Abijah AlleyAbijah Alley
Back in the 1800s a preacher named Abijah Alley from Scott County, Virginia, made a name for himself when he began traveling around the world. He also was a bit
Category: Personalities
Martin Van Buren Bates, The Kentucky River GiantMartin Van Buren Bates, The Kentucky River Giant
From Kona, in Letcher County, Kentucky, came one of the tallest men in the world, a true giant. Martin Van Buren Bates traveled the world as a circus performer, which
PicturemanPictureman
William Richardson Mullins made his living as a photographer in Eastern Kentucky and Southwest Virginia. Starting in the Great Depression, he traveled the mountains taking pictures until, eventually, he had
Virgil Q. WacksVirgil Q. Wacks
Appalachia is filled with unique and colorful characters. Today we tell the story of one of them: journalist, baseball entrepreneur, self-promoter and chronicler of life in southern Appalachia through the
Mother Jones, Part TwoMother Jones, Part Two
Today we continue the story of labor activist Mother Jones, beloved by generations of Appalachian coal miners. You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, RadioPublic, TuneIn,
Mother Jones, Part OneMother Jones, Part One
A woman born in Ireland who immigrated to, first, Canada, then the United States, became a schoolteacher and dressmaker. The tragic loss of her husband and children led eventually to
Wiley OakleyWiley Oakley
A boy’s search for the spirit of his late mother in the Smokey Mountains led to a career as a Great Smoky Mountains National Park guide and a life as
Nancy WardNancy Ward
One of the most well-known Cherokee on the Appalachian frontier was Nanyehi, known to the settlers as Nancy Ward, the niece of Attakullakulla and the cousin of Dragging Canoe. Today
CasCas
One of the most colorful personalities to ever come out of Appalachia was a media savvy self-made grocer, radio and tv host and Tennessee politician by the name of Cas
Tizrow McGheeTizrow McGhee
The strange story of Tizrow McGhee, born on Friday the 13th in Kentucky, who kept getting into all kinds of scrapes, including one that kept him awake for 23 years.