Eko and IkoEko and Iko
Early in the 20th century two African-American boys from Franklin County, Virginia, George and Willie Muse, unwillingly became part of the circus sideshow. The two, both albinos, became a huge
Author: Steve Gilly
Snake-Handling Death Trial – August 13, 1946Snake-Handling Death Trial – August 13, 1946
On this day 75 years ago the pastor of a snake-handling church in Southwest Virginia, Harvey O. Kirk, was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in the death of his wife,
A Trip To The Iron Curtain – August 11, 1958A Trip To The Iron Curtain – August 11, 1958
On this day 63 years ago a Vanderbilt University graduate student, John Bachman Hardcastle, along with two friends, Don Smith of Cleveland, Tennessee and Walter Crawford of Chattanooga, were traveling
Blair MountainBlair Mountain
One hundred years ago this month the largest labor uprising in American history occurred in southern West Virginia when striking coal miners gathered with weapons and headed toward the Appalachian
Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers Killed – August 1, 1921Sid Hatfield and Ed Chambers Killed – August 1, 1921
On Monday, August 1, 1921, Sid Hatfield and his former deputy, Ed Chambers, along with their wives, arrived at the McDowell County courthouse in Welch, West Virginia, to face trial
The Hillsville Courthouse ShootoutThe Hillsville Courthouse Shootout
In 1912 a Carroll County, Virginia, man was sentenced to serve a one year sentence in the state penitentiary. The announcement of that sentence set off a gun battle that
The Secret StillThe Secret Still
In 1931 Knox County, Tennessee, sheriff’s deputies, along with federal Prohibition officers, found something very interesting underneath a house in Knoxville. Today we tell that story. You can subscribe to
The Wytheville Polio EpidemicThe Wytheville Polio Epidemic
In the early 1950s there was an outbreak of polio in the United States. One of the places most affected by the illness was Wytheville, in southwestern Virginia. In the
Flash Flood In Charleston, West Virginia – July, 1961Flash Flood In Charleston, West Virginia – July, 1961
Sixty years ago this week Charleston, West Virginia, was going through the wettest July on record. On July 19th, around sunset, yet another storm came over the city and let
That Old-Time Religion – July 19, 1941That Old-Time Religion – July 19, 1941
On this day eighty years ago the Reverend M. D. Garrett, of Athens, Georgia, drove to the town of Franklin, North Carolina. There he set up an amplified speaker in