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Blog Details for "Appalachian History"
Appalachian HistoryAppalachian HistoryFolktales, anecdotes and quotes drawn from Appalachia. Emphasis on the Depression era. Articles
Listen Here: Appalachian History Weekly podcast posts today
2012-02-12 18:20:00 We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today?s show with the story of Walter & Minnie ... You Might Also Like:Listen Here: weekly Appalachian History podcast posts today
Lots of people thought I was an idiot
2012-02-10 06:00:00 “I never spoke a word until I was nine years old. I only clucked and motioned for what I wanted. Lots of people thought I was an idiot because I could not talk. I may have looked like one, for I was a little old country boy that never cut my hair in those days ... You Might Also Like:The flood trapped people before they knew what was upon them More About: Thought , Idiot
North Carolina politician gives us the word ?debunk?
2012-02-09 06:00:00 The North Carolina historical marker skirts the issue diplomatically: there?s much more to the story of how Felix Walker ?gave new meaning to the word? than the sign is letting on. The verb debunk means to expose or ridicule the falseness or hollowness of a myth, idea or belief. It is made up of the ... You Might Also Like:The Waldensians in North Carolina More About: Word
A system of morality veiled in allegory
2012-02-08 06:00:00 No, they?re not taking over the world, they?re not Illuminati. The Masons were and are a fraternity of men who all share similar moral beliefs (including a belief in a God) and get together regularly, often to raise money for various charities. And for many decades they were at the center of small town life–being ... You Might Also Like:Never to Leave the Holler! More About: Morality , Freemasons
Ah, how poets sing and die!
2012-02-07 06:00:00 Black Man o’ Mine,If the world were your lover,It could not give what I give to you,Or the ocean would yield and you could discoverIts ages of treasure to hold and to view; Could it fill half the measure of my heart’s portion . . .Just for you living, just for you giving all this ... You Might Also Like:I sing behind the plough! More About: Poets
When the wind?s in the west, the sap runs best
2012-02-06 06:00:00 When temperatures begin to rise in February and March, maple sap begins to flow from the roots of trees up the trunks to the branches and limbs. During the short period of spring when the daytime temperatures are above freezing, and the night temperatures are below freezing, the sap flows up and down the tree ... You Might Also Like:Sweet, sticky maple wax More About: Wind , West
Listen Here: Appalachian History Weekly podcast posts today
2012-02-05 06:00:00 We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today?s show with an excerpt from Kentuckian Mary Brewer?s ... You Might Also Like:Listen Here: weekly Appalachian History podcast posts today More About: Podcast , Today , Weekly
The madstone would stick to the wound and draw the poison out
2012-02-03 06:00:00 Right up till the early years of the 20th century, a bite from a rabid animal could strike terror in the hearts of Appalachian residents. Rabies slowly destroys the nervous system. It finally attacks the spinal cord and its victim may froth at the mouth, scream and fight. Before Louis Pasteur developed a successful vaccination ... You Might Also Like:Drinking a quart of whiskey neutralizes the poison without intoxicating the patient
They drew straws for to see who should shave who first
2012-02-02 06:00:00 “Once we hit a place where a feud was being settled. It was back in the hill country of Virginia and the place was called Rocky Comfort. It really wasn’t a town. There was a water-power grist mill, a store, a blacksmith shop and about a quarter of a mile up the little valley there ... You Might Also Like:When he drew his magic bow against his violin’s strings
The accidental town
2012-02-01 06:00:00 There is a town in Maryland?s westernmost county of Garrett that got its name from a happy accident. In 1750, Maryland settler George Deakins was granted 600 acres of land as a payment of a debt from England?s King George II. Deakins sent out two corps of engineers, each without knowledge of the other, to ... You Might Also Like:The (accidental) discovery of a lifetime More About: Town
The Legend of Granny Dollar, part 2 of 2
2012-01-31 06:00:00 (continued from yesterday…) When the Union forces first reached Atlanta, Callahan sent his daughter word not to go in for more goods, but to stay home with the children. From 30 miles away the loud roar of cannon could be clearly heard. She declared in 1928 that she would never forget the battle sound. Callahan ... You Might Also Like:The legend of Granny Dollar , part 1 of 2 More About: Part
The legend of Granny Dollar, part 1 of 2
2012-01-30 06:00:00 She said she was 101 at the time of the interview in the January 28, 1928 issue of the Progressive Farmer, but she remembered the early days of childhood well. There is no doubt that Nancy Emmaline Callahan Dollar , who came to be known as “Granny Dollar,” was what is known as a character. This ... You Might Also Like:The Legend of Granny Dollar, part 2 of 2 More About: Part
Listen Here: Appalachian History Weekly podcast posts today
2012-01-29 06:00:00 We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today?s show with a 1957 interview of one Captain ... You Might Also Like:Listen Here: weekly Appalachian History podcast posts today More About: Podcast , Today , Weekly
The ice knocked ?The Greenland? off the cradles and down the river she came
2012-01-27 06:00:00 This is an excerpt from a 1949 letter written by Capt. Tom Greene, owner of Greene Line Steamers, to his friend Dan Heekin, a Cincinnati industrialist and river buff. The letter was discovered tucked in a copy of Steamboats & Steamboatmen by Ellis C. Mace. ?I have about decided to put the CHRIS GREENE’S whistle ... You Might Also Like:Last of the packet boats More About: River
The Greenbrier Ghost
2012-01-26 06:00:00 On January 23, 1897, Elva Zona Heaster Shue of Lewisburg WV, a bride of three months, was found dead at the bottom of the stairs leading to the second floor of the log house where she lived with her new husband. Her body was discovered by a neighbor, a boy of about 11 years, who ... You Might Also Like:Review: Beyond the Grave, Ghost Stories & Ballads from the Mountains
Looks like the stork is visiting their house again
2012-01-25 06:00:00 When I was born, I guess everybody just threw up their hands! The night I was born, Hobart went to visit with the neighbors, the Buckles family, across the street. According to Hobart, Mr. Gray Buckles said, ?Well, It looks like the stork is visiting Oscar?s house again.” Joe Bush, one of the Buckles? relatives ... You Might Also Like:The Russell House More About: Dell
?Folks Are Talking? CD set releases
2012-01-24 06:00:00 Call him the Studs Terkel of Bluefield, WV and its environs. In the 1970s Garret Mathews, a columnist for that town?s ?Daily Telegraph? newspaper, traveled back into the hollows with photographer Wade Sprees to interview the locals about their lives. He?s gathered 28 of his columns and narrates them on a newly released 2-CD set ... You Might Also Like:My experience was with the folks themselves More About: Talking
Raise your glass to Mr. Robert Burns
2012-01-23 06:00:00 January 25 marks the 253rd birthday of poet Robert Burns (1759-1796), who continues to be widely loved in the Scots-Irish community. Many of the bard’s songs and poems have become international favorites – even among those who find his use of Scottish lowland dialect difficult to decipher. If you find yourself in Franklin, NC this ... You Might Also Like:Heroes and Villains: Robert Chapman Osborne More About: Glass
Listen Here: Appalachian History Weekly podcast posts today
2012-01-22 06:00:00 We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today?s show with the story of the feud over ... You Might Also Like:Listen Here: Appalachian History weekly posts today More About: Podcast , Today , Weekly
Doctor Claudius Meade Capps of Hogskin
2012-01-20 06:00:00 Please welcome guest writer Bonnie Heiskell Peters. Ms. Peters grew up in Union County, Tennessee. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and is retired from TVA. Upon her retirement she began recording Union County history and was appointed Union County Historian in 1994. She has authored or co-authored 8 books: Our Union ... You Might Also Like:Embarrassed wife has Oakland?s first doctor executed
Scripts and Scrip
2012-01-19 06:00:00 Reliving coal?s history to educate, entertain a community This article by Lisa Shrewsberry ran January 18, 2012 in the The Register-Herald of Beckley, WV. It is reprinted here with permission. Call her a living historian. The artistic meshing of rich heritage and exquisite hardship defining Appalachian culture is what coal miner?s daughter, granddaughter and great-granddaughter ... You Might Also Like:Company Store Scrip More About: Scripts
Its wild spirit is true to the life of the West
2012-01-18 06:00:00 Zane Grey is rightly known today as the “Father of the Adult West ern.” The author wrote more than 80 books, featuring rich western imagery and highly romanticized plots with often pointed moral overtones. He’s the best-selling Western author of all time, and for most of the teens, 20s, and 30s, had a least one novel ... You Might Also Like:"A Hard Journey: The Life of Don West" releases More About: Wild , True , Spirit
Women, booze, dice and cards
2012-01-17 06:00:00 It began as a coal and railroad center at the turn of the 20th century in an area fabulously wealthy in natural resources. The only way in and out of the town of five hundred hardy souls was via the railroad as there were no roads in those days. Women , booze, dice and cards were ... You Might Also Like:In two short years our house of cards had fallen — we were orphans More About: Booze , Cards
The shock was so sudden and violent they could not stand it
2012-01-16 06:00:00 On January 17, 1781, American General Daniel Morgan scored a stunning victory over British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre ?Barbarous Ban? Tarleton?s regulars at the Battle of Cowpens, in what is now Cherokee County, SC. This win came at a crucial time for Revolutionary War patriots in the South, who had been repeatedly forced to retreat. Private ... You Might Also Like:They retreated off, leaving us entire masters of the field More About: Shock
Listen Here: Appalachian History Weekly podcast posts today
2012-01-15 06:00:00 We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today’s show with a look at feedsack fashion, which ... You Might Also Like:Listen Here: weekly Appalachian History podcast posts today More About: Podcast , Today , Weekly
Dedicating the Arrowhead Monument at Old Fort
2012-01-13 06:00:00 Old Fort: the name says it. It is indeed one of the oldest towns in western North Carolina, and it was originally a fort, built by the colonial militia before the Declaration of Independence. Once called ?Gateway to the West,? the settlement served as the westernmost outpost of the early Thirteen Colonies. Frequent skirmishes between ... You Might Also Like:The Catawbas teach former enemy their pottery secrets
We shook hands with them all, including two held for murder
2012-01-12 06:00:00 “The administration of justice in the isolated areas still surprises the visitor with its differences from the ways of the town. Despite a few modern touches, a cuspidor or two missing, or the presence of some young lawyers fresh from the state university, a mountain trial is in spirit much the same as when I ... You Might Also Like:The unsolved murder of Mamie Thurman More About: Murder , Hands
The Lincoln Memorial, the NY Stock Exchange, and Tate, GA
2012-01-11 06:00:00 Small marble quarries had been active in north Georgia since the discovery in the 1830?s of the rare, bright pink marble that the area is famous for. But under the 3-generation dynasty of the Tate family, the Georgia Marble Company, begun in 1884, rose to monopoly status. Georgia Marble Company stone can be found in ... You Might Also Like:Muralist Lola Poston and the Lincoln Theatre More About: Exchange , Stock , Memorial
The bondage photos? Why, I thought they were cute
2012-01-10 06:00:00 Her provocative pin-up images violated all manner of the era’s sexual taboos, finally invoking a United States Senate Committee investigation into pornography. In 1955, Bettie Page was summoned from New York City to Capitol Hill by Sen. Estes Kefauver, a moral crusader known for wearing coonskin caps. Kefauver, a Madisonville, TN native, was at the ... You Might Also Like:Lots of people thought I was an idiot More About: Cute , Photos , Thought
Stories of Appalachia and its people
More articles from this author:2012-01-09 06:00:00 Please welcome guest writer Lisa King. King was born and educated in Southwest Virginia, traveled with her job all over America in her twenties and early thirties, then came back to the mountains to raise her daughter. ”I?ve been employed as everything from a quality control technician in industrial construction, to a mail processing plant ... You Might Also Like:Letting the mountain people tell their own stories More About: People , Stories 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
