“I should have been a historical archaeologist,” said Jim Costa. “I guess I am in my own way.” Jim and I sat on the porch of his Summers County, West Virginia home, a restored 19th century log cabin built by a local Civil War veteran and saved from decay by Jim himself. It was the end of a humid and flooded summer, and we were doing one last interview before I prepared to go home.
West Virginia Folklife Presents Phyllis Marks
Please join us at the historic MacFarland-Hubbard House, West Virginia Humanities Council headquarters in Charleston on September 8th from 5:30-7:30 for a concert by esteemed Gilmer County ballad singer Phyllis Marks.
Field Notes: Sam and Joe Herrmann
On July 19, we visited traditional musicians Sam and Joe Herrmann at their home in Hampshire County, WV. Both born in Maryland, the Herrmanns moved to West Virginia in the 1970s, seeking to build a life outside the city. They soon discovered old-time music on a trip to the Galax Old Time Fiddler’s Convention and have since…
Call the West Virginia Folklife Hotline!
The new hotline, reached toll free at 1(844)618-3747, is an outlet where West Virginians can share information about local traditional artists, craftspeople, musicians, cooks, or elders, or contribute a traditional song, story, or other piece of folklore or community tradition.
The State Folklorist’s Notebook: What Is Folklore?
State folklorist Emily Hilliard explores the discipline of folklore in her first regular column for Goldenseal Magazine.
Ramp Fingerprints
Photos and field notes from the 2016 Helvetia Ramp Supper
