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

For years the UMWA was under the tight control of John L. Lewis.  After he retired in 1960, he engineered the election of his hand-picked successor, W. A. (Tony) Boyle, as vice-president and then, on the death of Lewis' successor, he made sure he became UMWA president.  Six years later Boyle was challenged for the union presidency by long-time UMWA officer Joseph (Jock) Yablonski on a platform of reforming the union to better serve the needs of rank and file miners.  Yablonski lost, amid allegations of wide-spread voter fraud. And then Jock Yablonski, his wife and his daughter were brutally murdered in their home on New Years Eve, 1969. Today we tell the story of the Yablonski murders. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on many apps, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Spotify and IHeart Radio. Thanks for listening.

An attempted robbery of a Johnson City, Tennessee, laundry in 1930 eventually led to a stint in Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, a prisoners strike and an escape for the robber.  Two years later, this man walked into a police station a thousand miles away and surrendered to authorities, who had no idea he was a wanted man.  Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, IHeart Radio, TuneIn and more. Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends.

Christmas is fast approaching so this week, as we do at this time of the year, we tell a Christmas story. And, since this is the pandemic year, 2020, what better story to tell than that of a man-goat being with horns that represents the evil side of Christmas! Today we tell you about Krampus. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on such fine podcast apps as Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, RadioPublic, Spotify, IHeart Radio and TuneIn. If you'd rather watch us, then go over to our YouTube channel. Be sure to click that "Subscribe" button and ring that bell to get new episodes when they're released. Merry Christmas, y'all!

Today we tell the story of Cherokee prophet and leader, Tsali. According to tribal oral tradition, it was Tsali who made it possible for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee to remain in North Carolina after the southeastern Native American tribes were forced to move to Indian Territory, now Oklahoma. But the actual historical records tells a different story. We share those stories today. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn and wherever else fine podcasts are found. Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends.  

The Avery family is very well-known in western North Carolina, starting in the late 1700s with Waightstill Avery, a lawyer and the very first attorney general in the state. His grandson, William Waightstill Avery, was, just like his grandfather, a North Carolina lawyer and politician. What happened between him and another man in a courtroom in 1851 is the subject of our story today. You can find the audio version of the Stories podcast on many podcast apps, including Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, RadioPublic, TuneIn and IHeart Radio. We are also on YouTube; you can subscribe by clicking the "Subscribe" button down below. Please give us a like, too, if you don't mind. Til next we meet, so long everybody...

Today we tell the story of the man from West Virginia who became a brigadier general in the U. S. Air Force, helped train the first American astronauts and became the first man to break the sound barrier, Chuck Yeager. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, IHeart Radio, Tunein and more. Thanks for listening!

At one time it was a common sight to see a traveling group of Roma, known then as gypsies, come through Appalachia. Folks would barter with them for livestock, utensils and services. Along with the Roma, the Irish travellers were also present, providing stories and repairs for the locals they met. Today we tell their story, a part of the history of Appalachia. You can subscribe to the audio version of the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio, Amazon Music and more.  

Disputes in Appalachia between the well-to-do were often handled with the use of firearms with one of the most well-known people from the region, Andrew Jackson, being famous for his duels with rivals.  And when it wasn't a formal duel, these folks would often shoot it out, much like in the Wild West.  Today we tell of a dispute that ended with the son of one of the parties lying dead on Gay Street in Knoxville, along with both of the combatants, an incident so bad it ended up being one of the last such gun battles in East Tennessee. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, Amazon Music, IHeart Radio and more. We're also on YouTube.  Be sure to like and subscribe. Thanks for listening...

Saturday, September 24, 1904, started just like any other day for the passengers getting ready to board the Southern Railway Number 15 train at the Bristol Train Station.  It would end in a horrible, horrible way in New Market, Tennessee. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, IHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Deezer and many, many more. Thanks for listening.

It's Halloween so Rod and Steve each have a bit of Appalachian folklore for you, in the form of two ghost stories.  Stick around after the stories, though, because Halloween is the fifth anniversary of the podcast and we're discussing our favorite episodes over the years. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, TuneIn, IHeart Radio and on many other podcast apps. Thanks for listening.  Happy Halloween...

In 1906 a North Carolina prison escapee comes to Asheville.  There he gets into a drunken shootout with police and an escape littered with his murdered victims.  Today we tell the story of Will Harris. The Stories podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, RadioPublic, Amazon Music, IHeart Radio and on many other podcast apps. Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends!

In 1784 a child was born on the Appalachian frontier, along the Holston River, in what was then the state of Franklin.  This child would grow up to become a preacher, a leader in the Restoration Movement and would help in the founding of the Disciples of Christ.  Today we tell the story of Raccoon John Smith. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, IHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Deezer, and many more. Thanks for listening.   

Today we have another collection of what we call "short stories," bits of Appalachian history that are interesting but which by themselves won't make for a full podcast episode. On this episode we tell about a strange substance found at a home in Tom's Creek, Virginia;  a criminal who managed to outwit the court system in West Virginia; a vote on Prohibition in Bristol, Virginia; a jailbreak in North Carolina worthy of an episode of the Andy Griffith show; and a murder trial in eastern Kentucky more than two decades after the crime was committed. Like what you hear?  Then be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening!

Many world renowned athletes have come from Appalachia, from NFL players Thomas and Julius Jones to gymnast Mary Lou Retton, just to name a few.  Today we tell the story of a runner born in Nickelsville, Virginia, who won the gold medal in the 4 x 400 meter relay in the 1964 Olympics. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, IHeart Radio, Spotify, Amazon Music and more. Thanks for listening...

In the 1830s the Cherokee of north Georgia had settled on a strategy of using litigation to establish and enforce rights that had been given to them by treaties with the United States.  Samuel Worcester, a missionary to the tribe from Vermont, helped to come up with this approach. And they won their case at the U. S. Supreme Court, which said they were a sovereign nation within Georgia.  But that didn't matter because both Georgia and the President of the United States ignored that decision, which set the stage for the Trail of Tears.   Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Amazon Music, IHeart Radio and more. Thanks for listening.

Today we take another trip to Keystone, West Virginia.  Last time we were here, we told of a bank failure so huge it was a forerunner of the financial crash of 2008 and the Great Recession.  On this podcast we turn to the seedy part of town, a place called Cinder Bottom, where the liquor ran freely and the women were a plenty (for a price).   You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, IHeart Radio and more. Thanks for listening!

19 years ago today Al Qaeda terrorists seized four commercial jets with the intent to use them as suicide bombs against American targets.  Three of these succeeded, resulting in the collapse of both towers of the World Trade Center in New York and massive damage to the Pentagon.  The fourth attempt was foiled by the plane's passenger over the skies of Appalachia.  Today we tell the story as seen from the ground in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, where the plane crashed. Thanks for listening.

William Irvine Fayssoux was a psychic and illusionist in the south early in the 20th century.  He traveled throughout Appalachia, performing feats that would seem incredible even today. There's little doubt that had he been born 100 years later he'd have his own TV show.  Today we tell his story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, IHeart Radio, Deezer, RadioPublic and more. We're also on YouTube.  Be sure to like and subscribe. Thanks for listening!

In 1962 a World War I vet came to the VA hospital at Mountain Home, Tennessee for medical care.  This man decided to stay in the area, getting a job at the weekly newspaper in nearby Jonesborough.  There he worked as a linotype operator and part-time reporter.  He also developed a relationship with his widowed landlord, eventually marrying her. When he died he was buried at the Mountain Home National Cemetery. It was only after his death that the dark secrets he held were discovered.  Today we tell the story of D. C. Stephenson. Today we tell the story of D. C. Stephenson. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, Deezer, TuneIn and on most other podcast apps. Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachian history...

Today we tell the story of the camp meeting to end all camp meetings, the one that helped to spark the Second Great Awakening. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, RadioPublic and more. Thanks for listening!