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
Category: The Oughts
The Dark Mystery of Booger HoleThe Dark Mystery of Booger Hole
Starting in the latter part of the 19th century and continuing up into the 20th century a valley in Clay County, West Virginia, became the site of a series of
John Fox Jr., An Appalachian StorytellerJohn Fox Jr., An Appalachian Storyteller
One of the first writers to bring the real Appalachia to the world was John Fox Jr., who had come to the coal boom town of Big Stone Gap, making
The Murders On Laurel CreekThe Murders On Laurel Creek
In 1909 a mass murder of a family occurred near Hurley, Virginia, that made headlines throughout the country. Today we tell the story of that crime. If you haven’t done
The Body of Edward Wentz Found – May 9. 1904The Body of Edward Wentz Found – May 9. 1904
On this day in 1904 the body of E. L. Wentz was found a mile from Kellyview, Virginia, near Big Stone Gap, by a boy helping look for missing cattle
A Johnson City Bear – January 9, 1905A Johnson City Bear – January 9, 1905
On this day in 1905, Congressman W. P. Brownlow sent a three-year-old, 250 pound, black bear named “Fannie” to the city as a gift. Apparently there was a zoo located
The Fraterville Mine DisasterThe Fraterville Mine Disaster
In May of 1902 one of the best-run mine companies in the Coal Creek, Tennessee, area suffered a disaster when an explosion trapped and killed 216 miners, all but 3
The Train Crash At New Market – September 24, 1904The Train Crash At New Market – September 24, 1904
On this day in 1904 two passenger trains collided head-on at New Market, Tennessee, killing over 60 people and injuring scores more. One train, the Number 12 Carolina Special, had
July 8, 1909.July 8, 1909.
On this day in 1909 a mysterious explosion in a pile of scrap metal in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, injured one man and three boys. Samuel Rosessky, a junk dealer, along with
The Wright-Templeton GangThe Wright-Templeton Gang
The bloody legacy of the Civil War lived on in Appalachia up until the beginning of the 20th century in the form of feuds and honor killings between those who