Post by: Susan Chipley
Town: Morgantown
Website: Chez Mama

Spring is a nice thing here in WV … especially after one of our cold grey/brown winters. One of the first signs of spring is the robins you begin to hear chirping as the sun rises. You know spring is here (or at least just around the corner) when you wake to the sound of birds.

Every year, a mama robin seems to find her way to our front-porch light to build her nest and lay her eggs. The kids and I think it’s so cool to keep an eye on the nest for eggs, then babies. The mama usually gets so used to us that she doesn’t even fly off when we go out the door! The babies are looking really cute now, and when we’re on the front porch we hear their soft chirps.

It’s hard to get a good photo. I have to stand on a chair and hold the camera up while pointing it down into the nest. I can’t really see what I’m shooting, and that makes it tricky.

Robin eggs

Baby robins

Post by: Susan Chipley
Town: Morgantown
Website: Chez Mama

I’m sure most people reading this have heard of Jesco White, the “Dancing Outlaw.” His father, D. Ray White, was a legendary mountain dancer. Jesco aspired to be the same, and he has been to some extent. Jesco has lived a difficult life, and struggled to overcome poverty and addiction. He has become reasonably famous, as he has been featured on two documentaries made for Public Television. Sometimes I think that many of the Hollywood-types have exploited Jesco and used him to perpetuate the typical West Virginia and Appalachian stereotypes–something that we West Virginians have to continue to fight to overcome.

Cousin Wildweed wrote a song about Jesco, “The Ballad of Jesco White”. Here’s a video of that song, performed by Peckerwood. I’m not sure if it is actually Jesco dancing in the video or not, as the face is a bit blurry. His moves definitely remind me of Jesco, though!

Post by: Susan Chipley
Town: Morgantown
Website: Chez Mama

When I noticed that Bryan had chosen “Structures” as a topic for PWV, I instantly knew what I wanted to write about. Moorefield is in Hardy County, about 12 miles from Petersburg, my hometown. I have spent lots of time in Moorefield, as my grandparents lived there and I had many aunts and uncles who lived there as well. My great-great-great grandfather, Captain John J. Chipley, built two beautiful homes right in Moorefield. He was Captain of the Company H, 25th VA Volunteer Infantry and Company B, 62nd VA Volunteer Infantry for the Confederate army during the Civil War. He built his first house, which is on Rt. 55 (Virginia Ave. in Moorefiled). I absolutely love this house. It is beautiful.

The second house is on the corner of Winchester Ave. and Chipley Lane. It was built in 1905, and remained in the Chipley family until 1970. My dad grew up in this house, and when he was in college my grandparents decided it was too much house for the two of them. They sold it to a friend, Kenneth Chambers, who operated the house as a funeral home. (He and his wife lived in the house as well.) My grandparents bought a house directly behind it. I learned to ride a bike in the parking lot of the funeral home, and played in and around the house often. In the mid-80s, the Chambers sold the funeral home, and it has been operating as the Elmore-Chambers funeral home since then.

Moorefield is a very nice, small West Virginia town. It is full of large, beautiful homes. Many of them pre-date the Civil War. Most of the homes are very well-kept. Every year, during the last weekend of September, Moorefield has Heritage Weekend. It is a celebration of the history of Hardy County. Many of the homes are open for tours, with guides who know the history of the homes. It is very cool, and I would recommend a trip to Moorefield for Heritage Weekend. They always have a great quilt show, Civil War re-enactments, and a large arts and crafts show where artisans from all over West Virginia show and sell their goods.