e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia Online

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John Henry Days at Talcott, July 11-13

Find out more about John Henry before attending this year's festival

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New Deal Festival at Arthurdale, Saturday, July 12

Arthurdale was the first federal subsistence homestead in the nation during the New Deal

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The 1974 Tornado Super Outbreak

The outbreak that devastated Xenia, Ohio, also swept through southern West Virginia, killing one

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Selim the Algerian

Selim, an Algerian-born man, found his way possibly to the wilderness of present-day Pocahontas County in 1759

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Vegetable Gardening

Learn more about the traditions and importance of vegetable gardening in West Virginia

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Remembering Clark Kessinger 50 Years Later

This old-time legend continues to influence young fiddlers a half-century after his death

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Hazel at 100

Dig more deeply into the heart and music of West Virginia with this look at Hazel Dickens on what would have been her 100th birthday

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Squire Parsons (1948-2025)

Honoring Roane County native Squire Parsons, who wrote over 600 gospel songs, including the classic "Sweet Beulah Land."

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Bonnie Collins

"The Belle of Doddridge County" was a storytelling sensation at fairs and festivals from the late 1960s to early 2000s

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Dick Hoblitzell

This Wood County native has several fascinating connections with early 20th-century baseball

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Revella Hughes

This Harlem Renaissance star returned to her native Huntington to start music programs for Black schools.

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Beulah McCown Stark

Beulah McCown Stark was one the first licensed women pilots in West Virginia.

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Today in WV History
15 Jul

John Harrington Cox presided over founding of West Virginia Folklore Society

Professor Walter Barnes (July 29, 1880 - August 27, 1969) was an early leader in the preservation of West Virginia folklore. Barnes was born in Barnesville, Ohio. He graduated in 1905 from West Virginia University, received an M.A. from Harvard in...

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