Southern Mysteries Podcast

At the bottom of West Virginia’s New River Gorge, the nearly abandoned railroad town of Thurmond hides a history of coal wealth, rival businessmen, gambling, violence and suspicious deaths. This episode traces the rise of Thurmond and the infamous Dun Glen Hotel, the crimes that earned the area a lawless reputation, and the town’s transformation from a booming C&O railroad center into a preserved part of New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

Join the Community on Patreon:

Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

📱 Follow on Social Media:

Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Instagram: @southernmysteries
Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com 

Episode Sources

“Thurmond.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/thurmond.htm

“Thurmond Walking Tour.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, Jan. 6, 2020. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/thurmond-walking-tour.htm

“Gambling at the Dunglen Hotel.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve. https://www.nps.gov/neri/learn/historyculture/gambling-at-the-dunglen-hotel.htm

“Thurmond Passenger Depot.” National Park Service, New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.

“New River Gorge National Park and Preserve.” National Park Service. Background on the 1978 establishment of New River Gorge National River and the 2020 redesignation as a national park and preserve.

Harper, R. Eugene. “Thurmond Historic District.” National Register of Historic Places nomination form, Sept. 15, 1983. http://www.wvculture.org/shpo/nr/pdf/fayette/84003520.pdf

National Park Service. “Thurmond Historic Structures Assessment: New River Gorge National River, West Virginia.” http://www.quid-tum.com/documents/thurmond_assessment_report.pdf

Cox, W. Eugene. “Dun Glen Hotel.” The West Virginia Encyclopedia, April 23, 2019. https://www.wvencyclopedia.org/articles/1973

“Burning of the Dunglen Hotel.” West Virginia Archives and History, July 23, 1930. http://www.wvculture.org/history/businessandindustry/dunglen01.html

Knight, Wallace E. “Dunglen Hotel.” West Virginia Archives and History, May 4, 1952. http://www.wvculture.org/history/businessandindustry/dunglen02.html

“July 22, 1930: Fayette County’s Dun Glen Hotel Destroyed by Arson.” West Virginia Public Broadcasting, July 22, 2020. https://www.wvpublic.org/radio/2020-07-22/july-22-1930-fayette-countys-dun-glen-hotel-destroyed-by-arson

“The Dunglen Hotel: The Historic Hotspot for Trouble.” New River Gorge Convention and Visitors Bureau, Oct. 22, 2014. https://newrivergorgecvb.com/dunglen-hotel/

Hufford, Mary. “Breaking the Time Barrier: Folklife and Heritage Planning in Southern West Virginia.” Folklife Center News, vol. 15, nos. 3-4, July 1, 1993.

Tabler, Dave. “Women, Booze, Dice and Cards.” Appalachian History, July 23, 2019. https://www.appalachianhistory.net/2019/07/women-booze-dice-and-cards.html

Schnur, Leisa. “Historic Dun Glen Hotel Site Soon Accessible.” Haunt Jaunts, Jan. 2, 2019. https://www.hauntjaunts.net/historic-dun-glen-hotel-site-soon-accessible/

Poillio, Carol. “Haunted National Parks: The ‘Dodge City of the East.’” Intuitive Investigations. https://www.intuitive-investigations.com/single-post/2016/04/12/haunted-national-parks-the-dodge-city-of-the-east

“Longest Poker Game Ever.” Better Poker News. https://betterpokernews.com/betterpokernews-com-longest-poker-game-ever/

Amtrak. “Thurmond, West Virginia.” Station information for the Cardinal route. https://www.amtrak.com/stations/thn

Amtrak. “Cardinal.” Route information for passenger service between New York and Chicago.

“Thurmond, West Virginia.” Historical documentary detailing William Dabney Thurmond, Thomas Gaylord McKell, the development of the C&O railroad junction, Glen Jean, the Dun Glen Hotel and the south-side entertainment district. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwcFcuj-eJ0

“Thurmond.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 67. Profile of the town, its railroad business, banks, businesses and prominent residents. Newspapers.com.

“Dunglen Hotel, Thurmond, W. Va.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 68. Newspapers.com.

“Mankin Drug Company, Thurmond, W. Va.” and “The New River Banking and Trust Company, Thurmond, W. Va.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 69. Newspapers.com.

“National Bank of Thurmond.” The Fayette Journal, Nov. 2, 1911, p. 70. Newspapers.com.

“New C&O Station.” The Leader, Jan. 23, 1947, p. 3. Report on a proposed modern station, passenger and freight traffic, and Thurmond’s reputation as a riotous railroad town. Newspapers.com.

“New Witness in Beckley Kidnap Case Is Found.” Hinton Daily News, Nov. 26, 1943, p. 8. Account involving a Thurmond railroad worker who encountered a kidnapped girl aboard a freight train. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/47911258/?match=1&terms=thurmond%20railroad

“Town of Thurmond Once Was East’s ‘Little Monte Carlo.’” Historical newspaper feature detailing the Dun Glen Hotel, gambling and stories associated with Thurmond’s violent reputation. Newspapers.com.

“Thurmond Reawakened: It’s Not the Same Type of Town It Used to Be.” The Raleigh Register, Nov. 10, 1977, p. 20. Newspapers.com.

“Fire Across From Thurmond Causes Loss of $25,000.” The Independent-Herald, Jan. 30, 1908, p. 1. Report on the fire that destroyed two stores and a residence and threatened the Dun Glen Hotel. Newspapers.com.

“Old ‘Dodge City of East,’ Thurmond, Comes Full Circle.” Sunday Gazette-Mail, June 20, 1976, p. 12. Report on the Bankers Club, the Pugh family and new tourism businesses in Thurmond. Newspapers.com.

“Coal Baron’s Dream Railroad Rusting, Awaits Dismantling.” Sunday Gazette-Mail, Aug. 4, 1974, p. 20. Account of the abandoned Arbuckle Creek railroad and Thurmond’s deterioration. Newspapers.com.

“Thurmond, the ‘Dodge City of the East,’ Is Thriving Again.” Beckley Post-Herald/The Raleigh Register, July 31, 1977, p. 1. Report on rafting, tourism and renewed interest in Thurmond. Newspapers.com.

“Mayor Fined Suicide.” The Fairmont West Virginian, June 14, 1904, p. 4. Reprinted account credited to the Huntington Herald concerning the drowning near Thurmond and the mayor’s reported five-dollar fine.

Account of the drowned man fined for violating a town ordinance against suicide. Shepherdstown Register, June 16, 1904, p. 2. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/375523925/?match=1&terms=thurmond%20railroad

“Conductor Killed.” Hinton Daily News, Aug. 10, 1904, p. 1. Report on C&O conductor J.G. McKenzy, whose body was found on the tracks under circumstances that led residents to suspect murder. Newspapers.com.

“Lawlessness at Thurmond.” Hinton Daily News, June 8, 1903, p. 1. Report on Baldwin detective J.W. Nelson’s alleged blackjack assault on railroad engineer Doggett. Newspapers.com.

“Foolish Girl Lured to Thurmond to Marry a Man Whom She Had Never Seen.” The Independent-Herald, April 24, 1902, p. 3. Newspapers.com.

“Three Miners Are Killed.” Martinsburg Herald, Feb. 2, 1907, p. 7. Report on the mine explosion near Stuart on Loop Creek that killed three miners. Newspapers.com. https://www.newspapers.com/image/884926213/?match=1&terms=thurmond%20railroad

“Arrest Two at Thurmond for Burdette Hold-Up.” Hinton Daily News, April 25, 1925, p. 1. Newspapers.com.

“Traveling Man Shot at Thurmond.” Hinton Daily News, Feb. 9, 1903, p. 1. Report on the fatal shooting of J.H. Arrington by Walter Smith at the Dun Glen Hotel. Newspapers.com.

“His Throat Cut.” The Wheeling Daily Intelligencer, Aug. 26, 1893, p. 1. Report on Robert Baines, who was found near Arbuckle Creek with his throat cut and accused Henry Caldwell of the attack. Newspapers.com.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

In February 1893, Atlanta endured a week of financial scandal, suicide and shocking violence that newspapers would later remember as Black Week. The darkest chapter unfolded inside the home of one of the city's most respected families, where two sisters were murdered and a third calmly confessed. Through contemporary accounts and Julia Force's own writings, this episode explores one of Georgia's most haunting nineteenth-century murder cases and the mystery that still surrounds it.

Join the Community on Patreon:

Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

📱 Follow on Social Media:

Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Instagram: @southernmysteries
Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com 

Episode Sources

Langley, Lee. Inside Scenes of Atlanta's Black Week: A Series of Social Sensations and a Carnival of Crimes. Atlanta: Franklin Printing and Publishing Company, 1893.

"A Carnival of Crime." The True Citizen (Waynesboro, Georgia), March 4, 1893.

"The Trial of Julia Force." The True Citizen (Waynesboro, Georgia), July 1, 1893.

"Miss Julia Force Indicted." The Weekly Banner (Athens, Georgia), March 14, 1893.

"Julia Force Declared Insane." The Hartwell Sun (Hartwell, Georgia), July 7, 1893.

"Julia Force Sent to the State Sanitarium." The Union Recorder (Milledgeville, Georgia), July 11, 1893.

"Thomas Cobb Jackson's Suicide." The Montgomery Monitor (Mount Vernon, Georgia), March 2, 1893.

"Force, Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Boots and Shoes." The Daily Intelligencer (Atlanta, Georgia), Dec. 22, 1865.

"Bankruptcy Notice of Benjamin W. Force." The Daily Opinion (Atlanta, Georgia), Oct. 24, 1867.

The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia), coverage of the Lewis Redwine scandal and Atlanta's Black Week, 1893-1894.

The Atlanta Journal (Atlanta, Georgia), coverage of the Force murders and trial, 1893.

Georgia Historic Newspapers, Digital Library of Georgia. https://gahistoricnewspapers.galileo.usg.edu

New Georgia Encyclopedia. "Fulton County." https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

New Georgia Encyclopedia. "Henry W. Grady." https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org

Your Peachy Past. https://peachypast.blogspot.com

Find a Grave. "Julia H. Force." https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/144555327/julia-h-force

Friends of Memory Hill Cemetery. https://friendsofcems.org

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

For more than two centuries, a hidden society existed in one of the most unforgiving landscapes in the American South. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, explore the remarkable history of the Great Dismal Swamp maroons, one of the longest-lasting acts of resistance to slavery in American history. Through historical records, firsthand accounts and modern archaeology, this forgotten chapter of Southern history reveals how an entire community survived in plain sight and why so few people have heard their story.

Join the Community on Patreon:

Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

📱 Follow on Social Media:

Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Instagram: @southernmysteries
Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com 

Episode Sources

“The Hidden Black Society They Don’t Teach You About” — In the Margins, PBS. Overview of the Great Dismal Swamp maroons, including interior, fringe and canal communities; the stories of Harriet Jacobs, Venus and Jack; the canal labor economy; and the Easter Conspiracy.

“The Great Dismal Swamp” — 99% Invisible. Podcast episode exploring the landscape, history and archaeology of the swamp’s maroon communities.

“Tom Copper’s Rebellion and Great Dismal Marronage” — National Park Service. Detailed history of Tom Copper, Mingo, New Begun and the alleged Easter Conspiracy of 1802.

“Anthropologist Daniel Sayers on the Maroons Who Found Freedom in the Great Dismal Swamp” — National Endowment for the Humanities. Interview about Sayers’ archaeological research and the evidence of long-term maroon settlements.

“The Dismal Swamp: One Road Out of Slavery Took You Straight to the Boggiest Place You’ve Ever Been” — National Endowment for the Humanities. Background on the landscape, archaeology and people who sought freedom inside the swamp.

“Deep in the Swamps, Archaeologists Are Finding How Fugitive Slaves Kept Their Freedom” — Smithsonian Magazine. In-depth account of Daniel Sayers’ excavations and the evidence uncovered at interior maroon sites.

A Desolate Place for a Defiant People: The Archaeology of Maroons, Indigenous Americans, and Enslaved Laborers in the Great Dismal Swamp — Daniel O. Sayers. Archaeological study of Indigenous occupation, enslaved labor and maroon resistance within the swamp.

Dismal Freedom: A History of the Maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp — J. Brent Morris. History of the maroons and the ways they created independent lives beyond white-controlled society.

City of Refuge: Slavery and Petit Marronage in the Great Dismal Swamp, 1763–1856 — Marcus P. Nevius. Study of temporary and long-term escape, informal labor networks and the connections between maroons and the swamp’s commercial economy.

“A History of the Maroons of the Great Dismal Swamp” — Virginia Museum of History & Culture. Program featuring historian J. Brent Morris and his research into the swamp’s maroon communities.

“Gabriel’s Conspiracy” — Encyclopedia Virginia and Virginia Humanities. Historical overview of Gabriel’s planned 1800 uprising near Richmond.

“Letter from Mosby Sheppard to James Monroe, Aug. 30, 1800” — Encyclopedia Virginia and the Library of Virginia. Primary-source warning sent to Virginia’s governor after the planned uprising was revealed.

“Testimony in the Trial of Gabriel, Oct. 6, 1800” — Encyclopedia Virginia and the Library of Virginia. Surviving testimony from Gabriel’s prosecution.

Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl — Harriet Jacobs, available through Documenting the American South at the University of North Carolina. Jacobs’ firsthand account of her escape from slavery and the time she spent hiding in a swamp.

Narrative of the Life of Moses Grandy, Late a Slave in the United States of America — Moses Grandy, available through Documenting the American South. Firsthand account of slavery, waterway labor and the economy surrounding the Great Dismal Swamp and its canal.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

This Southern Mysteries Classic revisits a chilling historical true crime case from the Kentucky mountains. In February 1933, a church service ended with the death of 72-year-old Lucinda Mills. Nine of her relatives were jailed and accused of murder, while the national press labeled the case a human sacrifice. Decades later, the question remains: what really happened inside that cabin?

Join the Community on Patreon:

Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

📱 Follow on Social Media:

Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Instagram: @southernmysteries
Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com 

Episode Sources

Laben T. Mills Obituary. Big Sandy News. July 31,1914

Lucinda Ward Mills. Find A Grave. [Lucinda’s age listed as 65 here but based off of census records she was believed to have been 72] 

Burning of Body on Altar Halted by Inez Police. The Owensboro Inquirer. February 9, 1933 

Cult Victim Held Willing Sacrifice. The Courier-Journal. February 10, 1933

Insanity Plea Planned in Cult Slaying Case. The Courier-Journal. February 11, 1933

Bare Details of ‘Sacrifice’ Death Scene. Indianpolis Times. February 11, 1933

Mills Held Without Bond for Slaying Mother in Cult ‘Sacrifice’. The Lexington Herald. February 12, 1933

Nine Relatives of Cult Victim Are Indicted. The Owensboro Messenger. April 5, 1933

Insanity Held Slaying Cause. The Courier-Journal. April 7, 1933

Two Relative Freed In Cult Slaying Trial. The Lexington Leader. April 9, 1933

Prosecutor Contends Slayers of Mrs Mills Cold Blooded Murderers. The Courier-Journal. April 10, 1933

Mills Kneeling on Mother’s Body Fought Deputies. The Owensboro Inquirer. April 11, 1933

Cult Case Goes to Jury. The Courier Journal. April 12, 1933

Cult Leader Is Given Life Term for Matricide. The Courier-Journal. April 12, 1933

Blaine McGinnis is Given Pardon. Lexington Herald-Leader. November 3, 1933

Odd Fellows Have Skeletons in Their Closets--and Their Walls and Attics. Los Angeles Times. April 2001.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

In the 1880s, Rowan County, Kentucky, became known as “Bloody Rowan” after politics, old grudges and personal revenge led to one of the state’s deadliest feuds. This episode traces the Rowan County War from an Election Day shooting in Morehead to three years of ambushes, militia intervention and a final armed showdown that ended the violence, but not through justice.

Join the Community on Patreon:

Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries

🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries

Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists.

📱 Follow on Social Media:

Facebook: Southern Mysteries Podcast
Instagram: @southernmysteries
Email: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com 

Episode Sources

Pearce, John Ed. Days of Darkness: The Feuds of Eastern Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky, 1994.

Blair, Juanita and Brown, Fred Jr. Days of Anger, Days of Tears: Rowan County, Kentucky, 1884–1887. 1984. Morehead State University Rowan County War Collection.

Morehead State University Rowan County War Collection. scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/rowan_county_war

Kentucky Historical Society. Rowan County War historical marker, Morehead, Kentucky.

The New York Times. “The Rowan County War: Two Factions Thirsting for Each Other’s Blood.” July 6, 1885.

The New York Times. Coverage of the reported Grace Martin and Frank Tolliver marriage. 1889.

Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin. “Bloody Election Day.” August 6, 1884.

Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin. “A Train Stopped and a Murderer Riddled with Bullets.” December 1884.

Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin. “Deadly Feud Ended in Marriage.” 1889.

Louisville Courier-Journal. “The Rowan County War.” April 4, 1885.

Louisville Courier-Journal. “Rowan County: A Three-Years’ History Written in the Blood of Seventeen Murdered People.” June 12, 1887.

Coats, Harold Wilson. “The Man Unafraid,” from Stories of Kentucky Feuds.

U.S. Forest Service historical account of the Daniel Boone National Forest, Chapter 23.

Episode Music

Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.