Stories of Appalachia

We're back with some short stories for you, bits of history not long enough for a full podcast each, but interesting stories nonetheless. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for listening, y'all!

In 1939 Clair Young lived with his wife and their children on a farm in Fallowfield Township in southwestern Pennsylvania.  In addition to farming, Clair also was a coal miner and a lay preacher of the Gospel. And Clair was hearing voices.  Voices telling him to do bad things.  Today we tell the tragic story of Clair Young and his baby daughter, Ada. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Rad...

In 1929 young Flossie Shelton married her ex-husband's cousin, also named Shelton.  At first the young couple enjoyed wedded bliss.  But then the Green-Eyed Monster raised its ugly head, and jealousy drove Flossie to a crime of passion.  Today we tell the story of Flossie's crime against her husband, Fred, in Madison County, North Carolina. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on the RadioPubl...

The first popular Appalachian writer lived and wrote in his adopted hometown of Big Stone Gap.  His works became the biggest selling books of his time and gave birth to the official Virginia state outdoor drama, "The Trail of the Lonesome Pine," which is performed every summer in that southwest Virginia town.  Today we tell the story of John Fox Jr. Rod and I thank you for lending us your ears. 

Patton Flannery was a wanted man.  Wanted, but not caught, for 36 years.  Then his luck ran out.  Today we tell Patton Flannery's story, part of the history of Appalachia. Be sure to download the RadioPublic app and subscribe to the Stories podcast.  You can also subscribe at Apple Podcasts, TuneIn or on your favorite podcatcher. You can find even more stories about the history of this place we ca...

In the winter of 2002 tragedy struck the coal town of Grundy, Virginia, when a Nigerian student at the Appalachian School of Law there opened fire on faculty and students after being expelled due to his grades.  Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcatcher. Join us on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on...

Today we tell the story of the results of extreme patriotism during World War I in western Pennsylvania. You can subscribe to Stories at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for the use of your ears, y'all!

At the beginning of World War II, diplomats from the Axis countries were stranded in the United States.  These enemy diplomats couldn't just be allowed to roam freely across the country, nor could they simply be locked up in jail, for fear that our stranded diplomats would be treated the same or worse.  The solution might surprise you. You can subscribe to Stories at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, S...

Granny women are those older ladies in Appalachia who have learned the traditional healing arts, using methods and plants handed down by previous generations of pioneers and Native Americans.  Sometimes, though, granny women ain't women.   Today we tell the story of Scott County's Tom Carter and his amazing salve. You can subscribe to Stories on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your fav...

Today we tell the story of one of the meanest men to roam southern West Virginia and how he met his fate at the hands of mob justice.   You can subscribe to Stories at RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for listening!

Today we tell the story of the torching of two North Carolina churches by a very unlikely arsonist.   You can subscribe to Stories at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia.

Today, we finish telling the story of one of the first Indian wars in the west, Lord Dunmore's war. You can subscribe to Stories at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening, folks!

One of the first Indian wars fought in the west happened in Appalachia at the time of the American Revolution.  Led by the governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore, this war, which was named for him, raged on the Appalachian frontier, from Southwest Virginia to southeastern Ohio.  Today we begin the story of Lord Dunmore's War. You can subscribe to Stories on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or on...

This week we tell three short stories involving politics in Appalachia. You can subscribe to the podcast at Apple Podcasts, RadioPublic, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. We're on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for lending us your ears!

Today we tell the story of one of the first criminals from Appalachia to make the FBI's Most Wanted List, Kenneth Ray Lawson, from Wise County, Virginia. You can subscribe to the podcast on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. Follow us on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia for more stories about the history of this place we call home. T...

Well, we are pleased to announce that this is our 200th episode of Stories!  Rod and I have enjoyed telling the history of Appalachia over the last two and a half years, and look forward to many more years for the podcast. Today, we tell the story of a tragic accident that happened back in 1959 in Prestonsburg, Kentucky, when a school bus ran off the road and into the Levisa Fork.  At the time, th...

Today we bring you three tales of turn of the 20th century Appalachia which show just how much this area was like the legendary American Wild West. You can find us on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your own favorite podcast app. We have even more stories about Appalachia on our Facebook page @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia.   Thanks for listening and sharing our p...

Today Rod brings us a story about the mystery surrounding the disappearance of the Confederate treasury after the end of the Civil War. You can subscribe to Stories on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. We also have more stories about Appalachia on our website, storiespodcast.net, on Twitter @storyappalachia and on Facebook @storiesofappalachia. Thanks for liste...

Nowadays Cade's Cove is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  But before the park came into existence in 1934 it was a vibrant Appalachian community, with churches, schools, farms and, of course, moonshiners. Today we tell the story of a run-in between a Primitive Baptist preacher and the biggest moonshiner in Cade's Cove.   You can listen to the...

On this week's podcast, Rod and Steve tell a Harlan County, Kentucky, legend about Headless Annie, a parable about Bloody Harlan.   You can subscribe to Stories on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. Like the stories we tell?  Then be sure to subscribe to our blog at storiespodcast.net, follow us on Twitter @storyappalachia or like us on Facebook @storiesofappala...

Today we tell the story of a woman who enlisted her children in a plot to rid herself of "the other woman."  According to her, it was her right to do so under "the unwritten law" of Appalachia. Stories is available at storiespodcast.net, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. Join us on Twitter @storyappalachia, Facebook @storiesofappalachia, or on our website at storiespodcast....

Tennessee came into the union in 1796, and former Southwest Territory governor William Blount was one of the two first senators appointed from that state.  His stay in Washington was cut short, though, over a scheme involving the British and Spanish lands to the west as he became the first senator to face impeachment. Today we tell the story of Senator William Blount, for whom Blountville and Blou...

In the spring of 1974 the Kanawha County, West Virginia, school board had to approve new textbooks for the schools.  One of the board members objected to many of the books, saying that the materials contained therein advocated liberal and, even, radical viewpoints that were anti-Christian.  After that board member shared those views in the media, a movement arose that led to widespread protests an...

In 1924 an elderly Middlesboro, Kentucky, housepainter was taken to the hospital when he fell deathly ill.  It was here that he confessed that he was not who everyone in town thought he was.  Today we tell the incredible story of Steve White. Stories is now available on the RadioPublic app, which you can download for your iPhone or Android phone. There are tons of your other favorite podcasts ther...

Keystone, West Virginia is a small town in McDowell County with 282 residents, mostly African American.  Like many small coal communities, Keystone has seen its population plummet over the years with the decline of coal mining.  But Keystone is unique in that it was also the epicenter of one of the largest banking scandals in American history.  Today we tell you that story. You can subscribe to St...