Sam’s Magnificent BeardSam’s Magnificent Beard
A mountain farmer and schoolteacher from the North Carolina town of Magnetic City (now Buladean) got so tired of shaving that he tossed his straight razor in the garbage and
Category: Personalities
The Kentucky Cannibal: Boone HelmThe Kentucky Cannibal: Boone Helm
Right before and during the Civil War an outlaw roamed the West who was unlike any of the other outlaws you might have heard of. This man, born and raised
An Appalachian Frontier Legend: Simon Kenton, Part TwoAn Appalachian Frontier Legend: Simon Kenton, Part Two
Today we wrap up our story about legendary Appalachian explorer, longhunter and guide Simon Kenton, who went from explorer and longhunter to owning hundreds of thousands of acres of frontier
An Appalachian Frontier Legend: Simon Kenton, Part OneAn Appalachian Frontier Legend: Simon Kenton, Part One
Today we have a story so big we had to split it into two parts! Simon Kenton was an Appalachian explorer, longhunter and guide. His life was so filled with
The Amazing Life of One-Armed JimmyThe Amazing Life of One-Armed Jimmy
Today we tell the story of a man who refused to let a “disability” keep him down. Linguist, athlete, amateur astronomer, adventurer and genealogist James Brownlow Lawson from Sevier County,
The Outlaw Otto Wood: Appalachian Escape ArtistThe Outlaw Otto Wood: Appalachian Escape Artist
Otto Wood was headed in the wrong direction from a young age. As a child he learned how to make moonshine while in the care of his relatives in West
Uncle Bush’s Magnificent FuneralUncle Bush’s Magnificent Funeral
In 1938 a Roane County, Tennessee, hermit felt the pull of time. Concerned about how he was going to be remembered after he was gone and wondering if anyone cared
Abijah Alley, Appalachian Preacher, Traveler and ProphetAbijah Alley, Appalachian Preacher, Traveler and Prophet
230 years ago a man was born in the Long Hollow section of Scott County, Virginia. This man grew up to become a Shaker, then a spiritualist and lay preacher,
The Girl From Slab Fork, West VirginiaThe Girl From Slab Fork, West Virginia
Doris Payne was born in 1930 to a coal miner in Slab Fork, West Virginia. She didn’t stay there. In fact, she ended up traveling the world for decades pursuing
The Man Who Wanted to be Alone – Uncle Nick GrindstaffThe Man Who Wanted to be Alone – Uncle Nick Grindstaff
In the late 19th century a man from Stoney Creek, in Johnson County, Tennessee, went West to seek his fortune. He found that fortune. He then lost that fortune and