Ann Arbor Stories | Ann Arbor District Library

The shrill, biting staccato whine of a chain saw pierces the cold, night air. Thud. Another billboard falls to the ground along a highway in southern Michigan. An estimated 167 billboards in all—cut, chopped, and chainsawed, along highways throughout Michigan, mostly in the vicinity of Ann Arbor. The papers called this group The Billboard Bandits. But they weren't the only ones terrorizing good old fashioned marketers in town. Music by Hollow & Akimbo

Four nights of rioting, dozens of injuries to cops and citizens, and more than 70 arrests—it was an event The Detroit Free Press dubbed “The Battle of Ann Arbor”. What sparked this violence and how did the insane scene play out in the summer of 1969? Music by FAWNN and ZShipps

There wasn't a lot of traffic on M-14 on that last day of August 1981. It was 3am. Semi trucks bound for points in Michigan and throughout the Midwest, cars carrying people headed to work, cars taking people home after long nights. It was at this time on this day on this stretch of highway that more than 200 bullets rained down on speeding cars, trucks and semis, causing mass panic and chaos. This is the story of the 1981 highway snipers. Music by Michna and Ben Benjamin, courtesy of GhoLicense.

This is the story of Thomas Clarkson Trueblood—the first golf coach at the University of Michigan, one of the most respected orators in the world during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and noted professor --- of lovemaking. Get to know Professor Foxy Truesport. Music by Tunde Olaniran

In 1970, one man tried to stop the University of Michigan and Michigan State from playing their annual football game. And he kind of had an argument. A story of rock music, drugs, sex, love-ins, college football and judicial precedent - fun for the whole family! Music by Hollow & Akimbo Listener Warning: Episode contains references to sex, drugs, and the Ann Arbor band The Seventh Seal which played music so mind bending that it drove people to riot.

You're going to hear a story about a man. It may seem too good and too weird to be true, but trust me—what you are about to hear is 100% real. This is the story of William Douglas Street, better known as The Chameleon. Music by Shout Out Out Out Out

Skyscraper is such an elegant word. Two decades after it was first used in print to describe Chicago's tall-building craze, Ann Arbor had its first skyscraper—the seven-story Glazier Building. Twenty years later, the 10-story First National Building went up. This is the story of some of Ann Arbor's first skyscrapers, it's tallest building and the 30-story behemoth that never was. Music by Chris Bathgate.

Ann Arbor has a rich history of railroads and trains. So so much rich history. This is not that story. This is a story of the most spectacular train crashes in Ann Arbor's history. Listener Warning: Contain references to train crashes, more train crashes and a canary named Bobby. Music by Diego and the Dissidents

Bears. Bobcats. Badgers. Red foxes. Raccoons. And a wolverine. Once upon a time they watched from campus with their predatory eyes as students at the University of Michigan, townies, and delicious delicious children walked past. Their territory on the corner near Geddes and Washtenaw - that's where these wild beasts stalked for more than 30 years. Stalked is a little hyperbolic. Watched. They watched. But with slavering mouths and sharp curved teeth. We didn’t mention the cages. There were cages. And some fences. And zookeepers. Wait, we didn’t mention. Um, everyone … we had a zoo! Parental Listener Warning: This episode contains references to a few animals that die, wild animals at sporting events and otter water slides. Music by: Shout Out Out Out Out

There are enough amazing Ann Arbor astronauts to create a top 10 list, so that's what we did. Men with righter than right stuff, pilots and scientists and world record holders who broke the outer limits of the atmosphere, touched the stars and zoomed around the surface of the moon on a frickin' lunar rover. Who's your favorite? Parental advisory: This episode contains references to death, more death (we're not psyched about this) and the film Apollo 13. Music by FAWNN.

Each episode of Ann Arbor Stories ends with our email address: AnnArborStories@gmaill.com and an ask to you, our great listeners, for feedback, story ideas or shockingly personal questions. We personally answer each email, but some of these questions are too good to keep to ourselves. Behold, our first mailbag episode, sharing the best questions and answers to create a few mini Ann Arbor Stories. Our email address is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. So ask us anything. What was that old building back in the day? I heard about this murder—know anything about it?. What did Terry Whitman Shoultes really smell like? Ask anything, offer tips and share your feedback at AnnArborStories@gmail.com. We love you all. Listener warning: This episode alludes to felching, giggles sophomorically at the word "Hiscock" and talks about freemasons. Music by FAWNN, The University of Michigan Marching Band, Hollow & Akimbo, Lightning Love, and People Get Ready.

The woman the papers called "the pretty Michigan housewife" had never left the United States before planning her 1967 flight around the world. Not in a modern jet, but in a 30-year-old plane that had 14 previous owners, one crash landing, and most recently was set ablaze for firefighting practice. This was the plane 30-year-old Ann Pellegreno used to fly around the world, following the path charted by Amelia Earhart 30 years before. This is the story of the amazing Ann Pellegreno and her flight around the world. Music by Stepdad. This episode is part of the 2017 AADL Summer Game. There are sound effects in this episode that offer clues to questions on the AADL Summer Game site. Get the questions right and earn points and a special badge in the Summer Game. Learn more about Ann Pellegreno's flight around the world in the AADL archives.

This first Ann Arbor Stories walking tour is intended to be listened to while actually exploring a few city blocks in downtown Ann Arbor. It takes listeners from the corner of Huron and Fourth, outside the Embassy Hotel all the way to the corner of Liberty and Ashley and the C. Walker Building. There’s no right or wrong way to experience this story. Ideally, you’ll stroll along the same streets we’re talking about, looking at the same buildings we’re describing and letting your mind wander back in time. But you could still listen to this in your car or at home and check these sites out in person later. Use Google street view. We're not telling you how to consume your media. Music by Frontier Ruckus. Listener warning: This episode contains references to sex, pornography, murder, riots, death, ghosts, gay bars and bankers. For those of you who want to experience this podcast at ground level, a few tips: First, if you’re not standing at the corner of Huron and Fourth Street, then get there before you start the episode. This walking tour will take you from this point to the corner of Liberty and Ashley. It’s not a long walk, but you will have to cross some streets and some of the sidewalks might be busy so please please please keep your head up and be aware of your surroundings, as tempting as it may be to submit fully to my words and the siren of history. It’s often easier to see some of the taller buildings from the opposite side of the street, but it’s up to you on how you want to do this. Get up close to the building and touch the old brick, or step back and peer up into the sky. Maybe both. But watch out for cars and people - we're serious, we don’t want anyone getting hurt. One last thing. If it’s the summer of 2017 and you’re playing the AADL Summer Game, three of the locations on this walking tour have signs in the window that get into the history of those spots and have special game codes that can be inputted at play.aadl.org for points. Visit the AADL website and search for Ann Arbor Stories for more details. Go at your own pace. Pause, rewind, stop halfway through for a drink at a famous establishment. This is your walking tour, not ours. Enjoy.

You can’t talk about the amazing life of Geraldine Seeback without talking about the Music Mobile, but you better not talk about the Music Mobile and gloss over the amazing life of Geraldine Seeback. Two stories in one! The story of Ann Arbor's First Lady of the Symphony along with her rolling musical masterpiece, a converted motorhome that served as a rolling music lesson on wheels in the 1960s. This episode is part of the 2017 AADL Summer Game. Pay close attention to the sound effects in this episode to help you answer the questions in the Ann Arbor Stories badge. Get the questions right to earn points, glorious points. More on Geraldine Seeback and her Music Mobile can be found in AADL's Old News. Music by Tunde Olaniran.

Rugged pioneers John Allen and Elisha Rumsey founded Ann Arbor in 1824 and named their new town Ann Arbor because, 1.) Both of their wives had "Ann" in their names and, 2.) The wives frequently relaxed and chatted under a grape arbor the men had planted for their beloved spouses. That's the story most people get fed when they arrive in Ann Arbor. But it isn't the truth. The truth is a lot messier. The town founders more scofflaws than saints. This is the real story of the founding of Ann Arbor and a look at the true nature of our dirty rotten founders. Music by Chris Bathgate, from his new album Dizzy Seas.

The Huron River travels 130 miles from White Lake Township in Oakland County all the way down to Lake Erie - meandering through Dexter, Ann Arbor, Ypsilanti, Belleville, Flat Rock, and Rockwood. Since Ann Arbor's founding, the river has been used as a method of transportation and source of power, helping the city prosper and grow. Here's a dam fine history of Ann Arbor's dams, which includes death, floods, and the odds of a coming watery apocalypse. Listener warning: This episode contains references to drowning, dead people, and liberal use of the word "dam." Music by Chris Bathgate, from his new album Dizzy Seas

Ann Arbor loves hosting dignitaries, celebrities and heads of state like any other Midwestern city. In 1966, Ann Arbor had the pleasure of hosting newly-elected Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and his lovely wife Imelda. He wasn't a dictator yet. Hadn't murdered 3,257 of his own people. Tortured 35,000 more. That would come six years later. In 1966, when the president and his wife enjoyed lunch in the Michigan League, they still looked at him like Southeast Asia's JFK, rather than one of the most brutal modern-day dictators. Music by Ben Benjamin, courtesy of GhoLicense Parental listener warning: Contains references to torture, murder, beauty pageants and hidden World War II treasure. See photos from Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos' trip to Ann Arbor in the AADL archives

If you've seen the Embassy Hotel since 1951, you'll know it doesn't look like anything special. It's wrapped in dull grey siding and the signs on the side of the building are old, and its clientele probably wouldn’t be welcomed with open arms at too many other Ann Arbor hotels. But the Embassy is special. It's been a haven for people down on their luck since the Great Depression. It survived when so many other hotels in that area didn't. And it was once blessed by His Holiness, Baba Hardev Singh Ji. Take some time to get to know this historic diamond in the rough. Music by Hollow & Akimbo Parental Listener Warning: This episode contains brief references to prostitution, the Great Depression, and the problem of homelessness in America. See photos of the Embassy Hotel building and learn more in the AADL Old News archives.

Dozens of cities tried - hundreds of lawmen failed. Ann Arbor was the only place in the world that could cage punk rock’s most anarchic, violent and revolting personality. Think Iggy Pop crossed with Charles Manson - the crossed with Charles Manson - the voice of Randy Macho Man Savage with enough of a connection with serial killer John Wayne Gacy to develop a father-son bond. Public animal number one. The man, the infamous legend: GG Allin. Music by GG Allin. Parental Listener Warning:This episode is definitely rated R and is not suitable for most people, let alone little ones. It contains swear words (even the big ones) and contains references to poo, throwing poo, eating poo, violence, torture, drug use, blood, suicide, and Peoria, Illinois. Learn more about this story in the AADL Old News archives.

On February 23, 2017, Swisher Commercial listed the Blind Pig and 8-Ball Saloon for sale. 6,970 square feet, two stories, two half baths, no bedrooms, and no list price. Best offer only. Liquor license included. The origins of the building, the Blind Pig and how this isn't the first time Ann Arbor has freaked out about the future of the Pig. Music by Lightning Love. Parental Listener Warning: This episode contains references to alcohol, topless go-go dancers, Soundgarden, and blues music. Learn more about this story in the AADL Old News archives.

In the pre-dawn hours in August 1931, a farmer in Ypsilanti reported a car on fire at the edge of his property. When police and firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames, they found a grisly scene that shocked the state. Four bodies, burned nearly beyond recognition, were found inside the vehicle, which was intentionally set on fire. They called them the Torch Murders, and the entire story—from the crime itself to the manhunt that apprehended the killers to the insane criminal proceedings, would forever change law enforcement and the justice system in the state. For more on the the Torch Murders, visit oldnews.aadl.org.

The most powerful person ever to live in Ann Arbor was Harry Bennett—Henry Ford's right hand man, union buster and general enforcer. Bennett lived behind the walls of Bennett's Castle at 5668 Geddes Road, where he ran the Ford Motor Company security division by fear and intimidation. He employed murderers, gangsters, and bad men of all types, and he was a signature away from becoming the president of Ford so many years ago. This is his story. Music by Chris Bathgate

There was a time in Ann Arbor’s not-so-distant past when a part of town was widely known as the red light district. Adult bookstores, topless massage parlors, prostitutes, hoodlums, and bums—all just blocks from City Hall and Ann Arbor police headquarters. Cops were raiding massage parlors every few months, rounding up a dozen massage workers at a time, but the arrests never made a dent. Crackdowns on prostitutes and the johns who solicited them didn’t make much impact either. The red light district regenerated. Persisted. Grew stronger. How did Ann Arbor become home to this kind of brazen adult fare? Music by FAWNN Learn more in the AADL Old News Archives.

Police spotted the Nazis in their rented U-Haul at the edge of the city around 11 am— two hours before anyone expected them to arrive. Fifteen members of the S.S. Action Group out of Westland—sitting three in the front and 12 in the back, riot shields and jackboots bouncing over every pothole. It was March 20, 1982, and a crowd of 2,000 anti-Nazi demonstrators were about to show the world what Ann Arbor thought of their Aryan visitors. Music by Diego and the Dissidents. Learn more about this story in the AADL Old News Archives.

In a time of spirits, specters, and the people who could contact them - Daniel B. Kellogg fit right in. The good doctor could diagnose you in person or halfway across the country—see inside you and prescribe the perfect cure—despite having no formal medical training. He needed only his keen sense of the spirit world and the ghosts of two medicine men to help with long distance cases. This is the story of Ann Arbor's clairvoyant physician and the family empire he built right in Lower Town. Music by Hollow & Akimbo. Special thanks to Katie Reeves for suggesting this topic, and our enduring thanks to the Ann Arbor District Library archives staff for providing many of our research materials. Learn more about this story in the Old News archives.

That spring in 1936, seven years into the Great Depression, the entire city of Ann Arbor, age 14 and under, lost their marbles over the biggest sporting event the city had ever known. Hundreds of kids battled for 26 coveted spots in a tournament that could determine their futures. It was the 1936 Ann Arbor Daily News Marbles Tournament, pitting the best shooters in the best schools in the city against each other for an all expenses paid trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to compete in the Western Finals. The champion of the west would punch his or her ticket to the National Marbles Tournament on the Jersey Shore, and a chance at marbles immortality. Music by Stepdad. Learn more about this story in the Old News archives.

Most of Santa’s helpers are great people - guys and gals - and, as it turns out, Ann Arbor used to have one of the best. Our Santa’s helper was so good that four U.S. presidents praised his work. As did governors, senators, congressmen - essentially any elected official looking to shake hands and smile into the camera around Christmastime. Our Santa’s Helper had the keys to the city of Ann Arbor, Detroit and Washington, D.C. Our Santa's helper was in Life magazine in 1956. Our Santa's helper was one of the best. Music by Ben Benjamin, made possible by GhoLicense. Read more about this story in the Old News Archives.

George Washington never slept here. Neither did Abraham Lincoln or Andrew Jackson or George W. Bush. Of the 43 men who have served as President of the United States since 2016, we’re confident 17 Commanders in Chief have set foot in the Ann Arbor area … 18 if you count young Army officer Ulysses S. Grant. Here are their stories, as well as the stories of some presidents who never set foot in Ann Arbor but are still tied to the city in some way. Music by John Philip Sousa

Listener discretion advised. When Martha Crawford stepped out of her carriage and set foot in the Village of Dixboro in 1835, no one could have predicted her eventual fate, or that she'd be the origin of Dixboro's first creepy ghost story. Music by Michna and Ben Benjamin, made possible by GhoLicense.

On St. Patrick’s Day, 1908, The Star was the site of the largest riot in Ann Arbor’s history. Why did an isolated beatdown incite 3,000 students and townies to destroy one of Ann Arbor's few theaters at the time? Music by Frontier Ruckus

Listener discretion advised. This episode contains content that might not be suitable for all listeners. It does have the word murder in the title. Why did three teenagers from good homes bash nurse Pauline Campbell's brains out of her head one cool fall evening in 1951? Music by Alexander Mathias and Geoff White, made possible by GhoLicense.

Being a member of the University of Michigan Marching Band is hard work. Not only do you need to be a great musician, but you need to be able to march in tight formation, high-step and run around a football field in front of 100,000 people without missing a note. Attributes only men were fortunate enough to possess until 1972—when women were finally allowed to try out for the band without fear that they'd expect to be dismissed from rehearsals due to "female problems." Here's the story of how the girls got into the band and how women continue to make inroads in the traditionally male-dominated Ann Arbor institution. Music by the 1972, 1997 and 2016 University of Michigan Marching Band, and David Rose & His Orchestra. AADL LINKS General Articles: General Articles Band protests UM Women Form Band in Protest Coeds Formed All Women 'Band' To Protest Discriminatory Policies

1969 was a rough year in Ann Arbor. So the city cops and the county cops decided to play a full-contact game of football to raise money for Christmas presents for needy kids. They called it The Pig Bowl. Music by All Star Collegians and Park St Trio. AADL Links 1st Annual Pig Bowl Newspaper Coverage Trophy Up For Grabs In "Pig Bowl" Fundraiser To Aid Needy Children, December 1969 Sheriff's Department Officers Count Contributions From First Annual Pig Bowl, December 1969 3 Yards, Gasp For Breath; Police Ready For 'Pig Bowl' Pigs And Goats Poised For Superclassic After Bowl Is Over ~ Aw Come On, 'Fuzz' Looks Like Happy Christmas - Goats 19, Pigs 0 Trophy Awarded to Ann Arbor Police Department In First Annual Pig Bowl, December 1969 Pig Bowl "Go Blue" Banner on Washtenaw County Jail, December 1969 2nd Annual Pig Bowl Newspaper Coverage 'Goats' Ready for Bowl Game Ann Arbor Police and Washtenaw County Sheriffs' Officer Prepare for 2nd Annual "Pig Bowl," October 1970 Santa Makes A Visit Sheriff's 'Pigs' Snort To 7-6 Victory Ann Arbor Police Department Goat Mascot Greets Spectators at the Second Annual Pig Bowl, November 1970 Teams Gather on the Field at the Second Annual Pig Bowl, November 1970 Washtenaw County Sheriff Douglas J. Harvey Accepts Trophy at the Second Annual Pig Bowl, November 1970

What began as a fun way to celebrate the last day of classes transformed into an internationally live-streamed event. Crowds of 10,000 or more shouting, cheering, pushing and watching 1,000 coed runners in the buff take part in the University of Michigan's famous Naked Mile. Where did it start? How did it end? Learn all about the last time streaking was cool in Ann Arbor. Music by Zach Shipps & FAWNN Learn more in Old News

Ann Arborites haven't always pooped in their pristine flush toilets and private privvys, no sir m'am. Things were gross and disgusting for a long time. Learn about the arrival of the earth closet, the sealing of the privvy vaults, and the story of the very first flush toilet in Ann Arbor. And hear the word poop, like 411 times. Music by Tunde Olaniran. Links (a bunch of them): Strike The Iron While It's Hot! The number of earth closets in Ann Arbor homes. The second page has info about sewers and sewage in Ann Arbor. The first column towards bottom, entitled Closets How To Induce Feeble Health And Early Death Fined For Working On A Shed In Fire Limits Renewal Project Wins Favor The President’s House U-M President's Home, Built 113 Years Ago, Stands As Oldest Campus Structure Kempf House dig: Privy to the past More Earth Closets

Legendary streetsman, bluesman and raconteur, Shakey Jake told so many tales to so many people that sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between fact and fiction. We do our best in this episode of Ann Arbor Stories. Music by Ben Benjamin, made possible by Gholicense. AADL Links See articles and photos on Old News. Shakey Jake's first blues performance in Ann Arbor on YouTube.

It's a story 50,000 years old. Sort of. A 60-pound meteorite is stolen from the University of Michigan Museum of Natural History. There are no signs of a break-in. No clues to follow. No video cameras to catch the robbers in the act. How did Detective Kevin McNulty of the University of Michigan Department of Public Safety crack the case? Music by Mux Mool, made possible by Gholicense. Further reading at AADL's Old News, including a photo.

The cubicle. The three-walled cliche, surface to which so many Hang In There kitty cat posters are affixed, was invented in Ann Arbor. That’s right - the yoke around the neck of white collar workers everywhere was conceived and birthed in Ann Arbor. On State Street, no less. Here's the story of its invention and proliferation and how it came to be in Ann Arbor. Music by Stepdad. Further reading and photos from AADL's Oldnews Birth of the Cube Farm from Ann Arbor Observer: Then & Now.

(This episode is for mature audiences only) The two girls were peculiar, even for Ann Arbor in 1971. They looked college aged, maybe they were hippies. Nothing outwardly weird, but something definitely strange. They stood a few feet apart, face to face on the corner of State and Liberty. Some said they were looking at the moon. Others said they just stared at each other. Stared for hours and hours that cold November night. This is the story of those two peculiar girls. And one tragic night in November in 1971. Music by Diego and the Dissidents Further reading and photos from AADL's Old News

See 38 and a half tons ... 81 feet of fanatical fiendishness. See one of the ships in which two of our enemies volunteer to accept death in order to blow up their objectives. See this Japanese suicide submarine and realize what a vicious, tricky, desperate enemy our boys are fighting in the pacific. Let’s hit them harder. Let’s depth-bomb them to the bottom of the sea - let’s show them what an aroused, all-out America can do. On that Saturday, July 17, 1943, this honest to goodness captured Japanese suicide sub would roll through the streets of Ann Arbor in one of the weirdest parades in city history. Music by Hollow & Akimbo Further reading and photos from AADL's Old News

The Legendary Weed Contest of 1975 wasn’t just any contest. It was more than just a sweepstakes where the grand prize winner received one full-scale pound of Columbian smoking marijuana. It was a statement. A call to revolution. A brilliant marketing plan hatched during a smoke-filled discussion among the braintrust of the Ann Arbor Sun, looking for a way to increase the paper’s circulation. Music by Chris Bathgate Further reading and photos from AADL's Old News: Contest winners announced Legendary Weed Contest of 1975 ad Prosecutor's Effort Fails to Halt Pot Giveaway Prosecutor in court to halt pot contest

For a town as old as Ann Arbor, it has surprisingly few ghost stories. But in the late 1950s, the congregation of the First Methodist Church in Ann Arbor was pretty convinced they had a spirit on their hands. Caretakers sometimes heard footsteps late at night, but never spotted anyone in the church. Until the early morning hours of August 30, 1959, when they made a chilling discovery. Music by People Get Ready Further reading from AADL's Old News: Initial Story Bill of Health Lim Gets Aid Going Back to School Graduating Saturday Hit by Car 10-year retrospective Retrospective after Cheng's Death

It started on April 30, 1949, when Cupid Bar rebranded itself as The Flame Bar, turning a popular downtown student watering hole into a slightly more popular downtown student watering hole. Almost 50 years later, The Flame would close, shuttering an Ann Arbor institution. It wasn’t Ann Arbor’s first gay bar, and certainly not its last, but The Flame played a major role in the lives of many among Ann Arbor’s LGBT community - for good and ill. Music by Lightning Love Further reading from AADL's Old News: The Flame bar review Death of Harvey Blanchard The Flame Bought The Flame Reopens on Liberty

Muskegon claims him because he was born there. Ypsi claims him because, for most of his childhood, he lived in a trailer park on the outskirts of town. But it’s Ann Arbor - along with cocaine, meth, acid, booze, pills, AND ambition - that deserve the credit for turning James Newell Osterberg into Iggy Pop. Music by FAWNN

On the night of March 20,1966, Frank Mannor’s six dogs started barking like they’d never done before. He went outside to shut them up and that’s when he saw what he saw. Something flying through the night sky. At first it looked like a shooting star, then it slowed. It changed color. And it landed in the woods a few hundred yards from his Dexter farmhouse. Music by Diego & The Dissidents and The Dead Bodies.

Crime was never a big problem in Ann Arbor in 1935. There were occasional break-ins, robberies, stolen vehicles, assaults, a riot or protest or two, but Prohibition was over and the gangsters and bootleggers had moved on. An Ann Arbor police officer had never been killed in the line of duty, nor even died from a horse, car, or motorcycle accident while on duty. Not even a random heart attack. Until March 21, 1935. Music by Ben Benjamin, and Aeroc made possible by Gholicense. Additional music by Chris Bathgate.

In 1824, John Allen of New York and Elisha Rumsey of Connecticut bought up 640 acres of prime Michigan land, paying $1.25 per acre. Those 640 acres, purchased in a tiny federal land office in Detroit, would become known as Ann Arbor. This is the story of the founding of Ann Arbor and how the town grew from its ragamuffin roots into what it has become today. Music by Chris Bathgate