Posts

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The House of the Vanishing Chains

This week on our YouTube Channel:

In a small Appalachian community, an old house stood as a relic of the coal era, untouched and avoided due to its eerie reputation. Enter Bill Farmer, a man with deep roots in the area, who returned wealthy and determined to restore the house to its former glory. His ambitious renovation transformed the decaying structure into a magnificent modern home, yet it awakened something sinister within.

That’s our story this week.

Be sure to like, comment and subscribe for more tales from Appalachia.

Sweet dreams, podcast listeners…

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The Black Cat of Hawk’s Nest

In the heart of Appalachia, folklore weaves tales as mysterious as the misty mountains themselves. This week on our YouTube channel, we tell the chilling legend of Polly Gentry, a rumored witch who lived atop Hawk’s Nest mountain, who had an enigmatic black cat, a creature whispered to be something more.

Join us as we tell this bit of Appalachian lore.

Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to the MountainLore podcast.

Sweet dreams, podcast listeners…

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The Spirit of the Dark Hollow Cemetery

In the shadowy mists on Roan Mountain, straddling the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, lies a tale of mystery and supernatural intrigue. At the heart of this tale is Dorinda, a woman whose allure captivated the men of her community.

Her affairs with married men sparked outrage and tragedy, culminating in the mysterious death of one of her lovers, Mister Jenkins. As rumors swirled about her involvement and her absence from his funeral, an eerie presence was noted around his casket, leading to strange occurrences that began to plague those traveling past his final resting place, the Dark Hollow Cemetery.

Could Dorinda have been a witch, a restless spirit, or perhaps a bit of both?

This week on our YouTube channel, we tell the tale of the Dark Hollow Cemetery, another tale from Appalachia.

Sweet dreams, y’all…

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Screaming Jenny: The Haunting of Harper’s Ferry

Tales abound about ghosts spotted in tunnels, houses, churches, or in the woods. But the sighting of ghosts in Appalachia often involves the railroads that have been the lifeblood of this region.

This week on our YouTube channel, discover the tragic story of Jenny, a woman whose heartbreak led her to a fiery end on the railroad tracks near Harper’s Ferry. Engineers have since reported seeing her ghostly, flaming presence, a blazing fireball hurtling toward their trains on cold nights.

Be sure to like, comment and subscribe for more tales from Appalachia.

Sweet dreams…

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The Three Ghostly Sisters of Christiansburg

It’s said that evil haunts Christiansburg, Virginia, in the form of the ghosts of three sisters dressed in black, bringing death and destruction trailing behind.

This week on our YouTube channel, discover the eerie tale of the Wardlaw sisters, who brought order and prestige to educational institutions only to leave them in ruins, surrounded by rumors of insanity, witchcraft, and murder. From their mysterious rituals in cemeteries to the suspicious deaths that followed them, the legend of these sinister siblings continues to haunt the region.

Sweet dreams…

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Madness at Rocky Ravine: The Witch Diggers’ Tale


A man returned from the Civil War to help his siblings on their farm, only to spiral into a madness that turned them all into witch diggers.

Discover the eerie tale of the Bichler family, whose descent into insanity led them to believe they were surrounded by witches. From mysterious figures in the moonlight to relentless digging in Rocky Ravine, this story reveals a chilling blend of ghostly apparitions and mental torment.

Are the sightings of a wild man in the ravine the restless spirit of Nick Bichler, forever hunting witches?

Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to our YouTube channel. Thanks for listening!

Sweet dreams, y’all…

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The Woman In The Blue Polka Dot Dress

Stories are told of a mysterious woman wearing a blue polka dot dress trying to hitch a ride along the roads around Logan, West Virginia. This particular tale, though, is about a real person who was murdered in the coal fields.

Today on our YouTube channel, discover the chilling tale of Mamie Thurman, a woman who led a double life—quiet churchgoer by day and a flashy socialite by night. Her murder in 1932 sparked a scandal involving prominent men in Logan, a dubious trial, and a haunting that lingers to this day.

Is Mamie’s spirit trapped in the hills of Appalachia, forever searching for justice?

Sweet dreams…

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Jack and the Cat: An Appalachian Jack Tale

Come on over to our YouTube channel and catch this famous Jack Tale!

There was once a clever young man named Jack, who befriended a cat he met on the road. This cat was special, helping him through some daring adventures, only to reveal a secret that changed Jack’s life forever. This Jack tale is another one of our tales from Appalachia.

If you like our stories, please let us know down in the comments. Give us a thumbs-up, too, and be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss any of our tales.

Sweet dreams…

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The Unexplained Appalachian Mystery of Bouncing Bertha

Join us each week on our YouTube channel as we present one of our podcast episodes for your listening pleasure!

This week we tell the tale of a nine-year-old girl named Bertha Marie Seibert, whose life was shattered by a series of terrifying events in Lee County, Virginia in 1938. Known as “Bouncing Bertha,” she became the center of a media frenzy as her bed shook violently every night, seemingly possessed by spirits. Today we tell the eerie tale of Bertha’s supernatural ordeal, the local and national attention it garnered, and the various explanations offered by experts and skeptics alike.

If you like our stories, please give us a thumbs-up, subscribe and leave a comment below.

Sweet dreams, podcast listeners…

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A Goodbye To Our Podcast

Gena and I have been bringing you the MountainLore podcast since May, 2018. During that time, we’ve told hundreds of authentic Appalachian folktales and Jack tales and a handful of original stories.

Six years is the same as a century in the podcast world. During that time there have been millions of podcasts started around the world and millions that have shut down.

It’s now our turn to say goodbye.

It has become harder and harder to find new stories to tell you. In addition, starting in late 2019 and continuing through the Covid lockdown, here was a surge in new podcasts, many based right here in Appalachia, who do what we’ve been doing, but much, much better than we can. (Hats off to Old Gods of Appalachia, started at the end of 2019 and the best and most popular Appalachia folklore/scary story podcast out there!)

I’ll be taking any future stories we do over to the Stories of Appalachia podcast, which I co-host with Rod Mullins. Gena will come along as needed to provide voices, too.

Thank you all for listening to our tales from Appalachia over the years…y’all are much appreciated by both of us.