Stories of Appalachia

Today we have another collection of what we call "short stories," bits of Appalachian history that are interesting but which by themselves won't make for a full podcast episode. On this episode we tell about a strange substance found at a home in Tom's Creek, Virginia;  a criminal who managed to outwit the court system in West Virginia; a vote on Prohibition in Bristol, Virginia; a jailbreak in No...

Many world renowned athletes have come from Appalachia, from NFL players Thomas and Julius Jones to gymnast Mary Lou Retton, just to name a few.  Today we tell the story of a runner born in Nickelsville, Virginia, who won the gold medal in the 4 x 400 meter relay in the 1964 Olympics. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, IHeart Radio, Spotify, Amazon Music and more...

In the 1830s the Cherokee of north Georgia had settled on a strategy of using litigation to establish and enforce rights that had been given to them by treaties with the United States.  Samuel Worcester, a missionary to the tribe from Vermont, helped to come up with this approach. And they won their case at the U. S. Supreme Court, which said they were a sovereign nation within Georgia.  But that...

Today we take another trip to Keystone, West Virginia.  Last time we were here, we told of a bank failure so huge it was a forerunner of the financial crash of 2008 and the Great Recession.  On this podcast we turn to the seedy part of town, a place called Cinder Bottom, where the liquor ran freely and the women were a plenty (for a price).   You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podca...

19 years ago today Al Qaeda terrorists seized four commercial jets with the intent to use them as suicide bombs against American targets.  Three of these succeeded, resulting in the collapse of both towers of the World Trade Center in New York and massive damage to the Pentagon.  The fourth attempt was foiled by the plane's passenger over the skies of Appalachia.  Today we tell the story as seen f...

William Irvine Fayssoux was a psychic and illusionist in the south early in the 20th century.  He traveled throughout Appalachia, performing feats that would seem incredible even today. There's little doubt that had he been born 100 years later he'd have his own TV show.  Today we tell his story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, IHeart Radio, Deezer, R...

In 1962 a World War I vet came to the VA hospital at Mountain Home, Tennessee for medical care.  This man decided to stay in the area, getting a job at the weekly newspaper in nearby Jonesborough.  There he worked as a linotype operator and part-time reporter.  He also developed a relationship with his widowed landlord, eventually marrying her. When he died he was buried at the Mountain Home Natio...

Today we tell the story of the camp meeting to end all camp meetings, the one that helped to spark the Second Great Awakening. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, RadioPublic and more. Thanks for listening!

In 1927 the wife of the Roane County, Tennessee, sheriff managed to persuade two escaped prisoners to return to the jail in Kingston without using a weapon of any kind.  That's a story in and of itself, but it's only part of Lillie Ladd's story, which includes not one but two twists at the end!  You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Spotify, IHeart Radi...

In May, 1934, a man wanted for the robbery of a bank in Ewing, Virginia, made a daring escape from the Cocke County, Tennessee, jail.  Thus started a summer of carjackings, highway robberies, moonshining and high speed chases from Knoxville to Cumberland Gap that came to a tragic end on August 22.  Today we tell the story of Clarence Bunch, another part of the history of Appalachia. You can subscr...

Today we tell the story of the first Republican elected governor of Virginia since the Civil War, who also happens to be the father-in-law of one of the state's current senators, and who also happens to have been raised in the Appalachian town of Big Stone Gap... You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, IHeart Radio, RadioPublic, YouTube and more... Thanks for...

In the 1860s a Cherokee witch doctor arrived in Bristol, Virginia, to assist in the local Confederate hospital with her salves and potions.  After the war she invested her meager savings into a building on State Street, from which she operated what became Bristol's largest brothel, the Black Shawl.   Today we tell her story, and more. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Sti...

Back in the 1800's a preacher named Abijah Alley from Scott County, Virginia, made a name for himself when he began traveling around the world.  He also was a bit of a prophet, as he foretold the Civil War, emancipation and the defeat of the South.   Today we tell his story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, IHeart Radio, RadioPublic and more.  

You've probably seen the movie "Thelma and Louise," about two housewives who hit the road for a bit of adventure that eventually goes wrong.  Today we're going to tell you a story about a real life pair of Tennessee housewives whose adventures on the road lead to murder in the 1930's. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, IHeart Radio, Deezer a...

From Kona, in Letcher County, Kentucky, came one of the tallest men in the world, a true giant. Martin Van Buren Bates traveled the world as a circus performer, which allowed him to meet the love of his life, Anna Swan, one of the tallest women in the world.  Together, they still hold the Guinness record as the tallest married couple ever.  Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the Storie...

On this episode we tell the story of Sara Jane Moore, the second woman to attempt to assassinate a president, who was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, and more. Thanks for listening, y'all!

Today's story is from Clay County, Kentucky, and involves a man who was arrested for allegedly killing his father and stepmother, but who escaped justice for years by breaking out of jail again, and again, and yet again before he was finally captured for good.   You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, IHeart Radio, TuneIn and more.  

William Richardson Mullins made his living as a photographer in Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia.  Starting in the Great Depression, he traveled the mountains taking pictures until, eventually, he had amassed a collection of thousands of photographs that documented life in central Appalachia during the mid 20th century.  He also earned the nickname "Pictureman" for his work. Today we tell h...

Football is big in Appalachia, just like it was 94 years ago when two teams met but only one, apparently, was there to play.  Today we tell the story of one of the most lopsided high school football games ever played, between Kingsport's Dobyns Bennett High School and the Raiders from Norton, Virginia.   You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Spotify, Fe...

Today we tell how Adolf Hitler came to be in eastern Kentucky after World War II...not.  It's actually a story about a massive con job on post-war Nazi sympathizers all done from Middlesboro, Kentucky.   You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Spotify, IHeart Radio, and more. Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachian history with you...

Today we tell the story of Lillian Grace Browder who, with her husband Carl, robbed the Farmer's Bank in Louisville, Kentucky.  In the process she earned the distinction of being the first woman to be convicted of that crime in the state. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at our website, www.storiespodcast.net , on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, Radio.com, Spotify, and on many other...

In 1982 a man in Nashville managed to con enough people to earn a spot in the Nascar race in Talladega, Alabama.  He made it a few laps, earned a little prize money, then vanished, leaving behind several bounced checks and no clue who he really was.   Today we tell you the story of a man who called himself L. W. Wright. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify,...

In 1907 a woman was killed in a cemetery that straddled the border between Virginia and Tennessee in Bristol.  Newspapers of the day soon turned this crime into a media circus, especially after it was linked to a prior homicide in the city.   In this, our 300th podcast episode, we tell you that story. The Stories podcast is available at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, and on many o...

In 1937 a devout Christian man in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, was instructed by the Lord to begin a fast.  He did as he was told and at the same time attracted the attention of a nation in the grip of the Great Depression.  Today we tell his story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, RadioPublic, TuneIn and on many other podcast apps. Thanks for listeni...

A few weeks ago we told about the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that swept across Appalachia.  Today we return to tell more of that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play, RadioPublic, Spotify and on many other podcast apps. Thanks for listening.  Keep yourselves safe.