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
Atomic Breakdown
In the 1940's workers, scientists and the military came to Anderson County, Tennessee, and built a city in which to develop an atomic weapon. The weight of what they were doing came to be too much f…
00:10:13 |
Sat 18 Apr 2020
Divided Loyalties
At the start of the Civil War, the Appalachian part of Tennessee voted 2-1 to remain a part of the United States in that state's secession vote. When Tennessee left the Union and joined the Confeder…
00:13:33 |
Sat 11 Apr 2020
Virgil Q. Wacks
Appalachia is filled with unique and colorful characters. Today we tell the story of one of them: journalist, baseball entrepreneur, self-promoter and chronicler of life in southern Appalachia throu…
00:21:11 |
Sat 04 Apr 2020
Jackie Mitchell
In 1931 a Chattanooga woman made baseball history by striking out, back to back, two Yankee legends. Today we tell her story. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Ra…
00:08:36 |
Sat 28 Mar 2020
The Spanish Flu
They say that history doesn't repeat itself. While that's certainly true, it's also true that history does tend to rhyme every now and then. Today we tell the story of the Spanish flu, a story that …
00:18:20 |
Sat 21 Mar 2020
Mother Jones, Part Two
Today we continue the story of labor activist Mother Jones, beloved by generations of Appalachian coal miners. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, TuneI…
00:13:17 |
Sat 07 Mar 2020
Mother Jones, Part One
A woman born in Ireland who immigrated to, first, Canada, then the United States, became a schoolteacher and dressmaker. The tragic loss of her husband and children led eventually to a career in lab…
00:10:52 |
Sat 29 Feb 2020
Wiley Oakley
A boy's search for the spirit of his late mother in the Smokey Mountains led to a career as a Great Smoky Mountains National Park guide and a life as a well-loved Gatlinburg businessman and teller of…
00:07:28 |
Sat 22 Feb 2020
Tabitha Holton
Up until the late 1800's the legal profession in North Carolina was limited to men only. That changed with the admission of a spunky woman born in Iredell County named Tabitha Ann Holton. Today we …
00:08:18 |
Sat 15 Feb 2020
Nancy Ward
One of the most well-known Cherokee on the Appalachian frontier was Nancy Ward. Today we tell the story of the Cherokee "beloved woman." The Stories podcast is available at our website, www.storiesp…
00:12:42 |
Sat 08 Feb 2020
The Fall
Today we tell the story of a bizarre tragedy that took place aboard a Piedmont Airlines DC-3 in the skies over western North Carolina in 1956. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcas…
00:10:15 |
Sat 01 Feb 2020
Tweetsie
Many years ago a railroad ran from Johnson City, Tennessee, over the mountains to the North Carolina high country in Boone. This narrow-gauge passenger and freight railroad is no more, but it is rem…
00:11:20 |
Sat 25 Jan 2020
The Luther Elkins Petroglyphs
Wyoming County, West Virginia, contains a set of strange rock carvings called petroglyphs on a rock ledge of a cliff overhanging the upper Clear Fork of the Guyandotte River. While most scientists t…
00:14:41 |
Sat 18 Jan 2020
Homer and Geneva
In 1937 the state of Tennessee passed a law that forbade marriage for anyone under the age of 16, without their parents' permission. The first case brought under that new law involved 32 year-old Ho…
00:11:22 |
Sat 11 Jan 2020
An Insurance Scheme in Pike County, Kentucky
What do you get when you mix a coal mine, explosives, and greed? Why, you get today's bit of Appalachian history, of course! Today we tell the tale of an insurance scheme gone horribly wrong in Pi…
00:09:14 |
Sat 04 Jan 2020
Attakullakulla and Dragging Canoe
Today we tell the story of two of the most prominent Cherokee the first settlers encountered on the Appalachian frontier, Attakullakulla and his son Dragging Canoe. You can subscribe to the Stories…
00:14:20 |
Sat 28 Dec 2019
A Fugitive Returns
Connolly Fields lived with his wife in Scott County, Virginia, in the 1880s. All was well, until he, his wife, his brother in law William and his associates all got into a fight over trespassing on …
00:09:11 |
Sat 14 Dec 2019
The Flood of '77
Appalachia has always been prone to flooding in one valley or another but in 1977 the heavens quite literally opened up over the entire region, setting off the worst widespread flooding in Appalachia…
00:18:24 |
Sat 07 Dec 2019
Elgin Baylor's Boycott
The Minneapolis Lakers weren’t exactly setting the basketball world on fire in January, 1959. In fact, on January 16th they had a 15/27 won loss record for the season. The 16th was the day the Lake…
00:08:56 |
Sat 23 Nov 2019
The Murder Of Judge Lawler
Today we have a story of politics, corruption and murder in 1916 Huntsville, Alabama. The Stories podcast is available on RadioPublic, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, IHeart Radio and many other p…
00:09:45 |
Sat 16 Nov 2019
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.