Appalachian speech Archives - Appalachian History

Why are they called ‘Molly Moochers’?

How a Revolutionary War hero nicknamed ‘Molly Pitcher’ may have lent her moniker to the morel mushroom in Central Appalachia.

There’s much more to the story of how Felix Walker ‘gave new meaning to the word’ than the historical marker sign is letting on.

Ever heard the expression duke’s mixture? It has nothing to do with royalty, unless you consider the 19th century tobacco titans to be such.

Mountain dialect reflects the Anglo-Saxon origin of the mountain people; obsolete words found in Shakespeare and the KJV Bible are common.

“What in tarnation?” is one of a big variety of euphemistic expressions of surprise or bewilderment that arose in 18th & 19th century America.

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