HeyJaredRoots and Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast
Roots and Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast is a narrative podcast exploring the hidden history, folklore, and true crime of the Appalachian Mountains.
- Indexed episodes, last 90 days
- 13
- Latest publication
- Sep 27, 2026
- Audience
- Checking…
- Earliest in this view
- Jul 4, 2026
Latest episodes
A Quick Note From Roots & Shadows | We’ll Be Back in a Few Weeks (opens the original)
Read excerpt
Tonight’s episode of Roots & Shadows: The Real Appalachia is a little different. Instead of our regular Appalachian true crime, folklore, or history story, I wanted to take a few minutes to speak directly to everyone who has been listening to the podcast and say thank you. For the next few weeks, Roots & Shadows will be taking a short pause while my family and I take care of something that needs our attention. This isn’t the end of the podcast — just a temporary break. Since launching Roots & Sh
What They Saw in the Woods | Two Unexplained Appalachian Encounters (opens the original)
Read excerpt
What They Saw in the Woods: Two Unexplained Appalachian Encounters Deep in the Appalachian Mountains, there are places where the woods seem to hold on to the past. Old homeplaces disappear beneath weeds and briars, forgotten trails wind through the hills, and sometimes people encounter things that should no longer be there or perhaps were never supposed to be found at all. In this episode of Roots & Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast , Kevin shares two unsettling stories sent in by listeners.
The Private Army of Appalachia | The Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency (opens the original)
Read excerpt
You’ve probably heard of the Pinkerton Detective Agency. But here in Appalachia, we had our own. The Baldwin-Felts Detective Agency began in Virginia as a railroad detective operation and grew into one of the most powerful and controversial private detective organizations in the Appalachian coalfields. In this episode of Roots & Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast™, we trace the rise of Baldwin-Felts from its Southwest Virginia roots into the coal towns of West Virginia, where the agency became
A Stranger on the Appalachian Trail: The Randall Lee Smith Case (opens the original)
Read excerpt
A Stranger on the Appalachian Trail: The Randall Lee Smith Case In 1981, two young hikers made their way north along the Appalachian Trail through the mountains of Southwest Virginia. They were experienced enough to know the trail, they had a destination ahead of them, and there was little reason for anyone to believe their journey would end differently from thousands of others who had walked those same miles. But when they failed to arrive where they were expected, concern turned into a search.
Something Chased Them Home | The Devil Monkey of Saltville (opens the original)
Read excerpt
In 1959, a husband and wife were traveling a lonely mountain road outside Saltville, Virginia, in the darkest hours before dawn when something began moving alongside their car. At first, it was little more than a shape in the darkness. But as the road twisted through the mountains, the couple realized whatever they were seeing wasn't staying behind them. It was following them. And eventually, it came after their car. The creature was described as having light-colored hair, powerful hind legs, sh
Publishing over time
Last 90 days. Choose a month to open its work.
Recurring subjects
Named in the text we hold. One piece can cover several.
Audience
No verified audience measurement yet.
About this data
Counts cover the work we have indexed. Tone needs enough text and a confident classification. Excerpts and episode notes are not full articles or transcripts.
Identity or attribution wrong? Suggest a correction.
See coverage about Roots and Shadows: The Real Appalachia Podcast