The Tragedy at the Cowee Tunnel

The Tragedy at the Cowee Tunnel

On December 30, 1881, 30 convicts, along with their guards, were shackled and deposited on the banks of the Tuckaseegee River near Dillboro, North Carolina, with a job to do: cross the river in a boat and then start digging out the Cowee Tunnel for the Western North Carolina Railroad.

19 of the 30 didn't make it across alive.

Today we tell that tragic story.

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Episoder(586)

Forsyth

Forsyth

(Left to Right) Trussie (Jane) Daniel, Oscar Daniel, Tony Howell (defendant in Ellen Grice rape), Ed Collins (witness), Isaiah Pirkle (witness for Howell), and Ernest Knox. At the turn of the 20th cen...

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The Lights In The Sky

The Lights In The Sky

In 1859, a solar storm stronger than any other in recorded history hit the earth, bringing the northern lights all the way down to Cuba and causing massive interference in telegraph lines throughout t...

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The Laurel Creek Murders

The Laurel Creek Murders

In the little town of Hurley, Virginia, in 1909, a widow sold the timber rights to her 150 acres of land for a tidy sum, making her a target for anyone wanting to take that money for himself. On Septe...

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More Mountain Stories

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A few weeks ago, Steve and Rod shared several short stories from Appalachian newspapers in 1891-92. This week, they’re back with a second set of these “short stories” for y’all! Thanks for listening, ...

6 Des 201619min

The Kentucky Fried Chicken War

The Kentucky Fried Chicken War

Hello folks! This week on the podcast, Rod and Steve tell the story of how a Corbin, Kentucky, gas station operator ended up cornering the market for gasoline in Corbin in a gun battle with his compet...

3 Des 201610min

Lots For Sale In Appalachia, Virginia

Lots For Sale In Appalachia, Virginia

No, folks, Rod and I haven’t gotten into the real estate business. What we have done is put together the story of how Bone Marrow Creek, West Virginia, became Appalachia, Virginia, in the eyes of CBS,...

29 Nov 201611min

Eko and Iko, The Ambassadors From Mars

Eko and Iko, The Ambassadors From Mars

In the early part of the twentieth century, two young African American albinos from Truevine, Virginia, made their way into a carnival sideshow, or freak show as it was sometimes called then, and disa...

26 Nov 201614min

The Robbery of the Bank of Huntington

The Robbery of the Bank of Huntington

In 1875, four men rode their horses into Huntington, West Virginia, and proceeded to rob the local bank. Two of them were later captured, one of whom died without revealing his identity, the other tri...

22 Nov 20168min

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