The Deadly HarpesThe Deadly Harpes
In the late 1700s two cousins, Micajah Harpe and Wiley Harpe, terrorized the Appalachian frontier, stealing, fighting, raping and killing pioneers as they crossed Appalachia looking for a new home.
Author: Steve Gilly
The Strikes of ’29The Strikes of ’29
In 1929 a series of textile mill strikes hit the southeastern United States, starting in Elizabethton, Tennessee. On this episode, Rod and Steve tell the story of what happened in
The Bluebeard of Quiet DellThe Bluebeard of Quiet Dell
Sometimes love just isn’t enough. At least it wasn’t for Harry Powers of Quiet Dell, West Virginia. On today’s episode, we tell a story of murder in the singles ads
The Great Cholera OutbreakThe Great Cholera Outbreak
In 1873, there was a world-wide cholera epidemic. One of the worst hit places in the Appalachian region was the East Tennessee town of Greeneville, which saw 90 percent of
The Greenbrier GhostThe Greenbrier Ghost
In 1896, Elva Zona Heaster met and married Edward Shue, a drifter who had just arrived in Elva’s hometown of Greenbrier, West Virginia, to work as a blacksmith. In less
The Last Public Hanging in West VirginiaThe Last Public Hanging in West Virginia
When there is a public execution, one expects a somber affair. That wasn’t the case with John Morgan of Ripley, whose hanging on December 16, 1897, for a grisly triple
The Whiskey RebellionThe Whiskey Rebellion
In the 1790s money was short on the Appalachian frontier, so most farmers would distill their corn into whiskey and use that as a medium of exchange. Then, the federal
John BrownJohn Brown
In the summer of 1859, as the country was rapidly coming apart over the issue of slavery, a man slipped into the Appalachian town of Harper’s Ferry, Virginia under an
The Hermit of Big Bald MountainThe Hermit of Big Bald Mountain
On today’s episode of Stories, Steve tells the story of David Grier, who spent his adult life atop Big Bald Mountain, just above Flag Pond, Tennessee on the North Carolina
The English DoctorThe English Doctor
Up until the end of the nineteenth century, most “doctoring” in the rural parts of Appalachia was done by folk healers or “granny-women,” who used old time roots and herbs