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 Flood of ’89
There is little else worse than a flood in the Appalachian Mountains, due to the water being funneled down deep river valleys straight into towns and cities. What is worse is when that flood could ha…
00:09:53 |
Tue 31 May 2016
Bloody Harlan
By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42629998 The 1930s saw the Great Depression come over America, and probably no place was harder hit than the coalfields of …
00:12:03 |
Sat 28 May 2016
Giants in the Earth
There are tales of strange creatures seen in the mines and caves of Appalachia. On this episode, Rod and Steve tell the story of the giants in the earth, on Stories. You can subscribe at iTunes, the …
00:09:50 |
Tue 24 May 2016
Popcorn
Moonshining has long been associated with Appalachia. Probably the most well-known and well-marketed moonshiner was Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton of Cocke County, Tennessee. Popcorn dressed the part, at le…
00:16:17 |
Sat 21 May 2016
Clark Dyer’s Flying Machine
In the hills of North Georgia in the 19th century lived a farmer named Micajah Clark Dyer. Dyer wasn’t just a Georgia farmer, though. He was a self-taught inventor and tinkerer whose passion was flig…
00:09:28 |
Tue 17 May 2016
The Battle of Kings Mountain
In 1780, the Patriot cause was suffering from losses across the colonies. Then, a British commander threatened to cross the Appalachians and lay waste to the settlements established in what is now Ea…
00:13:49 |
Sat 14 May 2016
Buried Alive!
In the spring of 1891, wealthy Pikeville, Kentucky, businessman James Hatcher buried his young wife, Octavia, after she apparently died while giving birth to their baby boy, who also died. Unfortunat…
00:12:37 |
Tue 10 May 2016
The Death of Edward Wentz
In 1903, the Wentz family of Philadelphia was in control of the Virginia Coal and Iron Company and Stonega Coal and Coke. In that year, young Edward Wentz came to the coalfields of Wise County, Virgi…
00:17:02 |
Sat 07 May 2016
The Melungeon Trials
Starting in the mid-19th century, just before the Civil War, there were several Tennessee court cases that helped define the role of the mysterious people known as “Melungeons” in Appalachian society…
00:16:55 |
Tue 03 May 2016
The Moon-Eyed People
There is a Cherokee legend about a war with a fair-skinned people with blue eyes and beards, who were extremely sensitive to light. One version of this legend has them responsible for pre-Columbian s…
00:13:49 |
Sat 30 Apr 2016
The Duke of Asheville
In the fall of 1902, a sickly Englishman arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, from parts unknown. He passed away shortly thereafter and, over the next seven years, became a part of the fabric of the…
00:10:38 |
Tue 26 Apr 2016
The Deadly Harpes
On this week’s episode of Stories, Rod and Steve tell you the story of the Harpes, two men who, at the turn of the 19th century, led authorities on a horrific crime spree from North Carolina to Illin…
00:10:41 |
Sat 23 Apr 2016
The Strikes of ’29
In 1929 a series of textile mill strikes hit the southeastern United States, starting in Elizabethton, Tennessee. On this episode, Rod and Steve tell the story of what happened in Elizabethton when w…
00:10:17 |
Tue 19 Apr 2016
The Bluebeard of Quiet Dell
Sometimes love just isn’t enough. At least it wasn’t for Harry Powers of Quiet Dell, West Virginia. On today’s episode, we tell a story of murder in the singles ads in 1920’s West Virginia. You can s…
00:10:57 |
Sat 16 Apr 2016
The Great Cholera Outbreak
In 1873, there was a world-wide cholera epidemic. One of the worst hit places in the Appalachian region was the East Tennessee town of Greeneville, which saw 90 percent of its population either die o…
00:11:39 |
Tue 12 Apr 2016
The Greenbrier Ghost
In 1896, Elva Zona Heaster met and married Edward Shue, a drifter who had just arrived in Elva’s hometown of Greenbrier, West Virginia, to work as a blacksmith. In less than a year, she would be dead…
00:12:04 |
Sat 09 Apr 2016
The Last Public Hanging in West Virginia
When there is a public execution, one expects a somber affair. That wasn’t the case with John Morgan of Ripley, whose hanging on December 16, 1897, for a grisly triple murder had more of a carnival a…
00:14:19 |
Tue 05 Apr 2016
John Brown
In the summer of 1859, as the country was rapidly coming apart over the issue of slavery, a man slipped into the Appalachian town of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia under an assumed name and began preparing…
00:14:25 |
Tue 29 Mar 2016
The Hermit of Big Bald Mountain
On today’s episode of Stories, Steve tells the story of David Grier, who spent his adult life atop Big Bald Mountain, just above Flag Pond, Tennessee on the North Carolina border. You might call him …
00:10:11 |
Sat 26 Mar 2016
The English Doctor
Up until the end of the nineteenth century, most “doctoring” in the rural parts of Appalachia was done by folk healers or “granny-women,” who used old time roots and herbs and traditional treatments.…
00:11:49 |
Tue 22 Mar 2016
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