34 min listen
Revisiting a North Carolina Massacre: Shelton Laurel, Part One
Revisiting a North Carolina Massacre: Shelton Laurel, Part One
ratings:
Length:
28 minutes
Released:
Apr 11, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Description
There are stories where the characters and events are so extraordinary and gripping that one can miss their overall meaning. It can be easy to take stories like the one you are about to hear at face value, and leave their larger context unrealized. But even the most casual reading of the events and people of Madison County, North Carolina from 1863 should raise a lot of red flags about our own worst tendencies. Even a pulp fiction version of the Shelton Laurel Massacre would lend plenty of insight into the all too often dark heart of humanity. But pull the lens back, and consider these events, their beginnings and repercussions in the arc of history, and you might come to an even more chilling conclusion. What caused neighbors and kinfolk to terrorize and murder one another in the Appalachian mountains all those generations ago, what larger forces that worked to bring out the cruelty and violence this chapter of history reveals, and what hatred and divisions that earned the place the moniker “Bloody Madison” are not only in history books; they are with us today. It would be nice to think that because America went through its Civil War, and Shelton Laurel had its Massacre, that it cannot happen again. But once you get sight of the forest beyond all its trees in this bit of history, you might wonder.
Released:
Apr 11, 2024
Format:
Podcast episode
Titles in the series (99)
A Subtle Beauty And Poetic Message: Chatham County Line’s Strange Fascination: Dave Wilson and John Teer talk about their new album, working with Sharon Van Etten, their new virtual shows, and how they love to represent North Carolina. by Southern Songs and Stories