Stories of Appalachia

Mt. Airy, North Carolina, is known as the model for Andy Griffith’s Mayberry, as depicted on his television show. But, a hundred years before, it was best known as the home of the first well-known conjoined twins, Chang and Eng, who adopted the American sounding name of “Bunker” when they settled in Appalachia. On today’s […]

The feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys comes to a head on New Years Day, 1888, with the bloody Hatfield attack on the McCoy farm. In this last chapter in our story of the feud, Rod and Steve tell that story, as well as the aftermath of the fighting, which included a U.S. Supreme […]

The election of 1882 in Pike County, Kentucky, started out like any other election, but ended in Ellison Hatfield dead and three McCoy brothers, Tolbert, Pharmer and Bud, lynched on the banks of the Tug River. Today, Steve and Rod tell that part of the story of the Hatfield and McCoy feud. You can subscribe […]

We continue the story of the Hatfields and the McCoys with the tale of an Appalachian Romeo and Juliet. At least that’s how the newspapers of the time portrayed it. But was that really how it happened? Today, Steve and Rod tell the story of Rosanna McCoy and Johnse Hatfield. You can subscribe to the […]

Hello podcast listeners! If there’s one thing about the feud between the Hatfields and the McCoys it’s that the whole thing started with a trial over a pig. And you’d be wrong. Today we tell the stories, yes, stories, of the infamous “Hog Trial” of Pike County, which likely never took place, at least not […]

Hello podcast fans! For the next several weeks Rod and I are going to be telling the story of the Hatfield and McCoy feud. This bit of Appalachian history is probably the most widely known, and the most controversial. Newspaper stories about the conflict planted the seeds of the ignorant, violent, uneducated Appalachian hillbilly stereotype. […]

The Loretta Lynn biopic “Coal Miner’s Daughter” was filmed in Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia during the late 70’s, causing a ton of excitement for the residents of that area, including yours truly, who happened to be working in a radio station in Norton, Virginia, at the time. Both Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones […]

Around the turn of the twentieth century there was a vigilante group that operated in Sevier County, Tennessee, named the “White Caps” for the white hoods they wore. Starting out as a means to enforce morals with switchings of immoral women, the White Caps turned increasingly violent, becoming involved in the murder of a couple. […]

In the winter of 1779-1780, a group of settlers set out from the present site of Kingsport, Tennessee, sailing down the Holston River to establish a new settlement in the wilderness. They succeeded in reaching Fort Nashborough, later Nashville, Tennessee, after a trek that took them all the way down to the Ohio River, then […]

A little change of pace on today’s podcast as Rod and Steve tell about the old Scots-Irish tradition of storytelling that was brought to the Appalachians by the first settlers. And they also take a stab at a little of that storytelling themselves by sharing a couple of Appalachian Jack tales with you. You can […]

If you think politics are nasty now, you should have lived in southern Appalachia in the middle of the nineteenth century. That’s where a Methodist circuit rider named Parson William Brownlow began his rise to political power as governor from his home in East Tennessee. Generally ranked dead-last on historians’ lists of Tennessee governors, Brownlow […]

Times were good in Saltville, Virginia, in 1924. It was Christmas Eve and people were wrapping up their shopping and getting ready for parties and family and gifts under the tree. Then disaster struck in the form of the collapse of a dam holding back millions of gallons of caustic muck. Today, Steve and Rod […]

In the sixteenth century, Spanish conquistadors explored the Southern Appalachians, blazing trails for an expansion of the Spanish Empire. Captain Juan Pardo led one of these expeditions, which visited Western North Carolina, East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. On today’s podcast, Steve and Rod tell his story. You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, […]

Back in early 1800’s Abingdon, Virginia, lived a Baptist minister named Abner Vance, who had a daughter named Betty. Betty was done wrong romantically by a local doctor, and Vance took a shot at him, accidentally killing the doctor’s brother. After a time on the run, Vance returned to Washington County, Virginia, where he was […]

On December 23, 1987, a prisoner escaped from the Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia. But this wasn’t just any prisoner, this was a member of the Manson Family, a group of hangers-on to Charlie Manson. On this episode of the podcast, Steve and Rod tell the story of the escape and capture of […]

Today’s story takes place in Cocke County, Tennessee, nearly a hundred years ago. It’s a story of greed, deception, and murder involving a non-existent pot of Spanish gold. We appreciate you listening to our stories, which you can get automatically by subscribing at iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play and now on the TuneIn app! We’re on […]

On this episode of the podcast, we turn to the world of sports, as Rod tells the story of Pound, Virginia, native Glenn Roberts, the man who popularized the jump shot in the game of basketball. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. You can […]

On this episode of the podcast, Rod and Steve tell of the Great Fire of 1915 that destroyed the downtown of Grundy, county seat of Buchanan County, in Virginia. You can subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening!

In Grayson County, Virginia, in the late 18th century, there was a pioneer family by the name of Sage. One morning, while Mrs. Sage was setting about washing clothes, her daughter, Katy, wandered away after some butterflies and disappeared. What happened to little Katy? Would the family ever see her again? We answer those questions […]

Today, Rod and Steve take a look back at some interesting stories in old newspapers for the third and last time, as they share some “short stories” from Appalachia. You can subscribe on iTunes, Google Play or on your favorite podcast app. Follow us on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for listening!

During the Civil War, isolated Dade County, Georgia, decided to strike out on its own, declaring its independence from both the State of Georgia and the United States of America. And that’s how things remained until the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. On this episode of the podcast, Steve and Rod tell the […]

In the early 1890’s, miners working in the coal mines at Coal Creek in Anderson County, Tennessee, rose up against the mine operators over their jobs being taken by free convict labor. Things eventually became violent, with armed miners squaring off against the Tennessee guard in what can only be described as an armed uprising. […]

On today’s episode, Steve and Rod tell an old Cherokee tale about a mysterious city inside Pilot Knob, in Western North Carolina, discovered by Tsuwe’nähï. You can subscribe to the podcast at iTunes, Stitcher, or on your favorite podcast app. We’re on Facebook @storiesofappalachia and on Twitter @storyappalachia. Thanks for your ears!

Merry Christmas, y’all! On today’s Christmas Eve podcast, Steve and Rod take you back to the early 20th century as they read several letters to Santa Claus that were printed in newspapers in East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia. They also show off their literary side with a Christmas poetry reading as well. You can subscribe […]

(Left to Right) Trussie (Jane) Daniel, Oscar Daniel, Tony Howell (defendant in Ellen Grice rape), Ed Collins (witness), Isaiah Pirkle (witness for Howell), and Ernest Knox. At the turn of the 20th century, African-Americans in Forsyth County, Georgia, made up about 10 percent of the population of the county. A series of incidents involving alleged […]