Support this channel by LIKING, COMMENTING and SUBSCRIBING. Support the costs of research and video production by clicking JOIN or THANKS or by visiting www.theappalachianstoryteller.com Thanks so much!
What an interesting story JD! Loved it! While I have heard of the river and driven over her, I sure didn't know she was one of the 5 oldest rivers in the world. And that Baptist church getting wood? That's a great "re-purposing" story and for a good cause! One that didn't bottom out. Thank you JD!
I actually reached out to the church and was going to visit, however the hurricane made it impossible to reach the church, and they are currently helping out in the community. The Mountain Lillys bell is still housed in a brick podium to the side of the church.
@TheAppalachianStoryteller I'm so glad it was preserved and is still treasured. After the Army I taught Public Administration and History to pre-law university students. My heart belongs to history!
Thanks for sharing this bit of history. This is the first time I had ever heard about the river, let alone the steamship. Interesting all of the projects people endeavor to manifest. Peace and blessings to all.
I was so saddened to hear that the ship wasn't able to ply its trade up and down the river... I had such high hopes. I must say though,There is an element of humor to this as well...I think that's the first time I've ever seen you smile, Jd. I think you're one of the best Storytellers on RUclips
Although I am a flatlander I moved to the Appalachians 5 years ago. I love hearing the stories of my adopted home… especially when told by the good doctor. A pleasure, as always, JD!!!
I'd like to have seen it back in the day. So glad people salvaged the wood. It made for another story people could pass on to their kids . This was a good story JD.
I enjoy your stories of times gone by. Not much has changed. Somebody gets a wild idea, money is spent, and the idea is wallowed in controversy for the ages.
I am a new subscriber.So glad I found this channel.I visited the smoky mountains in 2007.I was amazed by the beauty I saw.I saw a Native American in full traditional dress.He looked so regal.My best memory ever.Thanks sir for telling these stories.God Bless.
Fabulous story JD, you make it come alive with your story telling. I think that poor boat was doomed from the beginning considering they could only get the water to 2 ft deep, Deary my…… some people! I had to chuckle when these so-called educated people decided on this plan, yet the mountain folk knew it wouldn’t work 🤣🤣 Blessings JD 😊
Mornin' JD! As always, thanks for yet another wonderful tale of our beautiful mountains and her people! Hope you... and anyone reading this...has a wonderful weekend and coming week! God bless! ~ Scott 💙🙏🏼
I had my doubts from the get- go. Anytime a politician gets an idea….. look out! It was doomed from the start! You get folks liquored up enough…. they’d buy anything! Well, the best thing about this story is that the boat made a beautiful house of God!! Thanks JD for another awesome story! You are the #1 Storyteller ever!!! Blessings to you & yours …. my friend! ATTENTION FOLKS!! Don’t wait another minute to buy both of JD’s fantastic storybooks!! I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed!! 😊✝️🙏❤️
@ Thank you! I think your books are great… even though I haven’t gotten the second one… I know how well you tell the stories and it makes us feel like we’re right there! 😊🙏
I love your channel. My family the Higdon's and Sission's are from Blueridge, Ga area my great grandfather owned the Post office/general store in Higdon Store, GA now Blueridge. My other family was born at Hanging Dog outside of Murphy, NC lastnames were Cornwell. My maiden name is Cornwell and we also had Daughtery's and Palmers. Most of my daddy's dad is buried at Hanging Dog minisonary Baptist Church.
@TheAppalachianStoryteller thank you. The Higdon store/post office was a big deal for it's time. Serving as a Post office, General Store, hospital, and funeral parlor lol I believe it was 3 or 4 generations of Higdons.
I was questioning how a boat that big could float in 2 feet of water. Im glad they were able to re-use parts of it though. As always, great story.. at the start i thought the mountain lilly was a plant or something.. 😂😂😂 I couldn't have been more wrong!
They was flat bottom the used the same ones on the Ohio river where I’m from and it averaged 2ft also but they was impassable in late summer and fall so they built the first lock and dam systems which can still be found on the Ohio river today I did a report on it my senior year
I live in Northeast Tennessee and have kayaked fished parts of this river. Before the hurricane came through the it was a beautiful river. It will be like that again, but it will take time.
@TheAppalachianStoryteller Yeah, the Tennessee side of the Watauga River flows thru my county, and it's still muddy. It's usually clear but has looked like chocolate milk since Helena.
This story “Nearly lost until now” Thanks! I thought it was gonna be about a flower. 😂 I’m glad they were able to salvage what they could and reuse parts of the boat and it just didn’t become river litter. ❤
I just learned a bit of history about the age and geography of the river and that even though some wild ideas survive to succeed, many of them fail for lack of planning... And, I've always wondered why they were called "pork barrel" ...🙀 Great story JD 😎👍❤
I agree with your other subscribers, you are an remarkable storyteller. You put the life into the words, it’s like hearing the story from our own grandparents. Thank you for sharing. 😊
For me, it was my Grandmother telling me stories. I was a wide eyed , captivated little girl! I hung on every word! Now I’m a great grandmother and I still remember those stories. ♥️💞♥️
You are amazing at telling these stories! You tell it in a way that it seems to come alive., very entertaining! I absolutely love watching these videos! Your channel is top notch and deserves a million subs. ❤
I loved this story! Hubby and I looked up the French Broad River. We didn’t know any of what you told us. Found out the river emptied at the start of the TN river. (If that’s incorrect, blame Wikipedia). The story was great. I did not know that they had tried to put in a boat. So fascinating. Thank You J.D.!
That was sad. But they didn't have enough knowledge and experience about ships and rivers and engineering back then. Thank you for sharing this bit of history. Looking forward to the next adventure of years past! God bless.❤🙏
I have never read or heard this story before. They didn't have the tools, machines, and other items we have today to make a river deeper. Two feet is only 24 inches. I think I got to play in the French Broad River when we drove to North Carolina to visit Mom's people (when I was a child back in the 1950's). The rocks were sharp and the water was cold on a hot summer day. It was nothing like the Licking River back home in Kentucky. After the storms of Oct. 27, 2024, Asheville, NC, the French Broad River, and many other places will never be the same. At least part of that boat was used to make something useful. Thank you for another part of History that has been kept from us. Great job.
❤❤❤ I love your stories so much. I enjoy listening to have your books but since I can't see to read anymore I can't purchase them and no one would read them to me if I did get them. I hope you sell a lot of these books can you make a lot of money with them because they make me very happy to listen to your ones I see on RUclips😅 thank you I'm blessings to you and your family
Good morning JD thank you for the story it took me back to before my retirement as I spent twenty years working on the river with the army corps of engineers with the first five repairing the locks and dams followed by the remainder at McAlpine on the Ohio as a head lock operator. There are days now that I would enjoy talking with some of the old pilots. I stopped working on the repair crew after a diving accident at Paducah when I lost my dive partner and the higher ups saw how hard it took a toll on me so that is how I ended up becoming an operator. Which when I first started with the Corp I was asked what my goal was to which that was how I ended up my career. And in my opinion was a glorious career.
What a nice story, narrated beautifully 😊👏👏 one Gutsy Colonel that was. Don’t know why but out of the places in the US the Appalachian Mts intrigue me the most, my next trip I shall be definitely visiting the church and ringing the Bell 😍👍
What an expensive mistake to make!!! How on earth had they forgotten to survey the river & had water trials of the boat long before passengers were allowed on board 🤦🏻♀️ I feel bad for all the people who bought shares, but mostly for their collective disappointment 😥
Thanks for covering this, saw the title and had to check you out, like i've never gotten out in the part downtown to see how deep, but at Barnard bridge I've seen it be 3-6 inches several summers, there used to be a water park that stretched out onto it, I've seen a postcard of it but without context for location
I am well acquainted with the French Broad river. It is beautiful and very interesting to hear it's history. JD, I saw you in a video by That Is Impossible Channel. It was a short clip in a video about scary stuff in the Appalachians from 5 months ago. The channel has nearly 2 million subs so a lot of people saw it.
Support this channel by LIKING, COMMENTING and SUBSCRIBING. Support the costs of research and video production by clicking JOIN or THANKS or by visiting www.theappalachianstoryteller.com Thanks so much!
Love the stories
Shared your page on my page. Love real stories hi from Ireland ❤
@@user-adoyle123 Thank you so much! Hello from the mountains of East Tennessee
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller you are more than welcome.
What an interesting story JD! Loved it! While I have heard of the river and driven over her, I sure didn't know she was one of the 5 oldest rivers in the world. And that Baptist church getting wood? That's a great "re-purposing" story and for a good cause! One that didn't bottom out.
Thank you JD!
But seriously I love hearing the stories of individuals and event that weren't necessarily famous, but had an impact on our history.
A bit of forgotten history.. Can you imagine the excitement in those isolated hills. It had to be all folks talked about for years
@TheAppalachianStoryteller it had to be really something for those folks.
Sometimes things are not thought out thoroughly. This is an excellent historical story.
Thank you
Yea that was rockin!don't know how I missed this!🤙🇳🇿
Wow. Bless their hearts 🥰
It was a good idea 😉👍🏽
At least they used the wood and the bell for a church 😊✝️
❤️
AMEN! ♥️🙏🏼✝️♥️🎉
Awesome story mate. Gruberment never gets their hands out of your pocket to fill theirs. Aussie viewer here 👍
Thank you 😊
We suffer from that badly here in NZ as well. Nanny state in the extreme
@ horse face made you guys worse off than us, that surprised me mate, we aren’t ANZACs anymore, just sheep.
I want to see the church the Mountain Lilly became! Curious minds, ya' know, JD! 😁
I actually reached out to the church and was going to visit, however the hurricane made it impossible to reach the church, and they are currently helping out in the community. The Mountain Lillys bell is still housed in a brick podium to the side of the church.
@TheAppalachianStoryteller I'm so glad it was preserved and is still treasured. After the Army I taught Public Administration and History to pre-law university students. My heart belongs to history!
Interesting how people really haven’t changed that much 😮. Thank you JD for this great story ❤
Thank you Karen!
Thanks for sharing this bit of history. This is the first time I had ever heard about the river, let alone the steamship. Interesting all of the projects people endeavor to manifest. Peace and blessings to all.
Thank you 😊
❤
You know, I get melancolly for some reason listening to your stories. Fumbuzzled 🤣🤣🤣
You have the best stories ever!!! They are full of history and the way you present it is priceless. Thank you so very much.
Thank you Sarah! I try to tell stories the same way I learned them at my grannies house when I was a boy. She was a master storyteller
Good morning everyone! Thank you for sharing this story with us! Have a wonderful weekend everyone! ✌🏼😊
You are very welcome!
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller 👍🏻😊
Great story, and your storytelling ability is simply outstanding and very captivating!
I was so saddened to hear that the ship wasn't able to ply its trade up and down the river... I had such high hopes. I must say though,There is an element of humor to this as well...I think that's the first time I've ever seen you smile, Jd. I think you're one of the best Storytellers on RUclips
Thank you! Yeah, this story made me chuckle!
I know almost nothing from my father's side of the family. These stories really give me a lot of insight on how they lived. Thank you JD ❤
It warms my heart to hear that 😊
I love hearing the true stories of our past. The more you know, the more you appreciate what they endured for us.♥️
So true!
❤❤ Your nice comment. Thanks.. 😊
Although I am a flatlander I moved to the Appalachians 5 years ago. I love hearing the stories of my adopted home… especially when told by the good doctor. A pleasure, as always, JD!!!
Another awesome story, JD! Thank you, and God bless.❤
I appreciate that! 😊
Thank you for sharing such a great history lesson. ❤
I'm glad you enjoyed it!
I'm always learning for JD and certainly blessed by his stories. Many thanks for all the work you put into each video. Stay safe and blessed.
You are very welcome!
Excellent storytelling and of historical importance. Thank you!
I love this story .
That was a great piece of history. I grew-up in GreenEville, TN and spent time on the French Broad & Nolichucky Rivers.
Thank You
Thank you Doug!
Awesome story JD!@❤
Wow that’s tragic.
I lived in Horse Shoe NC for years and never knew that.
Thanks for the knowledge JD!!
Your welcome, Lisa!
I'd like to have seen it back in the day. So glad people salvaged the wood. It made for another story people could pass on to their kids . This was a good story JD.
Thank you James!
I enjoy your stories of times gone by. Not much has changed. Somebody gets a wild idea, money is spent, and the idea is wallowed in controversy for the ages.
The more things change the more they stay the same
What a great story. Your channel is amazing. Thank you and hi from NZ
Thank you 😊
Throughly enjoy hearing these stories.
Thank you Donna
My sweet puppy was startled by the steamboat whistle!
💜
Always love hearing your stories
Thank you 😊
I am a new subscriber.So glad I found this channel.I visited the smoky mountains in 2007.I was amazed by the beauty I saw.I saw a Native American in full traditional dress.He looked so regal.My best memory ever.Thanks sir for telling these stories.God Bless.
Welcome aboard!
Excellent Story😊
Many many thanks
Fascinating. Thanks.
Thank you Mr. Dan!
@ YW. I'm a retired Georgia History teacher and love all things about Southern history.
Fabulous story JD, you make it come alive with your story telling. I think that poor boat was doomed from the beginning considering they could only get the water to 2 ft deep, Deary my…… some people!
I had to chuckle when these so-called educated people decided on this plan, yet the mountain folk knew it wouldn’t work 🤣🤣
Blessings JD 😊
Thank you 🤣
Mornin' JD! As always, thanks for yet another wonderful tale of our beautiful mountains and her people! Hope you... and anyone reading this...has a wonderful weekend and coming week! God bless! ~ Scott 💙🙏🏼
Thank you Scott
Whoa! 😯 A great a great piece of history that I'm pleased to now have knowledge of. Thank you!
Thank you so much, I really appreciate you saying that.
Ty for the research. This is good stuff
Thank you so much!
so interesting - great narration, pics were done exxpertly ! ! !❤ Thank You!!!
Thank you so much much hope you have a wonderful weekend
Great story of the past JD. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it
I had my doubts from the get- go. Anytime a politician gets an idea….. look out! It was doomed from the start! You get folks liquored up enough…. they’d buy anything! Well, the best thing about this story is that the boat made a beautiful house of God!! Thanks JD for another awesome story! You are the #1 Storyteller ever!!! Blessings to you & yours …. my friend!
ATTENTION FOLKS!! Don’t wait another minute to buy both of JD’s fantastic storybooks!! I guarantee you will NOT be disappointed!! 😊✝️🙏❤️
Thank you so much Betty! You are such a blessing
@ Thank you! I think your books are great… even though I haven’t gotten the second one… I know how well you tell the stories and it makes us feel like we’re right there! 😊🙏
Loved the story!!
Thank you 😊
I love your channel. My family the Higdon's and Sission's are from Blueridge, Ga area my great grandfather owned the Post office/general store in Higdon Store, GA now Blueridge. My other family was born at Hanging Dog outside of Murphy, NC lastnames were Cornwell. My maiden name is Cornwell and we also had Daughtery's and Palmers. Most of my daddy's dad is buried at Hanging Dog minisonary Baptist Church.
Wow that is a great history!
@TheAppalachianStoryteller thank you. The Higdon store/post office was a big deal for it's time. Serving as a Post office, General Store, hospital, and funeral parlor lol I believe it was 3 or 4 generations of Higdons.
Pork Barrel Politics 😂 my new term ❤ great story, I hope I get to visit Appalachia before I take my dirt nap
YOU ARE THE VERY, VERY BEST
Thank you so much, my friend. I really appreciate that.
Cool story and history
Thanks so much brother!
Very entertaining & interesting story of past hopes diminished … although the church might have seen it as a gift. 🇨🇦 ❤
Thank you!
I was questioning how a boat that big could float in 2 feet of water. Im glad they were able to re-use parts of it though. As always, great story.. at the start i thought the mountain lilly was a plant or something.. 😂😂😂 I couldn't have been more wrong!
Thank you Rusty!
They was flat bottom the used the same ones on the Ohio river where I’m from and it averaged 2ft also but they was impassable in late summer and fall so they built the first lock and dam systems which can still be found on the Ohio river today I did a report on it my senior year
@Jeepboy I honestly didn't know that. Thanks
I was raised outside of Asheville in Leicester fished the French broad a lot growing up Appalachian
Did you catch anything ??
I live in Northeast Tennessee and have kayaked fished parts of this river. Before the hurricane came through the it was a beautiful river. It will be like that again, but it will take time.
We rode thru a couple days ago and it was tragic how the river is littered with uprooted trees and carnage from the hurricane
@TheAppalachianStoryteller Yeah, the Tennessee side of the Watauga River flows thru my county, and it's still muddy. It's usually clear but has looked like chocolate milk since Helena.
Wow amazing story.
Thank you Michael!
Nov 20 2024
These stories are an awesome read !
Such good timing since the hurricane swept that area of it’s beautiful history
Thank you 😊
This story “Nearly lost until now” Thanks! I thought it was gonna be about a flower. 😂 I’m glad they were able to salvage what they could and reuse parts of the boat and it just didn’t become river litter. ❤
Loved learning about the French Broad River, especially since I live in Asheville! We appreciate you!
Thank you! Have a blessed weekend!
I just learned a bit of history about the age and geography of the river and that even though some wild ideas survive to succeed, many of them fail for lack of planning...
And, I've always wondered why they were called "pork barrel" ...🙀
Great story JD 😎👍❤
Great video 😊😊
Thanks so much! 😊
I agree with your other subscribers, you are an remarkable storyteller. You put the life into the words, it’s like hearing the story from our own grandparents. Thank you for sharing. 😊
Thank you so much for that. That really means a lot to me.
These stories take me back to my childhood listening to my papaw ...he was a story teller also ..thank you JD
That makes me so happy
For me, it was my Grandmother telling me stories. I was a wide eyed , captivated little girl! I hung on every word! Now I’m a great grandmother and I still remember those stories. ♥️💞♥️
What a shame 😢 All the hard earned money 💰 just to end up abandoned. At least it was repurpose/reused so that was good. 👵🏻❣️
You are amazing at telling these stories! You tell it in a way that it seems to come alive., very entertaining! I absolutely love watching these videos! Your channel is top notch and deserves a million subs. ❤
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that!
@TheAppalachianStoryteller you're welcome!
Great video editing as well ❤
Thank you for sharing your amazing stories, perfect breakfast fodder, have an awesome day my friend, and i hope you enjoyed your special day. ❤🍁✨️🙏
Thank you, I appreciate it!
That was an amazing story. I had never heard anything about this before.
it was wishful thinking expecting it to float in 18 inches of water. Cool story though
Thank you 😊
I always look forward to your great stories.
Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy them!
Is this the boat that used to sit on the side of the river in the 70’s and 80’s I remember seeing it every time I’d go fishing with dad.
I loved this story! Hubby and I looked up the French Broad River. We didn’t know any of what you told us. Found out the river emptied at the start of the TN river. (If that’s incorrect, blame Wikipedia). The story was great. I did not know that they had tried to put in a boat. So fascinating. Thank You J.D.!
I never knew that about the French Broad River 👍 That was worth the cost to watch 😂
So glad I found this channel my new fav thanks for the stories I got have of the guys I work with listening
2nd day binge watching! I love your storytelling here in backwoods PA❤
Awesome! Thank you!
I had my doubts about a 90 footer able to navigate in the mountain streams.
They gave it their best shot didn’t they
JD and Sara hey I’m waiting on daylight to go to my deer hunting spot
Such beautiful scenery!
Thank you!
That was sad. But they didn't have enough knowledge and experience about ships and rivers and engineering back then. Thank you for sharing this bit of history. Looking forward to the next adventure of years past! God bless.❤🙏
Thank you!
I have never read or heard this story before. They didn't have the tools, machines, and other items we have today to make a river deeper. Two feet is only 24 inches. I think I got to play in the French Broad River when we drove to North Carolina to visit Mom's people (when I was a child back in the 1950's). The rocks were sharp and the water was cold on a hot summer day. It was nothing like the Licking River back home in Kentucky. After the storms of Oct. 27, 2024, Asheville, NC, the French Broad River, and many other places will never be the same. At least part of that boat was used to make something useful. Thank you for another part of History that has been kept from us. Great job.
Thank you 😊
Good story as always keep them coming God bless you all
Thank you Ruth!
❤❤❤ I love your stories so much. I enjoy listening to have your books but since I can't see to read anymore I can't purchase them and no one would read them to me if I did get them. I hope you sell a lot of these books can you make a lot of money with them because they make me very happy to listen to your ones I see on RUclips😅 thank you I'm blessings to you and your family
Watching the videos is MUCH appreciated
I so enjoy your stories. Thank you for sharing them with us
You are very welcome!
And even today our Govt funds ridiculous operations without real studies. Millions and Billions of dollars. Love these stories of where I grew up.
All the bbq, and the assumed side dishes, beer, and whiskey, oh, hell yes, count me in!!!
Sounds like a fun time!
Wow, never knew. My favorite river to ❤
Enjoyed again, JD
Thank you John! Have a blessed weekend!
Good morning JD thank you for the story it took me back to before my retirement as I spent twenty years working on the river with the army corps of engineers with the first five repairing the locks and dams followed by the remainder at McAlpine on the Ohio as a head lock operator. There are days now that I would enjoy talking with some of the old pilots.
I stopped working on the repair crew after a diving accident at Paducah when I lost my dive partner and the higher ups saw how hard it took a toll on me so that is how I ended up becoming an operator. Which when I first started with the Corp I was asked what my goal was to which that was how I ended up my career. And in my opinion was a glorious career.
Thank you for sharing this Keith
@@TheAppalachianStoryteller just a note JD my user name still reflects my ties to the Corp.
USACE
Never heard about this story. Thank you for sharing ❤
You are so welcome
Awesome storytelling!!😂
Thank you!
What a nice story, narrated beautifully 😊👏👏 one Gutsy Colonel that was. Don’t know why but out of the places in the US the Appalachian Mts intrigue me the most, my next trip I shall be definitely visiting the church and ringing the Bell 😍👍
I'm glad you enjoyed it! The mountains are indeed beautiful.
What an expensive mistake to make!!! How on earth had they forgotten to survey the river & had water trials of the boat long before passengers were allowed on board 🤦🏻♀️ I feel bad for all the people who bought shares, but mostly for their collective disappointment 😥
A fool’s errand 😂. But he had to try. Great piece of history. 👍
Thank you so much, Denise. Hope you have a blessed weekend.
More like this please.
Glad you enjoyed this one brother have a great week
Just spent a week in North Carolina and it is apparent they haven't learned much in all these years since . Thanks for the story JD ✌
Thanks brother! Hope all is well
😅
Bum-fuzzled? I'm adopting that! ☺
Thanks for covering this, saw the title and had to check you out, like i've never gotten out in the part downtown to see how deep, but at Barnard bridge I've seen it be 3-6 inches several summers, there used to be a water park that stretched out onto it, I've seen a postcard of it but without context for location
Thanks so much, preciate you sharing this info
Great story!
Thanks! 😊
I am well acquainted with the French Broad river. It is beautiful and very interesting to hear it's history.
JD, I saw you in a video by That Is Impossible Channel. It was a short clip in a video about scary stuff in the Appalachians from 5 months ago. The channel has nearly 2 million subs so a lot of people saw it.
Yes! I was invited on the show so it was legit
what a spectacular display of human hubris
Love
Thank you from Tennessee! ❤
You are so welcome!
I love what you're doing!
Thank you so much!
That was a great story JD.
Thank you 😊
Thanks!
You bet!
He dream work and seen❤❤ Love these stories