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 1890’s
The Hatfields and the McCoys: After the FeudThe Hatfields and the McCoys: After the Feud
When you say “feud” anywhere in America, what comes to most folks’ minds are the names “Hatfield” and “McCoy.” That notorious feud has been the stuff of legend not just
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
Bad Talt HallBad Talt Hall
Talt Hall had a very interesting life. Born and raised in eastern Kentucky, he had been a Confederate soldier, a deputy sheriff, a U. S. Marshal, a feudist, a railroad
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
French, The Alderson LionFrench, The Alderson Lion
The latter part of the 19th century was the golden age of the circus in America. A traveling circus with its acrobats, wild animals and the sideshow was an attraction
Buried Alive – The Story of Octavia HatcherBuried Alive – The Story of Octavia Hatcher
James Hatcher married Octavia Smith in Pikeville, Kentucky, in 1889. The couple had a son, Jacob, who died shortly after his birth and Octavia soon spiraled into a deep depression