First published over 20 years ago, this West Virginia classic is available once again. It is the story of Mammy Jane, a 17-year old girl who marries a widower with five children. It s an amazing story of romance, hardship, devotion, hard work, grief, and love of family. The epic spans several generations and gives an accurate account of life in West Virginia during and after the Civil War. When Jane s new husband goes to fight in the war, she is left to run the household. Starting with next to nothing, Jane teaches herself what she needs to know to raise a family, build a home, and eventually become a prosperous landowner. The book includes authentic and humorous remedies and sayings. It explains traditional rituals of the day including burials, birthings, and weddings. This is a story you will never forget.

The Legend Of Mammy Jane: An Uneducated Girl Becomes the Lady of the Manor In Appalachia

Pischke, Sibyl Jarvis

Literature & Fiction

Quarrier Press]

Long a favorite among West Virginians, Deitz s Greenbrier Ghost tells the story of the only trial in the United States where the testimony of a ghost was used to convict a man! This man, Edward Shue, was convicted of killing his young wife, Heaster, and sentenced to life in prison. He met his fate because the judge allowed Heaster s mother to testify to information she swore came from her daughter . . . from beyond the grave! An autopsy confirmed the cause of death, which was just as Heaster s ghost had told her mother. Readers will also enjoy the many other wonderful tales compiled here by Dennis Dietz.

The Greenbrier Ghost: And Other Strange Stories

Deitz, Dennis

Genre Fiction

Buffalo Creek: Valley of Death is a reprint of a classic title by Dennis Dietz and Carlene Mowery. It tells the story of a cold day in February 1972, when 125 people lost their lives to a 25-foot tidal wave of water, sludge, and debris running through narrow, 17-mile Buffalo Creek Valley. The wave was released when an impoundment dam-owned by Pittston Coal and used to filter the black waste-water-burst. Buffalo Creek was the worst mining disaster in West Virginia's history, and was on the national nightly news for over a week. Authors Carlene Mowery and Dennis Deitz compiled a fascinating collection of first hand accounts from 98 of the disaster's survivors. Buffalo Creek contains very personal accounts of what the town's citizens were doing immediately before the flood, and the anguish and pain they experienced watching loved ones and neighbors perish. Reading the survivors' accounts is both heart-breaking and spellbinding. The photographs of the people and property that accompany each story begin to bring home the immense loss suffered by this group of people, a group whose lives were changed forever in just a few terrible moments. In addition to the authors' personal interviews with the flood victims, a section in the back of the book contains testimonials from the Senate Subcommittee's investigative interviews in the weeks and months following the disaster. Also included is testimony given by a panel of Pittson Coal Company officials. In the days preceding February 26, 1972, rain had fallen almost continuously in the Buffalo Creek area, although experts later claimed this was typical late winter weather. Buffalo Mining officials, concerned about the condition of the highest dam, measured water levels there every two hours on the night before the disaster. Although a Pittston official in the area was alerted to the increasing danger, the residents of the hollow were not informed. When two deputy sheriffs were dispatched to Buffalo Creek to assist with potential evacuations, the company sent them away. Despite the lack of warning from company officials, some residents sensed the danger and moved to higher ground; unfortunately many did not. Just prior to 8:00 a.m. on February 26, heavy-equipment operator Denny Gibson discovered that the water had risen to the crest of the impoundment and that the dam was "real soggy." At 8:05 a.m., the dam collapsed. The water obliterated the other two impoundments and approximately 132 million gallons of black waste-water rushed through narrow Buffalo Creek. In a matter of minutes, 125 were dead, 1,100 were injured, and over 4,000 people were left homeless. One thousand cars and trucks were destroyed. The flood demolished 502 houses and 44 mobile homes, and severely damaged 943 houses and mobile homes. Property damage was estimated at $50 million. Buffalo Creek includes exclusive interviews from many of those who witnessed and survived the flood. This revised edition of the book includes new, never-before-published photos from the tragic event. While the story of the flood itself is devastating, the survivors' heroic efforts to save each other and themselves-after enduring tremendous personal and material loss-are truly inspirational.

Buffalo Creek: Valley Of Death

History

Mowery, Carlene

Americas

If you are familiar with Dennis Dietz s books recounting West Virginia tales, especially his most popular, The Greenbrier Ghost, then you must have The Greenbrier Ghost 2. Here again Dennis has gathered colorful stories by West Virginians of all ages and walks of life. In his introduction Dennis says he is frequently asked if these stories are true. His reply? Only that each person who told him a story thought it was true, and he believed them.

Greenbrier Ghost #2: And Other Strange Stories

In Cookin in a Coal Camp, author Glenna Pack brings us a charming, old-fashioned cookbook that has been a favorite for years. Mrs. Pack tested these recipes on her family as they were moved from coal town to coal town throughout West Virginia. The book is divided into eleven categories of recipes, some of which are accompanied by old-fashioned sayings: The peace of the world will, in the end, depend upon our capacity for friendship and our willingness to use it. Mrs. Pack s recipes range from the familiar: Pork Barbeque, Clam Chowder and Pecan Pie; to some Pack family specialties: Daddy s Idaho Buckeroo Beans and Mama Pack s Harvard Beets. Lastly, there are those recipes whose names alone will pique your interest: Texas Lizzies, Foothill House Sweet Dreams, Hot Brown and Queen Elizabeth Cake. She resurrects the lost art of candy making, with recipes for homemade mints and fudge. For those with hunters at home, she has included Roast Pheasant and Smothered Venison Steak. Plan a holiday brunch including Sour Cream Coffee Cake and Egg Sausage Souffle. A vintage black and white photograph of West Virginia in its heyday accompanies each chapter. For over thirty years Mrs. Pack has been living in Charleston, where she still enjoys cooking. Treat yourself (or the cook in your life) to Cookin in a Coal Camp. Happy eating!

Cookin' in a Coal Camp

Cookbooks, Food & Wine

Pack, Glenna R.

Regional & International

In Mugworts , Rago traces the "roots" of herbal history - from the pyramids, through the dark forest of western Europe, and into the New World. She speaks of the learned monks and Wise Women who dispensed the herbs, along with the lore surrounding them. You will read about Shakespeare's favorite herbs, and the deadly herbs from the "dark side of the hedgerow." This book is a must for the historian, folklorist, and herbalist alike. In addition to a glowing herbal history and wonderful charms, the book concludes with an alphabetical "Compendium of Herbs." In the compendium you'll find the uses and stories of over 150 herbs.

Mugworts In May: A Folklore of Herbs

Crafts, Hobbies & Home

RAGO, LINDA OURS

Gardening & Landscape Design

West Virginia is the fastest growing mountain bike region in the country. Mountain Biking in West Virginia will make it easier and more fun for riders to tame the trails and mountains of the Mountain State. The book covers trails from seventeen parts of the state, for all levels of riders. These regions include well-known areas such as Davis, home of the 24 Hours of Canaan Bike Race and the Snowshoe Resort Area. Each ride has detailed information and maps, elevations, and mileage. Each ride is also rated according to the degree of difficulty and interesting scenery. In addition to trails and maps, the book contains information on mountain bike racing, bike shops, bike organizations, and camping and lodging throughout the state. The author, Frank Hutchins, also gives tips on where to find the best glimpses of West Virginia wildlife, a spring to cool off, or a great restaurant.

Mountain Biking in West Virginia

Frank Hutchins

Tale of the Elk

Tale of the Elk is a compilation of articles written by full-time fisherman and part-time lawyer Bill Byrne; his articles first appeared between 1927 and 1931 in West Virginia Wildlife Magazine. The articles were compiled and published as a book in 1940. Byrne’s stories chronicle rural life in West Virginia in the 1920s from the perspective of men who lived to fish and tell fish tales. Byrne’s love of the Elk and his book have cast a wide net over many devoted fans. Ken Sullivan, Director of the WV Humanities Council, writes: “Tale of the Elk is a classic—West Virginia’s answer to Norman MacLean’s A River Runs Through It. Byrne was an old-time sportsman, who took it seriously. He practiced law in Charleston when he had to, and fished the Elk when he could. He looked dubiously upon a lawyer if he didn’t fish. He speaks with great respect of the families native to the river, the Carpenters and others. The names of his fishing buddies read like a Who’s Who of prominent West Virginians of the era—Senator John Kenna, industrialist Johnson N. Camden, and others. You may learn more about them here, overheard in camp and canoe, than in most history books.” Byrne’s passion for fishing and friends, his humor and warmth, and his love of life are immediately evident. Byrne began his chronicles of his adventures on the Elk in 1927; his book follows its namesake river from its headwaters to its mouth in forty-nine chapters. Tale of the Elk captures the physical beauty and political climate of the times, usually with Byrne’s signature sense of humor. W.E.R. Byrne was stricken with pneumonia at his beloved “Camp at the End of the World” on the Elk, and died December 11, 1937, at the age of 75. Author Bill Byrne was born in 1862 in Fort Defiance, Virginia. His father was a Confederate officer in the Civil War; after the war his family moved to West Virginia. Byrne attended school in Wheeling and Charleston, worked as a civil engineer, and studied law with his uncle, Supreme Court Justice Homer A. Holt. Byrne was admitted to the bar in 1884 at the age of 22.

Byrne, W. E. R.

1998 QUARRIER PRESS second edition SOFTCOVER

Rail Trails Along the Greenbrier River

Jim Hudson

Adventure guide to West Virginia rail-trails

Hartman, Lynn

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