After the Civil War, thousands of defeated Confederates refused to live under the Union flag. Instead, they packed up their families and headed for new lives in South America in a Confederate exodus from the United States.

One of them was Ezekiel B. Pyles, a young man from the mountains of north Georgia, who rode with General John Hunt Morgan’s raiders, fought across East Tennessee and Southwest Virginia and was captured at the Battle of Kingsport before becoming part of Jefferson Davis’ guard as he fled Richmond at the end of the Civil War.  

His story didn’t end there, for he joined around 20,000 other Southerners who migrated to Brazil to start over.  

In this episode, Rod and Steve tell the story of Pyles’ incredible journey — from the hills of Appalachia to the colony of Americana. 
 
It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia.

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In August 1925, two years before the famed Bristol Sessions, Ralph Peer and Okeh Records set up a temporary studio on the rooftop of Asheville’s brand-new Vanderbilt Hotel.

Over ten sweltering days, local musicians cut sixty test records, capturing the raw sounds of traditional Appalachian ballads, banjo tunes, and old songs. Though often overlooked, these Asheville sessions lit the spark that would explode two years later in Bristol, igniting the Big Bang of country music.

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This Halloween marks 10 years of stories from Rod and Steve; to mark the holiday and our tenth anniversary, we’re going to take you deep into the dark side of Appalachia with two chilling tales from southwest Virginia.
 
First, Steve tells the story of three strange sisters who ran girls’ schools in Murfreesboro and Christiansburg—women whispered to be linked to evil spirits and who eventually faced justice for a terrible crime. Some say their spirits still haunt the ground where their school stood in Christiansburg over a hundred years ago.
 
Then, Rod shares the legend of two cunning sisters from Scott County, whose greed and cruelty led to a savage end. Their ghosts are said to still haunt the cemetery where they were denied burial.

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Happy Halloween, y’all!

We’ve told hundreds of stories about Appalachia, but few are as bizarre as the night a Kentucky drug smuggler named Andrew Thornton II fell to his death during a smuggling run over south Knoxville, Tennessee back in 1985. Join Steve and Rod as they tell the incredible story of a decorated police officer and practicing lawyer who led a double life as a major drug smuggler and the connections between this run and an incident with a black bear in north Georgia that would eventually inspire a well-known Hollywood movie.

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In July, 1912, a joyful Fourth of July outing on a mountain turned into a tragedy when a crowded passenger coach collided head-on with a massive coal train on the Wilpen Branch of the Ligonier Valley Railroad in Pennsylvania. The wooden coach was crushed between engines, killing 27 and injuring over 30, many of them young children.

This week, Steve and Rod tell the story of that crash and the haunting aftermath in the town of Ligonier.

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In November 1861, a secret band of East Tennessee Unionists struck at the heart of Confederate supply lines by burning railroad bridges across the region. They believed the Union army would soon march in to liberate them, but it didn’t happen. Instead, Confederate authorities unleashed brutal retaliation, hanging several of the men, while others barely escaped with their lives. In this episode, we tell the story of the East Tennessee bridge burners, the risks they took and the terrible cost they paid.
 
It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia.
 
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This week, we wrap up our commemoration of the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene by talking with Mitchell County’s David Biddix, who documented the effects of the storm and its aftermath in that hard-hit part of North Carolina. From his home in Spruce Pine to small communities like Poplar, and along the Nolichucky where CSX rail lines were washed away, he shares what he saw as the area endured the flooding of September 2024.

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When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina a year ago, it left behind washed-out roads, flooded homes, and communities cut off from each other. For first responders, the storm was more than just a headline, it was a fight to save lives.

In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we sit down with Kevin Behm, a firefighter and first responder with the Nebo Fire Station in McDowell County, North Carolina, who lives in Marion. Kevin was on duty the night Helene hit and in the days that followed. He shares what it was like working that night and on the days that followed, navigating road closures and flooding and seeing firsthand how his neighbors pulled together in the aftermath of the storm.

It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia.

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On the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s flooding in Appalachia, Rod and Steve share the story of Maria True, general manager of Jet Broadcasting in Erwin, Tennessee. When the Nolichucky River overflowed, it destroyed the studios and AM tower of WEMB and WXIS, along with family belongings tied to her and her late father and former station owner, Jim True. In this episode, Maria talks about the impact of the flood, the recovery in Erwin, and her plans for the future of the stations. 

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In July 1944, a troop train packed with new Army recruits derailed near Jellico, Tennessee, plunging into Clear Fork River. Thirty-five soldiers died and ninety-one were injured. In this episode, Steve and Rod tell the story of how Tennessee prepared for World War II and the one tragic night that brought the war home to Appalachia.

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