By: JENNIFER McDANIELS

Appalachian Journalist

 

(As Published In The Tri-City News)

(This is the introductory story of a series of ‘Mountain Haint’ stories that will be shared through the month of October in The Tri-City News.)

 

October winds blow leaves across Appalachian pathways that bring visitors wrapped in tightly knitted scarves and carrying with them a tale or two, and front porches throughout the mountains become the place where spooky stories are told. We might not see as much front-porch gathering in modern Appalachia as we used to, but the tradition of handing down stories that were told to us by our grandparents and great-grandparents still continues. There are even a few porches to this day filled with family and friends, hanging on every word as the storyteller recants a “Once Upon A Time” in the mysterious hollows of Harlan County, Kentucky.