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

Back in 1903 the Knox County undertaker was discovered to have been engaged in a bit of fraud.  We tell you that story on today's episode of Stories, A History of Appalachia. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for the use of your ears, y'all!

Early in the 20th century a family moved to the top of Brush Mountain, near the Cumberland Gap, and proceeded to live the next 50 years much like the pioneers did, growing their own food, making their own clothing and tools, and, um, making moonshine.   Today we tell the story of the Hensley Settlement, a place you can still visit today, if you're into a 4 mile hike straight up the side of the mountain. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic or any other podcast app you have. We'd love it if you'd follow us on Facebook @storiesofappalachia or on Twitter @storyappalachia.

Pine Grove, West Virginia, was a boom town back in 1905, fueled by vast deposits of natural gas and oil.  One thing the town lacked at the time was a fire department.  And in 1905, they really could have used a fire department, as we tell you on today's episode of Stories, A History of Appalachia. You can follow us on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. We're on Apple Podcasts, RadioPublic, Stitcher and many other podcast apps. Thanks for listening!

In hundreds of thousands of years not one human being had ever been known to have been hit by a meteorite.  Then, in 1954, that lucky streak came to an end, in Sylacauga, Alabama.  Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to Stories at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for the use of your ears, y'all!

In 1934 a woman from a wealthy Kentucky family was kidnapped by a failed law student and former mental patient. Today we tell that story. The Stories podcast can be found on RadioPublic, Apple Podcast, Stitcher and many other podcast services.  Be sure to subscribe. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening!

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park was formed out of privately owned farms, woodlands, pastures and homes that had been purchased by the government.  Most of the structures on those tracts of land were torn down and nature allowed to take its course.  One piece of property, though, has not had its buildings removed and you can still visit it today.   On this episode of Stories, we tell the story of Elkmont and the Wonderland Hotel, near Gatlinburg, Tennessee, a place you can still visit in the heart of the park. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening and sharing us with your friends.

Born in North Carolina, then moving to what's now West Virginia, Nancy Hart Douglas was a Confederate guide, scout and spy during the Civil War.  We tell her story on this episode of the podcast. Stories can be found on the RadioPublic app, at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Feedburner or on your favorite podcast app. We are also on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for listening to our stories about this place we call home

Happy Halloween, y'all! Today we tell a little tale about a man who was unjustly hanged in the mountains of North Carolina, so he put a curse on those who sent him to the gallows, in the form of the Shadow.   We can be found on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn or on your favorite podcast app. Follow us for more stories of this place we call home on Twitter @storyappalachia and Facebook @storiesofappalachia.  

In 1953, Salt Lick High School in Bath County, Kentucky, was scheduled to close with the students there transferred to nearby Owingsville High School.  The students were having none of it, so they organized a strike and kidnapped the superintendent of schools.  Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your own favorite podcast app. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia...join us there for more stories about the history of this place we call home. Thanks for lending us your ears, y'all.

Thanks to the work of A.P. Carter and the Carter family, country music can trace its origins back to the hills and hollers of Scott County, Virginia, and Sullivan County, Tennessee, back in the 1920's.  At the same time, in the same place, two brothers began to make a name for themselves in another genre of music: the blues.  Today we tell the story of the original Blues Brothers, Brownie and Stick McGhee of Kingsport, Tennessee, who wrote and recorded several well-known blues songs and appeared in the movies and on TV. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Stitcher, Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcatcher. Thanks for listening!

Did you know that the dumpster, now seen behind every convenience store on the planet, was invented in Knoxville, Tennessee?  Today we tell you the story of George Roby Dempster, inventor of the Dempster Dumpster. We can be found at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever podcasts can be found. We are on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia.  Be sure to come by for even more stories about Appalachian history. Thanks for listening, y'all!

The city of Kingsport, Tennessee, was a planned community.  Built with money from the Appalachian coalfields combined with Yankee expertise, Kingsport was laid out based on towns and cities in New England, with everything planned by the city fathers, which is why it today goes by the name "The Model City."  Kingsport was chartered in 1917, but within two years those city fathers discovered that while they could plan and manage their new metropolis, they couldn't plan for the evil that existed in the hearts of men.  In 1919 an assault and murder of a young girl occurred there, the first and even today one of the worst the city has seen. And Rod and Steve tell that story on today's episode of the Stories podcast. If you like what you hear, we ask you to head on over to the RadioPublic app to subscribe.  You can also subscribe to Stories on Stitcher, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on your own podcatcher. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia.  

Once upon a time there was a man who was nearing the end of his days on this earth.  This man decided he wanted to attend his own funeral while he was still in the here and now, in order to find out what his friends and neighbor had to say about him.  And that's exactly what he did.  Today Rod and Steve tell you his story. The Stories podcast can be found on the RadioPublic app, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcatcher. Follow us on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia for even more tales of the history of this place we call home. Thanks so much for listening and sharing our podcast with your friends.

In August, 1970, two trains loaded with deadly Sarin gas made a journey through Appalachia to the ocean at Wilmington, North Carolina, for disposal at sea.  Today we tell that story. The Stories podcast is available at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn or on your favorite podcatcher. Thanks for listening to our stories about Appalachian history!

Crawling around underground isn't for everyone, especially the hosts of the Stories podcast.  But there are some for whom exploring caves is their life's work.  Probably the best known of these is Floyd Collins, who lost his life when he got stuck in the Sand Cave in eastern Kentucky.  Today we tell the story of the rescue operation mounted to save Floyd and the media circus that effort triggered. Stories is available on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, TuneIn, or on your favorite podcast app. We're also on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening and sharing our stories with your friends.

We're back with some short stories for you, bits of history not long enough for a full podcast each, but interesting stories nonetheless. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for listening, y'all!

In 1939 Clair Young lived with his wife and their children on a farm in Fallowfield Township in southwestern Pennsylvania.  In addition to farming, Clair also was a coal miner and a lay preacher of the Gospel. And Clair was hearing voices.  Voices telling him to do bad things.  Today we tell the tragic story of Clair Young and his baby daughter, Ada. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening...

In 1929 young Flossie Shelton married her ex-husband's cousin, also named Shelton.  At first the young couple enjoyed wedded bliss.  But then the Green-Eyed Monster raised its ugly head, and jealousy drove Flossie to a crime of passion.  Today we tell the story of Flossie's crime against her husband, Fred, in Madison County, North Carolina. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on the RadioPublic app, at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening and sharing the stories that make up the history of Appalachia with your friends.

The first popular Appalachian writer lived and wrote in his adopted hometown of Big Stone Gap.  His works became the biggest selling books of his time and gave birth to the official Virginia state outdoor drama, "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine," which is performed every summer in that southwest Virginia town.  Today we tell the story of John Fox Jr. Rod and I thank you for lending us your ears. 

Patton Flannery was a wanted man.  Wanted, but not caught, for 36 years.  Then his luck ran out.  Today we tell Patton Flannery's story, part of the history of Appalachia. Be sure to download the RadioPublic app and subscribe to the Stories podcast.  You can also subscribe at Apple Podcasts, TuneIn or on your favorite podcatcher. You can find even more stories about the history of this place we call home on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for the use of your ears, y'all!