Stories of Appalachia
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Stories of Appalachia
Welcome to "Stories of Appalachia," the podcast where hosts Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins have been unraveling the captivating history and folklore of the Appalachian region since 2015. Join them as they guide you through mist-covered mountains and winding rivers, exploring the stories that define the...
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572 episodi
The Long-Haired Red-Bearded Beast of Georgia: John Pemberton Gatewood
John Pemberton Gatewood was a notorious Confederate bushwhacker/guerrilla leader.
Born in Fentress County, Tennessee, in 1844, Gatewood...
Moonshine, Murder, and Legend: The Story of Lewis Redmond
Major Lewis Redmond’s story sounds like it comes from a 19th century dime novel. He was a Carolina moonshiner, an outlaw and, thanks to actually bein...
Emma Gatewood's Walk in the Woods
In 1955, at the age of 67, Emma Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the top...
Greed, Gold and Deception in Cocke County TN: The 1909 Murder of A. J. Slagle
In 1909, a Johnson City businessman named A.J. Slagle was lured by promises of buried Spanish gold hidden in a Cocke County house. What began as a des...
The Death of Jack Allen: The Hillsville Aftermath
Four years after the Hillsville courthouse shootout shocked Virginia, another one of the Allen brothers met a violent end. Jack Allen, brother of Floy...
The Confederate Exodus: The Story of Ezekiel Pyles And The Confederados
After the Civil War, thousands of defeated Confederates refused to live under the Union flag. Instead, they packed up their families and headed for ne...
The 1925 Asheville Sessions: The Spark Before the Bang
In August 1925, two years before the famed Bristol Sessions, Ralph Peer and Okeh Records set up a temporary studio on the rooftop of Asheville’s brand...
Tenth Anniversary Special: Two Tales from the Dark Side of Appalachia
This Halloween marks 10 years of stories from Rod and Steve; to mark the holiday and our tenth anniversary, we’re going to take you deep into the dark...
Two Men and a Plane: The Drug Smuggler Who Fell Out Of The Sky
We’ve told hundreds of stories about Appalachia, but few are as bizarre as the night a Kentucky drug smuggler named Andrew Thornton II fell to his dea...
The 1912 Ligonier Valley Train Crash
In July, 1912, a joyful Fourth of July outing on a mountain turned into a tragedy when a crowded passenger coach collided head-on with a massive coal...
The Bridge Burners of East Tennessee
In November 1861, a secret band of East Tennessee Unionists struck at the heart of Confederate supply lines by burning railroad bridges across the reg...
Stories of Helene: David Biddix, Spruce Pine, North Carolina
This week, we wrap up our commemoration of the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene by talking with Mitchell County’s David Biddix, who documented th...
Stories of Helene: Kevin Behm, Marion, North Carolina
When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina a year ago, it left behind washed-out roads, flooded homes, and communities cut off from eac...
Stories of Helene: Maria True, Erwin, Tennessee
On the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s flooding in Appalachia, Rod and Steve share the story of Maria True, general manager of Jet Broadcastin...
The Jellico Troop Train Disaster of 1944
In July 1944, a troop train packed with new Army recruits derailed near Jellico, Tennessee, plunging into Clear Fork River. Thirty-five soldiers died...
The 1919 Torrent, Kentucky Nitro Explosion
In 1919, a nitroglycerin explosion near Torrent, Kentucky, killed four men and leveled a factory. Today we tell the story of that tragedy and the expl...
Christopher Gist and the Opening of Appalachia
In 1750, surveyor Christopher Gist set out to explore the wilderness of what’s now Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia. Hired by t...
Bloody Vengeance in Appalachia: The Battle of Dug Hill/The Officer House Massacre
In March 1864, Union Colonel William B. Stokes and his cavalry were ambushed at Dug Hill, in Tennessee, leaving dozens of his men dead. Enraged, Stoke...
The Rhea County Spartans: The South's All-Female Cavalry Unit
In the final years of the Civil War, a group of young women in Rhea County, Tennessee, made American history as the only known all-female cavalry unit...
The Kentucky Longhunter, Henry Skaggs
In this episode, we tell the story of Henry Skaggs, one of the legendary Kentucky longhunters of the 18th century and his remarkable journey from his...
Mountains, Moonshine and Mutiny: WW1 Desertion in North Carolina
In 1918, the mountains of North Carolina erupted in quiet rebellion. Dozens of young men dodged the World War I draft, hiding in the backcountry with...
Michael Stoner, Legendary Longhunter of Appalachia
In this episode we tell the story of Michael Stoner, a German-born frontiersman, longhunter, and close companion of Daniel Boone. From his early days...
The Assassination of William Taulbee
On February 28, 1890, a long-simmering feud turned deadly in the halls of the U.S. Capitol.
Former Kentucky Congressman William P. Taulb...
The Shinnston Tornado
On June 23, 1944, a massive F4 tornado struck Shinnston, West Virginia, the deadliest tornado in the state’s history. This week we tell the story of t...
The Harrison Gang's Last Train Robbery: The West Virginia Heist of 1915
In this episode, we tell the dramatic true story of Charles Jefferson Harrison, a respected San Antonio businessman who became one of Appalachia's mos...
The Greeno Mine Disaster: Tacoma, Virginia
On December 14, 1910, a deadly explosion rocked the Greeno Mine in Tacoma, Virginia, claiming 14 lives and leaving a lasting mark on the Appalachian c...
An Appalachian Preacher’s Fall: Bigamy, Abduction and Deceit
A preacher with five wives, a kidnapped teenage girl, and a cross-country manhunt. This isn’t fiction, it’s the unbelievable true story of Joseph Her...
Beyond Bristol: The Legacy of the Johnson City Sessions
In this episode we explore the lesser-known but historically rich Johnson City Sessions of 1928 and 1929. While the Bristol Sessions are often credite...
Appalachia’s Iron Lady: The Story of Nannie Kelly Wright
Nannie Kelly Wright ran an iron furnace at a time when most women weren’t even allowed near one. Born in Kentucky, raised on the Ohio River, and later...
The Lumber King of Appalachia
William McClellan Ritter didn’t just cut down trees, he built an empire. In this week’s episode, we tell his story, from Pennsylvania farm boy to head...
Tragedy on the Frontier: The Corbly Family Massacre
On a quiet Sunday morning in the spring of 1782, Pastor John Corbly and his family were headed for church when he realized he’d forgotten his Bible an...
The Story of Gus McCoig, Appalachia's Little Dillinger
On this episode of the Stories podcast, we tell the dramatic tale of Gus McCoig, a Jefferson County boy who became one of East Tennessee’s most notori...
Tennessee’s Gilded Getaway: The Rise and Fall of the Tate Springs Hotel
Step back in time to the golden era of Appalachian luxury as we explore the rise and fall of Tate Springs, a once-famous resort in Bean Station, Tenne...
The Thousand Mile Yoyage: The Appalachian Roots of Nashville, Tennessee
In the winter of 1779, a determined group of Appalachian settlers set out on a thousand-mile journey by river, led by Virginia surveyor John Donelson....
Land, Power and a Little Fish: The Tellico Dam Story
Today we tell the story of the battle over the Tellico Dam, the last major project of the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA's ambitious plans for the Te...
The First Tennesseans: William and Lydia Bean
Nearly twenty years before Tennessee was a state, William Bean built a cabin along the Watagua River and planted roots. In this episode, we tell the s...
The Story of Isaac Cline, Appalachia's Weather Man
This week, Steve and Rod bring you the remarkable story of Isaac Cline, a Tennessee-born son of Appalachia who rose to become one of America’s most re...
Standoff in Jefferson County: The Haunting Case of W. B. Johnson
In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we tell the story of a shocking event in January 1927 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.
That was...
Jellico's Darkest Day: The Explosion That Rocked Appalachia
In this episode, we tell the harrowing story of the Jellico explosion, a catastrophic event that shook the town of Jellico, Tennessee, on September 21...
Kentucky's Packhorse Librarians
In this episode, we tell the inspiring story of the packhorse librarians, a group of determined women who brought literacy and hope to the remote holl...