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 heart and soul of Appalachia.
- Update frequency
- every 7 days
- Average duration
- 12 minutes
- Episodes
- 557
- Years Active
- 2015 - 2025
The Murderous Landlady
After World War II a young vet moves to Abingdon, Virginia, to take a teaching and coaching position in an area high school. And, being short on funds, he rents a room to live in from a widow. Things…
00:07:58 |
Sat 23 Jan 2021
The Natural Tunnel Train Wreck
Early on Christmas Eve, 1911, a 24 car coal train wrecked inside the Natural Tunnel in Scott County, Virginia. Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to the audio version of the Stories podcast …
00:09:33 |
Sat 16 Jan 2021
Ty Cobb And The Heckler
Ty Cobb was born in 1886 in Narrows, in north Georgia. He became a baseball legend, known as much for his fierce competitiveness as for his athletic ability. Today we tell the story of what happene…
00:12:10 |
Sat 09 Jan 2021
Jock Yablonski
For years the UMWA was under the tight control of John L. Lewis. After he retired in 1960, he engineered the election of his hand-picked successor, W. A. (Tony) Boyle, as vice-president and then, on…
00:17:13 |
Sat 02 Jan 2021
Brushy Mountain's Prodigal Son
An attempted robbery of a Johnson City, Tennessee, laundry in 1930 eventually led to a stint in Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, a prisoners strike and an escape for the robber. Two years later, …
00:11:06 |
Sat 26 Dec 2020
The Krampus
Christmas is fast approaching so this week, as we do at this time of the year, we tell a Christmas story. And, since this is the pandemic year, 2020, what better story to tell than that of a man-goat…
00:10:19 |
Sat 19 Dec 2020
Tsali
Today we tell the story of Cherokee prophet and leader, Tsali. According to tribal oral tradition, it was Tsali who made it possible for the Eastern Band of the Cherokee to remain in North Carolina a…
00:12:23 |
Sat 12 Dec 2020
A Courtroom Tragedy
The Avery family is very well-known in western North Carolina, starting in the late 1700s with Waightstill Avery, a lawyer and the very first attorney general in the state. His grandson, William Waig…
00:10:28 |
Sat 05 Dec 2020
Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
Today we tell the story of the man from West Virginia who became a brigadier general in the U. S. Air Force, helped train the first American astronauts and became the first man to break the sound bar…
00:15:49 |
Sat 28 Nov 2020
Appalachian Travellers
At one time it was a common sight to see a traveling group of Roma, known then as gypsies, come through Appalachia. Folks would barter with them for livestock, utensils and services. Along with the R…
00:15:51 |
Sat 21 Nov 2020
The Last Gunfight In Knoxville
Disputes in Appalachia between the well-to-do were often handled with the use of firearms with one of the most well-known people from the region, Andrew Jackson, being famous for his duels with rival…
00:08:55 |
Sat 14 Nov 2020
The New Market Train Wreck
Saturday, September 24, 1904, started just like any other day for the passengers getting ready to board the Southern Railway Number 15 train at the Bristol Train Station. It would end in a horrible,…
00:10:16 |
Sat 07 Nov 2020
Ghost Stories 2020/A Look Back Over Five Years
It's Halloween so Rod and Steve each have a bit of Appalachian folklore for you, in the form of two ghost stories. Stick around after the stories, though, because Halloween is the fifth anniversary …
00:34:27 |
Sat 31 Oct 2020
Will Harris
In 1906 a North Carolina prison escapee comes to Asheville. There he gets into a drunken shootout with police and an escape littered with his murdered victims. Today we tell the story of Will Harri…
00:11:06 |
Sat 24 Oct 2020
Raccoon John Smith
In 1784 a child was born on the Appalachian frontier, along the Holston River, in what was then the state of Franklin. This child would grow up to become a preacher, a leader in the Restoration Move…
00:14:07 |
Sat 17 Oct 2020
More Short Stories
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 te…
00:14:33 |
Sat 10 Oct 2020
Ollan Cassell
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 Nickelsvi…
00:12:13 |
Sat 03 Oct 2020
Worcester v. Georgia
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 Worces…
00:09:34 |
Sat 26 Sep 2020
Cinder Bottom
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 …
00:12:51 |
Sat 19 Sep 2020
Shanksville
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 …
00:10:13 |
Fri 11 Sep 2020
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