Appalachian History

Please welcome guest writer Roxy Todd, Americorps Volunteer with the Traveling 219 Project. Together, she and another Americorps volunteer, Emily Newtown, have recorded over forty life and community histories from people who live near US 219 in West Virginia and Maryland. They’re also reviving the work done by the WPA West Virginia Writers’ Project and [...]

We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today’s show with the story of how WV’s Philippi [...]

An important tradition symbolic of the vital place of family in Appalachian life is Decoration Day, usually held on a Sunday in June. Families gather at rural churches and cemeteries to honor the memory of deceased family members. A few days earlier, neighbors and kin gather to mow the cemetery grass, clean the graves, and [...]

Mountain woods and meadows are full of toys for any child with eyes to see. Skipping stones across a creek or running alongside a fence, stick in hand, clacking the fenceposts—these pastimes are available any time of year. But the summer meadow has always held special treasures. Two of the best just happen to grow [...]

Probably the most famous boat ever built at Clarington, OH was the Liberty, being the last in the line of packet boats of that name (a packet boat is generally described as a steam boat for conveying cargo, mail, and passengers on a regular schedule.) Way’s Packet Directory 1848-1994 lists an earlier Liberty built in [...]