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

In 1820 French orphan Martin Fugate and his wife Elizabeth arrived as new settlers in eastern Kentucky. Unknown to them, they carried genetic traits that would pass on to their descendants, causing many of them to have skin that was a purplish-blue color.Today we tell the story of the blue people of Kentucky.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening, y'all!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5553692/advertisement

On Christmas Eve, 1945, a mysterious fire broke out at the Fayetteville, West Virginia home of George and Jennie Sodder. Try as they might, George and his oldest son were unable to put out the fire, nor were they or their neighbors able to call for help, as all the phone lines in the area had stopped working. Five of the Sodder children were trapped inside the burning house, with no hope of rescue.Then things got really strange.Today we tell the story of the mysterious Christmas Eve fire and what may or may not have happened to those children.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app...that way you won't miss any of our stories!Thanks for listening...This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5553692/advertisement

Theft. Infanticide. Insanity. Murder. Ghosts.The stories that surround a notorious tunnel in Tennessee contain all those elements and more.Today we tell some of those stories and tell you a little bit of the history of the infamous Sensabaugh Tunnel, near Kingsport, Tennessee, in Hawkins County.Come along with us, if you dare...Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so you don't miss any of our stories of Appalachian history and folklore.Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends...This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5553692/advertisement

A tale was told by the Cherokee of a siren that inhabited the deep whirlpools of the French Broad River in western North Carolina. These sirens were said to be demons that would lure men to their deaths in the river. Today we tell the folktale of a young man from Asheville who encountered that siren.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories of Appalachia podcast so you don't miss any of our stories.Catch us on YouTube and TikTok @storiesofappalaciha and on Instagram @storyappalachia for short videos about this place we call home.Thanks for listening!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5553692/advertisement

A mountain farmer and schoolteacher from the North Carolina town of Magnetic City (now Buladean) got so tired of shaving that he tossed his straight razor in the garbage and just let that facial hair grow.Unbeknownst to him, that decision launched him on a path to fame and fortune throughout North America as the “Man With The Longest Beard In The World.” He met the King of England, Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley, and many other celebrities of his day, all while maintaining his farm and teaching in the local school.Today we tell the fascinating story of Sam Brinkley and his magnificent beard.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories of Appalachia podcast so you don't miss a single episode. We're on most podcast apps, including your favorite one.Thanks for listening!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5553692/advertisement

As the United States entered World War I, it was found to be necessary to start drafting men to serve in the military. That decision was met with widespread resistance across the country, with protests and riots springing up. In one part of America, though, that resistance came close to turning into something akin to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia that happened that same year.Today we tell the story of an Appalachian populist revolt that almost happened in the summer of 1917, centered in the town of St. Paul, Virginia.Be sure to subscribe on your favorite podcast app to the Stories podcast so you don't miss out on any of our stories of Appalachian history and folklore. You can also catch us on TikTok, YouTube and Instagram with short video stories of Appalachia.Thanks for listening!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5553692/advertisement

Right before and during the Civil War an outlaw roamed the West who was unlike any of the other outlaws you might have heard of. This man, born and raised in eastern Kentucky, gained a reputation for not only robbery and murder, but for his practice of cannibalizing both his victims and a few of his fellow outlaws. Today we tell the story of Boone Helm, the Kentucky Cannibal.(Note: this story, while it does discuss cannibalism, does not go into great detail, but does talk frankly about what Helm did on his way about the American Wild West.)Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening!This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are interested in advertising on this podcast, contact us at https://www.spreaker.com/show/5553692/advertisement

Today we wrap up our story about legendary Appalachian explorer, longhunter and guide Simon Kenton, who went from explorer and longhunter to owning hundreds of thousands of acres of frontier land, businesses, and a small fortune...only to have it all ripped away from him by the end of his life.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a single one of our stories.Thanks for listening!

Today we have a story so big we had to split it into two parts!Simon Kenton was an Appalachian explorer, longhunter and guide. His life was so filled with adventure that it became the stuff of legend, second only to Daniel Boone, Kenton's close friend. Numerous buildings, schools, and other places bear Kenton's name in those states that border the Ohio River, testament to his place in history.Today we begin to tell his amazing story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a single one of our stories.Thanks for listening!

In 1890 the circus came to Alderson, West Virginia. When the circus moved on, it left a new resident of the town, which became loved by all, well, except for one traveling salesman.Today we tell the story of a gentle and loving lion named French, for the circus that brought him to town, another one of the stories of Appalachia.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app; be sure to do so to keep getting our stories!Thanks for listening!

Today we tell the story of a man who refused to let a "disability" keep him down.Linguist, athlete, amateur astronomer, adventurer and genealogist James Brownlow Lawson from Sevier County, Tennessee, lived the life he wanted, despite the loss of his arm as a young man.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening!

In February, 1972, a coal company muck dam along Buffalo Creek in Logan County, West Virginia, collapsed after a winter of heavy snow and rain. The resulting flash flood of water and gob destroyed homes, businesses and took several lives in that Appalachian holler.Today we tell that story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app or on YouTube.

Otto Wood was headed in the wrong direction from a young age. As a child he learned how to make moonshine while in the care of his relatives in West Virginia, to whom he had run away from home.One thing led to another and before you knew it Otto was a wanted man in at least six states.Thing is, the authorities in those states just couldn't keep Otto locked up for long, since he was always escaping.Today we tell the story of the Appalachian escape artist and outlaw, Otto Wood.Don't forget to subscribe to Stories of Appalachia wherever you get your podcasts!

Did some Braxton County, West Virginia, kids see a UFO back in 1952? Some folks thought so, especially after locals began exhibiting strange symptoms. Today Steve and Rod tell the tale of the Flatwoods Monster, or the Phantom of Flatwoods, as it was also called. It’s another story that makes up the history of this place we call home.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker or on your favorite podcast app.We're on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter and Instagram @storyappalachia.

In 1938 a Roane County, Tennessee, hermit felt the pull of time. Concerned about how he was going to be remembered after he was gone and wondering if anyone cared anyway, he decided to plan and hold his funeral service...while he could experience it.Today we tell the story of Uncle Bush's magnificent funeral...Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Follow us on YouTube, Facebook and Tiktok @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter and Instagram @storyappalachia.Thanks for listening!

There was once a cabin down by Sinking Creek at the foot of Droop Mountain in West Virginia, or so it's been told. That cabin was the home of a mysterious man known as "Old Hell." Some folks around there said that hell was the right name, for that house became known for hellish sounds and otherworldly lights. It was also found to have more to it than that, though, and this bit of folklore is today's story of Appalachia.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss any of our Stories of Appalachia!

Doris Payne was born in 1930 to a coal miner in Slab Fork, West Virginia. She didn't stay there. In fact, she ended up traveling the world for decades pursuing her chosen path in life.International jewel thief.Today we tell her story.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Spotify, IHeart Radio, or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening!

In the late 19th century a man from Stoney Creek, in Johnson County, Tennessee, went West to seek his fortune. He found that fortune. He then lost that fortune and in the process decided that he no longer wanted the company of his fellow man, so he took what money he had left and purchased the top of an East Tennessee mountain on which to live, with his faithful dog and, for a time, with a pet rattlesnake.Today we tell the story of Uncle Nick Grindstaff, whose grave and monument still stand next to the Appalachian trail atop Iron Mountain for the entire world to visit, if they've a mind to.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss a single one of our stories.Thanks for listening...

In 1919 a wave of riots and lynchings occurred across America, fueled in part by a fear of communism and communist agitation among minorites and in part by fear of battle-hardened African-American soldiers returning from service in World War I not complying with Jim Crow laws in the south.Appalachia was not immune to this wave.In the summer of 1919 a mob swept through downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, after the arrest of a prominent African-American resident named Maurice Mays in the assault and murder of a white woman in the city. The riot only ended after the intervention of the Tennessee National Guard.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any of our stories.Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends...

Years before European settlers moved into Appalachia, native tribes from Alabama to Ohio spoke of going to war with a mysterious race of pale-skinned people who were so sensitive to sunlight they only came out at night. These "moon-eyed" people were forced from Alabama into North Carolina, then to Tennessee and Kentucky before being driven out west of the Mississippi River.Today we tell the legend of the Moon-eyed People.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends.