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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Today we tell the story of the battle over the Tellico Dam, the last major project of the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA's ambitious plans for the Tellico project included not only a dam and lake but also the development of a brand-new city to be called Timberlake.  

However, the project faced fierce resistance from landowners who were being forced to sell their land, the Cherokee, whose most important Overhill towns were going to be flooded by the dam, and environmentalists trying to save the habitat of the endangered snail darter fish.   

A lawsuit over the fish won a victory in the Supreme Court for those wanting to stop the Tellico Dam, but that wasn’t the end of the story, as you’ll find out in this episode.  

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Nearly twenty years before Tennessee was a state, William Bean built a cabin along the Watagua River and planted roots. In this episode, we tell the story of his journey from longhunter to settler, his friendship with Daniel Boone, and his wife Lydia’s dramatic rescue from execution by Cherokee Beloved Woman Nancy Ward.

It’s the story of Tennessee’s first settlement, the founding of Bean Station, and a life that helped shape the Appalachian frontier.

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This week, Steve and Rod bring you the remarkable story of Isaac Cline, a Tennessee-born son of Appalachia who rose to become one of America’s most respected meteorologists. From his humble beginnings in a two-room log cabin near the Great Smoky Mountains to his fateful role during the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Cline’s life was marked by groundbreaking contributions, profound loss, and an enduring legacy.

He defied standard protocol of the time to warn the people of Galveston and turned that tragedy into a mission to redefine storm forecasting.

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In this episode of Stories of Appalachia, we tell the story of a shocking event in January 1927 in Jefferson County, Tennessee.

That was when a prominent county businessman named W.B. Johnson turned from respected community member to notorious outlaw. This tale unfolds with a fateful meeting involving Johnson, two women, and a tragic dispute that escalated into a deadly confrontation.

This is a story of tragedy, madness, and the dark side of the Appalachia. 

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