ALERTS (11/08/2023): 91.7 Williamson and 91.9 FM in Logan are off the air as their transmitters are being repaired/replaced. WNPB is currently broadcasting at low power. Our engineering team is working on these issues. Thank you for your patience.
Square dance calling — the spoken instructions said over the music — makes participation easy. But there are other aspects — like the prevalence of gendered language such as “ladies and gents” — that can make square dancing an unwelcoming or confusing space. One group of friends in the Appalachian square dance scene are taking action to make the tradition more welcoming for all participants.
Home » Matriarchal Moonshiners, Legendary Lawbreakers And More, Inside Appalachia
Published
Matriarchal Moonshiners, Legendary Lawbreakers And More, Inside Appalachia
Listen
Share this Article
This week on the show, we’ll hear an interview with historian Bob Hutton, who recently wrote an article about the Baldwin-Felts gunmen, who did the dirty work of Appalachia’s capitalists, even against their neighbors.
We’ll also meet instrument-makers who are determined to find a way, even if it’s using the remnants of a refrigerator box, and women who are using poetry to undercut the wrong ideas people have about mountaineers. And author Robert Gipe has just completed his trilogy, which concludes the turbulent story of several generations of an eastern Kentucky family. At the center of his first book “Trampoline” is Dawn Jewell, a spitfire whose mother struggled with addiction. Gipe’s new book “Pop” follows Nicolette, the daughter of Dawn Jewell. Nicolette struggles to cope with her environment, and her family, while working to make something for herself. In this case — an artisanal soda pop business.
Matriarchal Moonshiners Legend has it Mahalia Mullins once beat 30 men in a wrestling match and sold them all whiskey afterwards. Mullins was born in 1824 into a poor family and died a folk hero. The cabin where she lived has even become a tourist destination in East Tennessee. But who’s the woman behind the myth? We’ll travel to the Mahalia Mullins cabin to learn her story.
WVPB
/
A formal portrait of Mahala Mullins.
Appalachia’s Bad Men Baldwin-Felts This summer marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Blair Mountain — the largest armed uprising in America since the Civil War, and a major event in West Virginia history. A few months before Blair Mountain, the spark was lit with the Matewan Massacre.
In these conflicts, the coal bosses hired henchmen to do their dirty work. In the Mine Wars, that was the Baldwin-Felts private detective agency. The agency started in the Virginia coalfields by William Gibbony Baldwin and the detectives were hired to help suppress strikes by coal miners.
Inside Appalachia co-host Mason Adams spoke with historian Bob Hutton about his research into the Baldwin-Felts, which started in the Virginia coalfields.
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren The opioid epidemic is forcing many grandparents, even great-grandparents, to become parents again to a new generation. In a recent episode of the “Us and Them” podcast, host Trey Kay spoke with West Virginia grandparents about the challenges of raising children during COVID-19.
If you’re a grandparent or a great-grandparent raising children, we’d like to hear from you. Write us a letter — we’re at Inside Appalachia, 600 Capitol Street, Charleston, WV. 25301. Or send an email to insideappalachia@wvpublic.org.
New Novel Concludes Robert Gipe’s Trilogy We also hear about another multigenerational family, who are the main characters in Robert Gipe’s illustrated novels, set in Eastern Kentucky. The books combine funny, heartbreaking writing and cartoony drawings. The first book in the series, “Trampoline,” came out six years ago. That novel introduced Dawn Jewell — a teenager growing up with a mother addicted to pain pills. Robert Gipe spoke with Inside Appalachia just after Trampoline was published in 2015.
Courtesy Robert Gipe
/
An illustration from Robert Gipe’s new book “Pop.”
A sequel called “Weedeater” followed up three years later, and now, Gipe has completed the trilogy with a new book called “Pop.” It’s not easy to describe the books — there’s love, violence and a dash of magical realism. Assistant news director Eric Douglas talked with Gipe to discuss the trilogy.
From Recycling To Musical Instruments Many people have been relying on online shopping these days, but who knew all that leftover cardboard had a use? This week on the show, we learn about dulcimers that are made out of cardboard, and even banjos made out of coffee cans. As part of our Inside Appalachia Folkways series, reporter Rachel Moore spoke to two instrument-makers in Western North Carolina who are carrying on the DIY instrument legacy.
Courtesy Jon Cooley
/
Jon Cooley performs a dulcimer demonstration at the Mars Hill Farmer’s Market. Cooley teaches both adults and children how to make and play cardboard dulcimers.
Dispelling Stereotypes We all know the stereotypes people use to paint Appalachia as a cultural backwater. But as WEKU’s Cheri Lawson reports, a dedicated group of fierce women are using the arts to fight back.
Loading…
Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Dinosaur Burps, Wes Swing, John Petterson, and John Wyatt.
Roxy Todd is our producer. Jade Artherhults is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Andrea Billups. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. Zander Aloi also helped produce this episode. You can find us on Twitter @InAppalachia.
On this West Virginia Morning, human trafficking is a topic many in law enforcement are discussing these days. But often there is some misunderstanding about it.
On this West Virginia Morning, Curtis Tate spoke with Sam Workman, director of the Institute for Policy Research and Public Affairs at West Virginia University, about what Sen. Joe Manchin’s departure means for Democrats and what it would take to fill the void he’ll leave.
This week on Inside Appalachia, we pick up a little light reading at the Johnson City Zine Fest. And… Grab your dancing shoes and learn about a movement to make square dance calling more inclusive. Also, the perils of playing the spoons.
n this West Virginia Week, we learned about mental health needs in southern West Virginia, and we heard about efforts to keep state agency emails as lawsuit evidence. We also have reports on the Hope Scholarship, renewable energy, conservation and a planned closure of a pharmacy.