Stories-a History Of Appalachia, One Story At A Time

In the early 1890’s, miners working in the coal mines at Coal Creek in Anderson County, Tennessee, rose up against the mine operators over their jobs being taken by free convict labor. Things eventually became violent, with armed miners squaring off against the Tennessee guard in what can only be described as an armed uprising. […]

On today’s episode, Steve and Rod tell an old Cherokee tale about a mysterious city inside Pilot Knob, in Western North Carolina, discovered by Tsuwe’nähï. You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast app. We’re on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for your ears!

Merry Christmas, y’all! On today’s Christmas Eve podcast, Steve and Rod take you back to the early 20th century as they read several letters to Santa Claus that were printed in newspapers in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. They also show off their literary side with a Christmas poetry reading as well. You can subscribe […]

(Left to Right) Trussie (Jane) Daniel, Oscar Daniel, Tony Howell (defendant in Ellen Grice rape), Ed Collins (witness), Isaiah Pirkle (witness for Howell), and Ernest Knox. At the turn of the 20th century, African-Americans in Forsyth County, Georgia, made up about 10 percent of the population of the county. A series of incidents involving alleged […]

In 1859, a solar storm stronger than any other in recorded history hit the earth, bringing the northern lights all the way down to Cuba and causing massive interference in telegraph lines throughout the world. Today, Steve and Rod tell the story of what’s become known as the Carrington Event, and what that meant for […]

In the little town of Hurley, Virginia, in 1909, a widow sold the timber rights to her 150 acres of land for a tidy sum, making her a target for anyone wanting to take that money for himself. On September 21, she and her daughter’s family were murdered in cold blood in the daughter’s house […]

A few weeks ago, Steve and Rod shared several short stories from Appalachian newspapers in 1891-92. This week, they’re back with a second set of these “short stories” for y’all! Thanks for listening, folks…

Hello folks! This week on the podcast, Rod and Steve tell the story of how a Corbin, Kentucky, gas station operator ended up cornering the market for gasoline in Corbin in a gun battle with his competitor, also launching his in-station restaurant, which became one of the most successful fast food franchises on the planet. […]

No, folks, Rod and I haven’t gotten into the real estate business. What we have done is put together the story of how Bone Marrow Creek, West Virginia, became Appalachia, Virginia, in the eyes of CBS, NBC, and ABC, and the creative way the town fathers in Appalachia responded. You can subscribe to the podcast […]

In the early part of the twentieth century, two young African American albinos from Truevine, Virginia, made their way into a carnival sideshow, or freak show as it was sometimes called then, and disappeared. Over a decade later, their mother found them performing for the Ringling Brothers Circus in nearby Roanoke and fought a legal […]

In 1875, four men rode their horses into Huntington, West Virginia, and proceeded to rob the local bank. Two of them were later captured, one of whom died without revealing his identity, the other tried and convicted of bank robbery under an alias. The other two? Local legend has it that those men were Frank […]

During the Civil War there were numerous local militias formed, but none quite like Thomas’ Legion. Composed of Cherokee Indians and local Western North Carolina men led by the only white man to be made a Cherokee chief, Thomas’ Legion, also known as Thomas’ Legion of Indians and Highlanders or the 69th North Carolina Regiment, […]

In the course of researching the stories that we pass on to you, Rod and I have happened upon a ton of old newspaper stories that contain nuggets of a tale, but we just can’t find enough other information to flesh out a ten to fifteen minute podcast. We’ve been saving these articles, though, and […]

In the latter part of the eighteenth century, the Wiley family settled in what’s now Southwest Virginia, in the present Bland County. And that’s where they got caught up in the ongoing war between the settlers and the native Americans who had been living in this area for generations. The result was an attack by […]

In the early part of the twentieth century, Helen Timmons Henderson came to Buchanan County, Virginia, to run the Buchanan Mission School with her husband. She did such an outstanding job of running the school that local Democratic party leaders talked her into running for state delegate in 1924, one of the first two women […]

On this episode of the podcast, Steve and Rod tell the story of the Maryville, Tennessee, youth who lived more lives than ten men. Sam Houston was adopted into the Cherokee nation as a teen, then grew up to be an Indian agent, Tennessee governor, commander-in-chief of the Texas military during that nation’s war for […]

Happy Halloween, podcast listeners! On today’s episode, we have two stories for you. First up, Steve tells the story of the Wampus Cat, a Cherokee legend. Then Rod tells about the legend of the Major Graham Mansion just outside Wytheville, Virginia, which has made that house into one of the premiere Halloween destinations in Appalachia. […]

On this podcast we have two native American stories for you. First, Steve tells the story of Penn’s Cave, in Pennsylvania, where tragedy befell a man who fell in love with a chief’s daughter. Then Rod shares the Cherokee tale of how Blowing Rock, North Carolina got its name. All on the way to Halloween, […]

With Halloween in the air, Rod and Steve tell the story of St. Albans Sanatorium near Radford, Virginia, site of some, well, not so nice “treatments” as well as a lot of paranormal activity. You can subscribe to the podcast on your favorite podcast app. We’re on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for […]

Halloween month continues with the story of the mysterious glowing orbs that can be seen on Brown Mountain, near the Linville Gorge in the high country of western North Carolina. Are they spirits? Are they swamp gas? Car lights? Or maybe UFOs? Listen as Steve and Rod tell the story of the Brown Mountain lights… […]