The Cloudland HotelThe Cloudland Hotel
After the Civil War fine hotels were built all along the mountain range that separated North Carolina and Tennessee, each one grander than the last, a sort of Guilded Age
Category: The 1880’s
The Building of the Western North Carolina RailroadThe Building of the Western North Carolina Railroad
Building a railroad in Appalachia after the Civil War was always a hard, back-breaking effort. But in the very rugged mountains of Western North Carolina, which contained the tallest mountains
Tennessee’s War of the RosesTennessee’s War of the Roses
In 1886 two brothers from Elizabethton, Bob Taylor and Alf Taylor, were nominated by the Democratic and Republican parties, respectively, for governor of Tennessee. Thus began a most fascinating campaign
Appalachia’s Hotel In The CloudsAppalachia’s Hotel In The Clouds
In the 1870s a veteran of the Civil War returned to East Tennessee to make his fortune. General John Wilder established foundries in Rockwood and Johnson City, he ran for
The Howard-Turner FeudThe Howard-Turner Feud
In the 1880’s and early 1890’s Harlan County, Kentucky was the scene for one of the most notorious feuds aside from the one between the Hatfields and McCoys. Two prominent
The Dunglen HotelThe Dunglen Hotel
During the post-Civil War coal boom in West Virginia, many new towns were founded to serve the coal industry and the railroads that hauled that coal to market. One of
Bristol’s Other Train StationBristol’s Other Train Station
Most folks are familiar with the Bristol, Virginia Train Station, located at the corner of Martin Luther King Blvd and State Street. That station has been the source of much
General John D. ImbodenGeneral John D. Imboden
Lawyer, politician, Confederate general, land developer, promoter of coal and the founder of the town of Damascus, Virginia. All these jobs were held by one man for whom a mine
The Bristol Waterworks WarThe Bristol Waterworks War
In the late 1880s a Bristol, Tennessee water company decided to extend its lines across the state line to what was then known as Goodson, now Bristol, Virginia. The folks
The Rugby ColonyThe Rugby Colony
After the Civil War a group of English men and women traveled to the hills of Tennessee to set up a utopian colony. Today we tell that story. You can