PODCAST

Stories of Appalachia

Steve Gilly, Rod Mullins

Telling the history and the folklore of Appalachia, one story at a time.

history

All Episodes

The Woman-Hating Hermit of Kentucky

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/04/11

Roger Tandy Quisenberry had every advantage in life: wealth, education, and opportunity, but chose a path few could understand. From the California Gold Rush to a dangerous expedition in Nicaragua, his early years were filled with adventure. But when he returned home to Kentucky, something had changed. He withdrew from everybody, lived alone in a crude cabin, and became known for his extreme isolation and strange behavior.Today we tell the story of Tandy Quisenberry, the woman hating hermit of

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The 1895 Flat Top Coal Strike

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/04/04

In the spring of 1895, a sudden wage cut swept through the Flat Top-Pocahontas coal fields along the Virginia/West Virginia border, touching off one of the earliest large-scale labor confrontations in that part of Appalachia. What began as a wildcat strike quickly shut down mines along the Norfolk and Western Railroad, disrupted coal shipments to Norfolk, and brought state militia into the company town of Pocahontas. Today we tell the story of the Flat Top miners’ strike of 1895. If you enjoy our

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Exploring the Cumberland: The Story of Kasper Mansker

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/03/28

Born aboard a ship of immigrants in the Atlantic Ocean, Kasper Mansker became a longhunter, venturing out to explore the wilderness of Kentucky and Tennessee from his home in what’s now West Virginia. From those longhunts to building Mansker’s Station and helping shape the Cumberland frontier, his life is part of the story of those who moved west on the Appalachian frontier. If you enjoy our stories, be sure to subscribe wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Consider becoming a supporter of the

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The Old Red Fox of East Tennessee: Daniel Ellis

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/03/21

Daniel Ellis of Carter County, Tennessee was a wagon maker who became one of the most successful guides of the Civil War. Living behind Confederate lines in East Tennessee, Ellis created a secret route through the Appalachian Mountains to Union territory at Cumberland Gap.Traveling mostly at night and avoiding Confederate patrols, Ellis made about twenty journeys through East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, guiding roughly four thousand Union supporters to safety. About two thousand of them

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Von Shores: The Daredevil Pilot of the Cumberlands

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/03/14

This week, Rod and Steve tell the story of Ray Vaughn Shores, better known as Von Shores, an Appalachian aviator and popular aerial daredevil in Southwest Virginia and Eastern Kentucky during the 1920s and ’30s, who, it’s said, once crashed his airplane near Pound, Virginia. He was a favorite at local airshows and fairs and it’s also said he ran whiskey for Al Capone during prohibition. Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you get you favorite podcasts. Consider becoming a supporter

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The Kirkland Bushwhackers

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/03/07

This week, we tell a story from the lawless mountain border between western North Carolina and east Tennessee during the Civil War. As great battles raged elsewhere, outlaws and deserters came to the mountains to hide, to rob and to turn old trails and creek crossings into killing grounds.At the center of this story is John Jackson Kirkland and his gang, whose violence touched soldiers, civilians, rivals, and even their own kin. This is a story of a war without sides, and justice that never

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Appalachia’s Blues Brothers: Stick and Brownie McGhee

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/02/28

This week, Steve and Rod tell the story of Granville “Stick” McGhee and Walter “Brownie” McGhee, two brothers from East Tennessee whose music helped shape American blues and early rock ’n’ roll. Born in Knoxville, the McGhee brothers took the music they heard growing up and used it to launch themselves onto the national stage.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast wherever you get your favorite podcasts. Consider becoming a supporter of the podcast and get extra content along with an ad-free

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Off To See the King: The 1730 Cherokee Mission to London

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/02/21

In 1730, seven Cherokee leaders traveled from their Appalachian home to the heart of London. Hand-picked by a Scottish adventurer named Alexander Cumming, they were presented to King George II as “Kings” of a new empire. Today we tell the story of that voyage and how these Native Americans navigated their way through the streets of the city at the center of the British Empire, all while securing an alliance on their own terms. It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia. If you like

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The Cursed Rails of the Big Bull Tunnel

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/02/14

The Big Bull Tunnel in Wise County, Virginia looks like any other railroad tunnel, just a simple cut through a hillside. Looks, though, can be deceiving, as the tunnel’s history is packed with accidents, strange noises, deaths, and a chilling encounter that turned a routine inspection into a bit of Appalachian folklore. In this episode, Steve and Rod tell the story of the tunnel’s difficult construction, the tragedies that followed, and the story that convinced railroad officials something inside

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The Dark Shadows of Blue Ridge

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/02/07

Today we tell not one but two stories, both involving the same community in Fannin County, Georgia. In 1864 two men, brothers-in-law Elisha Stanley and Evan Hughes, became the victims of a gang of violent bushwhackers who terrorized the area during the Civil War, leaving their families to pick up the pieces. Forty years later, in 1906, the Tilley Bend massacre occurred in the same area, causing a local woman, Elizabeth Bradley, known as a “Granny Woman” and healer, to place a curse on

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Outlaws of the High Country: The Story of the Eller Gang

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/01/31

This week Rod and Steve tell the story of a gang of robbers who cast a long shadow over Ashe County, North Carolina in the unsettled years after the Civil War. One by one they fell, until only Linville Eller remained. He, too, met his fate in 1890 after a massive manhunt.This is the story of the Eller Gang, led by brothers Linville and Henry Eller, the North Carolina high country’s most notorious 19th-century outlaws, another one of the Stories of Appalachia. Thanks for listening.

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When a Final Wish Became a Circus: The Story of the...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/01/24

This week’s story is the bizarre true tale of Leila Davidson Hansell, known as “The Sunshine Woman,” and the controversy surrounding her final resting place in Hendersonville, NC.Leila’s final wish upon her death in 1915 was to be buried above ground in a unique mausoleum topped with 147 squares of prism glass, designed to let the sun shine down on her remains. For over two decades, her glass-topped tomb became a must-see tourist attraction, fueled by a 1926 newspaper article

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The Tennessee Moonshiner the Law Couldn’t Hold: The...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/01/17

Born in Blount County, Hut Amerine grew into one of East Tennessee’s most notorious moonshiners. After the Civil War, federal whiskey taxes ignited a bitter conflict between mountain distillers and revenue agents. Accused in the fatal shooting of a federal officer, Amerine became the target of an intense manhunt, spoke publicly in his own defense, escaped jail twice, and ultimately vanished. It’s a true Appalachian outlaw story, another one of the Stories of Appalachia.If you’ve not done so

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Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On: The Story of...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/01/10

James Faye Hall, better known as Roy Hall, was born in Big Stone Gap, Virginia, in 1921. He died in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee in 1984.Between those dates is a story about a hillbilly boogie pianist who played for Uncle Dave Macon in a traveling version of the Grand Ole Opry as a child, formed his own hillbilly/R&B band. He found success in Detroit, worked as a session musician for such Nashville stars as Webb Pierce, Marty Robbins and Red Foley, and was on the very cusp of stardom as a

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The Tally War: The 1906 North Carolina Railroad Riot

Stories of Appalachia ·

2026/01/03

We’ve told the story of labor conflicts from Harlan, Kentucky to Blair Mountain, West Virginia. This week, we tell a story that’s not set in the Kentucky or West Virginia coalfields, but in Western North Carolina. It’s the story of the 1906 “Tally War,” a violent clash between Italian railroad laborers and company officials of contractors for the South and Western Railroad, which was building their railroad through the North Carolina mountains. Between Spruce Pine and Marion, North Carolina, a

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The Lost Town of Mortimer, North Carolina

Stories of Appalachia ·

2025/12/27

A once thriving lumber and mill town in the mountains of western North Carolina, Mortimer rose fast, becoming prosperous…until it was washed away twice in massive flooding events.Shortly after a 1916 wildfire burned large tracts of timberland in the mountains, two hurricanes struck the area back to back, causing historic floods not seen again in the area until Helene in 2024, nearly wiping out the town. The people of Mortimer made a comeback driven by textile work and the CCC, until a final blow

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A Christmas Morning Disaster: The 1882 Millboro,...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2025/12/20

This week Steve and Rod tell the story of a Christmas morning that ended in heartbreak instead of celebration.In 1882, a passenger train and a freight engine collided near Millboro, Virginia, killing six crewmen and scalding the lone surviving passenger. How this tragedy occurred, the story of the men who paid the price along with that of the injured passenger, is another one of the Stories of Appalachia. If you enjoy our stories, be sure to subscribe so you never miss a new episode. You’ll find

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The Long-Haired Red-Bearded Beast of Georgia: John...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2025/12/13

John Pemberton Gatewood was a notorious Confederate bushwhacker/guerrilla leader. Born in Fentress County, Tennessee, in 1844, Gatewood’s life took a dark turn after a Union attack on his family led him to abandon the Confederate army and become a guerrilla fighter. Leading his own unit in north Georgia and known as the long-haired, red-bearded beast, Gatewood was driven by his thirst for revenge after the brutal assault on his family. John Pemberton Gatewood, a figure whose story is

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Moonshine, Murder, and Legend: The Story of Lewis...

Stories of Appalachia ·

2025/12/06

Major Lewis Redmond’s story sounds like it comes from a 19th century dime novel. He was a Carolina moonshiner, an outlaw and, thanks to actually being in some of those dime novels after the Civil War, a folk hero.His killing of a U. S. Marshal led to a life on the run across North and South Carolina, making Redmond a legend. Today we tell his story. Be sure to follow the Stories of Appalachia podcast on your favorite podcast app so you never miss a tale from the mountains.

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Emma Gatewood’s Walk in the Woods

Stories of Appalachia ·

2025/11/29

In 1955, at the age of 67, Emma Gatewood became the first woman to solo thru-hike the Appalachian Trail, from Springer Mountain in Georgia to the top of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. In this episode, Steve and Rod tell the story of her remarkable journey from a childhood in rural Ohio, through years of hardship and abuse, to the day this grandmother stepped onto the trail with nothing but a sack, a shower curtain, and an iron will. Her hike captured America’s attention, inspiring generations of

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Stories of Appalachia

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