In the heart of Appalachia, a legend looms as large as the mountains themselves. Today, we tell the story of John Wesley Wright. Born in the Elkhorn Valley of Kentucky, John Wright's life was a mix of adventure, violence, and survival. From his early days as a Confederate soldier making a daring escape from Union forces, Wright's exploits during the Civil War set the stage for his legendary status. But his story doesn't end with the war. Wright's journey led him to the circus spotlight...

Today we venture into the untamed wilderness of the late 18th-century Appalachian frontier, along the Ohio River. In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, Steve and Rod unearth the life and lore of Lewis Wetzel, a man whose name is etched in the annals of history as a fearless pioneer, frontiersman, and Indian fighter.     Join us on a journey through time as we trace Wetzel’s origins from uncertain beginnings to his rise as a formidable force known for his exceptional weapon skills who...

Step into the world of Appalachian giants with the incredible tale of Joseph Jefferson Copeland, known to all as Big Joe, the strongest man in Tennessee. In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins bring to life the legend of a man whose feats of strength and size became the benchmark for tales of might in the 19th century.   Join us as we explore the life of Big Joe. We'll share anecdotes that are as heartwarming as they are jaw-dropping, including a Kentucky...

In this captivating episode of Stories of Appalachia, we delve into the lucky discovery that forever altered the lives of a father and son in Monroe County, West Virginia. Join Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins as they recount the day in 1928 when a simple game of horseshoes unearthed a treasure that would remain hidden in plain sight for 15 years.  Hear the tale of the Punch Jones Diamond, an alluvial gem weighing a staggering 34.48 carats, and its journey from an ordinary backyard to the record...

Discover the fascinating tale of George Maledon, the legendary hangman for Arkansas' Hanging Judge Parker, and his peculiar path to Tennessee's Mountain Home veterans cemetery.  Uncover a piece of Old West justice on our latest podcast episode. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast...we're on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends! Become a supporter of this podcast:...

Today we tell the story of the deadliest mine disaster in Eastern Kentucky history, the explosion in shafts number 15 and 16 at Hurricane Creek near Hyden, Kentucky. The Stories podcast is on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Be sure to subscribe! Thanks for listening and for sharing our stories with your friends... Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/stories-of-appalachia--5553692/support.

Russell Bean was the son of William Bean and his wife, Lydia, the first people to settle in what's now Tennessee and for whom Bean Station is named. Russell, considered the first child of European descent to be born in the future Tennessee, was a large, strong man with a temper who most folks avoided that temper came to a boil. Andrew Jackson was a judge on the Tennessee Superior Court, hearing cases at the Washington County Courthouse in Jonesborough at the turn of the 19th century. He also...

In the 1880s and 1890s a bloody feud was happening across two Appalachian counties, with conflicts over hogs, shootings, ambushes, cabins set on fire and the threat of the governor to call in the state militia to stop it. This feud was NOT between the Hatfield and McCoy families in Kentucky and West Virginia. This one was about a hundred miles to the southwest, in Hancock and Hawkins counties in Tennessee and was so violent it's remembered as the Greene-Jones War instead of the Greene-Jones...

After the Civil War, as the South lay in ruins, a group of freedmen decided to depart the Mississippi plantation on which they had been held as slaves in search of a promised land. They found it...in the mountains of Appalachia. Come along with us as we tell the story of one of the first successful black communities in the south, the Kingdom of the Happy Land. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Audible or wherever you get your favorite...

Billy Dean Anderson was born in Fentress County, Tennessee, and, by all accounts, lived a normal law-abiding life as he grew up, even becoming a volunteer preacher in his church. Then it all went horribly wrong. He and some other men held up a theater in Jamestown, beginning a life of crime in two states. He eventually made the FBI most wanted list. This is his story. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast for more Stories of Appalachia...we're on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or...

After the Civil War a young man bought Cherry Mountain in Rutherford County, North Carolina and used the wild cherries found there to add flavor to his distilled product, illegal of course, that became a runaway hit. Not only was his distinctive "Cherry Bounce" popular in his part of Appalachia, but it was also the favored beverage on riverboats from Cincinnati to New Orleans! Today we tell the story of Amos Owens, beloved Appalachian moonshiner! Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast...

John Romulus Brinkley was born in Burnsville, North Carolina, to a former Confederate medic and his housekeeper. From those humble beginnings young Brinkley grew up to become a traveling "Quaker doctor," a medical huckster and conman in both Knoxville, Tennessee and Greenville, South Carolina, a student at several "eclectic medical schools," a successful surgeon in Kansas, renowned for his "goat gonad" transplants into willing men hoping to boost their sexual prowess, the owner of two radio...

Joe Brown was a hell-raiser, thug and violent alcoholic who terrorized the town of Whitmer, West Virginia at the turn of the 20th century. He did, that is, until he went a step too far. That, folks, is our story today. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any of our stories of Appalachia. Thanks for listening and thanks for sharing our stories with your friends. Become a supporter of this podcast:...

On January 3, 1921, a massive fire broke out at the West Virginia state capitol in Charleston. Not a big deal, you might be thinking, fires happen all the time. This one, though, had a twist or three, as you'll find out. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast, at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, Audible or on your favorite podcast app. Thanks for listening and for sharing our little podcast with your friends! Become a supporter of this podcast:...

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: cross the river in a boat and then start digging out the Cowee Tunnel for the Western North Carolina Railroad. 19 of the 30 didn't make it across alive. Today we tell that tragic story. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or on your favorite podcast...

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 feed, house and clothe, with very few job prospects. So she started her own business...moonshining. Bettie Simms was good at that chosen profession but, as so often happens, she had a run-in with the law. Today we tell the story of the woman the press dubbed "The Queen of the Moonshiners," another one of the Stories of...

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, Spreaker, Audible or on your favorite podcast app, whatever that might be. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, y'all!

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, with his most well-known rebel counterpart being Champ Ferguson, with whom he had a running war all its own. Today we tell the story of Tinker Dave Beaty, Union guerrilla/outlaw. Be sure to subscribe on our YouTube channel or on your favorite podcast app so you don't miss any of our Stories of Appalachia!

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 broke out between miners and coal company men, including detectives from the Baldwin-Felts agency and local law enforcement. The battle was fierce, with both sides exchanging gunfire for approximately five minutes. Many of the miners, faced with overwhelming firepower, rushed out of the building and surrendered....

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 of the most extraordinary power." That, as you can imagine, led to legal action in the Fentress County courts. Today we tell the story of the Fentress County witch, another one of the Stories of Appalachia! Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so you don't miss any of our stories of Appalachian history...

Granny women were the healers and caretakers of folks in Appalachia, dispensing folk remedies, serving as midwives, and even dousing for water. These women were essential in rural Appalachia, where doctors and hospitals were scarce. Today we tell the story of one of these women, Orlean Hawk Puckett, from Carroll County, Virginia, known for being a midwife responsible for helping to bring over a thousand Appalachian babies into the world! Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your...

At the turn of the 20th century a wealthy and politically connected man from Grainger County, Tennessee, lost a lawsuit filed by a widow and was ordered to pay her a sum of money. Failing to do that, the court ordered a sale of some lumber this man owed, which was bought by a blacksmith in the community of Thorn Hill. Out of this came two murders, a prison sentence, a feud, and a deadly gun battle at the blacksmith's shop five years later. That, dear listeners, is our story of Appalachia...

In 1914 a series of massive explosions occurred in the Eccles Mine No. 5 near Eccles, West Virginia in Raleigh County, West Virginia, leaving over 180 men and boys dead, including an insurance salesman who had the bad luck of making a call on the miners that day. Today we tell the story of West Virginia's second-worst mine disaster. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audible, or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening to our...

At the turn of the 20th century a young woman named Cora Wilson Stewart was hired as an elementary school teacher, later becoming Rowan County school superintendent. Fifteen years later she began a program that has since spread across the country: the idea of adult education for those who needed it. Today we tell her story and the story of the schools she founded, the Moonlight Schools of eastern Kentucky. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast...we're on Spreaker, Spotify, Apple...

Today we tell the story of one of the 20th century's most brilliant mathematicians, born in Bluefield, West Virginia, and the subject of the movie "A Beautiful Mind," John Forbes Nash, Jr. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, Audible, PlayerFM, Goodpods (where we're #34 on their Top 100 Indie Documentary Podcasts of all time!) or wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for listening! This show is part of the Spreaker Prime Network, if you are...