Stories of Appalachia

Hunted in East Tennessee: The True Story of Robert A. RaganHunted in East Tennessee: The True Story of Robert A. Ragan

October 2, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

This week Steve and Rod share the true survival story of Captain Robert A. Ragan. A schoolteacher and Union supporter from Cocke County in East Tennessee, Ragan was forced into

James Rumsey and America’s First SteamboatJames Rumsey and America’s First Steamboat

September 25, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

Before Robert Fulton, there was James Rumsey, an inventor who defied his skeptics and the power of the Potomac River at Shepardstown, in what’s now West Virginia. Today we tell

From Bear Hunter to Aviator: The Fiercely Independent Life of Levi TrenthamFrom Bear Hunter to Aviator: The Fiercely Independent Life of Levi Trentham

September 18, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

Before Elkmont became a tourist destination and eventually a ghost town, it was home to Levi Trentham, a mountain landowner, businessman, hunter, guide, and unofficial mayor. As railroads, lumber companies,

The Night Hell Came to Asheville: The Outlaw Will HarrisThe Night Hell Came to Asheville: The Outlaw Will Harris

September 11, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

In 1906, escaped convict Will Harris arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, and unleashed one of the most violent crime sprees in the city’s history. After killing several men, including police

Mad Anne Bailey: Widow, Scout and Appalachian Frontier LegendMad Anne Bailey: Widow, Scout and Appalachian Frontier Legend

September 4, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

Richard Trotter was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, leaving behind his wife, Anne. Instead of living quietly, raising their son, she became a scout and courier

The Marrying Parson: The Preacher at the Train StationThe Marrying Parson: The Preacher at the Train Station

August 28, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

For decades a preacher would come to the Bristol, Virginia, train station to meet the incoming trains, looking for couples who’d come to the city to elope. He claimed to

The Whiskey RebellionThe Whiskey Rebellion

August 21, 2026| Steve Gilly| 0 Comment| 8:00 pm

In 1794, thousands of federalized militia marched into western Pennsylvania to put down an uprising by American farmers. Their crime? Making whiskey and refusing to pay a federal tax on

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