Appalachian History

Black Mountain, near the town of Lynch in Harlan County, is Kentucky’s highest point, rising 4125 feet above sea level. It runs along the border of Harlan and Letcher counties, and also along the Kentucky -Virginia border. Thousands of families, most of them Eastern European immigrants, streamed into the shadows of Black Mountain between the [...]

The following family history was written by Joshua Salmans of Greenville, SC. If given the opportunity to meet anyone from the American past, some may be attracted to the likes of Presidents George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. Though I do not deny the extravagant appeal of being present as Washington crossed the Delaware River or [...]

You can send me pretty flowers you can send me valentines Send me letters every day but it won’t pay Leap to my desire, nothing else will do It’s goodbye and so long to you You can hang around and love me you can hang your head and cry Hang my picture on the wall [...]

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 look at maple sugar making [...]

Madison County, KY native Frances Estill Beauchamp (1857-1923) spearheaded the late nineteenth century antiliquor crusade in Kentucky and was a leading figure in the temperance movement nationwide. Beauchamp was a devout Presbyterian and embraced the temperance lifestyle at an early age. She became active in the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1886, when a [...]