The Allen Gang. Wesley Edwards, Maude Iroler’s sweetheart, at bottom left. There’s little difference between the raging hormones of teen romance and the fra…

Poorhouse Farm residents were a mix of ages and genders. Before the days of welfare programs and safety nets, communities had to find ways to care for their mo…

Wild cave openings can be deceptive. Often, there are much large caverns inside. Driving up Groundhog Mountain from Mt. Airy, NC, to Meadows of Dan, VA, I pull…

Willie Carter Sharpe’s booking photo by the Bureau of Investigation (later known as the FBI). When you think about Prohibition-era rum runners, the image of …

Molly Marley died from hunger and exposure. Her child wandered, looking for help. Hungry Mother State Park might seem like just another peaceful Blue Ridge ret…

The Blue Ridge Parkway is one of America’s most-visited national parks. Visualizing the Blue Ridge Parkway, your mind likely drifts to scenic drives and brea…

I don’t think about fences much. I was raised in suburbia, where each backyard was cordoned off by some sort of fence. They kept the dogs in and the neighbor…

The Pucketts moved from Patrick County, VA to this spot in Carroll County in 1865. In the final, desperate years of the Civil War, Confederate desertion rate…

Today, the Inn at foster Falls is a beautifully restored luxury hotel. In the heart of Foster Falls, Virginia, an Inn sits high on a hill, surrounded by the Bl…

The song “Shady Grove” was first written down in 1658 In 2012, I participated in the Heritage Tune competition at the Union Grove Old Time Fiddler’s Convention…

Go to any Old Time jam session in the area surrounding Galax, VA (“The World Capital of Old Time Music”), and the tune “Cripple Creek” will be played before ni…