This week we tell the story of a man from Pike County, Kentucky, who made his mark in aviation history. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they tell the story of John Paul Riddle, from his humble beginnings in Appalachia to his pioneering contributions to aviation. His passion for flight led him to become a daredevil barnstormer, a co-founder of t…

This week on the Stories podcast, we tell the story of two Appalachian towns, Loyston and Butler, that were submerged beneath TVA lakes but refused to disappear. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they recount the fascinating tales of these communities that were dramatically transformed by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Listen to the audio versio…

Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they tell the story of Nancy Emmeline Callahan Dollar, affectionately known as Granny Dollar. This Cherokee matriarch lived on Lookout Mountain near Fort Payne, Alabama, and became a legendary figure in her community. Born in 1826, Granny Dollar's life was a rich tapestry of Cherokee heritage, history, and surviv…

This week on the Stories podcast, we tell of the harrowing events of the first Battle of Saltville and its tragic aftermath. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they recount the significance of Saltville's salt mines during the Civil War, a resource as valuable as gold for preserving food. We also shed light on a lesser-known but profoundly impactf…

In this week’s episode of Stories of Appalachia, we tell the captivating tale of the Beale Treasure—a story that has fascinated treasure hunters and cryptographers for well over a century. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they share the story of the mystery surrounding a massive cache of gold, silver, and jewels allegedly buried in Bedford Count…

In this episode of the Stories podcast, we tell a crime story involving a wealthy heir from Bristol, Tennessee/Virginia, whose life ended tragically in New Orleans. James Mahoney, a man of many talents and pursuits, found himself entangled in a web of mystery and murder that has intrigued many for decades. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they t…

In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we tell the story of the prelude to the infamous Trail of Tears—the murder that inflamed Cherokee tensions and provided the legal framework for the tragic forced relocation of the tribe from the southeast to what’s now Oklahoma. Join Rod Mullins and Steve Gilly as they unravel the complex tale of Jack Walke…

In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we tell the story of one of the most devastating natural disasters to strike southwest Virginia: the Rye Cove cyclone of 1929. A day that began like any other would end in tragedy as a powerful tornado tore across the community of Rye Cove, leaving death and destruction in its wake. Listen as Steve Gilly an…

Today we tell the remarkable story of James Smith, a frontiersman and longhunter whose fight for survival in the Appalachian wilderness in 1767 after a hunting expedition tested his knowledge, ingenuity and determination to live. Listen to our podcast on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible, or on your favorite podcast app, and consider suppo…

In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we tell the remarkable tale of Talmadge Judd, a backyard innovator from Kingsport, Tennessee, whose vision and mechanical abilities led to the creation in 1945 of the Humming Bird, an automobile far ahead of its time. With no blueprints, Judd built the Humming Bird in just four months—a subcompact marvel th…

Today we tell a story with echoes of the Wild West…along with a twist! We unravel the mysterious life of Jack Vermillion of Mendota, Virginia, a man who many say once walked the dusty streets of Tombstone, Arizona, alongside the legendary Earp brothers. Join hosts Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they journey through the tangled tales of a figure man…

In the heart of Appalachia, a legend looms as large as the mountains themselves. Today, we tell the story of John Wesley Wright. Born in the Elkhorn Valley of Kentucky, John Wright's life was a mix of adventure, violence, and survival. From his early days as a Confederate soldier making a daring escape from Union forces, Wright's exploits during th…

Today we venture into the untamed wilderness of the late 18th-century Appalachian frontier, along the Ohio River. In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, Steve and Rod unearth the life and lore of Lewis Wetzel, a man whose name is etched in the annals of history as a fearless pioneer, frontiersman, and Indian fighter. Join us on a journey through…

Step into the world of Appalachian giants with the incredible tale of Joseph Jefferson Copeland, known to all as Big Joe, the strongest man in Tennessee. In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins bring to life the legend of a man whose feats of strength and size became the benchmark for tales of might in the 19th century…

In this captivating episode of Stories of Appalachia, we delve into the lucky discovery that forever altered the lives of a father and son in Monroe County, West Virginia. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they recount the day in 1928 when a simple game of horseshoes unearthed a treasure that would remain hidden in plain sight for 15 years. Hear …

Discover the fascinating tale of George Maledon, the legendary hangman for Arkansas' Hanging Judge Parker, and his peculiar path to Tennessee's Mountain Home veterans cemetery. Uncover a piece of Old West justice on our latest podcast episode. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast...we're on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or where…

Today we tell the story of the deadliest mine disaster in Eastern Kentucky history, the explosion in shafts number 15 and 16 at Hurricane Creek near Hyden, Kentucky. The Stories podcast is on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Be sure to subscribe! Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories …

Russell Bean was the son of William Bean and his wife, Lydia, the first people to settle in what's now Tennessee and for whom Bean Station is named. Russell, considered the first child of European descent to be born in the future Tennessee, was a large, strong man with a temper who most folks avoided that temper came to a boil. Andrew Jackson was a…

In the 1880s and 1890s a bloody feud was happening across two Appalachian counties, with conflicts over hogs, shootings, ambushes, cabins set on fire and the threat of the governor to call in the state militia to stop it. This feud was NOT between the Hatfield and McCoy families in Kentucky and West Virginia. This one was about a hundred miles to t…

After the Civil War, as the South lay in ruins, a group of freedmen decided to depart the Mississippi plantation on which they had been held as slaves in search of a promised land. They found it...in the mountains of Appalachia. Come along with us as we tell the story of one of the first successful black communities in the south, the Kingdom of the…

Billy Dean Anderson was born in Fentress County, Tennessee, and, by all accounts, lived a normal law-abiding life as he grew up, even becoming a volunteer preacher in his church. Then it all went horribly wrong. He and some other men held up a theater in Jamestown, beginning a life of crime in two states. He eventually made the FBI most wanted list…

After the Civil War a young man bought Cherry Mountain in Rutherford County, North Carolina and used the wild cherries found there to add flavor to his distilled product, illegal of course, that became a runaway hit. Not only was his distinctive "Cherry Bounce" popular in his part of Appalachia, but it was also the favored beverage on riverboats fr…

John Romulus Brinkley was born in Burnsville, North Carolina, to a former Confederate medic and his housekeeper. From those humble beginnings young Brinkley grew up to become a traveling "Quaker doctor," a medical huckster and conman in both Knoxville, Tennessee and Greenville, South Carolina, a student at several "eclectic medical schools," a succ…

Joe Brown was a hell-raiser, thug and violent alcoholic who terrorized the town of Whitmer, West Virginia at the turn of the 20th century. He did, that is, until he went a step too far. That, folks, is our story today. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any of our stories of Appalachia. Thanks…

On January 3, 1921, a massive fire broke out at the West Virginia state capitol in Charleston. Not a big deal, you might be thinking, fires happen all the time. This one, though, had a twist or three, as you'll find out. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast, at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Audible or on your favorite pod…

On December 30, 1881, 30 convicts, along with their guards, were shackled and deposited on the banks of the Tuckaseegee River near Dillboro, North Carolina, with a job to do: cross the river in a boat and then start digging out the Cowee Tunnel for the Western North Carolina Railroad. 19 of the 30 didn't make it across alive. Today we tell that tra…

In the early 1900's a young mother in Polk County, North Carolina, had a decision to make. She had separated from her abusive husband and had several young children to feed, house and clothe, with very few job prospects. So she started her own business...moonshining. Bettie Simms was good at that chosen profession but, as so often happens, she had …

With Christmas fast approaching, Rod and Steve talk about the history and the folklore behind Christmas in Appalachia... You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM, Spreaker, Audible or on your favorite podcast app, whatever that might be. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, y'all!…

David Crockett Beaty was a farmer in Fentress County, Tennessee...until the start of the Civil War. He became a guerrilla fighter in that war, on the side of the Union, with his most well-known rebel counterpart being Champ Ferguson, with whom he had a running war all its own. Today we tell the story of Tinker Dave Beaty, Union guerrilla/outlaw. Be…

In 1902 coal miners struck the mines along the New River, seeking better wages and better working conditions. The strike continued until February 25, 1903, when a massive gun battle broke out between miners and coal company men, including detectives from the Baldwin-Felts agency and local law enforcement. The battle was fierce, with both sides exch…

In 1843 a prominent man in Jamestown, Tennessee, distributed a broadsheet, under an assumed name, accusing the wife of a tavern owner of being, among other sordid things, a "witch of the most extraordinary power." That, as you can imagine, led to legal action in the Fentress County courts. Today we tell the story of the Fentress County witch, anoth…

Granny women were the healers and caretakers of folks in Appalachia, dispensing folk remedies, serving as midwives, and even dousing for water. These women were essential in rural Appalachia, where doctors and hospitals were scarce. Today we tell the story of one of these women, Orlean Hawk Puckett, from Carroll County, Virginia, known for being a …

At the turn of the 20th century a wealthy and politically connected man from Grainger County, Tennessee, lost a lawsuit filed by a widow and was ordered to pay her a sum of money. Failing to do that, the court ordered a sale of some lumber this man owed, which was bought by a blacksmith in the community of Thorn Hill. Out of this came two murders, …

In 1914 a series of massive explosions occurred in the Eccles Mine No. 5 near Eccles, West Virginia in Raleigh County, West Virginia, leaving over 180 men and boys dead, including an insurance salesman who had the bad luck of making a call on the miners that day. Today we tell the story of West Virginia's second-worst mine disaster. Be sure to subs…

At the turn of the 20th century a young woman named Cora Wilson Stewart was hired as an elementary school teacher, later becoming Rowan County school superintendent. Fifteen years later she began a program that has since spread across the country: the idea of adult education for those who needed it. Today we tell her story and the story of the scho…

Today we tell the story of one of the 20th century's most brilliant mathematicians, born in Bluefield, West Virginia, and the subject of the movie "A Beautiful Mind," John Forbes Nash, Jr. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Audible, PlayerFM, Goodpods (where we're #34 on their Top 100 Indie Documentary…

Thomas David Carr was born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1846. After a childhood marked by abuse, a prison term at age 8 and an attemped poisoning of one of his "acquaintances," Carr joined the Union Army at the start of the Civil War. As he traveled with his unit, and by his own admission, Carr left a string of murders in his wake, culminating wit…

Sanctified Hill was a section of Cumberland, Kentucky, where many retired African American miners and their families resided in homes many had built themselves. In 1972 heavy rains fell across Appalachia, resulting in flooding and, in the case of Sanctified Hill, a terrible disaster. Today we tell that story. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories pod…

Around the turn of the 20th century a man charged with murder escaped from the Scott County, Virginia, jail and headed to Texas. He likely would have spent the rest of his life there but for an accident. A real accident, involving a train. Today we tell the story of a man whose demand for justice from the railroad company led to his own reckoning b…

Rising tensions along the Appalachian frontier culminated with what's called "Lord Dunmore's War," named after the royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore. That conflict came to a head with a battle in 1774 at Point Pleasant in what's now West Virginia, in which Dunmore's forces battled the Shawnee warriors under Chief Cornstalk. Today we tell tha…

Our story of the West Virginia Mine Wars continues at Matewan, West Virginia, where a famous gun battle left several mine company hired guards dead, along with the town mayor, among others. The fighting was so fierce, many townsfolk fled across the Tug Fork into Kentucky, seeking safety. This battle also set the stage for the climax of the mine war…

On April 5, 1872, the last man to be hanged in Fentress County, Tennessee, was said to have made three eerie predictions, all of which came true. Today we tell the story of Cal Logston, a convicted murderer who is said to have foretold events up to a hundred years in the future. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast. We're at Spreaker.com or …

For a century and a half the king of central Appalachia has been coal. That mineral powered the industrial revolution in America, made some men and corporations very wealthy and provided jobs for the Appalachian men and women who dug it out of the ground. Those jobs, though, didn't pay nearly well enough to justify the human costs of the work, so i…

Alvin Goins was a hard worker who, like many Appalachian men of his time, never finished school and was unable to read or write. That never stopped him from getting work as a laborer in and around his home of Rhea County, Tennessee. But Mr. Goins was a little bit different. He was a mathematical genius, able to look at a pile of block, bricks and l…

Starting in the latter part of the 19th century and continuing up into the 20th century a valley in Clay County, West Virginia, became the site of a series of mysterious disappearances and deaths. It only stopped with the aid of an organized mob (yeah, we know, an oxymoron, but also true). Today we tell the story of the mysterious Booger Hole. If y…

On Friday, August 14, 1914, three Glen Alum Coal Company employees were returning to the mine office with that week's payroll. They didn't make it with the money to the mine alive. Today we tell the story of the great Glen Alum payroll robbery. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you download your podcasts. Thanks for listening and…

In 1912 a young man's life was transformed by his witnessing a historic tragedy: the infamous Carroll County courthouse shootout, which left several prominent lawyers, police officers and a judge dead. Bob Childress left a life of violence, ignorance and alcohol abuse for a life of faith and service, establishing several churches in his part of App…

The Pocahontas coal field, located in southwest Virginia and southern West Virginia, was one of the most productive coal areas in the United States. The town of Pocahontas, in Tazewell County, Virginia, and for which the field was named, was granted a town charter by Virginia on January 31, 1884. Less than two months later tragedy struck when the L…

In November 1966 a man on his way home from work literally drove into Appalachian history when he encountered a UFO blocking his way on I-77 outside Parkersburg, West Virginia. Not only that, he actually "spoke" to the occupant of said UFO! Today we tell the fascinating story of Woodrow Derenberger and his encounter with....something. You can subsc…

In 1948 Clintwood, Virginia, held an election for the town's offices. After the campaigning, the voting, and the vote counting, something unique for it's time had happened: All of Clintwood's elected officials were women! Today we tell the story of the first all-female elected government in Appalachia. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so…