**Trigger Warning: This article contains supernatural violence and abuse. The Smurl family didn’t have an easy go at life. They were Pennsylvanians and devout Roman Catholics who were heavily involved in church activities. The family included Navy veteran Jack Smurl,1)Jack Smurl was on a ship at sea during the CubanContinue Reading
Something deplorable is occurring in the hollows of Appalachia. A person might trek through the woods or walk along a dirt road and see deer carcasses lying here and there. They are not dying for natural reasons. They are not succumbing to disease. Instead, they are victims of people whoContinue Reading
A few years ago, I put together a four-part series about Appalachians in the silent film era entitled, “Appalachians in Moving Pictures.” Every actor’s story provides an interesting insight into the dawn of motion pictures and a place called Hollywoodland. Enjoy the following story about silent film actress Ethlyne Clair.Continue Reading
In my last post of the Daugherty series, we left Byrd, his two sons, and Pryor Bunch rooted to the spot across from Daniel Britton Daugherty, Robert Lowe, and possibly a few others. If you recall, Robert Lowe reached into his jacket pocket, and I imagine that gesture put theContinue Reading
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
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
I love classic movies. Absolutely love them. They hold some kind of spell over me – a longing, perhaps, for grace or glamour or social etiquette or fashion. I mean, who wouldn’t want to watch a stunning Grace Kelly in Rear Window or gander at a suave Cary Grant inContinue Reading