This week, before emancipation, Appalachia provided pathways to freedom for enslaved people trying to escape bondage. A new project identifies more than two dozen previously unknown underground railroad sites. Also, the Fly Around Music & Arts Festival in North Carolina was inspired by the hard work that followed Hurricane Helene. And, a ballad about floods recorded a generation ago still provides solace for people today.
Home » Stories » Hoodoo + History = Haints (Why Is Appalachia So Haunted?)
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Hoodoo + History = Haints (Why Is Appalachia So Haunted?)
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Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, West Virginia Penitentiary, Mothman…our region has a long list of haunts and haints.
On this week’s Front Porch podcast, we ask folklorist Gerald Milnes about the roots of our deepest fears, and why these old Appalachian stories remain so strong.
Meanwhile, Rick Wilson reveals his theory of why Appalachia has more than its fair share of scary places: Hoodoo + history = haints.
Hoodoo – places with natural power
History – wars, disasters, murders
Folklorist Gerald Milnes has studied witches in eastern West Virginia.
Haints – that which haunts
Also, Rick reveals the reflexive property of haints: If it’s haunted, it’s got a haint.
An edited version of “The Front Porch” airs Fridays at 4:50 p.m. on West Virginia Public Broadcasting’s radio network, and the full version is available above.
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