In this episode, we tell the dramatic true story of Charles Jefferson Harrison, a respected San Antonio businessman who became one of Appalachia's most elusive train robbers.  

Caught when an employee tried to deposit some of the loot from a 1915 robbery, Harrison and his partners in crime were tried in Martinsburg, West Virginia in 1916, where the grizzled outlaw stunned the public by breaking down in tears and confessing to a string of crimes dating back more than two decades. It turns out Harrison lived a double life that fooled everyone around him including his ex-wife.

It's another one of the Stories of Appalachia.  

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On December 14, 1910, a deadly explosion rocked the Greeno Mine in Tacoma, Virginia, claiming 14 lives and leaving a lasting mark on the Appalachian coalfields. Today we tell the story of Irish immigrant Patrick Hagan, who once owned the land on which the mine was located, and the dangerous conditions that led to this tragedy.

It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia.

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A preacher with five wives, a kidnapped teenage girl, and a cross-country manhunt.  This isn’t fiction, it’s the unbelievable true story of Joseph Herman Johnson, a Primitive Baptist minister whose lies and crimes unraveled in an East Tennessee courtroom in 1927. From bigamy to abduction to a bizarre promise of Hollywood stardom to his victim, this episode covers one of the most twisted scandals in Appalachian history, another one of the Stories of Appalachia.  

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In this episode we explore the lesser-known but historically rich Johnson City Sessions of 1928 and 1929. While the Bristol Sessions are often credited as the “Birthplace of Country Music,” Johnson City played a vital follow-up role in capturing the authentic sounds of Appalachia.

Frank Buckley Walker, a Columbia Records talent scout, recorded local musicians in a Johnson City lumber company office, including Clarence Ashley, Charlie Bowman, and the Roane County Ramblers.

It's another one of the Stories of Appalachia.

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Nannie Kelly Wright ran an iron furnace at a time when most women weren’t even allowed near one. Born in Kentucky, raised on the Ohio River, and later married into the iron industry, Nannie became one of the few women in American history to manage a furnace operation herself — traveling weekly, overseeing workers, and building a fortune.

Once rumored to be the richest woman in the world after Queen Victoria, she was also presented at the Court of St. James, backed Teddy Roosevelt’s trust-busting policies, and made headlines with a divorce scandal where her husband asked for alimony.

Join us as we tell the story of Nannie Kelly Wright, Appalachia’s Iron Lady.

William McClellan Ritter didn’t just cut down trees, he built an empire. In this week’s episode, we tell his story, from Pennsylvania farm boy to head of one of the world’s largest lumber companies. He built railroads, ran coal mines, advised the U.S. war effort in World War I and once gifted $3 million to his workers.
 
But that story also includes the cutting down of much of Appalachia’s old growth forests and forced labor charges that stained his legacy.
 
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On a quiet Sunday morning in the spring of 1782, Pastor John Corbly and his family were headed for church when he realized he’d forgotten his Bible and turned back alone to get it. That action saved his life when his family was ambushed by Indians.

In this episode of the Stories podcast, Steve and Rod tell the chilling true story of the Corbly family massacre near Garards Fort, Pennsylvania.

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On this episode of the Stories podcast, we tell the dramatic tale of Gus McCoig, a Jefferson County boy who became one of East Tennessee’s most notorious Depression-era outlaws. McCoig’s story starts with his chance encounter with outlaw Clarence Bunch in a jail cell, followed by their escape and his later capture and conviction for crimes he committed while in the Bunch gang.  After he escaped the Tennessee State Prison, he went on a crime spree across East Tennessee that ended with his capture and execution at just 25 years old.

It’s another one of the Stories of Appalachia.

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Step back in time to the golden era of Appalachian luxury as we explore the rise and fall of Tate Springs, a once-famous resort in Bean Station, Tennessee. Known for its healing mineral spring, lush golf course, and elite clientele, including the Rockefellers and Fords, Tate Springs was the South's hidden gem. Discover how this jewel of East Tennessee became a forgotten relic and what still remains today.

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In the winter of 1779, a determined group of Appalachian settlers set out on a thousand-mile journey by river, led by Virginia surveyor John Donelson.

Battling disease, starvation, ambushes, and the raw forces of nature, they pushed westward down the Holston River, into the Tennessee River, the Ohio and then up the Cumberland River, all through hostile and unknown lands.

Their goal? A place called French Lick—later known as Nashville.

In this episode, Steve and Rod trace the expedition that carried Appalachian grit to Middle Tennessee, laying the foundations for the city many call “The Athens of the South.”

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