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

On September 10, 1897, more than a dozen coal miners, mainly eastern European immigrants, were shot and killed by police while on strike at the Lattimer mine in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.  This was a turning point in the UMW's efforts to organize the coal fields of northern Appalachia and today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio, Stitcher or on most other podcast apps. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening to our little bits of Appalachian history.

Today we tell the story of Nance Dude, of Haywood County, North Carolina, convicted in the death of her granddaughter in 1913.   You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Player FM and on many other podcast apps. For more stories about the history of this place we call home, you can follow us on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and Twitter @storyappalachia.

Today we tell a story of love, lust, and espionage in Chattanooga, Tennessee during World War I. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and many other podcast apps, all for free! We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening to our tales of Appalachian history...

The Highlander Research and Education Center in New Market, Tennessee, outside Knoxville, was in the news recently when one of the buildings there was burned.  Fire investigators found a white power symbol in the ashes of that building.  Today we're going to tell you just why that might have been as we share the story of Highlander's history in the civil rights movement of the 1950's and 60's, as well as in labor struggles in Appalachia. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, and many other podcast apps. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening and sharing our stories with your friends...

Today we're going to have a pea-pickin' old time telling the story of one of the most talented and popular entertainers to ever come out of Appalachia: Tennessee Ernie Ford, of Bristol, Tennessee. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and on many other podcast apps. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening and sharing us with your friends!

Among the pioneers of what was then known as "hillbilly music" was a coal miner from Norton, Virginia, named Moran Lee Boggs.Better known as Dock Boggs, he became known for his unique style of banjo playing and singing, which was a combination of old time Appalachian folk music and African American blues.Today we tell his story.You can find the Stories podcast on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn and on most other podcast apps.Thanks for listening and sharing our stories with your friends... 

Today we share some interesting short stories about this place we call home, Appalachia. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at our website, www.storiespodcast.net, RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or on any number of podcast apps. Thanks for listening and sharing our tales of Appalachian history with your friends!

In 1892 Homestead, Pennsylvania, was the site of a strike, pitting the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, one of the most powerful unions, against Carnegie Steel, owned by Andrew Carnegie and run by Carnegie and his partner, Henry Clay Frick.  The strike turned into a full fledged riot on July 6.  Today we tell the story of the Homestead Strike. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and on many other podcast apps. Thanks for listening and sharing our stories of Appalachian history with your friends.

Greenup, Kentucky, was the scene of a tragic and brutal murder of a three year old child at the end of 1927.  That crime and its notoriety brought the nation's attention to the issue of child abuse.  Today we tell you that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on RadioPublic, Stitcher, Spotify or on any number of podcast apps. Thanks for listening and sharing our tales of Appalachian history!

In 1742 German immigrant John Peter Salling was asked to join an expedition set to travel far into the Virginia back country, all the way to the Mississippi River.  To this he agreed, thus setting him on the path to an adventure involving Indians, French soldiers, the Governor of Louisiana, and even a hijacking at sea.  We tell that story on this week's episode of Stories. If you'd like to get our podcast episodes automatically, simply subscribe at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or anywhere podcasts can be found. We'd like you to join us on our Facebook page, @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening and sharing us with your friends.

Andrew Taylor Still, born in the Appalachian frontier town of Jonesville, Virginia, went on to become a self-educated doctor.  He moved to Kansas just in time to become involved in the bloody civil war sparked there by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  He fought in the American Civil War, too, but it was his development of a new form of medical practice that placed him in the history books. You can subscribe to the Stories Podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn and on most other podcast apps. Follow us for even more bits of Appalachian history on Facebook @storiesofappalachia, Twitter @storyappalachia and our website at www.storiespodcast.net. Thanks for sharing our stories of Appalachia with your friends.  

In 1935 LaFollette, Tennessee, like most other American towns, was in the grips of the Great Depression.  Money was tight and the banks were calling in loans that couldn't be paid.  One of those loans was on a restaurant in town owned by an Italian immigrant, and what this man chose to do in response to losing his business is the subject of this week's episode of Stories. You can listen to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or on any number of podcast apps. Thanks for listening, folks.  

Our theme today is "the more things change, the more they stay the same."  You'll see how that fits in as we tell the story of the contested election for West Virginia governor in 1888. The Stories podcast is available on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn and on a host of other podcast apps. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for listening, y'all!

Today we tell the story of the explosion at the McClure Number 1 Mine in Dickenson County, Virginia, in 1983, resulting in several fatalities including the first fatality of a woman in a mine accident. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening.

Back in 1923 there was a mass jailbreak from the Wise County jail, led by a member of the Hatfield family.  Today Steve and Rod tell you that story. Stories is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Spotify and a host of other podcast apps. Follow us for more bits of Appalachian history on our Facebook page @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for the use of your ears!

On Halloween, 1952, James Francis Hill was arrested in Northern Florida after an extraordinary string of carjackings, kidnappings and robberies across Appalachia and the South over the prior two weeks.  Today we tell you the story of the Three Gun Maniac, another story that makes up the history of this place we call home. The Stories podcast is available for download on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app.  Be sure to subscribe! Thanks for listening, y'all...

Back in 1911 several of the sons of Devil Anse and Levisa Hatfield came to the coal town of Boomer, in Fayette County, West Virginia, with the intent of opening a saloon.  Now in those days saloons not only provided one with a stiff drink at the bar, they also delivered beer and liquor directly to one's house. And the Hatfields had the market all to themselves there in Boomer, by agreement with another saloon in a neighboring town.  Or so they thought.  Today we tell their story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or on your own favorite podcast app. You can follow us for more stories about the history of Appalachia at our website, www.storiespodcast.net, on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for lending us your ears, y'all!

What started out as a little racetrack in East Tennessee has developed over the years into a world-class sports complex, hosting NASCAR races, college football, remote area medical services, Christmas lights and a whole lot more.  Today Rod and Steve tell the story of the Bristol Motor Speedway. You can subscribe to Stories at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or on any number of other podcast apps. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening to our stories... 

Today we tell the story of Dr. Thomas Walker, who was sent by the Loyal Land Company to explore that company's lands in Appalachia in 1750.  The Walker expedition named many of the natural features in this part of the country, including the Powell River and Powell Valley, the Cumberland River and, most famously, the Cumberland Gap. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and many other podcast apps. You can also follow us on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Happy New Year, y'all!

Rod and Steve are taking this week off to celebrate Christmas, so we're bringing you an encore Christmas episode with letters to Santa and a reading of The Night Before Christmas.  Enjoy! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all y'all!