Dave Tabler, Author at Appalachian History

Grundy VA in 1912 with 'lawless' overlaid in red

We had just as good as no law at all in Buchanan County

The Commonwealths had run away for dealing in Bogus Land Business, and Jim Thomas was never indicted for killing the two men.

joseph diss debar and wv coat of arms he designed

June 20, 2019 Appalachian celebrities / Politics / West Virginia

A (future) noted West Virginian befriends Charles Dickens

Joseph Diss DeBar’s designs became the official seal and coat-of-arms for the state when West Virginia came into the union.

June beetles made a sweet sound while flying around. The method to acquire this living music box was to fasten a long thread to one of the bug’s hind legs.

June 17, 2019 Decoration Day / Family record keeping / Honoring the dead

Decoration Day

An important tradition symbolic of the vital place of family in Appalachian life is Decoration Day, usually held on a Sunday in June.

June 14, 2019 Appalachian scary tales / Georgia / Ghost stories / Halloween

The Devil danced on Fiddlers Mountain

Rose Thompson spent summer of 1946 in Clayton, in Rabun County GA, where an elderly black preacher told her the tale of Fiddler’s Mountain.

Author: Dave Tabler

We had just as good as no law at all in Buchanan County

A (future) noted West Virginian befriends Charles Dickens

The June beetle – capturing a living music box

Decoration Day

The Devil danced on Fiddlers Mountain