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CURRENT Features

Curios: The Bridge the Soviets Nearly Built On the West Virginia-Kentucky Border

In the 1970s, the tiny West Virginia community of Vulcan became so desperate for a crossing into Kentucky that they reached out to Russia.

Curios: Mountain Mints of the 1800s – First U.S. $1 Gold Coin Was Carolina-Made

The pre-California gold rushes in North Carolina and Georgia overwhelmed the Philadelphia mint to the point that gold coins came to be struck here in the Southern Appalachians.

Curios: The Walton War – Two College Presidents Sort It Out

In the early 1800s, Georgia and North Carolina went briefly into battle over a strip of land that is now part of North Carolina’s Transylvania County.

Curios: If Those Hills Could Talk… Secrets of 3,200 Acres in Virginia

Since 1909, a beautiful tract of land near Front Royal has carefully guarded a varying set of not-so-public identities.

Stocking Up On Tradition: Inside Mast General Store

Now in its second century, employee-owned Mast General Store continues to provide patrons with an old-timey shopping experience.

Current Issue

Undated photo shows the remains of the original swinging bridge from Vulcan, West Virginia, across the Tug River to Kentucky.

Curios: The Bridge the Soviets Nearly Built On the West Virginia-Kentucky Border

In the 1970s, the tiny West Virginia community of Vulcan became so desperate for a crossing into Kentucky that they reached out to Russia.
North Georgia’s U.S.-sanctioned Dahlonega Mint building, shown here in the late 1870s, was opened to supplement the original U.S. mint at Philadelphia.

Curios: Mountain Mints of the 1800s – First U.S. $1 Gold Coin Was Carolina-Made

The pre-California gold rushes in North Carolina and Georgia overwhelmed the Philadelphia mint to the point that gold coins came to be struck here in the Southern Appalachians.
Soon after Buncombe County, North Carolina, men captured 10 Walton County, Georgia officals, the conflict ended.

Curios: The Walton War – Two College Presidents Sort It Out

In the early 1800s, Georgia and North Carolina went briefly into battle over a strip of land that is now part of North Carolina’s Transylvania County.
Circa 1938 postcard shows the Front Royal Army Remount Depot.

Curios: If Those Hills Could Talk… Secrets of 3,200 Acres in Virginia

Since 1909, a beautiful tract of land near Front Royal has carefully guarded a varying set of not-so-public identities.
From left to right, the Cooper family, Lisa, Faye and John. They have made Mast General Store an employee-owned enterprise.

Stocking Up On Tradition: Inside Mast General Store

Now in its second century, employee-owned Mast General Store continues to provide patrons with an old-timey shopping experience.
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Departments

At Coopers Rock State Forest, new Stargazer cabins invite guests to look up through skylights and telescopes.
Country Roads

Even Closer to Almost Heaven

New Stargazer cabins at Coopers Rock State Forest offer a skyward escape in the mountains of West Virginia.

June 29, 2026
©Duncan Seaman
Country Roads

A Mountain Tradition Turns 90 

Visitors flock to Galax, Virginia, each summer for the Old Fiddlers’ Convention, a days-long celebration of Appalachian music.

June 29, 2026
Synchronous Fireflies
Creature Feature

The Light Fantastic

Fireflies are struggling with the effects of artificial light.

June 29, 2026

CALENDAR OF EVENTS