by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jul 16, 2020 | Appalachian, History
More than 120 years ago, in July 1897, Edward Shue was convicted of murdering his wife Zona “Elva” Heaster Shue–thanks to HER testimony. The story out of Greenbrier County, WV, actually rates a state historic marker. And it goes something like this: On January 23,...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jul 13, 2020 | History, Writing
I love getting to visit the places where I set my stories. The Right Kind of Fool–releasing in November–is set in Beverly, WV, just down the road from my mom’s house. Last fall we went over and poked around town making it possible for me to add some...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jul 9, 2020 | Appalachian, Family, History
I love it when I discover something wonderfully Appalachian that I didn’t know about! Quilts play a key role in my Appalachian fiction and I love to surround myself with them. But learning about coffin quilts was new for me! I was researching Appalachian funeral...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jul 2, 2020 | Appalachian, Family, History
When my husband and I took on the family farm in West Virginia, a big part of the reason was to preserve family history. Turns out I’m pretty sentimental and I’m fascinated with history–especially my own. This land has been held by a descendant of...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Jun 18, 2020 | Appalachian, History
I love digging into random bits of history about my home state. Sometimes, when I’m traveling through on my way to or from the farm, I take side roads and just see what turns up. Like the Tyree Tavern aka Halfway House in Ansted, WV. It’s an old stagecoach...
by Sarah Loudin Thomas | Apr 13, 2020 | Church, History, Waiting
Did you know quarantine comes form the Italian, quarantina, meaning 40 days? Hellebores – Lenten Roses Having just concluded the 40 days of Lent by celebrating Easter, that number seems particularly significant. And it is–there are quite a few Biblical...
