Lost Confederate gold, magic of Granny Women, Daniel Boone, and Salt Trade
Blue Ridge Parkway Overlook at Groundhog Mountain, Meadows of Dan, VA
March 2025: Vol 2, #3
Howdy, and welcome to the March 2025 Blue Ridge Tales newsletter edition. This month features notes on Lost Confederate gold, the magic of Granny Women, Daniel Boone, and the Salt Trade that kept the Colonies running. I hope you enjoy my selections for the month.
In the last days of the Civil War, as Richmond burned and the Confederacy fell apart, a desperate group rolled out of town. They carried something more valuable than weapons—they carried their stash of Confederate gold. This fortune, meant to keep the Confederacy alive, made its way south to Danville, Virginia. And then? It vanished. For over a century, treasure …
In the hills and hollers of Old Appalachia, long before hospitals dotted the landscape, there were the granny women. They were the healers, midwives, and wisdom-keepers of mountain communities, blending herbal medicine, faith, and folklore to treat everything from fevers to broken bones. Their remedies, whispered prayers, and practical knowledge formed the backbone of Appalachian folk medicine. This art has …
The Road That Changed America Imagine standing at the edge of civilization, your worldly possessions packed onto a horse, your family by your side. The road ahead is no more than a rough footpath, cutting through dense forest and winding toward a mountain pass. You've heard the stories—of fertile land beyond the mountains, danger lurking in the woods, and families …
Life on the early frontier often hinged on one thing: salt. It preserved food, kept animals and humans healthy, and was used as trade currency. Great battles were fought over it. Men died mining it. The salt trade on the Holston River wasn't just a business; frontier economies rose and fell with the availability of salt. Before railroads cut through …
Well, that's it for this edition. I hope you enjoyed it. If you would like me to cover a particular topic, drop me a line at the address below. And don't forget to "like" our Facebook page.
