Dave Tabler, Author at Appalachian History

He could talk as much as he could fiddle

Fiddlin’ John Carson made his name recording “Little Old Log Cabin in the Lane” in 1923. How did he get there?

Olivia Tutwiler had her pick of the 1919 crop of VPI boys. The baddest of the bad boys there stole her heart. Could she win his?

When WWII hit, American pipe makers couldn’t get imported briar wood any longer. Mountain laurel and rhododendron stepped in to fill the gap.

It was peculiar not so much on account of the crime as it was because of the unheard-of conduct of the sheriff and prisoner after conviction.

The National Spelling Bee began in Kentucky. A look at the culture that spawned the event tells why that should be no surprise.