The Tragedy at the Cowee TunnelThe Tragedy at the Cowee Tunnel
On December 30, 1881, 30 convicts, along with their guards, were shackled and deposited on the banks of the Tuckaseegee River near Dillboro, North Carolina, with a job to do:
Bettie Simms, The Queen of the MoonshinersBettie Simms, The Queen of the Moonshiners
In the early 1900’s a young mother in Polk County, North Carolina, had a decision to make. She had separated from her abusive husband and had several young children to
The West Virginia Mine Wars: The Battle of Blair MountainThe West Virginia Mine Wars: The Battle of Blair Mountain
We have a mid-week extra podcast episode for you, available ONLY on our podcast YouTube channel, Stories of Appalachia Podcast. It’s our story of the Battle of Blair Mountain, the
Appalachia’s Deadly Railroad ExcursionAppalachia’s Deadly Railroad Excursion
After the Civil War, the city of Knoxville, Tennessee, decided to invest in a railroad to Cumberland Gap and Middlesborough. The first train to travel on that railroad from Knoxville
Appalachian Christmas TraditionsAppalachian Christmas Traditions
With Christmas fast approaching, Rod and Steve talk about the history and the folklore behind Christmas in Appalachia… You can subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, PlayerFM,
Tinker Dave Beaty, Union Guerrilla/OutlawTinker Dave Beaty, Union Guerrilla/Outlaw
David Crockett Beaty was a farmer in Fentress County, Tennessee…until the start of the Civil War. He became a guerrilla fighter in that war, on the side of the Union,
The Prodigal PrisonerThe Prodigal Prisoner
In the fall of 1910, 17-year-old Robert Carter was a prisoner in the Dandridge, Tennessee, jail, convicted of larceny of corn from the farm of a Mr. McMahan. He was
The 1902 New River Coal Strike -The Battle of StanafordThe 1902 New River Coal Strike -The Battle of Stanaford
In 1902 coal miners struck the mines along the New River, seeking better wages and better working conditions. The strike continued until February 25, 1903, when a massive gun battle
The Outlaw Kinnie WagnerThe Outlaw Kinnie Wagner
The 1920s were a decade of loosening morals, Prohibition and crime, with notorious outlaws popping up across America. Along with the likes of Al Capone, John Dillinger and Bonnie and
The Fentress County WitchThe Fentress County Witch
In 1843 a prominent man in Jamestown, Tennessee, distributed a broadsheet, under an assumed name, accusing the wife of a tavern owner of being, among other sordid things, a “witch