Episode 159 - The Story Of Tom Dooley And The Murder Behind One Of Folk Music's Greatest Classics

Episode 159 - The Story Of Tom Dooley And The Murder Behind One Of Folk Music's Greatest Classics

From History Uncovered by All That's Interesting

March 18, 2026 · 33 min · Episode 159

About this episode

The episode explores the true story behind the folk song 'Tom Dooley' and the murder of Laura Foster by Tom Dula.

In 1958, the Kingston Trio released a hugely popular folk song called "Tom Dooley," which even inspired a 1959 film, but few listeners realized the song was based on a real person — Tom Dula (pronounced "Dooley") — a young Civil War veteran from Wilkes County, North Carolina, who was executed in 1868 for the murder of his lover, Laura Foster. According to the story, Dula was romantically involved with both Anne Melton and her cousin Laura, but in May 1866 Laura disappeared after riding off on her family's horse, and her body was later found in a shallow grave; Dula, though he briefly fled, was arrested, tried, convicted, and hanged at just 23 years old. Whether he was truly guilty, however, remains an open question, and his tale of love, betrayal, and possible self-sacrifice has continued to captivate people, particularly in his home state of North Carolina. https://allthatsinteresting.com/civil-war-battles Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: All That's Interesting

Topics covered

  • folk music
  • murder
  • Civil War
  • true crime
  • North Carolina
  • history

Keywords

  • Tom Dula
  • Laura Foster
  • Kingston Trio
  • folk music
  • murder
  • Civil War
  • North Carolina
  • true crime

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Kingston Trio

Books & works: Tom Dooley

Places: Wilkes County, North Carolina

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