Werewolves, Panthers and Ghosts…Oh My, Appalachia!

On this special Halloween episode of Inside Appalachia, we’re doing something a little bit out of the ordinary for us—we’re suspending our disbelief.

Telling and retelling stories is part of our Appalachian tradition. Long before TV or the Internet came along, a well-told tale was often how our ancestors entertained each other and kept the crisp chill at bay as the darkness of winter approached. 

Hundreds of strange and mysterious ghost tales are set here in in our region. During this episode, we’ll hear about a phantom fiddler, a supposed werewolf sighting in Kentucky, a panther who foretold a deadly fire, a tunnel some locals say is haunted and the Greenbrier Ghost who, according to legend, testified against her own murderer.

“I think that there are moments in all of these stories that have happened to an awful lot of people,” said West Virginia playwrite Dan Kehde. “[They’re] universal experiences and so to incorporate them into a story and be able to retell that story makes those stories very attractive and relatable. It’s fun to get scared.”

Inside Appalachia is produced by Roxy Todd. Jessica Lilly is our host. Jesse Wright is our executive producer. Molly Born is our web editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We’d love to hear from you. Send us tweet @InAppalachia.