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
William Fayssoux
William Irvine Fayssoux was a psychic and illusionist in the south early in the 20th century. He traveled throughout Appalachia, performing feats that would seem incredible even today. There's littl…
00:09:56 |
Sat 05 Sep 2020
D. C. Stephenson
In 1962 a World War I vet came to the VA hospital at Mountain Home, Tennessee for medical care. This man decided to stay in the area, getting a job at the weekly newspaper in nearby Jonesborough. T…
00:18:15 |
Sat 29 Aug 2020
The Cane Ridge Revival
Today we tell the story of the camp meeting to end all camp meetings, the one that helped to spark the Second Great Awakening. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Sp…
00:14:03 |
Sat 22 Aug 2020
Lillie Ladd
In 1927 the wife of the Roane County, Tennessee, sheriff managed to persuade two escaped prisoners to return to the jail in Kingston without using a weapon of any kind. That's a story in and of itse…
00:12:34 |
Sat 15 Aug 2020
The Bunch Gang
In May, 1934, a man wanted for the robbery of a bank in Ewing, Virginia, made a daring escape from the Cocke County, Tennessee, jail. Thus started a summer of carjackings, highway robberies, moonshi…
00:11:17 |
Sat 08 Aug 2020
The Governor
Today we tell the story of the first Republican elected governor of Virginia since the Civil War, who also happens to be the father-in-law of one of the state's current senators, and who also happens…
00:09:19 |
Sat 01 Aug 2020
Pocahontas Hale
In the 1860s a Cherokee witch doctor arrived in Bristol, Virginia, to assist in the local Confederate hospital with her salves and potions. After the war she invested her meager savings into a build…
00:17:11 |
Sat 25 Jul 2020
Abijah Alley
Back in the 1800's a preacher named Abijah Alley from Scott County, Virginia, made a name for himself when he began traveling around the world. He also was a bit of a prophet, as he foretold the Civ…
00:12:07 |
Sat 18 Jul 2020
Beulah and Jean
You've probably seen the movie "Thelma and Louise," about two housewives who hit the road for a bit of adventure that eventually goes wrong. Today we're going to tell you a story about a real life p…
00:10:46 |
Sat 11 Jul 2020
Martin Van Buren Bates, The Kentucky Giant
From Kona, in Letcher County, Kentucky, came one of the tallest men in the world, a true giant. Martin Van Buren Bates traveled the world as a circus performer, which allowed him to meet the love of …
00:13:50 |
Sat 04 Jul 2020
Sara Jane
On this episode we tell the story of Sara Jane Moore, the second woman to attempt to assassinate a president, who was born and raised in Charleston, West Virginia. You can subscribe to the Stories po…
00:10:34 |
Sat 27 Jun 2020
The Escape Artist?
Today's story is from Clay County, Kentucky, and involves a man who was arrested for allegedly killing his father and stepmother, but who escaped justice for years by breaking out of jail again, and …
00:13:45 |
Sat 20 Jun 2020
Pictureman
William Richardson Mullins made his living as a photographer in Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia. Starting in the Great Depression, he traveled the mountains taking pictures until, eventually…
00:11:29 |
Sat 13 Jun 2020
193-0
Football is big in Appalachia, just like it was 94 years ago when two teams met but only one, apparently, was there to play. Today we tell the story of one of the most lopsided high school football …
00:11:05 |
Sat 06 Jun 2020
Der Furrier
Today we tell how Adolf Hitler came to be in eastern Kentucky after World War II...not. It's actually a story about a massive con job on post-war Nazi sympathizers all done from Middlesboro, Kentuck…
00:15:25 |
Sat 30 May 2020
The First Woman Convicted Of Bank Robbery In Kentucky
Today we tell the story of Lillian Grace Browder who, with her husband Carl, robbed the Farmer's Bank in Louisville, Kentucky. In the process she earned the distinction of being the first woman to b…
00:09:36 |
Sat 23 May 2020
L. W. Wright, Nascar Legend
In 1982 a man in Nashville managed to con enough people to earn a spot in the Nascar race in Talladega, Alabama. He made it a few laps, earned a little prize money, then vanished, leaving behind sev…
00:14:26 |
Sat 16 May 2020
The Murder of Lillie Davis
In 1907 a woman was killed in a cemetery that straddled the border between Virginia and Tennessee in Bristol. Newspapers of the day soon turned this crime into a media circus, especially after it wa…
00:09:33 |
Sat 09 May 2020
The Fast
In 1937 a devout Christian man in Sequatchie County, Tennessee, was instructed by the Lord to begin a fast. He did as he was told and at the same time attracted the attention of a nation in the grip…
00:09:52 |
Sat 02 May 2020
The Spanish Flu, Part Two
A few weeks ago we told about the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic that swept across Appalachia. Today we return to tell more of that story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stit…
00:19:09 |
Sat 25 Apr 2020
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are the property of Steve Gilly. This content is not affiliated with or endorsed by eachpod.com.