There are several tales about Jack. By far the most popular is Jack and the Beanstalk, but he had many, many other adventures. However, they took on a slightly different flavor after he made the journey to the new world with English and European settlers and found a new setting in the Appalachian region. Hear what Jack is up to this time.

Most stories ride the line between history and exaggeration, but this story was actually recorded in a 1906 Jackson County history book. It just happened to have stories about witchcraft and ghosts written alongside facts about the area.

The devil meets the farmer's wife (and then regrets doing so). This is the complete version of the song used in Granny Sue's introduction, along with a bit about the history of this ballad.

Historically, stories collected in West Virginia often had a dark side: many involved ghosts or interactions with the supernatural. This ballad was originally written in England, but morphed into a told tale when it reached West Virginia, and was collected as part of our spectral heritage.

A singalong ballad about 'Ole Man Tucker'. Recorded at the Vandalia Gathering, 2011 (forgive the background noise. This festival celebrates many facets of WV's traditions...the adjacent room was celebrating Scottish dancing with bagpipe accompaniment.

This song was so hauntingly beautiful that I have to include it even though I wasn't able to get the beginning. Also recorded at the Vandalia Gathering.