The Legend of Swift’s Silver MineThe Legend of Swift’s Silver Mine
It’s been said that there is a mine somewhere in Appalachia, in which a vein of the highest quality silver can be found. And it’s located…well, that’s the problem. Nobody
French, The Alderson LionFrench, The Alderson Lion
The latter part of the 19th century was the golden age of the circus in America. A traveling circus with its acrobats, wild animals and the sideshow was an attraction
Boonesborough Named – 1775Boonesborough Named – 1775
In 1775 Daniel Boone established Boone’s Station to the southeast of what’s now Lexington, Kentucky. Boone’s Station, owned by the Transylvania Company headed by Richard Henderson and Nathaniel Hart, was
The Murder of the Richards SistersThe Murder of the Richards Sisters
Early in 1940 two middle-aged sisters and a teen-aged boy who did odd jobs for them were brutally murdered in their home in Oliver Springs, Tennessee. These killings were unsolved
World War I Anti-Conscription Movement – 1917World War I Anti-Conscription Movement – 1917
One hundred five years ago this month opposition against the draft was coming to a boil, including in Appalachia. With the entry of the United States into World War I
Buried Alive – The Story of Octavia HatcherBuried Alive – The Story of Octavia Hatcher
James Hatcher married Octavia Smith in Pikeville, Kentucky, in 1889. The couple had a son, Jacob, who died shortly after his birth and Octavia soon spiraled into a deep depression
The Showgirl and the Tobacco HeirThe Showgirl and the Tobacco Heir
On November 23, 1931, 20-year-old Zachary Smith Reynolds of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, was divorced from his first wife. Six days later he married his second wife, Broadway showgirl Libby Holman,
The Murders On Laurel CreekThe Murders On Laurel Creek
In 1909 a mass murder of a family occurred near Hurley, Virginia, that made headlines throughout the country. Today we tell the story of that crime. If you haven’t done
Surrender of Timberland To Smoky Mountains Commission – May 30, 1929Surrender of Timberland To Smoky Mountains Commission – May 30, 1929
On this day in 1929 the Little River Lumber Company turned over 7,916 acres of timberland to the Great Smoky Mountains commission, largely ending a dispute over the right to
Good TroubleGood Trouble
In 1965 a Kentucky widow managed to drive the coal company from her land with what was called a “sit-in,” an early use of peaceful civil disobedience in Appalachia. Today