Poisoned Appalachia: the Dark Side of Appalachia

He made America laugh. He played the banjo. And he never forgot his Kentucky mountain roots.But on November 10, 1973, beloved Hee Haw star David “Stringbean” Akeman and his wife, Estelle, were brutally murdered at their Tennessee home.The killers were searching for a hidden fortune.They never found it.And more than twenty years later, the house reportedly revealed a chilling secret. 💰This week on Poisoned Appalachia: The Dark Side of Appalachia, we’re uncovering the heartbreaking true story of Stringbean and Estelle Akeman.A story of Appalachian roots, country music history, greed, murder, and a mystery hidden inside an old country home.🎙️ Listen wherever you get your podcasts.🖤 Did you grow up watching Hee Haw with your parents or grandparents? I sure did! And I never knew this heartbreaking story until recently.

Sanctified Hill: The Mountain That MovedOn December 14, 1972, disaster struck a small Black Appalachian community in Cumberland, Kentucky, when the mountainside beneath their homes began to give way. Foundations cracked, walls buckled, and seventeen families lost the homes they had spent their lives building.But the landslide was only the beginning of their nightmare.Denied adequate relief and facing the loss of their hard-earned homeownership, the residents of Sanctified Hill found themselves fighting not only the aftermath of a natural disaster but also decades of racial inequality, government neglect, and unanswered questions about the land beneath their feet.What followed was a remarkable six-year battle for justice that would take this small Appalachian community all the way to Washington, D.C.In this episode of Poisoned Appalachia, we uncover the often-overlooked history of Sanctified Hill, explore the possible connection to the region’s coal-mining legacy, and share the inspiring story of a community that refused to be forgotten.Because sometimes the greatest tragedy isn’t the disaster itself, but how the people left behind are treated.And sometimes, the strongest thing in these mountains isn’t the mountain at all. It’s the people who call it home.

A prison built to inspire repentance. A history filled with isolation and suffering. And ghost stories that refuse to die.This Halloween on Poisoned Appalachia, we’re exploring Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, one of America’s most notoriously haunted prisons.From Al Capone’s alleged ghostly tormentor to shadow figures, unexplained laughter, and terrifying encounters inside abandoned cellblocks, we’ll separate the documented history from the legends that still linger behind these walls.Did the prisoners of Eastern State truly leave when their sentences ended? Or are some still trapped inside?

We all remember the childhood dare… turn off the lights, look into the mirror, and say her name three times. 🪞🩸But who was Bloody Mary REALLY? A queen? A witch? A grieving mother? Or something much older?This week on Poisoned Appalachia, we’re going beyond the childhood ghost story to uncover the dark history and folklore behind the woman in the mirror.Tell me… did you ever try to summon Bloody Mary as a kid? And did anything happen? 👀

He was born in a small West Virginia town. Decades later, he became one of Florida's most feared serial killers. But one 17-year-old girl would help bring his killing spree to an end. This is the story of Bobby Joe Long and the incredible survival of Lisa McVey. 🎙️