Stories of Appalachia
Steve Gilly • History
Steve Gilly • History
Stories of Appalachia
Steve Gilly • History
Steve Gilly • History

About

Welcome to "Stories of Appalachia," the podcast where hosts Steve Gilly and Rod Mullins have been unraveling the captivating history and folklore of the Appalachian region since 2015. Join them as they guide you through mist-covered mountains and winding rivers, exploring the stories that define the heart and soul of Appalachia.

Episodes

  • The Mendota Gunslinger? The Story of Texas Jack
    Today we tell a story with echoes of the Wild West…along with a twist! We unravel the mysterious life of Jack Vermillion of Mendota, Virginia, a man who many say once walked the dusty streets of Tombstone, Arizona, alongside the legendary Earp...
  • Devil John Wright of the Cumberlands
    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...
  • Deathwind in the Wilderness: The Lewis Wetzel Story
    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...
  • Appalachian Goliath-The Tale of Tennessee's Strongest Man
    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...
  • The Punch Jones Diamond, Appalachia's Hidden Gem
    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...
  • The Hanging Judge's Executioner
    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...
  • The 1970 Hurricane Creek Mine Explosion
    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...
  • Frontier Justice: Russell Bean and Andrew Jackson
    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...
  • The Greene-Jones War
    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 Kingdom of the Happy Land
    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...
  • Billy Dean Anderson: Appalachia's Most Wanted Outlaw
    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...
  • Amos Owens: The Cherry Mountain Moonshiner
    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...
  • Dr. John R. Brinkley: The Goat Gland Doctor from Appalachia
    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...
  • The Tragic End of Outlaw Joe Brown
    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...
  • The 1921 West Virginia Capitol Fire
    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...
  • The 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: cross the river in a boat and then start digging out the Cowee Tunnel for...
  • Bettie 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 feed, house and clothe, with very few job prospects. So she started her own...
  • Appalachian 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, Spreaker, Audible or on your favorite podcast app,...
  • Tinker 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, with his most well-known rebel counterpart being Champ Ferguson, with whom he had...
  • The 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 broke out between miners and coal company men, including detectives...