Stories of Appalachia

Old Dill Asher: The Kentucky Pioneer Who Became a LegendOld Dill Asher: The Kentucky Pioneer Who Became a Legend

August 14, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

Dillion “Old Dill” Asher was one of the early pioneers of southeastern Kentucky, a frontier soldier and farmer who became the toll keeper at the Cumberland River ford at what’s

The Frontier’s Most Dangerous Woman: The Story of Nancy HartThe Frontier’s Most Dangerous Woman: The Story of Nancy Hart

August 7, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

In 1779, on the Georgia frontier, a group of armed Loyalist soldiers forced their way into Nancy Hart’s cabin, demanding a hot meal from a helpless woman and her daughter.

The Taylor-Mullins Feud: The Road to the Killing RockThe Taylor-Mullins Feud: The Road to the Killing Rock

July 31, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

The infamous Killing Rock massacre ended with the deaths of a moonshiner and his wife and several of their friends on a mountain along the Virginia-Kentucky border. It began years

Franklin’s Last Battle: Sevier’s Attack at Flint CreekFranklin’s Last Battle: Sevier’s Attack at Flint Creek

July 24, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

In the winter of 1789, Cherokee war leader John Watts made a daring decision. Instead of returning to the Chickamauga towns as he usually did for the winter, he established

47 Years a Hermit: The Strange Afterlife of William Hewitt47 Years a Hermit: The Strange Afterlife of William Hewitt

July 17, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

In the late 1780s a man from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, William Hewitt, crossed the Ohio River seeking to find solitude in the Appalachian wilderness after heartbreak changed his life forever.

The Untamable Monster Well of 1894: Big MosesThe Untamable Monster Well of 1894: Big Moses

July 10, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

In September 1894, a routine drilling operation on a Tyler County, West Virginia, farm broke into a massive natural gas pocket, unleashing one of the most powerful and uncontrollable wells

The Devil in the Mountains- The Story of Vincent “Clawhammer” WitcherThe Devil in the Mountains- The Story of Vincent “Clawhammer” Witcher

July 3, 2026| Steve Gilly| 2 Comments| 8:00 pm

Vincent “Clawhammer” Witcher became one of the most feared Confederate guerrilla leaders along the Virginia/Kentucky border in the Civil War. As the leader of what was called “Witcher’s Boys, he

A Witness to History: The Frontier Life of Captain William AsherA Witness to History: The Frontier Life of Captain William Asher

June 26, 2026| Steve Gilly| 3 Comments| 8:00 pm

The early settlements along the Watauga and Holston Rivers in what’s now Tennessee were the very beginning of “The Wild West.” While names like Daniel Boone, John Sevier, and William

Appalachia’s Forgotten Uprising: Claypool’s RebellionAppalachia’s Forgotten Uprising: Claypool’s Rebellion

June 19, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

In 1781, as the American Revolution raged, Appalachian settlers in what’s now West Virginia rose in armed rebellion against the Virginia government. Angry over crushing taxes, forced military service, and

A State of Natural Liberty: The Incredible Life of Quill RoseA State of Natural Liberty: The Incredible Life of Quill Rose

June 12, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

Quill Rose was a Confederate veteran, bear hunter, blacksmith, storyteller, and moonshiner who lived deep in the Smoky Mountains along Eagle Creek. In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we