The Eccles Mine Disaster
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 salesma...
11 Nov 202315min
Cora Wilson Stewart and the Moonlight Schools of Kentucky
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 p...
4 Nov 20239min
John Forbes Nash, Jr.: Appalachia's Mathematical Genius
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 s...
28 Okt 20239min
Dark Deeds in the Mountains: The Twisted Tale of Thomas David Carr
Thomas David Carr was born in Wheeling, West Virginia in 1846. After a childhood marked by abuse, a prison term at age 8 and an attemped poisoning of one of his "acquaintances," Carr joined the Union ...
21 Okt 202312min
The Sanctified Hill Mudslide
Sanctified Hill was a section of Cumberland, Kentucky, where many retired African American miners and their families resided in homes many had built themselves. In 1972 heavy rains fell across Appala...
14 Okt 20238min
The Curious Case of L. K. Garber
Around the turn of the 20th century a man charged with murder escaped from the Scott County, Virginia, jail and headed to Texas. He likely would have spent the rest of his life there but for an accid...
7 Okt 20239min
The Battle of Point Pleasant
Rising tensions along the Appalachian frontier culminated with what's called "Lord Dunmore's War," named after the royal governor of Virginia, Lord Dunmore. That conflict came to a head with a battle...
30 Sep 202311min
The West Virginia Mine Wars: Matewan
Our story of the West Virginia Mine Wars continues at Matewan, West Virginia, where a famous gun battle left several mine company hired guards dead, along with the town mayor, among others. The fight...
23 Sep 202312min
