Appalachian History

Sunday Magazine–St. Louis Post Dispatch–May 9, 1926 OLD MAN WRIGHT RIDES INTO EXILESo as to Git Away From Trouble, This Settler of the Hills–Fighter and Killer–Sits Astride His Mare and Goes Slowly Down to the Valleys.By HARRY R. BURKEOf the Post-Dispatch Staff Pikeville, KY—Old Man Lige Wright packed his traps in the saddlebags and gingerly [...]

Please welcome guest writer Jessica Forsyth.  Forsyth is a local historian who serves as the Director of Activities and Events for the Big Sandy Heritage Center, a historical museum in Pikeville, Kentucky. One of Forsyth’s many roles includes assisting Pike County Tourism in raising awareness of the area’s cultural and historical locales and events. Forsyth [...]

In Appalachia Santa Claus comes the weekend before Thanksgiving. Since 1943, the Santa Special, more commonly known as the Santa Train, has traveled 110 miles through the mountains of eastern Kentucky, southwest Virginia and northeastern Tennessee to distribute loads of candy, toys and other goodies to eager bystanders, most of whom have made it a [...]

By the end of his long career, John Paul Riddle (1901-1989) had received the British Empire award and been inducted into the Kentucky Aviation Hall of Fame and the Florida Aviation Historical Society. But on July 4, 1923 the Pikeville, KY native and ex-Army airman was busy flying his Jenny under the town’s Middle Bridge [...]

“Pa bought a mountain farm of about eighty acres that was located about five miles up Coon Creek from where the state road went from Pikeville, Kentucky to Williamson, W. Va. This farm had a framed four-room house on it, but Pa was never satisfied with it, as it was all hillside except maybe two [...]