I recently had the honor of conducting an interview with our own Edward Francisco about his new book The Ever Changing Sky: Meditations on the Psalms (Wipf & Stock, 2021). Much of that interview is found below. The entire interview will be available this Friday, November 19, on Edward Francisco:Continue Reading

Appalachia Bare wishes a Happy Veterans Day to all our nation’s heroes and heroines.     As a thank you, we would like to revisit some of our veteran-related posts. To access these writings, click on the images below.   Kings Mountain           World War IContinue Reading

New York   Lily Dale – Chautauqua County Background: Lily Dale is a spiritualist community allegedly built on supernatural ground. The town was founded in 1879 by William Alden and his family who hosted spiritual picnics and small gatherings on the land.1)Fortmiller, Sandra P. 2006. “A ‘Dale’ By Any OtherContinue Reading

Welcome to our continuing series about Appalachian hauntings. In this post, we’ll be journeying to Georgia, Kentucky, and Mississippi. Enjoy the history and the goose bumps. Georgia Barnsley Gardens – Bartow County Background: Godfrey Barnsley (1805-1873) was an Englishman who came to America in 1824 and soon became one ofContinue Reading

Hauntings are everywhere in the Appalachian Mountains. Whether one believes in such things or not, a person cannot deny the shivers in the darkness when an owl hoots a soothing sound of wisdom, or the early morning sounds of a house “settling” as it pops and cracks at one endContinue Reading

I love Autumn and Winter. I love the trees’ rustic changing colors and the crisp, cool temperatures, abated by a snuggly fleece throw and a cup of hot chocolate. I love the greater sense of my ancestors as the veil thins. I love wooly worms and pumpkin patches and bonfires.Continue Reading

The alarm blared and the Governor’s eyes snapped awake in the darkness. No time to dillydally today. He picked up his phone, swiped upward, and turned off the alert. He lay there for a moment with his thoughts floating . . . floating . . . until they congealed intoContinue Reading

**With Correction – Thank you, reader Linda, for helping to keep our Appalachian stories accurate! I came upon “Aunt Jenny” by doing a little research about paranormal events in Appalachian states. I was quite flabbergasted after reading her story. On one hand, she was a venomous and unforgiving woman (understandablyContinue Reading

I have a few pronunciation pet peeves. My language grievances may sound sanctimonious, especially to some folks who view Appalachian English as everything “un” – uncouth, unsophisticated, and uncivilized. Nevertheless, I cringe every time I hear: “I axed a question,” or, “He excaped through the window.” I’ll add to theseContinue Reading