1. West Virginia Penitentiary

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

For Gothic thrills, grab your camera and visit the West Virginia Penitentiary in Moundsville, W.V.; it’s a look back at 19th- and 20th-century prison life.

Designed in the castellated Gothic architectural style — adorned with turrets and battlements, like a castle — the penitentiary opened in 1876 and was witness to riots, escapes and fires over the years. Nearly 100 prisoners were executed by hanging or electrocution within its thick walls. It closed in 1995.

The original “Old Sparky” electric chair is still on display.

2. Fort Pitt Block House

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Constructed in 1764 in what is now Point State Park, the Fort Pitt Block House was built to fortify the massive Fort Pitt, a key British defense after the French and Indian War. It was decommissioned in 1772 to become a trading post — but saw action again when the American Revolution sparked in 1775.

Free and open to visitors for more than a century, the Fort Pitt Block House is a popular spot for school field trips. A gift shop inside sells replicas of Revolution-era items.

3. Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village

PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

Look way back at distant history at the Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, designated in 2005 as a National Historic Landmark. An ongoing archaeological dig since the early 1970s, the Washington County field school in Avella has unearthed nearly 2 million artifacts — including ancient stone tools and pottery fragments — used 19,000 years ago by prehistoric hunters and gatherers.

You can also visit recreations of a 19th-century village (including a one-room schoolhouse, log church and blacksmith shop), a 16th-century Monongahela Indian Village and a frontier trading post.

This story is part of our 2025 Best of the ‘Burgh staff picks.