The Great Appalachian Earthquake of 1897

In 1897 the largest earthquake in the eastern U.S. since the New Madrid earthquake of 1811-12 struck, with its epicenter near the Giles County Courthouse in Pearisburg, Virginia.
Today we tell that story.

[@MONG...]

I went through one from Mineral Va.and had the privilege of working on a high ladder. I heard a train coming which no train was .... It was the sound of the earthquake. I then turned and could see in the back of the woods a row of trees swaying. Then the row in front of that swaying. Then the next row. I saw the wave coming and for a split second was wonder what kind of beast or Trex was plowing through the woods. I then realized my danger. And got off that ladder as fast as i could. Ill never forget it .

[@hillbillytrucker8347]

My family is from wythe county Virginia and I have never heard this story even passed down from my elders. Thank you for sharing this with us as I learned something new about the area in I grew up in.

[@StoriesofAppalachia]

You’re most welcome. These kind of stories are the ones we like to tell the most.

[@neeceeboo777]

Why are all of the stories so short?

[@StoriesofAppalachia]

We are primarily podcasters, not videographers. These video stories are designed to be shorter so they can be distributed not just on RUclips, but also on other platforms like Instagram and TikTok; we go into much more detail on our audio and video podcasts.