Stay ConnectedWelcome 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.
www.storiesofappalachia.com
Copyright: © Copyright Steve Gilly
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 from Cincinnati to New Orleans!
Today we tell the story of Amos Owens, beloved Appalachian moonshiner!
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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 successful surgeon in Kansas, renowned for his "goat gonad" transplants into willing men hoping to boost their sexual prowess, the owner of two radio stations, one of which was on the Mexican border and blasted out his goat gland pitches, along with performances by the Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers and many other early country music stars, all across North America with a million watt signal, and, most importantly for him, a very, very rich man.
Until it all came crashing down.
Today we tell the story of Appalachia's own goat gland doctor, from Burnsville, another one of the Stories of Appalachia!
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Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends!
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.
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Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends.
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.
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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 tragic story.
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Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends.
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 a run-in with the law.
Today we tell the story of the woman the press dubbed "The Queen of the Moonshiners," another one of the Stories of Appalachia!
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Thanks for listening and for sharing our little podcast with your friends.
With Christmas fast approaching, Rod and Steve talk about the history and the folklore behind Christmas in Appalachia...
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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.
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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 exchanging gunfire for approximately five minutes.
Many of the miners, faced with overwhelming firepower, rushed out of the building and surrendered. However, some fled into the woods, where they were pursued and arrested.
This conflict was a precursor of the West Virginia Mine Wars, which would begin in earnest ten years later at Paint Creek and Cabin Creek.
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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, another one of the Stories of Appalachia!
Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so you don't miss any of our stories of Appalachian history and folklore. Go to Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Audible, Goodpods or on your favorite podcast app.
Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends...
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