George Roby Dempster

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 ve...

30 Des 202313min

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, S...

23 Des 202311min

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 c...

16 Des 202317min

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 ...

9 Des 202312min

In 1843 a prominent man in Jamestown, Tennessee, distributed a broadsheet, under an assumed name, accusing the wife of a tavern owner of being, among other sordid things, a "witch of the most extraord...

2 Des 202310min

Granny women were the healers and caretakers of folks in Appalachia, dispensing folk remedies, serving as midwives, and even dousing for water. These women were essential in rural Appalachia, where do...

25 Nov 202314min

At the turn of the 20th century a wealthy and politically connected man from Grainger County, Tennessee, lost a lawsuit filed by a widow and was ordered to pay her a sum of money. Failing to do that,...

18 Nov 202312min

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