I have spent over half of my life in West Virginia, raised my two daughters here and embraced many of the things that this region has to offer.
I’ve become a rock hound and a fossil hunter. I find fossils on every walk I take and have found one Indian arrowhead. Many of the local rock formations are covered with a layer of mica which glitters in the sun. When I first moved here and saw this, I thought it was magical. Local plants and wildlife interest me and I try to identify those I don’t recognize. I’m an environmentalist and do what I can to protect this beautiful land of mountains and rivers.
The history of the area interests me and I’ve visited most of the local battlefields and historical sites. During the Civil War, Morgan County sat on the borderline between North and South. The Yankees had to march over this rocky hill country to reach the Shenandoah Valley. Allegiances were divided here, with family members often on opposing sides of the conflict.
Old folk stories conjure up images of Yankee gold lost somewhere in these hills and a black panther that roams the mountain ridges. When these myths and fantasies combine, they’re the fodder that is woven into fiction. There are endless country roads to be followed here and endless stories waiting to be told.
Header Photograph:
Sunset at Panorama Point, Morgan County, WV by Kurt Griffith