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The 1912 Ligonier Valley Train Crash
In July, 1912, a joyful Fourth of July outing on a mountain turned into a tragedy when a crowded passenger coach collided head-on with a massive coal…
4 months, 2 weeks ago
The Bridge Burners of East Tennessee
In November 1861, a secret band of East Tennessee Unionists struck at the heart of Confederate supply lines by burning railroad bridges across the re…
4 months, 3 weeks ago
Stories of Helene: David Biddix, Spruce Pine, North Carolina
This week, we wrap up our commemoration of the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene by talking with Mitchell County’s David Biddix, who documented t…
4 months, 3 weeks ago
Stories of Helene: Kevin Behm, Marion, North Carolina
When Hurricane Helene tore through western North Carolina a year ago, it left behind washed-out roads, flooded homes, and communities cut off from ea…
5 months ago
Stories of Helene: Maria True, Erwin, Tennessee
On the first anniversary of Hurricane Helene’s flooding in Appalachia, Rod and Steve share the story of Maria True, general manager of Jet Broadcasti…
5 months, 1 week ago
The Jellico Troop Train Disaster of 1944
In July 1944, a troop train packed with new Army recruits derailed near Jellico, Tennessee, plunging into Clear Fork River. Thirty-five soldiers died…
5 months, 2 weeks ago
The 1919 Torrent, Kentucky Nitro Explosion
In 1919, a nitroglycerin explosion near Torrent, Kentucky, killed four men and leveled a factory. Today we tell the story of that tragedy and the exp…
5 months, 3 weeks ago
Christopher Gist and the Opening of Appalachia
In 1750, surveyor Christopher Gist set out to explore the wilderness of what’s now Southwest Virginia, Eastern Kentucky, and West Virginia. Hired by …
5 months, 4 weeks ago
Bloody Vengeance in Appalachia: The Battle of Dug Hill/The Officer House Massacre
In March 1864, Union Colonel William B. Stokes and his cavalry were ambushed at Dug Hill, in Tennessee, leaving dozens of his men dead. Enraged, Stok…
6 months ago
The Rhea County Spartans: The South's All-Female Cavalry Unit
In the final years of the Civil War, a group of young women in Rhea County, Tennessee, made American history as the only known all-female cavalry uni…
6 months, 1 week ago