Devil John Wright of the CumberlandsDevil John Wright of the Cumberlands
In the heart of Appalachia, a legend looms as large as the mountains themselves. Today, we tell the story of John Wesley Wright. Born in the Elkhorn Valley of Kentucky,
Category: Reconstruction
The Kingdom of the Happy LandThe Kingdom of the Happy Land
After the Civil War, as the South lay in ruins, a group of freedmen decided to depart the Mississippi plantation on which they had been held as slaves in search
Appalachia’s Deadliest RailroadAppalachia’s Deadliest Railroad
For 40 years starting in the 1850’s a railroad was built across the most rugged and remote parts of Appalachia, western North Carolina. This railroad was mostly completed as planned,
Tennessee Readmitted To The Union – July 24, 1866Tennessee Readmitted To The Union – July 24, 1866
On this day in 1866 Tennessee was readmitted into the Union after the Civil War, a week after it ratified the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. That secession prompted
The Andrew Johnson National Cemetery – Greeneville, TNThe Andrew Johnson National Cemetery – Greeneville, TN
This morning I got up before the crack of dawn and drove down to look at a president’s grave: Andrew Johnson, 17th president and successor to Abraham Lincoln after his
The Trial Of Dr. SmithThe Trial Of Dr. Smith
In 1877 a young Kentucky man’s body was found by the side of the road, the victim of a knife attack. Suspicion quickly fell on the deceased’s former best friend
An Unsolved Appalachian MysteryAn Unsolved Appalachian Mystery
Shortly after the end of the Civil War an orphan boy disappeared near the High Knob, on the border of Scott and Wise Counties in Virginia. Today we tell a
The Execution of Daniel DeanThe Execution of Daniel Dean
In 1877 a farmer was shot dead as he was working in his fields. No one saw who fired the shot and nobody confessed to the murder. But Daniel Dean
April 12, 1872: The Bank Robbery In Columbia, KentuckyApril 12, 1872: The Bank Robbery In Columbia, Kentucky
The Deposit Bank of Columbia, Kentucky, was robbed in April, 1872. This is nothing unusual as banks are robbed because, as has been said, that’s where the money is. This