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

Today we tell the story of a man who refused to let a "disability" keep him down.Linguist, athlete, amateur astronomer, adventurer and genealogist James Brownlow Lawson from Sevier County, Tennessee, lived the life he wanted, despite the loss of his arm as a young man.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, PlayerFM or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening!

In February, 1972, a coal company muck dam along Buffalo Creek in Logan County, West Virginia, collapsed after a winter of heavy snow and rain. The resulting flash flood of water and gob destroyed homes, businesses and took several lives in that Appalachian holler.Today we tell that story.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app or on YouTube.

Otto Wood was headed in the wrong direction from a young age. As a child he learned how to make moonshine while in the care of his relatives in West Virginia, to whom he had run away from home.One thing led to another and before you knew it Otto was a wanted man in at least six states.Thing is, the authorities in those states just couldn't keep Otto locked up for long, since he was always escaping.Today we tell the story of the Appalachian escape artist and outlaw, Otto Wood.Don't forget to subscribe to Stories of Appalachia wherever you get your podcasts!

Did some Braxton County, West Virginia, kids see a UFO back in 1952? Some folks thought so, especially after locals began exhibiting strange symptoms. Today Steve and Rod tell the tale of the Flatwoods Monster, or the Phantom of Flatwoods, as it was also called. It’s another story that makes up the history of this place we call home.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker or on your favorite podcast app.We're on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter and Instagram @storyappalachia.

In 1938 a Roane County, Tennessee, hermit felt the pull of time. Concerned about how he was going to be remembered after he was gone and wondering if anyone cared anyway, he decided to plan and hold his funeral service...while he could experience it.Today we tell the story of Uncle Bush's magnificent funeral...Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Follow us on YouTube, Facebook and Tiktok @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter and Instagram @storyappalachia.Thanks for listening!

There was once a cabin down by Sinking Creek at the foot of Droop Mountain in West Virginia, or so it's been told. That cabin was the home of a mysterious man known as "Old Hell." Some folks around there said that hell was the right name, for that house became known for hellish sounds and otherworldly lights. It was also found to have more to it than that, though, and this bit of folklore is today's story of Appalachia.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you get your podcasts so you don't miss any of our Stories of Appalachia!

Doris Payne was born in 1930 to a coal miner in Slab Fork, West Virginia. She didn't stay there. In fact, she ended up traveling the world for decades pursuing her chosen path in life.International jewel thief.Today we tell her story.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Spotify, IHeart Radio, or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening!

In the late 19th century a man from Stoney Creek, in Johnson County, Tennessee, went West to seek his fortune. He found that fortune. He then lost that fortune and in the process decided that he no longer wanted the company of his fellow man, so he took what money he had left and purchased the top of an East Tennessee mountain on which to live, with his faithful dog and, for a time, with a pet rattlesnake.Today we tell the story of Uncle Nick Grindstaff, whose grave and monument still stand next to the Appalachian trail atop Iron Mountain for the entire world to visit, if they've a mind to.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 1919 a wave of riots and lynchings occurred across America, fueled in part by a fear of communism and communist agitation among minorites and in part by fear of battle-hardened African-American soldiers returning from service in World War I not complying with Jim Crow laws in the south.Appalachia was not immune to this wave.In the summer of 1919 a mob swept through downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, after the arrest of a prominent African-American resident named Maurice Mays in the assault and murder of a white woman in the city. The riot only ended after the intervention of the Tennessee National Guard.Be sure to 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...

Years before European settlers moved into Appalachia, native tribes from Alabama to Ohio spoke of going to war with a mysterious race of pale-skinned people who were so sensitive to sunlight they only came out at night. These "moon-eyed" people were forced from Alabama into North Carolina, then to Tennessee and Kentucky before being driven out west of the Mississippi River.Today we tell the legend of the Moon-eyed People.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends.

Today we bring you part of the end of an era of public executions in Appalachia, which had, in many cases, turned into an excuse for a carnival, with vendors selling food and drink (much of it the hard stuff) and children brought in for a day with a picnic and other family activities, prior to the hanging itself. Our first story comes from Wilkes County, North Carolina, where an alleged horse thief shoots and kills the man looking for that horse; the second comes from Lawrence County, Kentucky, and involves a feud, with the accused shooting and killing his own uncle.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Goodpods, Spreaker, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachian history with your friends.

One of the biggest moonshiners (literally) in Appalachia was a Melungeon woman from Newman's Ridge in Hancock County, Tennessee. She lived an interesting life, providing shine in many ways, including from a hollow tree.To find out more, give this week's episode a listen!You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Stitcher, Goodpods or on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachia with your friends!

The 1920s were a decade of loosening morals, Prohibition and crime, with notorious outlaws popping up across America. Along with the likes of Al Capone, John Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde was a home-grown Appalachian outlaw whose exploits made headlines across the South.Today we tell the story of Appalachian outlaw Kinnie Wagner, from Scott County, Virginia.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.Thanks for listening!

In 1911 Devil Anse Hatfield’s sons Troy and Elias were in Fayette County running a bar, which was doing quite well. They had established their liquor and beer territory thanks to agreements with the competition and things looked bright…until someone with ties to the Italian-American miners’ community decided to compete with them.Things did not turn out well.Today we tell the story of the last gunfight of Troy and Elias Hatfield.

We've told stories of moonshiners; we've even interviewed one of them. Today we're going to tell the story of untaxed whiskey from the other side, that of the federal revenue agent, or revenuer. One of those agents was well-known in the hills and hollers of Kentucky, the legendary Big Six.Today we tell his story.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Stitcher, PlayerFM or on your favorite podcast app or feed reader.Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachian history with your friends!

A man from Anderson County, Tennessee, had developed a reputation as being a bit strange, going on about all those visions he had after his wife left him years before. One vision, though, led many people to decide that maybe they'd misjudged him.Today we tell the story of John Hendrix, the prophet of Appalachia.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts.Thanks for listening!

In 1892 a West Virginia hermit living high above the Cheat River announced to the world that he had an invention: a suit that would allow him to fly above the forests and mountains of Appalachia just like the hawks that lived there. If only he had a little more money to finish his invention...Today we tell the story of the Appalachian "Bat-Man."You can subcribe to the Stories podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app.

To many the word "Appalachia" is synonymous with the word "hillbilly," for better or for worse. Often used as a derogatory term by non-residents of the region, many here have adopted "hillbilly" with defiant pride. Today we're going to tell a bit of the history of that word, which involves religion, war, and a famous British king and queen. Quite the story.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Audible, Goodpods, RadioPublic, or on your favorite podcast app or podcatcher.Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends!

After the Civil War fine hotels were built all along the mountain range that separated North Carolina and Tennessee, each one grander than the last, a sort of Guilded Age race between the wealthy hotel operators flooding into the region. There were many of these fine hotels, from the Wonderland Hotel to Unaka Springs to the Cloudland Hotel. That last hotel had one advantage the others didn't. It sat high atop Roan Mountain, making that hotel the higher than any other hotel in the region, with a most spectacular view.Today we tell the story of the Cloudland Hotel.You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Spotify, Goodpods, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts...we will be there.Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, y'all!

It is Christmas week, folks, so join us as we talk about Old Christmas and some Appalachian Christmas folklore.Merry Christmas, all!