue near Talcott, W.Va.<br />
<i>Photo courtesy West Virginia Explorer</i></td></tr>
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Motorists who are accustomed to passing the world-famous statue of John Henry on Big Bend Mountain over the last 40 years have one more day to enjoy the ritual.</div>
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At 1 p.m. on Wednesday, according to state officials, the 2.5-ton bronze likeness of Henry will be removed from its pedestal along W.Va. Route 3 and will be reconditioned by a local wright before being installed near the mouth of Great Bend Tunnel at Talcott, W.Va.</div>
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Since its installation by the Hilldale-Talcott Ruritan Club in 1972, the statue has been repeatedly vandalized and repaired. Many bullet-holes pock its thick casting. The likeness has often been painted black to help cover graffiti.</div>
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Sculptor Chales O. Cooper, of Williamstown, Mich., was commissioned to create the eight-foot tall statue, according to Rick Moorefield, project director for the John Henry Memorial Park.</div>
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The statue will be unveiled in 2013 when the <a href="http://www.johnhenrypark.com/" target="_blank">John Henry Memorial Park</a> is officially opened in the valley of the Greenbrier River upstream of Big Bend Mountain.</div>
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Henry joined the ranks the world's greatest folk heroes during construction of the Big Bend Tunnel in the early 1870s. According to legend, Henry, who was employed to drive steel wedges into the rock, was able to win a contest against a driller who was operating a steam-powered drill. The contest reputedly cost Henry his life.</div>
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By David T. Sibray<br />
<a href="http://www.wvexplorer.com/" target="_blank">West Virginia Explorer</a></div>David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-42686258026118895562012-04-23T09:59:00.001-07:002012-04-23T13:44:39.863-07:00Spring wildflower programs hosted again in the New River Gorge<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Trillum, a favorite flower in the gorge in April<br />
<i>Photo courtesy National Park Service</i></td></tr>
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Every April the National Park Service in southern West Virginia hosts a cavalcade of events celebrating the appearance of spring wildflowers. Wildflower lectures and workshops are sponsored throughout the month, but the highlight coincides with the peak of the season, generally the last weekend of April.<br />
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Please feel free to join me and a dozens of other lovers of the outdoors on at least one of these outings. If you know next-to-nothing about wildflowers, that'll soon change. Rangers and other enthusiasts, expert and amateur, will be happy to share their knowledge.<br />
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<i>Friday, April 27, 2012</i><br />
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1-2 p.m. -- <b>Wildflower Wonders</b> Lecture in auditorium at Tamarack, at Beckley, W.Va.<br />
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1-3 p.m. -- <b>Blooms of Glade Creek</b> Leisurely two-mile stroll along a mountan stream, near Prince, W.Va.<br />
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6-7:30 p.m. -- <b>Basics of Field Guide Skills</b> Bring your field guide for the easy walk at at Babcock State Park, near Clifftop, W.Va. field guides are available (at cost) at Tamarack and at the National Park Service's visitor centers at Sandstone and Canyon Rim, both of which are open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m.<br />
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7-8 p.m. -- <b>Not Just a Pretty Face</b> Lecture on the edible and medicinal uses of wildflowers at Hawks Nest State Park, at Ansted, W.Va.<br />
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<i>Saturday, April 28, 2012</i><br />
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7:30- 8:45 a.m. -- <b>Early Birding at Grandview</b> Bring your binoculars to Shelter No. 4 at Grandview<br />
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9 a.m-1:30 p.m. -- <b>Hike Into Spring</b> A leisurely 2.5-mile descent along an old trail from Grandview Shelter No. 4 to the New River. We'll return by shuttle. As this hike is popular and requires shuttle service, reservations are requested by April 24; please call <a href="tel:304-466-0417">304-466-0417</a>.<br />
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2:30-4:30 p.m. -- <b>Youth Art at Grandview</b> Art projects for youth in the amphitheater at Grandview, W.Va.<br />
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<i>Sunday, April 29, 2012</i><br />
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9-10:30 a.m. -- <b>Spring Birding at Babcock</b> Stroll diverse habitat in search of more secretive birds at Babcock State Park, near Clifftop, W.Va.<br />
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10 a.m.-1 p.m. -- <b>Falls & Flowers</b> A 2.5 miles round-trip hike along Brush Creek on this easy 2.5-mile round trip walk. Caravan from Pipestem State Park near Pipestem, W.Va.<br />
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11:30 a.m.-Noon -- <b>Youth Art at Canyon Rim</b> Art projects for youth in the amphitheater at Canyon Rim Visitor Center at Lansing, W.Va.<br />
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3-5 p.m. -- <b>Hawk's Nest Wildflower Stroll</b> A moderate one-mile wildflower scavenger hunt from the lobby at Hawks Nest State Park in Ansted, W.Va.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CIb0j74PBh8Fajqu2Tknqw5lE3qkXIF3dmIA-lHcn7Wl8B1oJbWGDVv-ADJt7pdAmy5X8YAuBk0Sy3Y17DhTeo089YAWwNiQDxbXId9r3ZkrXe-x6gAw71j1fxVDfZVirxIJZysRXB0L/s1600/Dutchman's+Breeches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CIb0j74PBh8Fajqu2Tknqw5lE3qkXIF3dmIA-lHcn7Wl8B1oJbWGDVv-ADJt7pdAmy5X8YAuBk0Sy3Y17DhTeo089YAWwNiQDxbXId9r3ZkrXe-x6gAw71j1fxVDfZVirxIJZysRXB0L/s320/Dutchman's+Breeches.jpg" width="236" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dutchman's Breeches<br />
<i>Photo courtesy National Park Service</i></td></tr>
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For more information on these spring wildflower hikes or associated lectures, please visit the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/neri/planyourvisit/programs.htm" target="_blank">Ranger Programs</a> page or contact either of the two visitor centers for the New River Gorge National River:<br />
<br />
Sandstone Visitor Center <a href="tel:%28304%29%20466-0417">(304) 466-0417</a><br />
Canyon Rim Visitor Center (304) 574-2115<br />
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All spring wildflower hikes and lectures are open to the public and free of charge, though reservations must be made by April 24 to participate in the "Hike into Spring" excursion on Saturday at Grandview.<br />
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Reported by David T. Sibray</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">For <a href="http://www.wvexplorer.com/" target="_blank">West Virginia Explorer</a></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">http://www.WVExplorer.com</span></div>
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</div>David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-79382778739495655612012-01-03T19:55:00.000-08:002014-05-04T21:54:15.132-07:00Moundsville's Mound and Penitentiary<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ukBB8VKoA9BvbwePjTgrzTorqE_H0Xx2qk9B82C6T2Y8AWlCuBhtZuwQ_gvYGzkUYCLDCx_KZdDMuHvmHNVTFlo2YWAMTSUpVOp2lmBjVe4KziG-X8XFTHJAK0PF_dqDgQpOiZm-yOPx/s1600/State+Prison.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8ukBB8VKoA9BvbwePjTgrzTorqE_H0Xx2qk9B82C6T2Y8AWlCuBhtZuwQ_gvYGzkUYCLDCx_KZdDMuHvmHNVTFlo2YWAMTSUpVOp2lmBjVe4KziG-X8XFTHJAK0PF_dqDgQpOiZm-yOPx/s320/State+Prison.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old penitentiary as seen from top of mound</td></tr>
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MOUNDSVILLE, W.VA., IN MY ESTIMATION, ranks as ideal among the traditional working-class cities of the northeast U.S. Its 10,000 residents, many who speak <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_English" target="_blank">Pittsburgh English</a>, hold dear their sports teams and dearer their traditions. Though a rust-belt city, the 'Ville on the Ohio River hasn't suffered the economic decimation to which similar cities have fallen.<br />
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Much of what I know of <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/communities/cities-towns-west-virginia/moundsville-west-virginia/" target="_blank">Moundsville</a>, I've learned since being drawn there by two of its best-known landmarks -- Grave Creek Mound and the old W.Va. State Penitentiary. Two more eerie monuments would be difficult to otherwise find in such proximity. In many respects it's hard to believe such an energetic community could be associated with death and earthly perdition.<br />
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The mound itself has little association with the dark aspects of human existence. If anything, its builders were motivated by honor and their respect for the death of forebears. Construction required that members of the prehistoric community who lived here spend more than 100 years raising the mound to its present height of nearly 70 feet. From about 250 to 150 BC, they carried more than 60,000 tons of earth to the site.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxkDE2mm6KVm0YE8Hq6vG8DvlRuiVFgi48NMWjq3bksmCmyfdlY0bDvLdcRydDO_Q7Ly7TM60g9uQ78RD_Bs8r329j4j_BS5uDNgiq3Rg-7ZOBQL7X7AumzoUQRQp13AYa7EJ2_ltwZfA/s1600/Top+of+Mound.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAxkDE2mm6KVm0YE8Hq6vG8DvlRuiVFgi48NMWjq3bksmCmyfdlY0bDvLdcRydDO_Q7Ly7TM60g9uQ78RD_Bs8r329j4j_BS5uDNgiq3Rg-7ZOBQL7X7AumzoUQRQp13AYa7EJ2_ltwZfA/s320/Top+of+Mound.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking northward from compass monument atop mound</td></tr>
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The "Mammoth Mound," as it was also sometimes called, and the complex surrounding it was far larger than that which exists today. Though still recognized as the largest mound of its kind, erosion over the past two thousand years may have helped lower its height. And much of the original burial site was destroyed as the town was established. A 40-foot-wide moat encircled the mound and a series of earthworks extended outward.<br />
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According to Delf Norona, founder of the W.Va. Archaeological Society, early European observers reported that the mound had been surrounded by other mounds and mysterious ridges of earth "sometimes arranged in squares, sometimes in octagons or circles, broken passageways and looking very much like medieval fortifications and connected with each other by roads..."<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSPct4y5BCFfSwZ_Zq1Em7NMqwYVWUjbbbVu-z8t_GxgAjqukg3zDEQbU8oGuXjZX1FrXYm5o5KdCrQlPuRNcFdQXuJgYA689I0ySAkYylETy_560TEZCHhQDt0-7bnnQ21IbuG-otmEa/s1600/Mounsville+Orientation.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpSPct4y5BCFfSwZ_Zq1Em7NMqwYVWUjbbbVu-z8t_GxgAjqukg3zDEQbU8oGuXjZX1FrXYm5o5KdCrQlPuRNcFdQXuJgYA689I0ySAkYylETy_560TEZCHhQDt0-7bnnQ21IbuG-otmEa/s320/Mounsville+Orientation.JPG" height="320" width="208" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Earthworks as they may have appeared</td></tr>
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The ancient "city of the dead" at Moundsville must have inspired awe. Based on earlier observations, Norona mapped the locations of earthworks that extended northward from the mound. Pictured at left, his diagram shows the mound as the smaller circle toward the bottom of the map and a large octagonal earthwork to the north beyond Second Street and across from the entrance to present-day Moundsville Junior High School. Norona's map, models of the mound, and cases of artifacts are on display at the Delf Norona Museum, part of the <a href="http://www.wvculture.org/museum/GraveCreekmod.html" target="_blank">Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex</a>, which is open to guests year round. The $3.1-million W.Va. Archaeology Center was also opened at the complex in 2008, providing scholars a research center through which to explore the region's prehistory.<br />
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When I'm sitting atop the mound -- as I'm now keen to do of an evening -- I invariably try to imagine what prisoners housed among the gothic walls of the penitentiary across the avenue must have thought about the earthwork. When one has all the time in the world to spend in the consideration of such things, what does one make of a monument to timelessness? In the minds of the mound's builders, time and timelessness were certainly considerations. Would their mound last until the end of time? Would the prisoner with too much time on his hands more than 2,000 years later take time to consider this?<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdIYcgPzTj63r7xqgGDX3GPsc49nlTW-r1B7DhTrOcVa5UtQtSr-iqbnCncQ6vL5gYU4bs8ZmN76mDUTEQM_uF4icgcXN2-_wT9JJI8w_XWR0j-sap3MdP4ariOTwgEQo-Ekc3ZT5F6m_/s1600/Pen.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPdIYcgPzTj63r7xqgGDX3GPsc49nlTW-r1B7DhTrOcVa5UtQtSr-iqbnCncQ6vL5gYU4bs8ZmN76mDUTEQM_uF4icgcXN2-_wT9JJI8w_XWR0j-sap3MdP4ariOTwgEQo-Ekc3ZT5F6m_/s320/Pen.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Castellated western entrance to old penitentiary</td></tr>
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I suppose it might be worth asking the ghosts who reportedly haunt the penitentiary. What are their opinions about the mound? Thousand of prisoners lived and died in the infamous <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_Penitentiary" target="_blank">W.Va. State Penitentiary </a>between 1876 and 1995. The building has become a part of American pop culture and is featured in the novel "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_of_the_Hunter_(novel)" target="_blank">The Night of the Hunter</a>" and in the 1955 <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_of_the_Hunter_(film)" target="_blank">film</a> by that name and in the book and movie "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fools%27_Parade_(film)" target="_blank">Fool's Parade</a>."<br />
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Today the prison functions as both a tourist attraction and a training facility. I've not personally toured the spooky old edifice, though plenty of ghost hunters have spent hours on location there, filming paranormal investigation programs for television. Most recently, the Discovery Channel's "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghost_Lab" target="_blank">Ghost Lab</a>" program toured the building. For more information on exploring the penitentiary, visit the <a href="http://www.wvpentours.com/" target="_blank">West Virginia Penitentiary</a> site, which also includes a compendium of ghostly videos and visitors' tales.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82Qw7JsWJQyzLguvOoEM3S8eCpwjPQOsD-_NzCQEak4sP5NkNXhCqo_plxth_1kOBlvnoIyT7shR5gp56KxaLEzZPdtZ80Tv6NvIVS-tuhWRrpwcrympRWfl3bRzLyzO0lMJ-JFaaIOo-/s1600/Grave+Creek+Mound.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj82Qw7JsWJQyzLguvOoEM3S8eCpwjPQOsD-_NzCQEak4sP5NkNXhCqo_plxth_1kOBlvnoIyT7shR5gp56KxaLEzZPdtZ80Tv6NvIVS-tuhWRrpwcrympRWfl3bRzLyzO0lMJ-JFaaIOo-/s200/Grave+Creek+Mound.JPG" height="150" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grave Creek Mound from north</td></tr>
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For more information on visiting Moundsville and surrounding Marshall County, I find the <a href="http://www.marshallcountytourism.com/attractions.htm" target="_blank">Marshall County Tourism</a> site invaluable.<br />
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You'll find plenty more information on the culture of the prehistoric peoples in North America who built mounds at Wikipedia's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mound_builder_(people)" target="_blank">Mound Builders</a> article and more information on <a href="http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Category:Pre-Contact_Period" target="_blank">prehistoric sites in West Virginia</a> at the W.Va. encyclopedia at WVExp.com.</div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-30372918093802440452011-12-31T12:05:00.000-08:002011-12-31T14:27:07.718-08:00Old Rail Fences<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div style="text-align: right;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div style="text-align: justify;">I entered into a conversation this week about old rail fences and their historical significance in the West Virginia landscape. Also known as worm, snake, stacked, zig-zag, and battlefield fences, they were common in the countryside when I was young, and for good reason. They were sturdy. They were easy to build. They were easy to move.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LOD5EPpJGvI/Tv9wtiWjKWI/AAAAAAAABqg/TuqW9QEpdbk/s1600/Snake+Rail+Fence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LOD5EPpJGvI/Tv9wtiWjKWI/AAAAAAAABqg/TuqW9QEpdbk/s320/Snake+Rail+Fence.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Split-rail fence near Carnifex Ferry State Park (W.Va.)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: justify;">Before the advent of wire fencing in the late 1800s, rail fences, rock walls, and hedges often served as the only practical means of containment, and in the forested highlands of Virginia and West Virginia, they were long more affordable than wire fencing. Often built of slow-to-weather chestnut, many have survived more than a century and are only now crumbling in obscurity. Cedar, poplar, and locust were also used.<br />
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The tides of supply and demand have since reversed, however; and construction of an authentic split-rail fence can be a more costly option, if you don't already own forested land. If you do own enough young hardwood to support the endeavor, your options are only as limited as the space available. As a result of its zig-zag arrangement, which provides stability, the fence's footprint may be greater than 10 feet in width. Such a fence might overwhelm a typical suburban yard.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-39KGcqXnI80/Tv962nU5wII/AAAAAAAABqs/YGKfLKyH-kE/s1600/Zig-zag+split+rail.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-39KGcqXnI80/Tv962nU5wII/AAAAAAAABqs/YGKfLKyH-kE/s320/Zig-zag+split+rail.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zig-zag arrangement provides stability</td></tr>
</tbody></table>While searching for information on rail fences, I happened across <a href="http://www.wvsr.com/snake.htm" target="_blank">West Virginia Split Rail</a>, located in Buckhannon, W.Va., a manufacturer of rail fences and a U.S. government vendor of "snake rail" fences. According to Mark Waldo, a company representative with whom I spoke, W.Va. Split Rail most often provides snake rail systems for state and national parks, though the needs of commercial and residential customers are also being met.<br />
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As West Virginia works toward a more diversified economy, I hope to see more rural landowners making the investment in well-designed rail fencing. Its character is harmonious with the woodland setting and likely to provide a significant return on investment.<br />
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I've provided one last photo to illustrate authentic construction. Note that the builder has used stacks of seven rails and that the rail-ends are blunt rather than tapered. Two upright rails have been added to lock the upper rail into place. I heard once that these leaning uprights helped prevent cattle from pushing the fences over, though I've known too many determined cows to believe that.<br />
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWaL4LbRvbI/Tv-KRsBemuI/AAAAAAAABq4/d7VTAxXUoXw/s1600/Virginia+split+rail+fence.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HWaL4LbRvbI/Tv-KRsBemuI/AAAAAAAABq4/d7VTAxXUoXw/s320/Virginia+split+rail+fence.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of joining method and number of rails in stack</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-size: large;">Resources</span><br />
<br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Split-rail_fence" target="_blank">Wikipedia article</a><br />
<a href="http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2011/07/controversial-fences-be-removed-gettysburg-national-military-park8433" target="_blank">Gettysburg NP Fences</a><br />
<a href="http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/natbltn/200-299/nb240.htm" target="_blank">Cook County (Ill.) Rail Fences</a><br />
<a href="http://www.yellowpages.com/yparticles/contractors-construction/split-rail-fencing" target="_blank">Yellow Pages: Worm Rail Fencing</a><br />
<a href="http://www.carnifexferrybattlefieldstatepark.com/" target="_blank">Carnifex Ferry State Park</a><br />
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</div></div>David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-37885164752573462662011-10-19T23:42:00.000-07:002014-05-04T21:55:49.229-07:00Touring the Little Kanawha Oilfields<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/29989_1505149951533_1317787152_1320884_2644311_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash2/29989_1505149951533_1317787152_1320884_2644311_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Replica derrick equipment at Burning Springs<br />
Museum at Burning Springs, W.Va.</td></tr>
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THE LOW WOODED HILLS THAT OVERLOOK the valley of the <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/attractions/rivers-streams/little-kanawha-river/" target="_blank">Little Kanawha River</a> conceal one of West Virginia's most important histories -- that of its first oil boom. Where farmsteads and hunting cabins now stand, so stood tanks and derricks by the score; and the river now renown for its tranquility ran black in the oily wake of steamboat traffic.</div>
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Though West Virginia came to be known for its coal in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, oil fueled its creation before, during, and after the Civil War. The wealth won more recently by coal barons could hardly be compared to that amassed by oil tycoons such as Johnson Camden, Michael Benedum, William Rathbone, and Peter Van Winkle, all of whom later reinvested in coal mining.</div>
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Though the hills may attempt to hide the memory of drilling, not everyone is satisfied to allow this chaper in West Virginia's history to fade into obscurity. Patrons of the W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum, led by founder David McKain, have resurrected artifacts of the oil industry throughout the region. Thanks to their efforts, important historical sites over an area of more than 100 square miles have been restored and interpreted, fostering community pride and providing an additional venue to bolster an already substantial travel industry. At sites such as Burning Springs, where the nation's oldest operating oil well still produces petroleum for souvenirs, proponents have established a branch museum that includes a replica derrick and a collection of engines and relics of the oil industry.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/29989_1505150391544_1317787152_1320893_5260818_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/29989_1505150391544_1317787152_1320893_5260818_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Kanawha River, also formerly known as "Ol' Greasy"</td></tr>
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Here follows a brief oilfield tour (<i>see:</i> <b><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212891696199194405817.0004833993a40d2a4f0df&msa=0&ll=39.174788,-81.57074&spn=1.458475,4.394531">oilfield tour map</a></b>), which we've generated in concert with McKain's work. Keep in mind there are a host of attractions in the region that we have not included in this itinerary, but which we encourage you to visit along the way. These include shops, parks, and restaurants. We will provide a brief list of these at the end of the article and encourage readers to contact us with others that we might have missed.</div>
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We also encourage everyone who takes this tour to lend their support to the W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum. In most cases, it has fallen upon state, local, or federal agencies to establish park systems such as this. In this case, patrons have provided the backbone needed to support the endeavor, and residents of Wirt, Wood, and Ritchie counties have benefited through increased tourism. Though no local government entity has kept a tally of traffic to these sites, all agree that it must amount to tens of thousands of visitors annually.</div>
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<b>1. Bushrod Creel & California House</b></div>
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As near as anyone can determine, the birth of the oil industry in West Virginia begins with Bushrod Creel, who settled along the Hughes River near its mouth on the Little Kanawha in 1810. According to author Charles A. Whiteshot in his book "The Oil-Well Driller," Creel, a hunter and trapper, discovered oil seeping from a bank along the Hughes and bottled it for sale as an elixir in nearby Marietta, Ohio. Every spring for another 45 years he returned to the bank and dug down into a gravel bed where he found plenty of supply. The gravel bed later became known as "Sand Diggings." According to David McKain, the site was located somewhere near the present-day border of Wirt and Ritchie county.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/41431234.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/41431234.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Replica well at California</td></tr>
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In 1849, Creel built a way station -- a place of rest for weary travelers -- near the diggings, along the route of the Stanton & Parkersburg Turnpike, which had recently been completed across the Allegheny Mountains between the valleys of Ohio and Virginia. Many travelers who stopped at the house were bound westward to California in search of gold, and the frequency with which these "Forty-Niners" stayed at the rest resulted in its being named "California House."</div>
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The ruins of California House, which include a rubble foundation and an old barn, have been donated to the W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum, along with a surrounding five-acre tract, by petroleum geologist George C. Grow, and the museum society has stabilized the site and established a wayside, picnic shelter, and replica oil derrick along W.Va. Route 47. A gentle path leads from the shelter through a wood to the barn and foundations, which visitors are encouraged to cautiously inspect.</div>
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<b>2. Rathbone Well & Burning Springs Museum</b></div>
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Just downstream of Burning Springs, the Rathbone Well at the Burning Springs Museum is believed to be the oldest operating oil well in the world (though it operates intermittently to provide souvenir bottles of petroleum for tourists). William Rathbone and his sons were among the first entrepreneurial families in the 1840s to descend on the valley near Burning Springs. Having heard of the worth of brine wells, which were being tapped frequently in the region, they set their sights on exploring salt-production there. At the time, petroleum, or "rock oil," was considered a pollutant, and wells that struck oil were either abandoned or allowed to discharge into the river. As a result, the Little Kanawha became known as Old Greasy. In 1859, General Samuel Karns, of Pittsburgh, leased a salt well from the Rathbones known as the "old greasy waterhole." After a few days, it began to produce pure oil at the rate of several barrels a day, and each gallon was valued at 50 cents. Within a matter of months, the Rathbones and other drillers were operating day-and-night to pump oil to ship downriver.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/29989_1505149831530_1317787152_1320882_6896841_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/29989_1505149831530_1317787152_1320882_6896841_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Exhibit at Burning Springs</td></tr>
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The Rathbone Well has since been outfitted with a replica derrick and pumphouse and is the centerpiece of the Burning Springs Museum. The museum and more than an acre of surrounding park are part of the a 50-acre tract owned and operated by the state oil museum. The museum interior is open by appointment, though the larger part of its exhibits, which include engines and drilling equipment and machinery, stand outdoors where visitors are invited to inspect them daily between dawn and dusk.</div>
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Tours of the Burning Springs Museum may be arranged by appointment by calling the W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum in Parkersburg at (304) 485-5446. The museum is located on W.Va. Route 5 along the bank of the Little Kanawha, a drive of some 35 miles southeast of Parkersburg.</div>
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<b>3. Burning Springs, W.Va.</b></div>
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Just southeast of the Burning Springs Museum is the site of Burning Springs. Now a quiet waymeet on the banks of the Little Kanawha River, several thousand people lived within a short walk of the valley in 1861, only two years after drillers recognized the oil polluting their salt wells was more valuable than the salt. The natural gas that seeped from the springs, for which the town had been named, now brilliantly lighted a hotel, according to an article published by the W.Va. Geological and Economic Survey. Hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil were being shipped down-river to Parkersburg.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: justify;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/29989_1505149791529_1317787152_1320881_7829285_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/29989_1505149791529_1317787152_1320881_7829285_n.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Historical marker at museum</td></tr>
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The boom at Burning Springs was to be short lived, however, as a result of the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War. In January 1863, the Federal government placed a revenue of a dollar on each barrel sold and authorized J. Cassius Rathbone, a son of William Rathbone, to organize a regiment to defend the oil operations. In April, rebels began to raid the region's oil fields, including those developing nearby at Cairo, Petroleum, and California House. In May, a raiding party of more than 2,000 Confederate soldiers commanded by General William E. Jones famously swept through the region, razing as they went. Rathbone and 500 men were stationed on a fortified hill overlooking the town, ready to defend. Jones, however, convinced Rathbone to surrender, and no lives were lost.</div>
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Jones may have prevented the loss of life, though he prevented little else. According to Whiteshot's history, he allowed his forces to wholly destroy the field and terrorize its residents:<br />
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"Houses and stores were robbed and set on fire, all the oil wells and tanks were set on fire and all the coopers shops, barrels of oil, loaded and empty barges were set on fire, and in a short time the whole river was a solid blaze of fire and [it] burned the timber on both sides of the river for a distance of eight miles down the river."</div>
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<b>4. Petroleum, W.Va.</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">North Bend Trail at Petroleum, W.Va.</td></tr>
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The community of Petroleum, some fifteen miles north of Burning Springs, had also been sacked by the Confederate raiders. At Burning Springs, they sought to destroy a source of Federal revenue. Here, they sought to interfere with progress on the Northwestern Virginia Railroad, which was to become part of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad. The town of Petroleum had grown around a station and shop created by the railroad. While building the line -- the first of its kind through western Virginia -- engineers discovered large quantities of oil seeping into aptly named Oil Springs Run. The raiders had earlier sought to set fire to timbers used within the railroad's No. 18 tunnel near Cairo, but had been repelled by Union forces there.</div>
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Little remains of Petroleum today apart from a handful of houses. The route of the railroad through the community has notably become the route of the North Bend Rail Trail, a 72 mile recreational trail and part of the American Discovery Trail.</div>
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<b>5. Volcano, W.Va.</b></div>
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In 1864, near the head of Oil Spring Run (the stream that had attracted engineers at Petroleum), the Volcanic Oil & Gas Company opened an operation and within six years, the town of Volcano had erupted into one of the most successful boom towns in the oilfield. According to one legend, three unnamed immigrants of Irish descent had set up a "spring-pole" drill near the site in 1866, and after reaching 100 feet below the surface, their well came in "like a volcano."</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Marker at Volcano, W.Va.</td></tr>
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By 1868, scores of derricks rose like skeletal pines from the hills and a branch of the B&O Railroad -- the Laurel Fork and Sand Hill Railroad -- had been built through a series of switchbacks and steep grades a distance from the mainline to the field. According to Brooks Pepper, a resident who published a brief history of Volcano in 1973, more than 10,000 inhabitants were strolling the streets in the 1870s. In the winter of 1879, however, the town was completely destroyed by a wind-driven fire, and few residents returned to rebuild. A historic marker along Wood County Route 28 marks the general site of the town. The museum board plans to develop an exhibit at Volcano.</div>
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<b>6. W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum & Parkersburg, W.Va.</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum</td></tr>
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More than any other site on the tour, the W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum in Parkersburg conveys the import of the history of these industries on West Virginia and the dedication of museum patrons. Artifacts, both purchased and donated, fill room after room in the museum's historic four-story edifice. Masses of manuscripts await the archivist's careful eye. Exhibits and a short instructional film wait ready for the thousands of visitors who tour the site annually.</div>
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At 119 Third Street near the Wood County Court House, the museum is open from 11 a.m. till 4 p.m. weekdays, from 11 a.m. till 5 p.m. Saturdays, and from noon till 5 p.m. Sundays. Group tours are encouraged. For information or to arrange a tour, call (304) 485-5446.</div>
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Parkersburg is itself a monument to oil. Some of West Virginia's largest and most luxurious residences were built along its avenues by oil magnates in the late 1800s. Much of the crude that left the Hughes and Little Kanawha basin was shipped through Parkersburg, where refineries were ready to perform processing. Perhaps best known among these tycoons was Johnson N. Camden, who first operated a well on the Rathbone property at Burning Springs, but in 1869 he opened a refinery in Parkersburg and soon began working silently for the Standard Oil Co., which he helped anchor in the West Virginia fields using questionable practices.</div>
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According to an entry in the West Virginia Encyclopedia, Camden practiced stealth in his operation. "In 1875, Camden and his partners quietly sold out to Rockerfeller's Standard Oil, while continuing to operate as the Camden Consolidated Oil Company. Running the company as a secret subsidiary for Rockerfeller, Camden bought competitors and sometimes shut them down. He bought surplus oil to keep it from going to market and starved independent Pittsburgh-area refineries of barrel staves to help establish Standard Oil's control of the industry."<br />
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The West Virginia towns of Camden, in Lewis County, and Camden-on-Gauley, in Webster County, were named for Camden, as was Camden-Clark Hospital, at Parkersburg, and Camden Park, at Huntington, W.Va.</div>
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Many fantastic homes of oil tycoons may be found in Parkersburg's Julia-Ann Square and Avery Street national historic districts.</div>
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<b>7. Henderson Hall</b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Henderson Hall</td></tr>
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Built between in 1856 and 1859 on the banks of the Ohio River, Henderson Hall is an excellent example of the Italianate residential style, which became popular in Ohio in particular. Now owned by the W.Va. Oil & Gas Museum, the residence and surrounding plantation are archetypes of the affluence won my landowners in West Virginia.</div>
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The hall was commissioned by George Washington Henderson, the son of Alexander Henderson, who settled on the Little Kanawha River opposite Burning Springs in 1799. The family owned more than 25,000 acres in northern West Virginia and amassed great wealth through their interests. According to McKain, a correspondence in possession of the museum archives indicates that George Washington Henderson and David Paden in 1861 sold a tract at Burning Springs to an investor for $80,000 -- "a phenomenal price," McKain emphasized in a museum newsletter.</div>
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The Hendersons had moved from Burning Springs to the Ohio by the time of the boom, though the family maintained a general store at the springs and installed an overseer downstream of the town on Henderson Run. Their home on the Ohio was part of one of the largest plantations along the Ohio in West Virginia well into the 1930s. A family home until it was transferred to the museum in 2009, all relics of its past remain in place, a unique situation for a building so old. The hall is open to visitors from noon until 5 p.m.daily. For more information, or to arrange a tour, call<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"> (304) 485-5446.</span></div>
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<b>8. Elizabeth, W.Va., & Wells Lock & Dam</b></div>
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Few communities enjoyed the rewards of the oil boom as much as Elizabeth, the seat of government for Wirt County. Ten miles downstream of Burning Springs on the Little Kanawha, the town was somewhat insulated from the pollution caused by drilling, but benefited from the commerce. Settled in 1796 by William Beauchamp, it was first known as Beauchamp Mill's, and milling was long its chief industry. Little changed for much of half a century (with the exception of its name, which was changed in 1817 to Elizabeth in honor Beauchamp's daughter-in-law). In 1848 the county of Wirt was established, and Elizabeth was made its seat. Still, the town remained a sleepy crossroads until the discovery of oil. According to the documentation used to nominate the Wirt County Court House to the National Register of Historic Places, fewer than 20 permanent residents lived in Elizabeth before the discovery of oil at Burnings Springs, but more than 6,000 hopefuls arrived soon thereafter.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.wvexp.com/images/8/85/Overlooking_Elizabeth,_WV.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://www.wvexp.com/images/8/85/Overlooking_Elizabeth,_WV.JPG" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Valley at Elizabeth, W.Va.</td></tr>
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As at Burning Springs, Confederate troops under the command of General William Jones raided in May 1863, setting fire to the town and burning its courthouse. Neither Elizabeth nor the field at Burning Springs wholly recovered from the attack. The town remains a small commercial and governmental center for a largely rural county. Fewer than 900 residents called Elizabeth home in the 2000 U.S. Census. Oil returned to play a role in the town's history in the early 1900s, however, when two of the industry's most affluent personalities took lead positions in building the present Neoclassical courthouse in the town square. Senator Peter VanWinkle, president of the Northwestern Virginia Railroad, designed the structure and his father-in-law, William Rathbone, supervised its construction.</div>
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On a tight bend in the Little Kanawha just north of the courthouse, the Wells Lock and Dam is the last remaining improvement that allowed navigation on the river. Built in 1891, the lock accommodated river traffic between Glenville and Parkersburg (a distance of more than 70 miles by roadway today). The ruins of a second lock and dam cross the river at Palestine off W.Va. Route 14 near the Palestine State Fish Hatchery. Both sites are publicly accessible fishing and picnicking locales and are among the few remaining lock-and-dam structures in the U.S. that were successfully funded by private investors.</div>
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<b>9. Ritchie Mines</b></div>
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A long, dark crevice on a wooded hillside above McFarlan Creek is all that remains of the Ritchie Mine, a mine that worked a vein of natural asphalt, also known as crystallized petroleum or <i>grahamite --</i> unique in the eastern U.S. According to the West Virginia Encyclopedia, the vein measures between one- and five-feet wide and was discovered in 1852 by oil-prospector Frederick Lemon. A series of owners after Lemon -- including J.A. Graham, for whom the name "grahamite" was coined -- mined the rock to a depth of about 300 feet. The grahamite yielded about 150 gallons of petroleum per ton when melted. However, it was cheaper to pump oil from wells, and the endeavor proved better-suited to the provision of paving material. According to the encyclopedia, it was used to pave streets in London, England, and Washington, D.C. An explosion in 1873 caused the mines to be closed. A new owner resumed mining in 1885, but the operation was abandoned in 1909, and the area has since been reclaimed by the Ritchie County woodlands.</div>
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Though now protected within the 2,300-acre Ritchie Mines Wildlife Management Area and accessible to the public, the crevice may be difficult to locate, and the site has not been developed. In a 2008 interview printed in the Parkersburg News & Sentinel, the deputy director for the W.Va. Division of Culture & History said the agency would be willing to work with sponsors to install a historic marker near the site. Until then, we recommend that readers who are interested in exploring the site contact the W.Va. Division of Natural Resources in Parkersburg at (304) 420-4550.</div>
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<b>Driving the Little Kanawha Oilfields</b></div>
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ALL OF THE SITES ON OUR TOUR ARE ACCESSIBLE by paved road, with the notable exception of the Ritchie Mine, which is accessible only on foot. You'll find mapped directions to the above sites on our <b><a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=212891696199194405817.0004833993a40d2a4f0df&msa=0&ll=39.174788,-81.57074&spn=1.458475,4.394531">Map of the Little Kanawha Oilfields</a></b> at Google.com. We also encourage travelers to visit some of the following businesses that make a tour of the region that much more pleasureable.</div>
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Through the following lists, we've tried to refer travelers to parks, national landmarks, and other attractions along or near the tour routes. Admittedly, shops and restaurants (with websites) are hard to find along the route's far reaches, and we encourage travelers to alert us to any we've left out.</div>
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<b>Historic Districts</b><br />
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<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avery_Street_Historic_District">Avery Street Historic District (Parkersburg)</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burning_Springs_Complex">Burning Springs Historic District (Burning Springs)</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henderson_Hall_Historic_District">Henderson Hall Historic District (Boaz)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.juliannsquare.org/">Julia-Ann Square Historic District (Parkersburg)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/ritchie.html">Ritchie County Historic Landmarks</a><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parkersburg_High_School-Washington_Avenue_Historic_District">Washington Avenue Historic District (Parkersburg)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/wirt.html">Wirt County Historic Landmarks</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/wood.html">Wood County Historic Landmarks</a><br />
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<b>Parks & Public Lands</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Blennerhassett_Island_Historical_State_Park">Blennerhassett Island State Park</a><br />
<a href="http://www.woodcountywv.com/page/page76.php">Fort Boreman Park</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Hughes_River_Wildlife_Management_Area">Hughes River Wildlife Management Area</a><br />
<a href="http://www.mountwoodpark.org/">Mountwood Park</a><br />
<a href="http://www.northbendsp.com/">North Bend State Park</a><br />
<a href="http://www.northbendrailtrailstatepark.com/">North Bend Trail</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Ohio-River-Islands-National-Wildlife-Refuge/217619488261630?sk=wall">Ohio River Islands National Wildlife Refuge</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Ritchie_Mines_Wildlife_Management_Area">Ritchie Mines Wildlife Management Area</a><br />
<a href="http://www.wvexp.com/index.php/Sand_Hill_Wildlife_Management_Area">Sand Hill Wildlife Management Area</a><br />
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<b>Restaurants</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.theblennerhassett.com/spats_dining/default.aspx">Blennerhassett Hotel (Parkersburg)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.villadavinci.com/">Da Vinci'e Italian Restaurant (Williamstown)</a><br />
<a href="http://maps.google.com/maps/place?um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=dining+elizabeth+wv&fb=1&gl=us&hq=dining&hnear=0x8849a90dcfeff95f:0x15932b25a441dbad,Elizabeth,+WV&cid=16946160587816035816">Giovanni's Pizza (Elizabeth)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.northbendsp.com/">North Bend State Park Lodge (Cairo)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.subway.com/storelocator/default.aspx?zip=elizabeth%20wv">Subway (Elizabeth)</a><br />
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<b>Shops</b><br />
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<a href="http://www.fentonartglass.com/">Fenton Art Glass (Williamstown) </a><br />
<a href="http://www.grandcentralmall.com/">Grand Central Mall (Vienna)</a><br />
<a href="ttp://www.holls.com">Holl's Swiss Chocolatier (Vienna)</a><br />
<a href="http://www.winetreevineyards.com/">Wine Tree Vineyards (Vienna)</a><br />
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<b>Article References</b><br />
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The following references were either cited in the above article or cast light on the relevant history of the region. Please let us know of any other resources we might include in this list.<br />
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<a href="http://files.usgwarchives.net/wv/ritchie/history/ritchmin.txt">Hodge, Janet; "Ritchie Mine: A Beginning in History," <i>Ritchie Gazette</i>, Harrisville, W.Va., 1992</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wvgs.wvnet.edu/www/geology/geoldvog.htm">Eggleston, Jane R.; "History of WV Mineral Industries, Oil & Gas," W.Va. Geological & Economic Survey, Morgantown, W.Va., 2004</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.newsandsentinel.com/page/content.detail/id/508162.html">Murphy, Jody; "Asphalt Mines largely unremembered;" <i>News & Sentinel</i>, Parkersburg, W.Va., Aug. 13, 2008</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://www.wvculture.org/history/counties/volcano2.html">Pepper, Brooks; "Volcano: Twilight of a Boomtown," <i>Sunday Gazette-Mail</i>, Charleston, W.Va., June 3, 1973</a>.<br />
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<a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=_6gkAQAAIAAJ&pg=PA66&dq=Sand+Diggings&hl=en&ei=uRWuTujTD6Th0QHI15iYDw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Sand%20Diggings&f=false">Whiteshot, Charles Austin; "The Oil-Well Driller," Mannington, W.Va., 1905</a>.<br />
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<b>Historical Maps</b><br />
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<a href="http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=Spencer28ne.jpg&state=WV">Burning Springs (USGS, NE Spencer, W.Va., 1928)</a><br />
<a href="http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=Elizabeth26se.jpg&state=WV">California House (USGS, SE Elizabeth, W.Va., 1926)</a><br />
<a href="http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=Elizabeth26sw.jpg&state=WV">Elizabeth (USGS, SW Elizabeth, W.Va., 1926)</a><br />
<a href="http://historical.mytopo.com/quad.cfm?quadname=Elizabeth&state=WV&series=15">Volcano-Petroleum (USGS, NE Elizabeth, W.Va., 1926)</a><br />
<a href="http://historical.mytopo.com/getImage.asp?fname=Harrisville26sw.jpg&state=WV">Ritchie Mines (USGS, SW Harrisville, W.Va. 1924)</a><br />
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Text by David T. Sibray<br />
Edited by Sarah Plummer</div>
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David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.comBurning Springs, WV 26160, USA38.985268 -81.31984699999998237.9178195 -83.187522999999985 40.052716499999995 -79.452170999999979tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8081053390434501642.post-10319321369909508572011-10-19T23:13:00.000-07:002011-11-06T05:34:10.832-08:00Remastering the West Virginia Explorer<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fNvqjBse4g77zzQbVSYZIbvH-k1LLZVhtn1_pzZxJGnuTEjyFs8d3VtPo4-7jhYBS8cKHkm5qSRHXPKwR8YTDDEMr-zctDYetMkIuSAXUJiDEuv8dL6UjwYGXT9cdX2JCQ7KGCgYqUY/s1600/309701_2548255268514_1317787152_2940669_1473070736_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="149" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9fNvqjBse4g77zzQbVSYZIbvH-k1LLZVhtn1_pzZxJGnuTEjyFs8d3VtPo4-7jhYBS8cKHkm5qSRHXPKwR8YTDDEMr-zctDYetMkIuSAXUJiDEuv8dL6UjwYGXT9cdX2JCQ7KGCgYqUY/s200/309701_2548255268514_1317787152_2940669_1473070736_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div style="text-align: justify;">SINCE 1999, WEST VIRGINIA EXPLORER HAS endeavored to provide Mountain State visitors the best possible experience in pleasure travel. To achieve this, we've drawn on years of experience in real-world journalism, we've consulted hundreds of authorities in every aspect of state history, and we've coordinated efforts with hundreds of kindred spirits, without whose support none of this would be possible.<br />
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No part of our motivation will change anytime soon. But our method is changing, even as I write this. For instance: why I am writing to you through a blog rather than through the frontspiece of our corporate site at WVExplorer.com? The Internet and its relationship to mankind has changed -- that's why.<br />
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For more than a decade, we've plodded solidly along through a remarkably unsolid landscape. Nothing was sure. There were no business models. Our compassion and faith in our mission moved us forward. Our labors were expended on the development of more than six million pages on the World Wide Web, in concert with some of the biggest names in West Virginia travel -- <a href="http://www.gladesprings.com/">Glade Springs Resort</a>, <a href="http://www.wvwebsites.com/">WV-Websites</a>, <a href="http://www.aceraft.com/">ACE Adventure Center</a>, <a href="http://www.class-vi.com/">Class VI River Runners</a>.<br />
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Through much of that first decade, we functioned primarily as a content provider for static pages and as a broker for advertising, both on our own site, <a href="http://wvexplorer.com/">WVExplorer.com</a>, and through associated travel sites such as <a href="http://skiingwv.com/">SkiingWV.com</a> and <a href="http://newriverwv.com/">NewRiverWV.com</a>.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br />
But the Internet has since become anything but a source of static information. It transforms as mercurially as its billions of users transform -- in microseconds. For this reason in particular, we're expanding our interests to provide a more changeable platform for visitors and our dedicated users. You'll find our information appearing on other sites as well as our own. You'll find it on blogs, in photos, and in video format. You'll find us working in social media. Wherever there's an outfitter, a hotelier, a restaurateur in search of content, we'll be there to provide the same brand of experienced journalism and exceptional content that has won us many year's worth of accolades.</div><br />
Here's looking forward to another decade of providing travelers and travel businesses the information they need.<br />
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Sincerely,<br />
<br />
Dave Sibray<br />
Publisher<br />
West Virginia Explorer<br />
Phone: (304) 575-7390</div>David Sibrayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03967561120839303367noreply@blogger.com