I love that song, "Leaning On The Everlasting Arms". I know it word for word and sung it nearly every week in church growing up. "...safe and secure from all alarm". Hearing it played from a fiddle makes it even better. Brings tears to my eyes.
Love the history. So glad you stopped to help preserve it before it slipped away into the vines that engulf it. And just like that the building was the lifeblood of the community and now is a faint memory. Makes me a bit sad. But thanks for stopping and capturing its
My wife and I are new to Appalachia. We settled in Coker Creek and love the scenery and the spiritual nature up here. I am an amateur historian and have found that these quiet little places are rich in events that have played important rolls in the American adventure. If you are ever up our way look in on us and we will swap stories. I do heartily enjoy you work.
Thanks Jim. I literally just stumbled across this video while researching another video. I just happened to mention the building to the gentlemen who runs the bulls gap railroad museum. His great uncle was George Grigsby. Without that vital clue, I never would have revived the story. Indeed, history is all around us if we only slow down. Well said.
I loved here about the one building town. But, you would think this mans descendents and the local people would want to preserve the building since it has so much history. Thank you for posting.
Your Appalachian stories together with the sound of the narrator's unique, soothing voice is such a huge and beautiful experience every time experience.....every time
Hi JD, great story. Got to love that old Appalachian ingenuity!! Very happy you stopped and researched that site! I love these old stories. I try to imagine myself in a situation like this and it baffles my mind just to think of all the work these folks put into everything they did. Thanks for the story!
I've set outside this store many a night waiting on a train. I worked for a company that haules railroad workers to a motel from the train or picked them up at a depoit, or motel and took them to a train. I often wondered about this building, heck I grew up a few miles from here in Greene County and never knew the story. Thanks for stopping to share this history with us.
I love the music and your voice as you introduce your stories. It makes me wonder where's Opie or the characters on "Gunsmoke". Maybe even those James boys..they loved trains! He really did build himself a little empire. Thanks JD for another great story! 🖐😃
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I'm so glad you stopped! What an amazing story, an what a smart chicken farmer! I'm so drawn to history an research, love your channel an what you put together with your awesome mucic🎶
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller my grandparents were poor general farmers up in Huron County Ontario, even in their 60s my Grandma Irene had chickens and a chicken run where she sold eggs to others dropped them off at their home too. Raised rabbits for butchering, had goats for three calves etc and that was in their retirement years. Kept their money in a coffee tin too up in the cupboard. My dad went to a one room schoolhouse, walked miles to get there when it was warm , in deep snow on a horse and sleigh this was late 1940s to 1950s. My grandparents had no electricity till 1953 and no indoor toilet till 1967. This wasn't Appalachian but right in Canada. That Gung ho ingenuity applied to all rural people who struggled in Canada and US. My dad quit school at 14 and worked like a man, my grandpa worked like a man at 12 in 1924 when his step dad kicked him out. I admire that pioneering hard working spirit, I am not made of the same mettle, wish I was.
Just goes to show how one man's dream can blossom into a one Store miracle. I love how the whole thing came together...so believe in your dreams I say because you never know where they lead you.
I just wanted to send a small token of my appreciation for your dedication for helping preserve Appalachian History. I hope this small token helps support future videos.
Bulls Gap holds many memories of my childhood. I took my father back there to see an old friend of the families. She was the widow of a bootlegger my daddy worked for when we where children. Interesting story JD. I find it fascinating to step back in time and learn about the history of a place, old mills or a building. Thank you for sharing your wonderful finds along with the research. Have a blessed night!
Your videos are absolutely a treasure and God send. There's so much evil going on all over the world right now. We need these videos to remember how good we had it. It's refreshing and a absolute gem ! Thank you so much !
So many things happened in past days because people were not as rushed. Can you picture a TRAIN just stopping one day in front of a old country store so the crew could just run in and buy a few things? My friend we are past the time when these type of events can happen because we are all TOO BUSY! Thank You Sir for not being too busy to stop by and tell the rest of us what we have been missing in our busy lives!
I'm glad that building spoke to you and I'm glad you shared this story with us. I recently took a back roads trip through the hills of Pennsylvania and I came across quite a few buildings in this condition and like you I wondered what they were. Stay safe my friend 🙏
Brother I love what you are doing, I drive by this store everyday for work. I actually used to work right next to it .. thank you. People need to know more about we are
Excellent storytelling and what a story, I grew up in North New Jersey and moved to Maine in 1987 till 1995 and then moved back to NJ but only got back to Maine for a short while because my mom got very sick in 1997 and then she died and left my elderly aunt by herself and I couldn’t leave her in Newark, New Jersey all by herself and have been back in NJ ever since !!! I hope I get back to Maine before I die but if not at least I know I did the right thing for my family !!!
Oh wow I would love too visits that little building abandoned building across the rail road tracks love to go inside there love the location man how interesting love to hear your Appalachian stories on this thanks for sharing buddy love how you add that beautiful music in your videos glad you can across the building and the research to it
Thank you my friend, I always try to be respectful in my choice of music for these stories. I feel like the story, videography, narration, and music are all equal parts of the story.
Your very welcome buddy I understand man totally get it well you choose great music to fit these stories I agree with you their all equal parts indeed to the story buddy
Thanks so much, JB! You're a regular explorer! So glad you saved this building's history! I guess it's a testament to its importance to the community that it's still standing!
You make wonderful,easy to watch videos. The music and filming is exceptional in my opinion,oh and you are blessed with a great sounding “southern” voice. Thanks
Yes sir. A good one . Love the way you see our history not as a book but a linage of sorts. It would be a great pleasure to hear one of grassy cove . Mr kemmer once said when his family came in to the cove grass was as high as mule ears! Just imagine grass tall as a mule.
I first saw this building in 2016 when I moved to Tennessee with my wife. I took photos of it because I was intrigued by it so much. I've since then created a painting of this once grand building. Thank you for sharing the history behind it.
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller -I understand completely. In my 72 years, I've known of a lot of stories that will die with my generation. Breaks my heart that few people care to hear them anymore.
I've lived in North Carolina my I'm so happy I found this channel today I've been sharing the stories with my friends and family thank you I've learned so much
I enjoy watching your videos. Today I passed by Swaggerty Fort located in Parrotsville Tennessee. The historical marker said it was built around 1787 for protection from Indians.
I live in Dickenson County Va. Im 66 years old, and have constantly complained about young folks spending so much time on their phones, and wasting their time playing games that have no value in todays world. Then on day I happened to find one of your stories while searching the history of Hazard Ky. Now, if im not outside working or cleaning house, I'm wasting time listening to your stories 😂. I haven't heard them all yet, but unless my grandkids find out that I'm constantly on my phone and remind me about how I've dogged them about wasting time playing silly games, I hope to hear them all eventually. Thank you for your time and the relaxing way you tell these stories, and giving us a glimpse at our history here in the Appalachian region.
So many places like this have been lost to development here faster than we can even keep track, and I feel like there is a lingering attitude in American culture about the south that these places have less value than all the beautiful older buildings in northern urban areas. We have so few of them now and it’s so important to tell the stories about those that are left. Thanks so much for this history!
The Virginia Creeper growing up in your video is classic East Tennessee…my favorite volunteer wild plant…many of my Northern neighbors are scared to death of it…they think it’s poison ivy (never mind…”leaves of three let it be”) and pay good money to have it killed 😳😳😳…love your channel and content 👍👍👍
TAS, You keep talking about driving those back roads and it reminds me of something my father would do. Both my father and mother were from the hills of Kentucky. Well dad was married to a woman ( dad's 3rd wife Pat) who was shall we say a burned out light bulb was brighter than her and dad had a ball with that. Now she was a city girl from the big city of 11,900 and I grew up in a small farm town of less than 2,000. So when I was a small lad of 8 we would all ( dad, wife, 3 step sisters, me and my brother) pile in the car or van and off we would go. Dad driving and wife sitting in front passenger seat. Here's how it went. Few mile from the house out in the farmland. Dad to Pat pointing a barn in a field: " Hey Pat, you see that big red thing over there?" Pat: " Yes." Dad: " Do you know what that is?" Pat: " No Dale, what is it?" Dad: " It's a big red thing out in a field." Pat: " DALE!!!" Five minutes down the road. Dad to Pat pointing a barn in a field: " Hey Pat, you see that big red thing over there?" Pat: " Yes." Dad: " Do you know what that is?" Pat: " No Dale, what is it?" Dad: " It's a big red thing out in a field." Pat: " DALE!!!" Ten minutes down the road. Dad to Pat pointing a barn in a field: " Hey Pat, you see that big red thing over there?" Pat: " Yes." Dad: " Do you know what that is?" Pat: " No Dale, what is it?" Dad: " It's a big red thing out in a field." Pat: " DALE!!!" Now you would think Pat would have caught on to what was going on but she never did. It was that way both ways. Dad would just wait to see something a different color and ask her the above. No, Pat was not retarded or such. She was just plain stupid. Stupid like going to the well to fetch water in a burlap sack stupid.
