Discovering Lavalette

About the Book

How did  a small village get such an unusual name? The answer would reveal the secret to one of the best kept secrets in Appalachian history. The answer had been woven into the fabric of day to day life hiding the invisible threads of humanity and history long passed away. Or had they? Those threads, once illuminated, led back to a transplanted ancient culture left curiously intact, a whirlwind 19th century Caribbean romance and a gifted thinker that reflect the true spirit of a culture known for their independent mind.

Discovering Lavalette-Commemorative Village Edition is the multi-dimensional cultural biography of a small southern Appalachian village and its humble people. Introductions include photographs and oral histories from the earliest settlers, their adventures with Colonial America, the American Civil War, the coming of the Industrial Age.

About the Author

Gina Barker Simmons is a cultural advisor with degrees in Geography and Anthropology, specializing in International Affairs. As a child, she was inspired to find the mysterious origins of her tiny village’s name- a quest that would be fulfilled many years later in the first published history exploring the century old secret. She is a part time teacher, avid adventurer and dedicated mother to her two children. She and her family live in West Virginia when not exploring the world.