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
Category: The 1910’s
World War I Anti-Conscription Movement – 1917World War I Anti-Conscription Movement – 1917
One hundred five years ago this month opposition against the draft was coming to a boil, including in Appalachia. With the entry of the United States into World War I
Eccles No. 5 Mine Explosions – April 28, 1914Eccles No. 5 Mine Explosions – April 28, 1914
On this day in 1914 the second worst mine disaster in West Virginia, after the Monongah explosion in 1907, occurred at the Eccles No. 5 mine in Eccles, West Virginia.
A Criminal OperationA Criminal Operation
In 1912 a Presbyterian pastor in Greeneville, Tennessee, decided to help his former secretary back at the school he headed in Pittsburgh. That decision cost the woman her life and
Reverend W. D. McFarland In Greeneville Jail For Performing A Criminal Operation – January 18, 1912Reverend W. D. McFarland In Greeneville Jail For Performing A Criminal Operation – January 18, 1912
On this day in 1912 the Reverend W. D. McFarland, pastor of the United Presbyterian Church Missionary in Greene County, Tennessee, was arrested and placed in the Greene County jail
The Great Appalachian Exposition – July 8, 1910The Great Appalachian Exposition – July 8, 1910
On July 8, 1910, the main building of the Great Appalachian Exposition was dedicated in Chilhowee Park in Knoxville. Preceding the dedication was a parade down Gay Street. In addition
Stone, KentuckyStone, Kentucky
Stone was a small unincorporated community in Pike County, Kentucky. It was named not for any rocks or boulders found there; instead, it’s named after the Chairman of the Pond
The Prodigal Prisoner – December 9, 1910.The Prodigal Prisoner – December 9, 1910.
In the fall of 1910, 17-year-old Robert Carter was a prisoner in the Dandridge, Tennessee, jail, convicted of larceny of corn from the farm of a Mr. McMahan. He was
Hanging of Mary The Elephant – September 13, 1916Hanging of Mary The Elephant – September 13, 1916
On September 11, 1916, an itinerant hotel clerk in St. Paul, Virginia, was hired by a circus that happened to be traveling through town. This clerk, Red Eldridge, was to
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