Stories of Appalachia

In 1892 Homestead, Pennsylvania, was the site of a strike, pitting the Amalgamated Association of Iron and Steel Workers, one of the most powerful unions, against Carnegie Steel, owned by Andrew Carnegie and run by Carnegie and his partner, Henry Clay Frick.  The strike turned into a full fledged riot on July 6.  Today we tell the story of the Homestead Strike. You can subscribe to the Stories pod...

Greenup, Kentucky, was the scene of a tragic and brutal murder of a three year old child at the end of 1927.  That crime and its notoriety brought the nation's attention to the issue of child abuse.  Today we tell you that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on RadioPublic, Stitcher, Spotify or on any number of podcast apps. Thanks for listening and sharing our tales of Appalachian his...

In 1742 German immigrant John Peter Salling was asked to join an expedition set to travel far into the Virginia back country, all the way to the Mississippi River.  To this he agreed, thus setting him on the path to an adventure involving Indians, French soldiers, the Governor of Louisiana, and even a hijacking at sea.  We tell that story on this week's episode of Stories. If you'd like to get our...

Andrew Taylor Still, born in the Appalachian frontier town of Jonesville, Virginia, went on to become a self-educated doctor.  He moved to Kansas just in time to become involved in the bloody civil war sparked there by the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act.  He fought in the American Civil War, too, but it was his development of a new form of medical practice that placed him in the history books....

In 1935 LaFollette, Tennessee, like most other American towns, was in the grips of the Great Depression.  Money was tight and the banks were calling in loans that couldn't be paid.  One of those loans was on a restaurant in town owned by an Italian immigrant, and what this man chose to do in response to losing his business is the subject of this week's episode of Stories. You can listen to the Sto...

Our theme today is "the more things change, the more they stay the same."  You'll see how that fits in as we tell the story of the contested election for West Virginia governor in 1888. The Stories podcast is available on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn and on a host of other podcast apps. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for lis...

Today we tell the story of the explosion at the McClure Number 1 Mine in Dickenson County, Virginia, in 1983, resulting in several fatalities including the first fatality of a woman in a mine accident. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia...

Back in 1923 there was a mass jailbreak from the Wise County jail, led by a member of the Hatfield family.  Today Steve and Rod tell you that story. Stories is available on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, Spotify and a host of other podcast apps. Follow us for more bits of Appalachian history on our Facebook page @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for the use of yo...

On Halloween, 1952, James Francis Hill was arrested in Northern Florida after an extraordinary string of carjackings, kidnappings and robberies across Appalachia and the South over the prior two weeks.  Today we tell you the story of the Three Gun Maniac, another story that makes up the history of this place we call home. The Stories podcast is available for download on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts...

Back in 1911 several of the sons of Devil Anse and Levisa Hatfield came to the coal town of Boomer, in Fayette County, West Virginia, with the intent of opening a saloon.  Now in those days saloons not only provided one with a stiff drink at the bar, they also delivered beer and liquor directly to one's house. And the Hatfields had the market all to themselves there in Boomer, by agreement with an...

What started out as a little racetrack in East Tennessee has developed over the years into a world-class sports complex, hosting NASCAR races, college football, remote area medical services, Christmas lights and a whole lot more.  Today Rod and Steve tell the story of the Bristol Motor Speedway. You can subscribe to Stories at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify or on any number of othe...

Today we tell the story of Dr. Thomas Walker, who was sent by the Loyal Land Company to explore that company's lands in Appalachia in 1750.  The Walker expedition named many of the natural features in this part of the country, including the Powell River and Powell Valley, the Cumberland River and, most famously, the Cumberland Gap. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Pod...

Rod and Steve are taking this week off to celebrate Christmas, so we're bringing you an encore Christmas episode with letters to Santa and a reading of The Night Before Christmas.  Enjoy! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all y'all!

Back in 1903 the Knox County undertaker was discovered to have been engaged in a bit of fraud.  We tell you that story on today's episode of Stories, A History of Appalachia. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. You can find us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for the use of your ears, y'all!

Pine Grove, West Virginia, was a boom town back in 1905, fueled by vast deposits of natural gas and oil.  One thing the town lacked at the time was a fire department.  And in 1905, they really could have used a fire department, as we tell you on today's episode of Stories, A History of Appalachia. You can follow us on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. We're on Apple Po...

In hundreds of thousands of years not one human being had ever been known to have been hit by a meteorite.  Then, in 1954, that lucky streak came to an end, in Sylacauga, Alabama.  Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to Stories at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or wherever you find your favorite podcasts. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks...

In 1934 a woman from a wealthy Kentucky family was kidnapped by a failed law student and former mental patient. Today we tell that story. The Stories podcast can be found on RadioPublic, Apple Podcast, Stitcher and many other podcast services.  Be sure to subscribe. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening!

Born in North Carolina, then moving to what's now West Virginia, Nancy Hart Douglas was a Confederate guide, scout and spy during the Civil War.  We tell her story on this episode of the podcast. Stories can be found on the RadioPublic app, at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Feedburner or on your favorite podcast app. We are also on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks f...

Happy Halloween, y'all! Today we tell a little tale about a man who was unjustly hanged in the mountains of North Carolina, so he put a curse on those who sent him to the gallows, in the form of the Shadow.   We can be found on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn or on your favorite podcast app. Follow us for more stories of this place we call home on Twitter @storyappalachia and Faceboo...

In 1953, Salt Lick High School in Bath County, Kentucky, was scheduled to close with the students there transferred to nearby Owingsville High School.  The students were having none of it, so they organized a strike and kidnapped the superintendent of schools.  Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your own fa...

Did you know that the dumpster, now seen behind every convenience store on the planet, was invented in Knoxville, Tennessee?  Today we tell you the story of George Roby Dempster, inventor of the Dempster Dumpster. We can be found at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or wherever podcasts can be found. We are on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia.  Be sure to come by...

The city of Kingsport, Tennessee, was a planned community.  Built with money from the Appalachian coalfields combined with Yankee expertise, Kingsport was laid out based on towns and cities in New England, with everything planned by the city fathers, which is why it today goes by the name "The Model City."  Kingsport was chartered in 1917, but within two years those city fathers discovered that wh...

Once upon a time there was a man who was nearing the end of his days on this earth.  This man decided he wanted to attend his own funeral while he was still in the here and now, in order to find out what his friends and neighbor had to say about him.  And that's exactly what he did.  Today Rod and Steve tell you his story. The Stories podcast can be found on the RadioPublic app, Apple Podcasts, Tu...

In August, 1970, two trains loaded with deadly Sarin gas made a journey through Appalachia to the ocean at Wilmington, North Carolina, for disposal at sea.  Today we tell that story. The Stories podcast is available at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, TuneIn or on your favorite podcatcher. Thanks for listening to our stories about Appalachian history!

Crawling around underground isn't for everyone, especially the hosts of the Stories podcast.  But there are some for whom exploring caves is their life's work.  Probably the best known of these is Floyd Collins, who lost his life when he got stuck in the Sand Cave in eastern Kentucky.  Today we tell the story of the rescue operation mounted to save Floyd and the media circus that effort triggered....