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

After the Civil War a young man bought Cherry Mountain in Rutherford County, North Carolina and used the wild cherries found there to add flavor to his distilled product, illegal of course, that became a runaway hit. Not only was his distinctive "Cherry Bounce" popular in his part of Appalachia, but it was also the favored beverage on riverboats from Cincinnati to New Orleans!Today we tell the story of Amos Owens, beloved Appalachian moonshiner!Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spotify, Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Audible, or on your own favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachia with your friends!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-appalachia--5553692/support.

John Romulus Brinkley was born in Burnsville, North Carolina, to a former Confederate medic and his housekeeper. From those humble beginnings young Brinkley grew up to become a traveling "Quaker doctor," a medical huckster and conman in both Knoxville, Tennessee and Greenville, South Carolina, a student at several "eclectic medical schools," a successful surgeon in Kansas, renowned for his "goat gonad" transplants into willing men hoping to boost their sexual prowess, the owner of two radio stations, one of which was on the Mexican border and blasted out his goat gland pitches, along with performances by the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and many other early country music stars, all across North America with a million watt signal, and, most importantly for him, a very, very rich man. Until it all came crashing down.Today we tell the story of Appalachia's own goat gland doctor, from Burnsville, another one of the Stories of Appalachia!Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.

Joe Brown was a hell-raiser, thug and violent alcoholic who terrorized the town of Whitmer, West Virginia at the turn of the 20th century. He did, that is, until he went a step too far.That, folks, is our story today.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any of our stories of Appalachia.Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends.

On January 3, 1921, a massive fire broke out at the West Virginia state capitol in Charleston. Not a big deal, you might be thinking, fires happen all the time. This one, though, had a twist or three, as you'll find out.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast, at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Audible or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and for sharing our little podcast with your friends!

On December 30, 1881, 30 convicts, along with their guards, were shackled and deposited on the banks of the Tuckaseegee River near Dillboro, North Carolina, with a job to do: cross the river in a boat and then start digging out the Cowee Tunnel for the Western North Carolina Railroad. 19 of the 30 didn't make it across alive.Today we tell that tragic story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends.

In the early 1900's a young mother in Polk County, North Carolina, had a decision to make. She had separated from her abusive husband and had several young children to feed, house and clothe, with very few job prospects. So she started her own business...moonshining. Bettie Simms was good at that chosen profession but, as so often happens, she had a run-in with the law.Today we tell the story of the woman the press dubbed "The Queen of the Moonshiners," another one of the Stories of Appalachia!Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so you don't miss any of our stories. We're on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Audible and on your favorite podcast app, too.Thanks for listening and for sharing our little podcast 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

With Christmas fast approaching, Rod and Steve talk about the history and the folklore behind Christmas in Appalachia...You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, Spreaker, Audible or on your favorite podcast app, whatever that might be.Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, 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

David Crockett Beaty was a farmer in Fentress County, Tennessee...until the start of the Civil War.He became a guerrilla fighter in that war, on the side of the Union, with his most well-known rebel counterpart being Champ Ferguson, with whom he had a running war all its own. Today we tell the story of Tinker Dave Beaty, Union guerrilla/outlaw.Be sure to subscribe on our YouTube channel or on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any of our Stories of Appalachia!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

In 1902 coal miners struck the mines along the New River, seeking better wages and better working conditions. The strike continued until February 25, 1903, when a massive gun battle broke out between miners and coal company men, including detectives from the Baldwin-Felts agency and local law enforcement. The battle was fierce, with both sides exchanging gunfire for approximately five minutes.Many of the miners, faced with overwhelming firepower, rushed out of the building and surrendered. However, some fled into the woods, where they were pursued and arrested.This conflict was a precursor of the West Virginia Mine Wars, which would begin in earnest ten years later at Paint Creek and Cabin Creek.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app.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

In 1843 a prominent man in Jamestown, Tennessee, distributed a broadsheet, under an assumed name, accusing the wife of a tavern owner of being, among other sordid things, a "witch of the most extraordinary power." That, as you can imagine, led to legal action in the Fentress County courts. Today we tell the story of the Fentress County witch, another one of the Stories of Appalachia!Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so you don't miss any of our stories of Appalachian history and folklore. Go to Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Audible, Goodpods or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and 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

Granny women were the healers and caretakers of folks in Appalachia, dispensing folk remedies, serving as midwives, and even dousing for water. These women were essential in rural Appalachia, where doctors and hospitals were scarce.Today we tell the story of one of these women, Orlean Hawk Puckett, from Carroll County, Virginia, known for being a midwife responsible for helping to bring over a thousand Appalachian babies into the world!Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and 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

At the turn of the 20th century a wealthy and politically connected man from Grainger County, Tennessee, lost a lawsuit filed by a widow and was ordered to pay her a sum of money. Failing to do that, the court ordered a sale of some lumber this man owed, which was bought by a blacksmith in the community of Thorn Hill. Out of this came two murders, a prison sentence, a feud, and a deadly gun battle at the blacksmith's shop five years later.That, dear listeners, is our story of Appalachia this week!Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you get your podcasts, or at our podcast home, spreaker.com...Thanks for listening and 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

In 1914 a series of massive explosions occurred in the Eccles Mine No. 5 near Eccles, West Virginia in Raleigh County, West Virginia, leaving over 180 men and boys dead, including an insurance salesman who had the bad luck of making a call on the miners that day.Today we tell the story of West Virginia's second-worst mine disaster.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks for listening to our stories and sharing them 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

At the turn of the 20th century a young woman named Cora Wilson Stewart was hired as an elementary school teacher, later becoming Rowan County school superintendent. Fifteen years later she began a program that has since spread across the country: the idea of adult education for those who needed it.Today we tell her story and the story of the schools she founded, the Moonlight Schools of eastern Kentucky.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast...we're on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, PlayerFM, Audible or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.We're also on TikTok@storiesofappalachia and on Instragram@storyappalachia.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 tell the story of one of the 20th century's most brilliant mathematicians, born in Bluefield, West Virginia, and the subject of the movie "A Beautiful Mind," John Forbes Nash, Jr.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Audible, PlayerFM, Goodpods (where we're #34 on their Top 100 Indie Documentary Podcasts of all time!) or wherever you get your podcasts.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

Thomas David Carr was born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1846. After a childhood marked by abuse, a prison term at age 8 and an attemped poisoning of one of his "acquaintances," Carr joined the Union Army at the start of the Civil War. As he traveled with his unit, and by his own admission, Carr left a string of murders in his wake, culminating with the brutal murder of a 13-year-old girl who spurned his persistent marriage proposals.Today we tell the story of a dark and dangerous man, Thomas David Carr.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app if you haven't done so already.Catch us on TikTok @storiesofappalachia and on Instagram @storyappalachia for short video stories of this place we call home.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

Sanctified Hill was a section of Cumberland, Kentucky, where many retired African American miners and their families resided in homes many had built themselves. In 1972 heavy rains fell across Appalachia, resulting in flooding and, in the case of Sanctified Hill, a terrible disaster.Today we tell that story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast...we're on your favorite podcast app.We're also on TikTok @storiesofappalachia and on Instagram @storyappalachia. There you'll find short video stories of Appalachia.Thanks for listening and 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

Around the turn of the 20th century a man charged with murder escaped from the Scott County, Virginia, jail and headed to Texas. He likely would have spent the rest of his life there but for an accident. A real accident, involving a train.Today we tell the story of a man whose demand for justice from the railroad company led to his own reckoning back home.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast. We're on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks so much 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

Rising tensions along the Appalachian frontier culminated with what's called "Lord Dunmore's War," named after the royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore. That conflict came to a head with a battle in 1774 at Point Pleasant in what's now West Virginia, in which Dunmore's forces battled the Shawnee warriors under Chief Cornstalk.Today we tell that story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible or 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

Our story of the West Virginia Mine Wars continues at Matewan, West Virginia, where a famous gun battle left several mine company hired guards dead, along with the town mayor, among others. The fighting was so fierce, many townsfolk fled across the Tug Fork into Kentucky, seeking safety. This battle also set the stage for the climax of the mine wars: the Battle of Blair Mountain.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, or 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