The Savant of Rhea County (YouTube)The Savant of Rhea County (YouTube)
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Category: Personalities
The Savant of Rhea County, TennesseeThe Savant of Rhea County, Tennessee
Alvin Goins was a hard worker who, like many Appalachian men of his time, never finished school and was unable to read or write. That never stopped him from getting
From Darkness to Hope: The Appalachian Journey of Bob ChildressFrom Darkness to Hope: The Appalachian Journey of Bob Childress
In 1912 a young man’s life was transformed by his witnessing a historic tragedy: the infamous Carroll County courthouse shootout, which left several prominent lawyers, police officers and a judge
The Goat ManThe Goat Man
From the 1930s to the 1980s an itinerant preacher from Georgia traveled throughout Appalachia and beyond in a ramshackle wagon pulled by a herd of goats. It was his way
Lost Legacy: The Curious Case of The Kentucky Man Who Almost Inherited a French Fortune!Lost Legacy: The Curious Case of The Kentucky Man Who Almost Inherited a French Fortune!
Back in 1924 a poor mountaineer from Middlesboro, Kentucky, became an overnight sensation. Steve White was apparently not Steve White but instead a man named Gustave Solome, the heir to
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
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,