The Gun Battle of Thorn Hill, TNThe Gun Battle of Thorn Hill, TN
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
Author: Steve Gilly
The Eccles Mine DisasterThe Eccles Mine Disaster
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,
Cora Wilson Stewart and the Moonlight Schools of KentuckyCora Wilson Stewart and the Moonlight Schools of Kentucky
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
John Forbes Nash, Jr.: Appalachia’s Mathematical GeniusJohn Forbes Nash, Jr.: Appalachia’s Mathematical Genius
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
Dark Deeds in the Mountains: The Twisted Tale of Thomas David CarrDark Deeds in the Mountains: The Twisted Tale of Thomas David Carr
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
The Sanctified Hill MudslideThe Sanctified Hill Mudslide
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
The Escapee Who Returned To Brushy MountainThe Escapee Who Returned To Brushy Mountain
Luther Buckles was a criminal, well-known in Johnson City, Tennessee, in the 1920s. After two run-ins with the law in which two people were shot, he ended up at the
The Curious Case of L. K. GarberThe Curious Case of L. K. Garber
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
The Last Tragic Ride of Hank WilliamsThe Last Tragic Ride of Hank Williams
On New Years Eve, 1952, the South was being pounded by a winter ice storm that caused the cancellation of flights all over the region. Hank Williams had a show
The Battle of Point PleasantThe Battle of Point Pleasant
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