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.
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Copyright: © Copyright Steve Gilly
Today we bring you part of the end of an era of public executions in Appalachia, which had, in many cases, turned into an excuse for a carnival, with vendors selling food and drink (much of it the hard stuff) and children brought in for a day with a picnic and other family activities, prior to the hanging itself.
Our first story comes from Wilkes County, North Carolina, where an alleged horse thief shoots and kills the man looking for that horse; the second comes from Lawrence County, Kentucky, and involves a feud, with the accused shooting and killing his own uncle.
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Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachian history with your friends.
One of the biggest moonshiners (literally) in Appalachia was a Melungeon woman from Newman's Ridge in Hancock County, Tennessee. She lived an interesting life, providing shine in many ways, including from a hollow tree.
To find out more, give this week's episode a listen!
You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Stitcher, Goodpods or on your favorite podcast app.
Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachia with your friends!
The 1920s were a decade of loosening morals, Prohibition and crime, with notorious outlaws popping up across America. Along with the likes of Al Capone, John Dillinger and Bonnie and Clyde was a home-grown Appalachian outlaw whose exploits made headlines across the South.
Today we tell the story of Appalachian outlaw Kinnie Wagner, from Scott County, Virginia.
You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Spotify, Audible or wherever you get your favorite podcasts.
Thanks for listening!
In 1911 Devil Anse Hatfield’s sons Troy and Elias were in Fayette County running a bar, which was doing quite well. They had established their liquor and beer territory thanks to agreements with the competition and things looked bright…until someone with ties to the Italian-American miners’ community decided to compete with them.
Things did not turn out well.
Today we tell the story of the last gunfight of Troy and Elias Hatfield.
We've told stories of moonshiners; we've even interviewed one of them. Today we're going to tell the story of untaxed whiskey from the other side, that of the federal revenue agent, or revenuer.
One of those agents was well-known in the hills and hollers of Kentucky, the legendary Big Six.
Today we tell his story.
You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, Stitcher, PlayerFM or on your favorite podcast app or feed reader.
Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories of Appalachian history with your friends!
A man from Anderson County, Tennessee, had developed a reputation as being a bit strange, going on about all those visions he had after his wife left him years before. One vision, though, led many people to decide that maybe they'd misjudged him.
Today we tell the story of John Hendrix, the prophet of Appalachia.
You can subscribe to the Stories podcast on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Audible or wherever you get your podcasts.
Thanks for listening!
In 1892 a West Virginia hermit living high above the Cheat River announced to the world that he had an invention: a suit that would allow him to fly above the forests and mountains of Appalachia just like the hawks that lived there.
If only he had a little more money to finish his invention...
Today we tell the story of the Appalachian "Bat-Man."
You can subcribe to the Stories podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Stitcher or on your favorite podcast app.
To many the word "Appalachia" is synonymous with the word "hillbilly," for better or for worse.
Often used as a derogatory term by non-residents of the region, many here have adopted "hillbilly" with defiant pride.
Today we're going to tell a bit of the history of that word, which involves religion, war, and a famous British king and queen.
Quite the story.
You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Audible, Goodpods, RadioPublic, or on your favorite podcast app or podcatcher.
Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends!
After the Civil War fine hotels were built all along the mountain range that separated North Carolina and Tennessee, each one grander than the last, a sort of Guilded Age race between the wealthy hotel operators flooding into the region. There were many of these fine hotels, from the Wonderland Hotel to Unaka Springs to the Cloudland Hotel.
That last hotel had one advantage the others didn't. It sat high atop Roan Mountain, making that hotel the higher than any other hotel in the region, with a most spectacular view.
Today we tell the story of the Cloudland Hotel.
You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spreaker, Audible, Spotify, Goodpods, Stitcher, or wherever you get your podcasts...we will be there.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, y'all!
It is Christmas week, folks, so join us as we talk about Old Christmas and some Appalachian Christmas folklore.
Merry Christmas, all!
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