MountainLore

Many years ago, it's told, a witch gave her powers to her daughter. Not a good decision, as you'll find out in this weeks tale... You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast, if you're so inclined, at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audacy, Audible, IHeart Radio, Goodpods, or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

About a hundred years ago or so a feud in an Appalachian community in north Georgia led to a curse being laid on all the unborn children there.  Today we tell the tale of the Blue Ridge Witch of Tilley's Bend. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, IHeart Radio, Stitcher, Spotify, GoodPods, or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening!

What do you get when you combine a brother and sister, three dogs, including one who talks, and a wildman?   A traditional tale from Alabama, which we share with you today! Be sure to subscribe to the MountainLore podcast, at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Audacy, IHeart Radio, RadioPublic, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners!

Many years ago a man and his family came to the mountains of eastern Tennessee to settle. He picked out his land, started clearing the forest, built a farmhouse for his wife and two daughters and started to raise a garden. Then things began to get odd. What? You think we're going to tell you anymore? Just click down below to listen on YouTube… …or go to your favorite podcast app to subscribe. Swee...

Back in the 1850s a man named Bill Wilson was inspired to discover the ghost that was said to be haunting the cemetery in Pineville, West Virginia.  Fortified with liquid courage, Mr. Wilson found more than he bargained for that dark night amongst all the dead. Today we tell that tale. Be sure to subscribe to the MountainLore podcast; you can do so at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audacy, Stitcher, Aud...

Between the towns of Big Stone Gap and Appalachia, in southwestern Virginia, is a large hole in a rock.  Actually, it's a tunnel, cut through a large rock that extends down from the mountain to the Powell River below, allowing coal trains to pass through with their loads back in the days when coal was king. It's also the dwelling-place of something else, a strange man-beast combination that, it's...

At one time peddlers would travel through Appalachia selling goods and services to folks who lived far out in the country.  One such peddler met an untimely fate, which we'll tell you in today's tale. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcast, Spotify, Audible, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners.

The Tweetsie Railroad ran from Johnson City, Tennessee, to Cranberry, North Carolina.  The line transported passengers and freight, the most valuable of which was iron ore mined near Cranberry.   Today we tell the tale of a strange man-like creature that was spotted around those mines over a hundred years ago. Happy Halloween, podcast listeners!

A life-long bachelor suddenly married a stunningly beautiful woman, much to the surprise of his friends.  Rather than a stroke of good luck, this marriage eventually led to tragedy for the man and for his milling business.   Today we tell that tale. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, Google Podcasts or on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dr...

What would you do if you found that the wife you thought you knew was actually an evil witch?  That, podcast listeners, is the dilemma that one man found himself in and today we tell that tale. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Audible, Spotify, Stitcher, Audacy or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening and for sharing our Appalachian tales with your frie...

One day a man finds himself face-to-face with a daytime haint, black as coal, just like he was whenever he'd finish work in the mines while he was alive. Today we tell that tale. Be sure to subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, Spotify, IHeart Radio and more. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners…

Many years ago in West Virginia there lived a mischievous old witch who everyone called "Auntie."  Auntie tormented her neighbors until one of them managed to turn the tables on her.   Today we tell that tale. Be sure to subscribe to the MountainLore podcast on your favorite podcast app. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners.

During the Civil War a mysterious woman came to what's now Bristol, Virginia, to assist in caring for wounded Confederate soldiers.  Said to be Cherokee, this woman used native remedies to heal the men in her care.  She later gained a reputation as a prophet, healer, mystical douser, and is said to appear as a spirit around the site of her former business, the city's largest and most well-known br...

We're back!!! Several travelers encounter the former owner of a little house in which they are spending the night…piece by piece. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Audible, Spotify, IHeart Radio, RadioPublic and more. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners…

Today we tell the tale of a curious Cherokee woman who was turned into a cat-beast, doomed to wander the woods of Appalachia. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Audible, IHeart Radio or on your favorite podcast app. We're also on YouTube. Please click the "Subscribe" button and give us a thumbs up, if you...

What happens when a grumpy old husband and his long-suffering wife swap chores for a day?  Well, click that button and listen to our tale to find out! We'd appreciate it if you'd subscribe to the MountainLore podcast, at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Amazon Music and pretty much anywhere you find fine podcasts. We're also on YouTube!  Be sure to click that "Subscribe" bu...

Time for another Jack tale!  In this one lazy old Jack meets a mysterious old woman who gives him three amazing gifts, if only he can keep from losing them! The MountainLore podcast is available at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, IHeart Radio, Amazon Music, Audible, and more. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

What happens when a raccoon gets shot with a silver bullet?  Find out on this episode of MountainLore... You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Audible, TuneIn, Amazon Music, RadioPublic and more. Sweet dreams, podcast listeners...

It's said that if you enter one particular cave near Dungannon, Virginia, you'll hear the most beautiful fiddle music in the world. In this week's episode we tell you that tale. The MountainLore podcast is available on fine podcast apps like these: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, RadioPublic, PlayerFM, Deezer, IHeart Radio, TuneIn, or on our website, www.mountainlore.net . Sweet dreams, podcast...

The Cherokee told many stories about nature and the forces behind it.  Today we share two of those tales with you, one about how a man from the icy north controls the weather and the other about a stone-armored monster is controlled in a most unique way.   The MountainLore podcast can be found at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, IHeart Radio and on most other podca...

There was once a group of Appalachian settlers who ventured into the wilderness of what's now Southwest Virginia and found the most beautiful valley, above which was a rugged gorge. One of the men in the group had a problem with jealousy over a beautiful young woman who had fallen for another one of the settlers, so he decided to solve the problem with treachery that could have cost all in the gro...

There's a tale they tell around Bristol Tennessee/Virginia about a homeless wanderer who, back in the Depression, came by a young widow's house looking for some food. There's more to this story, though, so come on in and listen... You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast for free at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Amazon Music, Spotify, RadioPublic, IHeart Radio and more. Sweet dreams, podcast list...

No witches or ghosts in this week's story.  Today we tell a love story, set in West Virginia, that ended in tragedy way too soon.  That story, it's said, still echoes in the winds that blow around a particular rock on a particular mountain, if you listen closely enough. The MountainLore podcast can be found on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Amazon Music, RadioPublic and more. Another place you...

Witches, like people, are often drawn to spirits...no, not ghostly spirits but those spirits found in a bottle.  And, like some people, some witches will resort to extra-legal means to find those spirits.  Today's tale is about a witch who couldn't keep his spells straight when he tried to quench his thirst.   The MountainLore podcast can be found on Apple Podcast, Amazon Music, Stitcher, RadioPub...

There's a legend about a Cherokee leader finding a magical healing pool of warm water in the mountains of North Carolina, a pool filled with "witch's water." That's the tale behind Hot Springs, North Carolina, and today we share that story with you. You can subscribe to the MountainLore podcast at Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, PlayerFM and more. Thanks for liste...