Episode 191 The Rowan County War

Southern Mysteries Podcast

Shannon Ballard

True Crime, Society & Culture, History

4.8 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 1 June 2026

⏱️ 26 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In the 1880s, Rowan County, Kentucky, became known as “Bloody Rowan” after politics, old grudges and personal revenge led to one of the state’s deadliest feuds. This episode traces the Rowan County War from an Election Day shooting in Morehead to three years of ambushes, militia intervention and a final armed showdown that ended the violence, but not through justice. Join the Community on Patreon: Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries 🎧 Explore More Southern Mysteries Visit SouthernMysteries.com for more episodes and source lists. 📱 Follow on Social Media: Facebook: Southern Mysteries PodcastInstagram: @southernmysteriesEmail: southernmysteriespodcast@gmail.com Episode Sources Pearce, John Ed. Days of Darkness: The Feuds of Eastern Kentucky. University Press of Kentucky, 1994. Blair, Juanita and Brown, Fred Jr. Days of Anger, Days of Tears: Rowan County, Kentucky, 1884–1887. 1984. Morehead State University Rowan County War Collection. Morehead State University Rowan County War Collection. scholarworks.moreheadstate.edu/rowan_county_war Kentucky Historical Society. Rowan County War historical marker, Morehead, Kentucky. The New York Times. “The Rowan County War: Two Factions Thirsting for Each Other’s Blood.” July 6, 1885. The New York Times. Coverage of the reported Grace Martin and Frank Tolliver marriage. 1889. Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin. “Bloody Election Day.” August 6, 1884. Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin. “A Train Stopped and a Murderer Riddled with Bullets.” December 1884. Maysville Daily Evening Bulletin. “Deadly Feud Ended in Marriage.” 1889. Louisville Courier-Journal. “The Rowan County War.” April 4, 1885. Louisville Courier-Journal. “Rowan County: A Three-Years’ History Written in the Blood of Seventeen Murdered People.” June 12, 1887. Coats, Harold Wilson. “The Man Unafraid,” from Stories of Kentucky Feuds. U.S. Forest Service historical account of the Daniel Boone National Forest, Chapter 23. Episode Music Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Shannon Ballard, and this is Southern Mysteries.
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1:36.7	In the 1880s, a small Kentucky town became the center of one of the bloodiest feuds in the state's history.
1:43.6	The Rowland County War lasted three years. It began with politics and an election day shooting. Before it ended, men were ambushed, homes were burned, families fled, the state militia was called in, and lawmakers considered dissolving Rallin County entirely.
1:57.0	It's a story about what happens when old grudges and personal revenge begin to overtake the law itself.
2:04.6	By the summer of 1887, many people in Rowland County no longer believed the courts could stop the killing, so a group of armed men decided to end it themselves.
2:20.5	Welcome to Southern Mysteries,
2:23.0	exploring Southern history and true crime.
2:25.6	I'm your host, Shannon Ballard.
	...

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