Experience ancient history, hallowed haunts, and hilltop getaways.
written by CHRISTY PERRY TUOHEY
photographed by CARLA WITT FORD & NIKKI BOWMAN MILLS
IT’S EASY TO GUESS WHERE MOUNDSVILLE GETS ITS NAME. A prehistoric Native American burial mound is the community’s centerpiece. But the mound is just one notable part of this Ohio River town, also known for glassmaking, an abandoned state prison, and treetop vacation stays.
Explore
A site on the National Register of Historic Places, the Grave Creek Mound is the largest Adena burial mound in North America. Soil samples date back to 250 B.C., and archaeologists speculate that the Adena created it by carting and dumping individual baskets of dirt and sand. The Grave Creek Mound Archaeological Complex’s museum features plant and animal fossil replicas, including a life-sized stegodon, an Ice Age cousin of today’s elephants. Local manufacturing history is also celebrated at the museum, including exhibits of Marx Toys and Marble King marbles.
All that glitters is glass inside the Fostoria Glass Museum. The glass factory moved to the Northern Panhandle from Fostoria, Ohio, in 1891, drawn by Moundsville’s plentiful natural gas and coal, essential to glassmaking. The collections, managed by the Fostoria Glass Society of America, reflect the different eras of the world-renowned blown, etched, and pressed glass patterns.
WEST Virginia Penitentiary
There’s no one behind bars now at the Pen, just across the street from the Grave Creek complex, but the Gothic sandstone prison is open for tours, ghost hunts, and seasonal haunted houses. Over the years, it has even been the backdrop in movies and TV series like Netflix’s Mindhunter.
Cockayne Farmstead Museum
Once upon a time, a nearby farm gained international fame for its purebred Merino sheep and the prize-winning wool they produced. Today you can visit the Cockayne Farmstead Museum and see three centuries represented in the original interior furnishings used by multiple generations of the Cockayne family.
Flurry’s Ice Cream
Go to the Big Red Barn on the hill at Grand Vue Park for the 32 flavors of ice cream and stay for the collection of vintage disc golf discs donated by West Virginian Johnny Sias, the 1986 Disc Golf World Champion.
FLURRY’S ICE CREAM PHOTO COURTESY OF CRAIG WHITE
Eat
Skip the chain restaurants and enjoy lunch at a local favorite. Stop by Moundsville’s Guest House Restaurant, just a half mile from the Grave Creek/Penitentiary area. Recent visitors gave two thumbs up to the sandwiches and hand-crafted burgers. The restaurant’s thick wooden chairs and tables and stone fireplace provide a classic tavern feel for both diners and small groups snacking and playing cards.
If traditional smoked barbecue is your thing, the slow-cooked flavors at Mason Dixon BBQ may tantalize your taste buds. Marshall County native and U.S. Army Veteran Patrick Fisher brings his own special sauce to the pulled pork, chicken, and ribs and offers a Tex-Mex take on brisket wraps, nachos, and quesadillas.
And don’t overlook Bob’s Lunch, a cozy small-town diner that quickly became a favorite among locals and visitors alike with its classic American dishes and desserts.
Stay
You don’t have to climb trees to stay in Grand Vue Park’s treetop villas. Drive right up to cedar-paneled cabins; all four are ADA accessible, and wall-to-wall windows give year-round river and mountain views. Guests can also enjoy the park’s Aerial Adventures, including ziplining and bungee trampolining.
READ MORE ARTICLES FROM WV LIVING’S WINTER 2025 ISSUE
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