Appalachia’s Population Problem, Inside Appalachia

Central Appalachia is known for exporting coal. But it’s losing people, too.

Also, folk singer Ginny Hawker grew up singing the hymns of the Primitive Baptist Church, but she didn’t think of performing until she got a little boost from Appalachian icon Hazel Dickens. 

And, the chef of an award-winning Asheville restaurant was shaped by memories of growing up in West Virginia.  

You’ll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

• Depopulation In Appalachian Coalfields
• The Last Public Hanging And America’s History Of Lynching
• Appalachian Hymn Singing
• Tent Revivals For Christian Worship In Tennessee
• Beavers Are Nature’s Greatest Engineers
• Watching The Monongahela River
• Appalachian Memories Inspire Chef

Depopulation In Appalachian Coalfields

The population in Appalachia’s coal-producing counties has declined since the boom of the 1950s. As the coal industry mechanized and shrunk, jobs went away, and young people did too. Now, a series of population estimates shows things might get even worse.

Journalist Jim Branscome grew up in southwestern Virginia and recently covered this story.

Host Mason Adams spoke with Branscome.

The Last Public Hanging And America’s History Of Lynching

Nearly 90 years ago, Rainey Bethea was tried and hanged as thousands watched on the banks of the Ohio River in Owensboro, Kentucky. Now, his death — the last public hanging in the U.S. — is at the center of a new book that takes a closer look at lynching, and the American culture that grew out of it.

From the Appalachia Mid-South Newsroom, Derek Operle has this story.

Appalachian Hymn Singing

There’s a way Appalachian-born singers like Patty Loveless or Ricky Skaggs can bend, glide and flip over their melodies — it can stir your soul and break your heart at the same time. You can trace this style of singing back to bluegrass legends like Ralph Stanley. But the roots of this sound go even deeper, back to the Primitive and Old Regular Baptist churches where folks like Stanley were raised.

For the Rural Remix podcast, Reporter Zack Harold introduces us to a woman who helps keep this sacred tradition alive.  

Tent Revivals For Christian Worship In Tennessee

For decades, tent revivals were a staple of Christian worship throughout the South. With the onset of TV and, later, the internet, many congregations opted for cheaper, far-reaching mediums for sharing the gospel. But tent revivals are still going strong, too. WUOT’s Pierce Gentry takes us to a tent revival in East Tennessee.

Beavers Are Nature’s Greatest Engineers

Beavers have been trapped and hunted in America for thousands of years. They were a food source for Indigenous people, and harvesting beaver pelts was an integral part of early European trade. The trade has dwindled, but all too often, landowners who find beavers working on their property still consider them a nuisance. Conservation groups are working to change that. New programs in Kentucky aim to show the environmental benefits of coexisting with America’s largest rodents.

WKU’s Derek Parham has more.

Watching The Monongahela River

Air pollution in the Mon Valley of Pennsylvania has been the focus of environmental concerns and lawsuits for years, but some groups are also looking at water quality. As part of its series “Reporting from the Mon,” The Allegheny Front’s Julie Grant heads out with a river watchdog, to see what’s happening with the waste from a chemical plant. 

Appalachian Memories Inspire Chef

Chef William Dissen’s memories are seasoned with the flavors of West Virginia’s mountains. Dissen has taken some of those memories and turned them into award-winning cuisine at The Market Place. That’s his James Beard-nominated restaurant in Asheville.

Last fall, Folkways Reporter Margaret McLeod Leef spoke with Dissen. He was in Charleston to talk about his debut cookbook, Thoughtful Cooking.

——

Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Ginny Hawker, Hazel Dickens, Mary Linscheid, Jeff Ellis, Blue Dot Sessions, Frank George, John Blissard and Hello June.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editors Chris Julin. And, congratulations to longtime Inside Appalachia contributors Molly Born and Zander Aloi on their marriage.

You can send us an email: InsideAppalachia@wvpublic.org.

Sign-up for the Inside Appalachia Newsletter!

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and Facebook.

Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.