Modern day equivalent of Bird’s Eye maps
My story about the Bird's Eye street plans of Morgantown reminded me of my attempt to reproduce the view of Morgantown depicted in Thadeus Morton Fowler's map. TM Fowler was…
Enhancing maps from the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress contains pretty much every document published in the USA, but increasingly they have been making many of those documents available online via very high-quality scans. When…
Behind the scenes – the photographer’s tool-chest
We get used to seeing dramatic images of the landscape and perhaps you wonder how the final image actually comes about? But first, I want to put one misunderstanding to…
Creating a video of the Cheat Lake story
This is a little different to my normal stories in that it is more of a "how to" explanation of creating a video from still images. I'll start with the…
Cheat Lake through the seasons
The area that is now known as Cheat Lake near Morgantown was originally just the Cheat River flowing through its valley until it finally met with the Monongahela River at…
Coopers Rock State Park in West Virginia
They don't call West Virginia "wild and wonderful" for nothing, and the Coopers Rock state forest outside Morgantown, WV is a prime example of what a wild, untamed land this…
Ice and Snow around Cheat Lake
We have lived here by Cheat Lake in Morgantown since 2016 and this is the first time that I think we have seen the lake really freeze over. Cheat Lake…
Restoring an old painting of West Virginia
Way back in 1827, the Baltimore and Ohio Railway was started from the harbor in Baltimore with a plan to run across the Appalachian Mountains to the Ohio river and…
Valley Falls State Park – a local favorite
Valley Falls State Park near Fairmont in West Virginia is a gorgeous location for a day out and even better for a photographer!
Woodburn Hall – the beating heart of WVU
West Virginia University (or WVU) was founded in 1867 but by 1870, the first campus building in what is now known as Woodburn Circle was completed and (eventually) named Martin…