Stories of Appalachia

23:02

Hunted in East Tennessee: The True Story of Robert A....

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/10/03

This week Steve and Rod share the true survival story of Captain Robert A. Ragan.A schoolteacher and Union supporter from Cocke County in East Tennessee, Ragan was forced into hiding for 18 months after Confederate soldiers dragged him from his classroom.Living as a fugitive in the mountain wilderness, Ragan survived close encounters with rebel patrols, a brutal foot injury, and near-executions. He went on to become a mountain "pilot," guiding hundreds of Unionists across enemy lines into Kentucky,

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18:02

James Rumsey and America's First Steamboat

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/09/26

Before Robert Fulton, there was James Rumsey, an inventor who defied his skeptics and the power of the Potomac River at Shepardstown, in what’s now West Virginia.Today we tell the story of how a chance encounter with George Washington led to Rumsey’s water-jet propelled steamboat twenty years before Robert Fulton’s Claremont and a patent war with another inventor.Subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app so you never miss our stories. Thanks for listening!

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17:33

From Bear Hunter to Aviator: The Fiercely Independent...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/09/19

Before Elkmont became a tourist destination and eventually a ghost town, it was home to Levi Trentham, a mountain landowner, businessman, hunter, guide, and unofficial mayor.As railroads, lumber companies, wealthy tourists, and then the Great Smoky Mountains National Park transformed the Smokies, Levi watched the world he knew disappear. He also fought against the stereotypes outsiders used to portray Appalachian people, insisting that the people he knew were intelligent, capable, and

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15:12

The Night Hell Came to Asheville: The Outlaw Will Harris

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/09/12

In 1906, escaped convict Will Harris arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, and unleashed one of the most violent crime sprees in the city’s history. After killing several men, including police officers, Harris fled Asheville, sparking a massive manhunt involving hundreds of armed citizens.This is the story of Will Harris, the outlaw who claimed he came straight from hell… and brought hell with him to Asheville.Be sure to like, comment and subscribe for more Stories of Appalachia.Thanks for

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13:08

Mad Anne Bailey: Widow, Scout and Appalachian...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/09/05

Richard Trotter was killed at the Battle of Point Pleasant in 1774, leaving behind his wife, Anne. Instead of living quietly, raising their son, she became a scout and courier on the Appalachian frontier, earning the nickname “Mad Anne” for her fearless rides through dangerous territory before marrying another man she met on the frontier.Her life was full of adventure, including the often told story of her daring mission to bring gunpowder to an isolated frontier fort threatened with attack by the

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22:20

The Marrying Parson: The Preacher at the Train Station

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/08/29

For decades a preacher would come to the Bristol, Virginia, train station to meet the incoming trains, looking for couples who’d come to the city to elope. He claimed to have married 5,142 couples, over 10,000 people, in a matrimonial career that included rival preachers, angry fathers, runaway couples, a “matrimonial hotel,” and even a plea to the state of Tennessee for a state pension based on his marrying work.This week we tell the story of Alfred Harrison Burroughs, known as “The Marrying

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29:46

The Whiskey Rebellion

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/08/22

In 1794, thousands of federalized militia marched into western Pennsylvania to put down an uprising by American farmers. Their crime? Making whiskey and refusing to pay a federal tax on it.The Whiskey Rebellion was the first major test of the new federal government's authority, and George Washington personally accompanied the troops sent to suppress it. But why did a tax on whiskey bring the young United States so close to civil war?It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia.Subscribe to the

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14:48

Old Dill Asher: The Kentucky Pioneer Who Became a Legend

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/08/15

Dillion “Old Dill” Asher was one of the early pioneers of southeastern Kentucky, a frontier soldier and farmer who became the toll keeper at the Cumberland River ford at what’s now Pineville, giving him a front row seat to the early settlement of the state.In this episode, we tell Old Dill’s story, from his connection to the first settlers in what became Tennessee, his military service, his journeys into Kentucky along the Wilderness Road, the settlement of Red Bird Valley, and his, shall we say,

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15:13

The Frontier's Most Dangerous Woman: The Story of...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/08/08

In 1779, on the Georgia frontier, a group of armed Loyalist soldiers forced their way into Nancy Hart's cabin, demanding a hot meal from a helpless woman and her daughter.Instead, they found themselves face to face with one of the American Revolution's toughest and fiercest patriots.Join us as we tell the story of Nancy Hart, whose courage, quick thinking, and daring stand against soldiers loyal to the British crown made her one of the most celebrated heroines of the southern Appalachian frontier,

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22:45

The Taylor-Mullins Feud: The Road to the Killing Rock

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/08/01

The infamous Killing Rock massacre ended with the deaths of a moonshiner and his wife and several of their friends on a mountain along the Virginia-Kentucky border. It began years earlier with a lawsuit, a bitter rivalry, and two determined men on opposite sides of the law. This week, we trace the feud between lawman Doc Marshall Benton Taylor and moonshiner Ira "Bad Ira" Mullins, and the long road that ended in one of the most notorious acts of violence in that part of Appalachia.It’s another one

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21:43

Franklin's Last Battle: Sevier's Attack at Flint Creek

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/07/25

In the winter of 1789, Cherokee war leader John Watts made a daring decision. Instead of returning to the Chickamauga towns as he usually did for the winter, he established a hidden winter camp deep in the mountains, at what’s now the Lamar Alexander Rocky Fork State Park in Unicoi County, Tennessee, so he and his men could attack the frontier farms when it was least expected. When John Sevier learned of the camp's location, he led a militia through snow and bitter cold to launch a surprise attack

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15:33

47 Years a Hermit: The Strange Afterlife of William...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/07/18

In the late 1780s a man from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, William Hewitt, crossed the Ohio River seeking to find solitude in the Appalachian wilderness after heartbreak changed his life forever. Living alone in caves and rough dugouts for nearly fifty years, Hewitt lived in peace alongside the Shawnee, served as a scout during the War of 1812, and became a legend across southeastern Ohio. But the strangest chapter of his story began after his death.Join us as we tell the haunting true story of the

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14:36

The Untamable Monster Well of 1894: Big Moses

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/07/11

In September 1894, a routine drilling operation on a Tyler County, West Virginia, farm broke into a massive natural gas pocket, unleashing one of the most powerful and uncontrollable wells the world had ever seen. For nearly a year, the Big Moses well defied human engineering, triggered massive fissures in the ground, survived two separate lightning strikes, and wasted billions of cubic feet of gas.Join us as we tell this wild true story from the West Virginia oil boom era about the legendary Big

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32:07

The Devil in the Mountains- The Story of Vincent...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/07/04

Vincent “Clawhammer” Witcher became one of the most feared Confederate guerrilla leaders along the Virginia/Kentucky border in the Civil War. As the leader of what was called “Witcher’s Boys, he operated from the Ohio River in what’s now West Virginia down into northeast Tennessee, bringing brutal violence to both friend and foe alike. This week we tell his story, including notorious incidents in Lee County, Virginia and Unicoi County, Tennessee, that earned him the name “The Devil in the

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14:22

A Witness to History: The Frontier Life of Captain...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/06/27

The early settlements along the Watauga and Holston Rivers in what’s now Tennessee were the very beginning of "The Wild West." While names like Daniel Boone, John Sevier, and William Bean filled the history books, another man was standing right beside them at nearly every major turning point—yet his story has been lost to time. In this episode, suggested by one of our listeners, Steve and Rod tell the story of Captain William Asher. One of the first to arrive in the Watauga settlement, Captain

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16:04

Appalachia's Forgotten Uprising: Claypool's Rebellion

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/06/20

In 1781, as the American Revolution raged, Appalachian settlers in what’s now West Virginia rose in armed rebellion against the Virginia government. Angry over crushing taxes, forced military service, and wartime demands, John Claypool led an Appalachian backcountry revolt that sparked panic across the Shenandoah Valley. This is the little-known story of Claypool’s Rebellion, another one of the Stories of Appalachia.

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15:12

The Night Hell Came to Asheville: The Outlaw Will Harris

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/06/19

In 1906, escaped convict Will Harris arrived in Asheville, North Carolina, and unleashed one of the most violent crime sprees in the city’s history. After killing several men, including police officers, Harris fled Asheville, sparking a massive manhunt involving hundreds of armed citizens.This is the story of Will Harris, the outlaw who claimed he came straight from hell… and brought with him to Asheville.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast; you'll find us on your favorite podcast app.Thanks

en

15:42

A State of Natural Liberty: The Incredible Life of...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/06/13

Quill Rose was a Confederate veteran, bear hunter, blacksmith, storyteller, and moonshiner who lived deep in the Smoky Mountains along Eagle Creek. In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we tell his story, from Cades Cove in the 1840s through war, family life, isolation, to his illegal whiskey-making in the mountains.Along the way, Quill became a figure known not just for survival, but also for his loyalty to family, his reputation with Plott hounds, his run-ins with the law, and the many

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16:16

Stagecoaches, Soldiers and Ghosts- The Story of the...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/06/06

This week we have not one but two podcast episodes for you!In this one, we go to Glen Ferris, West Virginia, a town at the falls of the Kanawha River, to tell the story of the Glen Ferris Inn, a place that hosted presidents, businessmen, Civil War generals and even, it’s said, a ghost! If you’ve not done so already, be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast so you don’t miss any of our stories. You’ll find us wherever you get your favorite podcasts.Thanks for listening!

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9:40

A Dark December in Kentucky: The Disappearance of...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/06/06

This week we have not one, but two episodes for you!For this story, we travel back to December of 1908, when people in Russell and Adair counties in Kentucky were shaken after 12-year-old Mamie Womack failed to return home from school. Her disappearance that winter afternoon triggered a desperate search, as neighbors, family, and bloodhounds followed a trail through the woods that uncovered a horrible crime.As the hunt for answers widened, suspicion fell on Elmer Hill, a young man with ties to the

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