Long before true crime had a genre, the Appalachian hills bore witness to one of the most infamous family feuds in American history. What started with a stolen pig spiraled into decades of bloodshed, betrayal, courtroom drama, and generational vengeance. In this episode of Dark Side Diaries, we unravel the brutal tale of the Hatfields and McCoys — a feud that blurred the line between justice and revenge, and left a permanent scar on the American South.

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References

Billings, D. B., & Blee, K. M. (2000). The road to poverty: The making of wealth and hardship in Appalachia. Cambridge University Press.

Halbert, H. M. (2007). Roseanna McCoy. Appalachian Journal, 34(4), 362–375.

Hatfield & McCoy Historic Sites. (n.d.). Tourism and trails. Hatfield & McCoy Convention and Visitors Bureau. Retrieved from https://www.hatfieldmccoycvb.com

Hatfield, T. (2013). The Hatfields: The story of the famous feud. University Press of Kentucky.

Kunst, S. (2010). Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and social history. Journal of American Folklore, 123(489), 401–420.

Rice, O. K. (1982). The Hatfields and the McCoys. The West Virginia Historical Magazine Quarterly, 46(3), 121–139.

Shapiro, H. D. (1978). Appalachia on our mind: The Southern mountains and mountaineers in the American consciousness, 1870–1920. University of North Carolina Press.

Sullivan, R. (1999). The Hatfield-McCoy Feud: The story of America's most famous mountain feud. Penguin Books.

Waller, A. (1988). Feud: Hatfields, McCoys, and social change in Appalachia, 1860–1900. University of North Carolina Press.