Ella Hanshaw, Wild Clay And The Homewrecker, Inside Appalachia

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The music of West Virginia songwriter Ella Hanshaw and, thanks in part to her grandchildren, the discovery of some old tapes that led to a new release.

Also, a pair of potters in western North Carolina forego commercial clay to work with clay that’s wild.

And, we make a trip to West Virginia’s Hillbilly Hotdogs for its infamous "Homewrecker Hotdog Challenge."

You'll hear these stories and more this week, Inside Appalachia.

In This Episode:

Ella Hanshaw's Black Book

Ella Hanshaw was a singer and songwriter who grew up and lived in West Virginia before moving to Ohio. The track is from a posthumous collection of her music titled Ella Hanshaw’s Black Book.

Ella Hanshaw’s Black Book is the first archival release by feminist record label Spinster. One of Spinster’s co-founders is former West Virginia folklorist Emily Hilliard, who’s written about Hanshaw’s music.

Ella Hanshaw passed away in 2020. The collection Ella Hanshaw’s Black Book came about in part because of Hanshaw’s granddaughter, Kelly Kerney. Host Mason Adams spoke with her recently about the release.

Wild Clay Spun Into Pottery

A shelf with finished pieces of pottery. — Finished pieces in the gallery at Bandana Pottery. Historical pots made with North Carolina clays and glaze materials inspired Michael Hunt and Naomi Dalglish to explore the possibilities of creating their own local clay bodies.
*Photo Credit: Anya Petrone Slepyan/The Daily Yonder*

Clay is the usual go-to ingredient for pottery. Most professional and hobby potters rely on store-bought clay for their projects, but not everybody. In western North Carolina, some folks prefer to work with wild clay – that is, clay that’s dug right out of the ground. They say using this traditional material makes all the difference.

Anya Petrone Slepyan from the Rural Remix Podcast has this story.

Workhorses On The Farm

Dressed in overalls and a blue t-shirt, farmer Charlie Lawson stands beside his two horses, which are hitched to farm equipment. — Now farming on the western end of Tazewell County, Virginia, at the foot of historic Paint Lick Mountain, Charlie Lawson uses Betty and Millie to prepare the ground for spring planting.
*Photo Credit: Connie Bailey Kitts/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Before the tractor, farmers in Appalachia relied on workhorses to plow fields and pull their wagons. In southwestern Virginia, the practice has mostly disappeared, often along with the farms themselves. But a few farmers never let go of farming with a horse.

Folkways Reporter Connie Bailey Kitts has this story.

Native Bamboo Species Restoration

An image of bamboo growing out of a plastic bag. The bags are in bed of a pickup truck. — Three young rivercane plants growing inside sandwich bags.
*Photo Credit: Roxy Todd/Radio IQ*

There are lots of different kinds of bamboo - more than 1,400 varieties - ranging from tiny, scrub-like plants only a few inches tall, to others that top out around 130 feet. The most common variety in the U.S. is Golden or fishpole bamboo. It’s native to China and was introduced here in 1882. It’s sometimes used for landscaping but can be wildly invasive.

America has a native species of bamboo, too. It was once commonly found in Appalachia near rivers and streams, but was nearly wiped out.

Last summer, Radio IQ’s Roxy Todd reported that a group of mostly volunteers is trying to restore the plant in southwestern Virginia.

W.Va. Small Businesses Support Community Recovering From Flood

Two men sit across a storeroom table looking at the camera. — Pastor Brad Davis, left, and Latin Appalachian restaurant owner Roberto Diaz sit in Diaz’s closed restaurant discussing the pop-up soup kitchen the restaurant became after the floods hit Welch, West Virginia.
*Photo Credit: Wendy Welch/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

When southern West Virginia flooded back in February, lots of small businesses stepped up to help their communities. Five months later, some businesses are still dealing with damage from the floods. Reporter Wendy Welch brings us the story of one such restaurant in McDowell County.

A Trip To Hillbilly Hotdogs

A junked car advertising Hillbilly Hotdogs in LeSage sits in front of an outhouse and overlooks the road. — Hillbilly Hotdogs in LeSage maintains steady traffic throughout the day. It's a popular destination that's a little off the beaten path.
*Photo Credit: Bill Lynch/West Virginia Public Broadcasting*

Hillbilly Hotdogs in Lesage, West Virginia is a local institution and a tourist attraction for visitors from all over the world. Last summer, one of the hotdog stand’s signature menu items suddenly became unavailable. This summer, though, the Homewrecker returned. Producer Bill Lynch paid a visit to Lesage and brings us this story.

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Our theme music is by Matt Jackfert. Other music this week was provided by Ella Hanshaw, Frank George, John Blissard, Mary Hott and Hello June.

Bill Lynch is our producer. Abby Neff is our associate producer. Our executive producer is Eric Douglas. Kelley Libby is our editor. Our audio mixer is Patrick Stephens. We had help this week from Folkways Editor Chris Julin.

You can send us an email: [email protected].

You can find us on Instagram, Threads and X @InAppalachia. Or here on Facebook.

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Inside Appalachia is a production of West Virginia Public Broadcasting.

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