Appalachian History

I thought no more of old time play acting in the mountain country till on Christmas Eve in 1930 some of the men and boys at Gander [KY] presented for me an old mummers’ play. Later two of the men gave me a fairly complete text for the play. …All of the contributors were old [...]

Logan News [Logan, WV], July 8, 1976— The Sunday after his election as sheriff in 1920, Don Chafin, “the King of Logan County,” agreed to have his photograph taken at his home on the east end of Main Street. That photograph, made by the Bachrach Studio, is an ideal symbol of the Chafin era. In [...]

Often during the winter evenings and on Sundays some of the woodsmen would drop in on Mr. Smith to discuss some problem concerning their work, or perhaps something of a personal nature for which they felt a need for help. Here, they knew, they had a sympathetic friend whom they could trust, and one capable [...]

The Roanoke [VA] Times, Thursday Morning, December 19, 1929– Body of Floyd County Girl Is Found On Bent Mountain; Disappeared Last Thursday Extensive Search Had Been Made for Freeda Bolt, 18, of Near Willis–Sheriff Locates Body on Information Reported Given Him By Buren Harmon,Held at Floyd in Connection With Case. The body of Freeda Bolt, [...]

We post a new episode of Appalachian History weekly podcast every Sunday. You can start listening right away by clicking the podcast icon over on the right side of your screen. If you’d rather grab the show off itunes for later listening, click here: We open today’s show with a 1962 interview with Sanders Russell, [...]