Theodosia Burr Alston, daughter of Aaron Burr, disappeared at sea in early January 1813 at the age of 29. There are many theories about what happened to Theodosia after she left South Carolina on December 30, 1812, aboard the schooner Patriot towards New York. Many believe the vessel sank during a severe storm just off…
The North Carolina Ice Storm for the Ages
In early 2002, on December 4-5th, snow fell across North Carolina, but in the Piedmont, including areas around Raleigh, Greensboro, and Charlotte, it quickly turned to freezing rain, creating an icy mess when an inch of ice blanketed the ground and roadways. In some areas, freezing rain lasted for 12 hours, causing $113 million in…
The Worst Snowstorm Ever Recorded in Western North Carolina
The Worst Snowstorm Ever Recorded in Western North Carolina According to the record books, the worst winter weather we have ever had occurred in February or March in the South. But have you ever wondered when the worst recorded snowstorm of all time occurred? Many of our readers may remember the Blizzard of 1993. Yes,…
The 1975 Lumberton UFO Flap
Back in April 1975, a string of well-documented sightings sent UFO investigators scrambling across the country to Lumberton, North Carolina. Some estimates report that as many as 80 people, including 40 police officers, observed close encounters and unidentified flying object sightings over a week-long span. The incidents are known as the “Lumberton UFO flap,” and…
The Civil War and Linville Caverns
Many people have stopped at Linville Caverns in Marion, North Carolina, through the years. The caverns were first discovered in 1822 by Henry E. Colton, but what many don’t know is their ties to the Civil War. When war broke out in April 1861, many deserters from both the Confederate and Union armies used it…
The first and only station in the United States operated by an all-Black crew of service members.
Richard Etheridge was the first in a long line of Black keepers of the U.S. Life-Saving Station at Pea Island on the Outer Banks of North Carolina. He served during the Civil War and was appointed to his position in 1880. Etheridge hired local black men from the community to serve. They were trained as…
The Legendary Moonshiner- Popcorn Sutton
Marvin Popcorn Sutton was a mountain legend, plain and simple. Born and raised in Maggie Valley, North Carolina, he spent his days running the backroads between there and Cocke County, Tennessee, making moonshine the way his people always had. Popcorn wasn’t shy about what he did. He told his story in books and home videos,…
The Deadliest Train Wreck in North Carolina’s History
Shortly after midnight on December 16, 1943, the Atlantic Coast Line southbound train left Fayetteville, North Carolina, behind schedule, pulling eighteen cars into the early morning hours. The trip was uneventful until the train approached Rennert, where a sudden jolt caused the last three cars to uncouple. While the cars remained upright, the dining car…
Historic Occoneechee Speedway in North Carolina
Occoneechee Speedway sits just outside Hillsborough, North Carolina, and holds a special place in NASCAR history. It’s the only dirt track from NASCAR’s very first season in 1949 that’s still around today. The track actually started out as a horse racing venue built by Julian S. Carr on land with a rich Native American heritage….
Beneath the Waters of Kerr Lake
Our “Beneath the Waters” series has earned thousands of views, covering Lake Norman, Lure, Jocassee, and Murray. Tonight, we will cover Kerr Lake. The lake is no different from the others in terms of roads, and former structures were flooded to make way for it, but it does have a secret lying on the bottom,…