Appalachian Curiosities — Laura Wright

Appalachian Curiosities is a copious compendium of creatures, characters, crimes, and conundrums. Curiosities features information that most history books won't discuss. The volume highlights five central Appalachian states, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Kentucky, and West Virginia, with a strong focus on Southwestern Virginia and Northeastern Tennessee. Dr. Jay was an esteemed physician in North Carolina, until addiction overtook him and he enacted one of the most heinous massacres in the history of the state. Edward Wentz, a Virginia mining magnate, disappeared in 1903. His body was found in 1904, but puzzling circumstances surrounding the case leaves researchers baffled even today. Is Virginia's Black Mountain really the Appalachian Bermuda Triangle? One Kentucky establishment is rumored to have its own Portal to Hell. What are the facts behind the legend? Curiosities proves there's no shortage of mysteries and wonders to be found, not just in history, but in the history of the Appalachians.