47 Years a Hermit: The Strange Afterlife of William Hewitt episode artwork

EPISODE · Jul 18, 2026 · 15 MIN

47 Years a Hermit: The Strange Afterlife of William Hewitt

from Stories of Appalachia · host Steve Gilly, Rod Mullins

In the late 1780s a man from Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, William Hewitt, crossed the Ohio River seeking to find solitude in the Appalachian wilderness after heartbreak changed his life forever. Living alone in caves and rough dugouts for nearly fifty years, Hewitt lived in peace alongside the Shawnee, served as a scout during the War of 1812, and became a legend across southeastern Ohio. But the strangest chapter of his story began after his death.Join us as we tell the haunting true story of the Hermit of Hewitt’s Fork.Be sure to subscribe to the Stories podcast on your favorite podcast app.Thanks for listening!

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Jul 18, 2026

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47 Years a Hermit: The Strange Afterlife of William Hewitt

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