“High in the hills of Randolph county is the isolated community of Helvetia, West Virginia. Settled shortly after the Civil War by a group of Swiss immigrants, many of the towns residents are descended from those original settlers and have maintained many of the Swiss customs and traditions.”
Woman in Helvetia, West Virginia (ca. 1890’s)
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Like ghost stories? Check out 219’s own true tale of the Greenbrier Ghost, from down in Lewisburg, West Virginia. We teamed up with a local school in Greenbrier County, to bring out more local stories from along the road. Check out the audio story collaboration we did with those students http://www.traveling219.com/blog/the-haunting-of-zona-heaster-6th-grade-students-team-up-with-traveling-219/!
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Hazel Dickens, West Virginia born musician.
Hazel Jane Dickens (June 1, 1935 – April 22, 2011) was an American bluegrass singer, songwriter, double bassist and guitarist. Her music was characterized not only by her high, lonesome singing style, but also by her provocative pro-union, feminist songs. Cultural blogger John Pietaro noted that “Dickens didn’t just sing the anthems of labor, she lived them and her place on many a picket line, staring down gunfire and goon squads, embedded her into the cause.” The New York Times extolled her as “a clarion-voiced advocate for coal miners and working people and a pioneer among women in bluegrass music.” With Alice Gerrard, Dickens was one of the first women to record a bluegrass album.
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Inside Appalachia on West Virginia Public Radio! Check out the Traveling 219 stories they play! http://www.wvpubcast.org/insideapp.aspx
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“Just as the shape of the state is composed of many winding rivers, the soul of West Virginia is comprised of history and traditions of the people that call it home.”
Another cool West Virginia multimedia project! Check it out! http://wvstorytellingproject.com
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Boaters canoeing under Hanging Rocks, South Branch of the Potomac River in Hampshire County, West Virginia. Right off Rt. 28. Photo from the 1890s. This picture was taken by William Henry Jackson and now belongs to the Library of Congress.
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The historical homestead at Seneca Rocks, West Virginia.
Courtesy of Brady Rauch
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Bear Rock, West Virginia.
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National Radio Astronomy Observatory in Greenbank, West Virginia. Courtesy of Jamie Vandall.
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