Outcasts of the Earth

About Outcasts of the Earth

This podcast explores the stories of history's outcasts from antiquity to the present day. With seasons built around a different topic, each episode aims to centre the often nameless and faceless individuals who were made to live on the fringe of society. Hosted by a trained historian, Kenyon Payne. Outcasts of the Earth is back with season three: Moonshiners! The listeners voted and selected the topic for this new season. Outcasts of the Earth: Moonshiners premieres on September 14 with new episodes dropping every other week. Alongside this new season, be sure to check out season one (on alcohol and 'drunkards'), as well as season two (the season of the witch). Both available to stream now! Subscribe to the show to receive the latest updates. Follow along with the show on Instagram @ootepod, and visit the Outcasts of the Earth website at: www.ootepod.com (www.ootepod.com). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Kenyon Payne

Category

education · history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

8 Apr 2025

Latest episode

13 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

38 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   13 Oct 2026

   Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Whiskey

   Kenyon is back to share the story of how whiskey made its way from Ireland (and Scotland) to North America. This episode covers the history of the Scot-Irish, how they ended up living along the backcountry frontier, and their newfound freedom to distill as they desired. It is a complicated history, as the Scots-Irish were not always welcome with open arms. Kenyon digs into these (very elitist) reactions to this migratory wave, in addition to how the American Revolution changed the history of whiskey distillation in America. Did you know that George Washington ended up owning the largest whiskey distillery in the United States? Give this episode a listen to learn how that got started, as well as why whiskey yet again became the target of new excise taxes... Sources: Anon., “A Lover of Pennsylvania,” The Newport Mercury, July 16, 1764, Issue 306. W. W. Abbot, ed. “From George Washington to William Augustine Washington, 29 October 1799,” The Papers of George Washington, Retirement Series, Vol. 4, 20 April 1799 – 13 December 1799 (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1999), 379. Founders Online, National Archives. James Anderson, “Salvington, to George Washington, Philadelphia, 1796 September 11,” Washington Collection. Mount Vernon Ladies Association, Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington at Mount Vernon, VA. William Byrd, The Writings of Colonel William Byrd of Westover in Virginia, 1744 (De Vinne Press, 1901) L.H. Butterfield and Benjamin Rush, “Dr. Benjamin Rush’s Journal of a Trip to Carlisle in 1784” The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography, 74, 4 (Oct., 1950) Joseph Earl Dabney, Mountain Spirits: a Chronicle of Corn Whiskey from King James’ Ulster Plantation to America’s Appalachians and the Moonshine Life (Asheville, NC: Bright Mountain Books, 1974). Grace Toney Edwards, “Appalachia: The Effects of Cultural Values on the Production and Consumption of Alcohol,” in The American Experience with Alcohol: Contrasting Cultural Perspectives, edited by Linda A. Bennett and Genevieve M. Ames (New York: Plenum Press, 1985). Patrick Griffin, The People with No Name: Ireland's Ulster Scots, America's Scots Irish, and the Creation of a British Atlantic World, 1689-1764 (Princeton: 2002). Patrick Griffin, “The Irish, Scots and Scotch-Irish and Lessons from the Early American Frontier,” Journal of Irish and Scottish Studies, Vol. 3, 1 (January 1, 2009). Eric Hindraker and Peter Mancall, At the Edge of Empire: The Backcountry in British North America (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2003). Richard J. Hooker, ed. The Carolina Backcountry on the Eve of the Revolution: The Journal and Other Writings of Charles Woodmason, Anglican Itinerant (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1953). Edward Lengel, ed. “From George Washington to Brigadier General John Lacey, Jr., 23 January 1778,” The Papers of George Washington, Vol. 13, 323-324. Founders Online, National Archives. Dennis J. Pogue, Founding Spirits: George Washington and the Beginnings of the American Whiskey Industry (Buena Vista, VA: Harbour Books, 2011). W.J. Rorabaugh, The Alcoholic Republic: An American Tradition (New York: Oxford University Press, 1979). Charles D. Thompson, Jr., Spirits of Just Men : Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World (2011). Alfred Webb, “James Logan,” A Compendium of Irish Biography, 1878. Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Also by Kevin MacLeod: “Skye Cullin” Additional featured music: “Voyage Begins,” Table Top Audio. “Tam Lin Glasgow Reel,” Ebunny “Old Country Hop,” Grumpynora “Drama Heartfelt World Adventure,” REDproductions “Suspensify,” nakaradaalexander “Country Rock,” litesaturation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

2. 

   29 Sept 2026

   The First Moonshiners

   In this episode, Kenyon digs into the historical pressures that pushed Scottish and Scots-Irish distillers to turn to moonshining in early modern Scotland and Ireland. This includes a discussion of the (believed) origins of whisk(e)y in Scotland and Ireland, along with stories of how James I initiated the plans behind the Ulster Plantation, and the riots that broke out in Scotland after the English raised the tax on malt. This episode is riddled with stories of bastard landlords, rent hikes, and community efforts to thwart the excise man. It turns out, this early history to moonshining is just as unruly as the generations of illicit distillers that followed. Follow the show on Instagram @ootepod, or on the show's website, www.ootepod.com (www.ootepod.com). Sources: Robert Burns, “The Author’s Earnest Cry and Prayer,” as read and analyzed by the Robert Burns Guide YouTube channel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMfoal6apBg). Jamie Joyce, Moonshine: a cultural history of America’s infamous liquor (2014). Kevin Kosar, Moonshine: a global history (2017). Tristan Stephenson, “Early Gaelic Spirits,” The Curious Bartender’s Guide to Malt, Bourbon & Rye Whiskies. A.T.Q. Stewart, The Narrow Ground: the Roots of Conflict in Ulster (1977, revised 1989). Charles D. Thompson, Jr., Spirits of Just Men : Mountaineers, Liquor Bosses, and Lawmen in the Moonshine Capital of the World (2011). Sandra White, “Smugglers and Excisemen: The History of Whisky in Scotland, 1644 to 1823,” Master’s thesis, the University of Western Ontario, (2020). Written and recorded by: Kenyon Payne Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Additional featured music: “Distilled: Highlands,” Table Top Audio “Leaving Home,” Kevin MacLeod “Division,” Kevin MacLeod “Garage Punk,” 331music “Elysium,” nakaradaalexander "Celtic Arena," DJARTMUSIC "Where the Brave May Live Forever," OB-LIX "Medieval Celtic Violin," _Music_for_Creators_ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

3. 

   23 Sept 2026

   Rainy Day Outcasts: Snake Oil, Fraudsters, and Opium Eaters (oh my!)

   To quote Mr. Peanut Butter, "Is this a crossover episode?" It sure is! I was very fortunate to join Shea over at Rainy Day Rabbit Holes for this very special episode in which we both share a story related to the fraudulent, and hidden horrors, of medical history. Shea kicks things off with the story of Clark Stanley, "the Rattlesnake King," and how he tricked the masses into buying his magical cure-all: snake oil. I then follow with the story of the Victorian opium eaters, whose recreational drug use was lauded by writers like Thomas De Quincey, but the unregulated use of opium proved to have a very dark (and often deadly) side. I hope you enjoy this first special crossover between our two shows! Check out Rainy Day Rabbit Holes for more unhinged stories from history: www.rainydayrabbitholes.com. You can also keep up with Outcasts of the Earth at www.ootepod.com. Theme music: "Southern Gothic" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 4.0 License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Outro music: “D´vil,” anrocomposer Sources: Anon., "A Plea from a Young Laudanum Addict," 1889. Thomas De Quincey, Confessions of an English Opium Eater, 1821. David T. Courtwright, Forces of Habit: Drugs and the Making of the Modern World, 2002. Jonathan S. Jones, Opium Slavery: Civil War Veterans and America's First Opioid Crisis, 2025. Roy Porter, Quacks: Fakers and Charlatans in Medicine, 2000. James Harvey Young, The Toadstool Millionaires: A Social History of Patent Medicines in America before Federal Regulation, 1961. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

29

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32