Preview Mode Links will not work in preview mode

Hometown Stories

Nov 16, 2023

Along a stretch of the New River in southwest Virginia, you’ll find a town nearly unchanged by time. For nearly a century, the people of Fries, Virginia worshiped, played and grew up under the watchful eye and guiding hand of its textile mill. It was an Appalachian mill town centered on community, cotton and...


Nov 8, 2023

The Norfolk and Western Class J No. 611 locomotive has retained celebrity status in her hometown of Roanoke, Virginia and has amassed fans in the rail enthusiast community worldwide. The Queen of Steam recently rode the rails once again, harkening back to its early days in the passenger rail business. Now as the...


Oct 4, 2023

Since the era of Daniel Boone, sengers have been trying their luck at turning roots into riches. The wild American ginseng created outlaws and bylaws, fact and fiction, in trying to define a people almost as elusive as the plant itself. Fueled by a robust Asian market, the ginseng trade has persevered, though today...


Sep 27, 2023

Did you know you can help plant trees in Virginia just by exploring your backyard? Virginia's Department of Forestry wants your acorns! In this episode of Hometown Stories, we speak with nursery manager, Joshua McLaughlin, about how you can get involved.
 


Aug 30, 2023

Five members of the Green Bank Observatory team in Green Bank, West Virginia have spent the last two weeks dodging polar bears, climbing glaciers and dismantling a giant telescope in one of the world’s northernmost human settlements. They’re bringing the spare parts, floppy discs and all, back to Green Bank. In this...