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

On April 5, 1872, the last man to be hanged in Fentress County, Tennessee, was said to have made three eerie predictions, all of which came true.Today we tell the story of Cal Logston, a convicted murderer who is said to have foretold events up to a hundred years in the future. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast. We're at Spreaker.com 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

For a century and a half the king of central Appalachia has been coal. That mineral powered the industrial revolution in America, made some men and corporations very wealthy and provided jobs for the Appalachian men and women who dug it out of the ground. Those jobs, though, didn't pay nearly well enough to justify the human costs of the work, so in 1912 miners in the Paint Creek and Cabin Creek areas of West Virginia went on strike, triggering the first battle in what's come to be known as the West Virginia Mine Wars. Today we tell that story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on Spreaker, where we tell the stories of this place we call home. We're also on your favorite podcast app. Catch us on TikTok and YouTube @storiesofappalachia and on Instagram @storyappalachia for short video stories of the history and folklore 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/55

Alvin Goins was a hard worker who, like many Appalachian men of his time, never finished school and was unable to read or write. That never stopped him from getting work as a laborer in and around his home of Rhea County, Tennessee. But Mr. Goins was a little bit different.He was a mathematical genius, able to look at a pile of block, bricks and lumber and calculate in his head, almost to the last piece of wood, how much material would be needed to do the job.Today we tell his story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast. We're on Spreaker and 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

Starting in the latter part of the 19th century and continuing up into the 20th century a valley in Clay County, West Virginia, became the site of a series of mysterious disappearances and deaths. It only stopped with the aid of an organized mob (yeah, we know, an oxymoron, but also true).Today we tell the story of the mysterious Booger Hole.If you haven't already done so, be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Catch us on TikTok @storiesofappalachia and on Instagram @storyappalachia for short video stories of 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

On Friday, August 14, 1914, three Glen Alum Coal Company employees were returning to the mine office with that week's payroll. They didn't make it with the money to the mine alive.Today we tell the story of the great Glen Alum payroll robbery.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you download your podcasts.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

In 1912 a young man's life was transformed by his witnessing a historic tragedy: the infamous Carroll County courthouse shootout, which left several prominent lawyers, police officers and a judge dead. Bob Childress left a life of violence, ignorance and alcohol abuse for a life of faith and service, establishing several churches in his part of Appalachia, many of which still exist today.Today we tell this man's remarkable story.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Spreaker or on your favorite podcast app.We're also on TikTok @storiesofappalachia and on Instagram @storyappalachia with short video stories of this place we call home...be sure to follow us there!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

The Pocahontas coal field, located in southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia, was one of the most productive coal areas in the United States. The town of Pocahontas, in Tazewell County, Virginia, and for which the field was named, was granted a town charter by Virginia on January 31, 1884.Less than two months later tragedy struck when the Laurel (East) mine suffered a series of massive explosions powerful enough to move homes off their foundations and uproot massive trees.Today we tell the story of the Laurel mine disaster of 1884, a tragedy that cost the lives of at least 114 men and boys.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any of our stories.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 November 1966 a man on his way home from work literally drove into Appalachian history when he encountered a UFO blocking his way on I-77 outside Parkersburg, West Virginia. Not only that, he actually "spoke" to the occupant of said UFO!Today we tell the fascinating story of Woodrow Derenberger and his encounter with....something.You can 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!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 1948 Clintwood, Virginia, held an election for the town's offices. After the campaigning, the voting, and the vote counting, something unique for it's time had happened: All of Clintwood's elected officials were women!Today we tell the story of the first all-female elected government in Appalachia.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so you don't miss a single one 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

From the 1930s to the 1980s an itinerant preacher from Georgia traveled throughout Appalachia and beyond in a ramshackle wagon pulled by a herd of goats. It was his way of spreading the gospel and of seeing the world beyond his home. Over those years Ches McCartney became world-renowned as the Goat Man.Today we tell his story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast...we're found on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, and most other podcast apps.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

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!