Weird Island

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Small state, big on the weird! Weird Island brings you some of the strangest stories you probably haven’t heard before, all originating in little Rhode Island. Maybe you’re a true crime fan, but you’re burning out on the binges and looking to shake things up. Well, look no further! We’ll bring you unsolved mysteries, conspiracy theories, weird history and even some MURDER (no need to completely leave your comfort zone). Join us as we uncover some strange stories from the smallest state.

Weird Rhode Island


    • Oct 5, 2024 LATEST EPISODE
    • infrequent NEW EPISODES
    • 19m AVG DURATION
    • 71 EPISODES

    Ivy Insights

    The Weird Island podcast is an absolute gem for anyone interested in Rhode Island history and the unique quirks of the state. Hosted by Sara, the podcast delves into forgotten history, epic adventures, and strange stories that make Rhode Island such a fascinating place. The podcast has a great tone, with Sara's genuine love and appreciation for her home state shining through. It's the perfect listen for family car trips or to learn new and strange things about Rhode Island.

    One of the best aspects of The Weird Island podcast is the depth of research and storytelling. Each episode uncovers a facet of Rhode Island's quirky past and present, with bigger implications that often relate to a wider context. The presentation is brilliant, with engaging narratives that keep listeners hooked from start to finish. It's evident that a lot of effort goes into researching each topic, making it informative and educational.

    Another great aspect of this podcast is its accessibility for both lifelong residents and transplants like myself. Even if you grew up in Rhode Island, there's plenty to enjoy and marvel at as Sara unearths forgotten history and explores hidden gems around the state. For those who are new to Rhode Island or considering moving there, it provides a wonderful introduction to the state's rich culture and heritage.

    There aren't many negative aspects to mention about The Weird Island podcast. However, some listeners might find certain episodes more interesting than others depending on their personal preferences or familiarity with specific topics. While this is subjective and not necessarily a flaw in the podcast itself, it's worth noting that individual episodes may resonate differently with different listeners.

    In conclusion, The Weird Island podcast is an absolute must-listen for anyone interested in Rhode Island history or simply looking for an entertaining and educational podcast. Sara's passion for her home state shines through in each episode, making it an enjoyable experience from start to finish. With well-researched content presented in an easily digestible way, this podcast is a true gem for history enthusiasts and fans of all things Rhode Island.



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    Latest episodes from Weird Island

    69. GYMS: The Providence Ladies' Sanitary Gymnasium

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2024 37:51


    Episode Description:Weird Island is back! In the first episode in over a year and a half, we'll uncover the story of a gym for women in 1880s Providence, begun by feminist philosopher, lecturer and writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman.  Episode Sources:“As Near to Flying as One Gets Outside a Circus”: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Providence Ladies' Sanitary Gymnasium, 1881-1884 - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryThe Living of Charlotte Perkins GilmanPapers of Charlotte Perkins Gilman, 1846-1961Feminist Gothic in "The Yellow Wallpaper" |CHARLOTTE PERKINS GILMAN (1860-1935) from The Living of Charlotte Perkins Gilman Suicide Note, August 17, 1935 from The Right to Die'Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Letters to Martha', by Abigail RabinowitzThe Philanthropist and the Physical EducatorCatharine Beecher | National Women's History MuseumCatharine Beecher, Champion of Women's Education - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities ProjectPhysiology and Calisthenics. For Schools and Families | Catherine BeecherThe Origins of American Women's Exercise – The New Inquiry

    68. ANIMALS: Oscar, the Cat Who Could Predict Death

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 28, 2023 36:32


    Oscar seemed like an ordinary kitten when he was adopted by Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation center in Providence, RI. But the staff and residents at Steere House quickly suspected Oscar had a unique ability. He seemed to be able to predict when someone was going to die. Heads up, this episode is more speculative than usual. And it includes a lot of talk of death. Keep that in mind while listening. Episode Source Material - OscarA Day in the Life of Oscar the CatMaking Rounds with Oscar: The Extraordinary Gift of an Ordinary Cat - Kindle edition by Dosa, David. Politics & Social Sciences Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.Classic cases revisited: Oscar the cat and predicting death - PMCMeet Oscar, the Cat that Predicts Death and Provides ComfortThis Cat Sensed Death. What if Computers Could, Too? - The New York TimesCan animals predict death? | HowStuffWorksOscar (therapy cat) - WikipediaCat's 'Sixth Sense': Predicting Death?General on CatsA Brief History of House CatsCats Domesticated Themselves, Ancient DNA ShowsThe Taming of the Cat - PMCStress, security, and scent: The influence of chemical signals on the social lives of domestic cats and implications for applied settings - ScienceDirectDogs Vs. Cats: A Comparison of the 5 Senses – MIDORICIDEDeath and Diseases, further infoWhat to expect when someone is in the last few days of life | Hospice UK.Core body temperatures during final stages of life—an evaluation of data from in-hospital decedents | SpringerLinkHeart attack - Symptoms and causes - Mayo ClinicIdentifying human diamine sensors for death related putrescine and cadaverine molecules | PLOS Computational BiologyProgrammed cell death and apoptosis in aging and life span regulationPredicting DeathDevelopment of multivariable prediction models for institutionalization and mortality in the full spectrum of Alzheimer's diseasePredicting Death: An Empirical Evaluation of Predictive Tools for Mortality | Medical Journals and Publishing | JAMA Internal MedicineStudies on ScentsScents and Senescence: "Old Person Smell" Is Real, but Not Necessarily Offensive - Scientific AmericanThe Scent of Disease: Human Body Odor Contains an Early Chemosensory Cue of SicknessSick People Smell Bad: Why Dogs Sniff Dogs, Humans Sniff Humans, and Dogs Sometimes Sniff Humans - Scientific American Blog NetworkSweat smells like ammonia: Causes and treatmentDisease and odor: An intriguing relationshipThe electronic nose technology in clinical diagnosis: A systematic review12 Diseases Doctors Can Actually Detect Through SmellBio-Detection DogsDiagnostic Accuracy of Canine Scent Detection in Early- and Late-Stage Lung and Breast CancersDogs can discriminate between human baseline and psychological stress condition odours | PLOS ONE  How Do Dogs Sniff Out Diseases? | Discover MagazineThe science of sniffs: disease smelling dogs :: Understanding Animal ResearchTherapy Animals / Our Relationship with AnimalsThe difference between dead and away: An exploratory study of behavior change during companion animal euthanasia - ScienceDirectAnimal-assisted therapy in adults: A systematic review - ScienceDirectAn Evaluation of the benefits that animal-assisted therapy provide to the terminally iII and their familiesAnimal-Assisted Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Literature Review | SpringerLinkMeasuring the Effects of an Animal-Assisted Intervention for Pediatric Oncology Patients and Their ParentsPet Ownership and Cardiovascular Risk | CirculationOther Animal AbilitiesToads able to detect earthquake days beforehand, says study | Animal behaviour | The GuardianSharks use Earth's magnetic field to navigate the seas | Science | AAAS. Fire-chasing beetles sense infrared radiation from fires hundreds of kilometres away. 

    WEIRD ISLAND CHECK IN: Taking a (Little) Pause

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 24, 2023 3:19


    Hey all! I'm taking a tiny pause on new episodes for a little while to work on some other things that inspire me. I'll be back before you know it! And, in the meantime, I still have a couple of episodes to drop. So, I hope you'll stick around. If you're looking for something new to listen to while I'm taking a breather, I wanted to share some of the podcasts that I've been loving recently. Some local (see list 1!) and some that are just incredible podcasts I think will be up your alley. I have 100% forgotten some (Spotify history needs to go back farther!), so I'll keep adding!Local Stories:Crimetown (If you haven't already listened to this one, this is a MUST)Mosaic (amazing)The Memory Palace (One of my ALL TIME favorite writers. Not every episode is local, but you'll stumble across many that are)New England LegendsThe Bowery Boys (New York, but lots of crossover) Not local, but I think you love them:Heavyweight (This is my favorite podcast of all time.)SidedoorUnexplainableNot Past ItNice Try (highly recommend the episode on bidets)HISTORY This WeekOlogiesLoreMeet your Heroes

    67. MILLS: From Cotton Cloth to Space Age Textiles

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 3, 2023 23:46


    While researching RI mills, I came across this one little snippet about the Ashton Mill in Cumberland, and had to know more: “Owens-Corning Fiberglas Company bought the mill... They operated in the mill until 1983. They made tire cord, drapery, and beta cloth for spacesuits for the Apollo Moon missions.”Episode Source Material:Address at Rice University in Houston, Texas on the Nation's Space Effort, 12 September 1962 | JFK LibraryWe choose to go to the Moon - WikipediaBeta cloth - WikipediaBA 500BC / CF500 F (Beta Cloth, Beta Fabric) – Bron AerotechPopular Science | November 1967Comparison of Observed Beta Cloth Interactions with Simulated and Actual Space EnvironmentBeta Cloth Durability Assessment for Space Station Freedom (SSF) Multi-Layer Insulation (MLI) Blanket CoversApollo Applications of Beta Fiber GlassLunar Dust Effects on Spacesuit SystemsMan in Machine: Apollo-Era Space Suits as Artifacts of Technology and Culture | Douglas N. LantryAPOLLO SPACE SUITJourneying to the Moon in a Suit of Glass | Behind the GlassTensile Fabrics Enhance Architecture Around the World | NASA SpinoffOwens Corning 2019 Sustainability ReportOur HistoryOwens Corning - WikipediaOwens-Corning Records, 1938-Present , MSS-222OWENS-CORNING MILESTONESCoated Membrane Materials for Use in Construction of Stressed Membrane StructuresBeta Cloth Patches50 Years on, Apollo 11 Spacesuit Continues to Influence Imaginations and New Designs | KQEDTextiles in space - Textile Technology SourceSpace Mission Patches - About PatchesToledo's Owens Corning made Apollo 11 spacesuits possible | The BladeIf you want to know more about: Playtex and Space SuitsPlaytex - WikipediaWhat Did Playtex Have to Do With Neil Armstrong? | Arts & Culture| Smithsonian MagazineThe seamstresses who helped put a man on the moon: When NASA needed a lunar spacesuit, they turned to the women who sewed girdles and bras for Playtex - CBS NewsHow Playtex Helped Win the Space Race | Mental FlossThe Apollo 1 & the Space Race:Apollo 1 - WikipediaThe Legacy of the Apollo 1 Disaster | Science| Smithsonian MagazineApollo to the Moon: A History in 50 ObjectsThe Space Race: Timeline, Cold War & Facts - HISTORYApollo | History, Missions, Significance, & Facts | BritannicaHow Apollo 11 Raised The Flag On The Moon, And What It Means TodayWhere No Flag Has Gone Before:How the race to the Moon–with an assist from pop culture–changed the meaning of the word 'technology'Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform AudiencesAshton MillAshton - Blackstone River ValleyLabor news clippings, 22 scrapbooks, 1867-1902National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form

    66. MEET ME AT THE BILTMORE: Dutee Wilcox Flint

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2022 26:38


    This week, I'm joined by Amanda Quay Blount, who just released her new book Meet Me at the Biltmore this October. She brought me a story I'd never heard before about this Rhode Island based Ford dealer. His name was Dutee Wilcox Flint, and he was one of the earliest and most successful Ford dealers in the world before he lost his empire, moved into the Biltmore, and largely vanished from memory.Find Amanda's book, Meet Met at the Biltmore HERE! Meet Me At The Biltmore | Amanda Quay BlountEpisode Source MaterialMeet Me At The Biltmore | Amanda Quay BlountDutee Wilcox Flint - The Meteoric Rise and Disastrous Fall of a Ford Dealer and Confidant of Henry Ford | HemmingsOnce Largest Auto Dealer in World — Lost Fortune in 1929 Market Crash | April 2, 1961OT - Ford Agent Dutee Wilcox FlintHorseless Age: The Automobile Trade Magazine, Volume 38 - July 1, 1916Ford Times, Volume 7The New York Times | June 8, 1940Our HistoryFord Motor Company | Detroit Historical SocietyFord Motor Company incorporated - HISTORYLast day of Model T production at Ford - HISTORYChronology of call letters WDWF | Radio-TV Broadcast HistoryResolutions and Ordinances of the City Council of the City of Providence ...Crystal ReceiversRhode Island Radio - WEANWPRO (AM) - WikipediaRadio World - October 7, 1922https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Radio-Age-20s/Radio-Age-1922-11.pdfThis Day in History, 1927: Ford reveals its Model A to an eager public | HemmingsPossner Castle | ArtInRuinsWPRV - WikipediaIntroduction of the New Ford Carhttp://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/506218/575684.html?1444755798http://www.mtfca.com/discus/messages/411944/479401.html?1410787237US1480056A - Wooden shaft - Google Patents

    65. THANKSGIVING: Revisiting the Origin Story

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 22, 2022 25:53


    This week, as many get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, I wanted to revisit the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving that many of us learned as kids. Because, I found out as an adult that I didn't really learn the full story–I learned a mythologized version of it. And I learned that while I heard a lot about the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth, I didn't know as much about the Wampanoag people who were already in New England, many of whom were living in what is part of Rhode Island today. Episode Source MaterialImage 9 of Massasoit's town Sowams in Pokanoket, its history, legends and traditions,Massasoit's Illness, and How Winslow Cured Him - Account of Winslow visiting Massasoit Ousamequin Massasoit, Chief Who Signed Treaty With the Pilgrims, To Be Reburied | Smart News| Smithsonian MagazineSowams Heritage Area BrochureSowams Heritage Area Historical OverviewSowams Lives Four Centuries Later - coastalmags.comThis Once Was Called Sowams - Reporter TodayPokanoket booklet FINAL SMALL.pdfwith Ancient Records of Sowams and Parts Adjacent, illustrated. – Rhode Island History NavigatorSowams: with Ancient Records of Sowams and Parts Adjacent–Illustrated - Written by Thomas W Bicknell, 1908Burr's HillEarly History - Narragansett Indian Tribe. Mount Hope Farm To Celebrate 400 Years Since First Thanksgiving | Bristol, RI PatchAll the Facts About Thanksgiving | Newport, RI PatchProclamation - Thanksgiving Day - 1806, Rhode Island - WallBuildersFor Indigenous people, Thanksgiving represents a day of mourningWhite House Thanksgiving Turkeys in the Roaring '20sHow to Tell the Thanksgiving Story on Its 400th Anniversary | History| Smithsonian MagazineThis tribe helped the Pilgrims survive for their first Thanksgiving. They still regret it 400 years later.Thanksgiving's hidden past: Plymouth in 1621 wasn't close to being the first celebrationWampanoag HistoryTribal chief who signed treaty with Pilgrims to be reburiedPokanoket - WikipediaWampanoag - WikipediaHistory of the Pokanoket TribePokanoket is the name of the Massasoit's tribe, not “Wampanoag” – Sowams Heritage AreaPokanoket not Wampanoag in 17th century Sowams   June 5, 2020Warren's HistoryBurr's Hill Pokanoket Royal Burial Ground – Sowams Heritage AreaThe Myths of the Thanksgiving Story and the Lasting Damage They Imbue | History| Smithsonian MagazineThe true, dark history of Thanksgiving - Potawatomi.orgEverything You Learned About Thanksgiving Is Wrong - The New York TimesThis Land is Their LandCulture — Mashpee Wampanoag TribeIn 1621, the Wampanoag Tribe Had Its Own AgendaOf Patuxet - Colonial Society of MassachusettsThe History of the Pokanoket Tribal Diaspora

    64. MURDER: Amasa Sprague and the Trial of John Gordon

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 8, 2022 25:59


    On December 31, 1843, Amasa Sprague was found murdered near his home in Cranston, RI. An Irish immigrant named John Gordon was tried and convicted of the crime, but even at the time, many believed he may have been innocent. Episode Source Material:Opinion/Harrington: Mystery still shrouds murder of Amasa SpragueJohn Gordon - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryThe Murder of Amasa Sprague, and the Irishman Persecuted for the Crime - New England Historical SocietyWeird Hauntings: True Tales of Ghostly PlacesTrial of John Gordon and William Gordon, Charged With the Murder of Amasa SpragueState v. John Gordon, 1 R.I. 179 | Casetext Search + Citatorhttp://webserver.rilin.state.ri.us/BillText/BillText11/SenateText11/S0371A.htmhttps://read.amazon.com/?asin=B00XRFTWVI&ref_=dbs_t_r_kcrIrish-Italian ratio in R.I.is close, Census Bureau saysWhen America Despised the Irish: The 19th Century's Refugee Crisis - HISTORYDorr Rebellion - Wikipediaamasa sprague | The Cotton Boll ConspiracyThe Execution of John Gordon, a Victim of Anti-Irish Catholic Prejudice - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryEditors at Providence Journal Discriminated Against Irish-Americans - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryThe Irish of Rhode Island (Part I, 1638-1921)New England Families, Genealogical and MemorialDorr Rebellion | Rhode Island's Very Own, Very Small Civil War - New England Today

    63. HAUNTED: The Conjuring House

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2022 17:02


    Have you seen The Conjuring, the 2013 Hollywood film so successful it spawned a franchise of supernatural horror films? Did you know it's loosely based on the haunting of a Rhode Island family? The old colonial farmhouse in Burrillville, where they lived and experienced paranormal phenomena in the 1970s, has been described by some as one of the most active paranormal locations in the world. Episode Source MaterialAbout | The Conjuring HouseAndrea Perron on the true story behind The Conjuring | FreesatAndrea Perron Conjures The Facts of Her Family's Haunted Past In "Bathsheba: Search for Evil" - Rue MorgueRhode Island's ‘Conjuring' house sold, with one stipulation: No one can live there year-round - The Boston Globe'Death is not the end': Member of 'The Conjuring' family returns to Burrillville house‘Bathsheba: Search for Evil' tells true story of the Perron family, ‘The Conjuring' inspiration - National | Globalnews.caCorrecting the Conjuring House History | Skeptical InquirerDispelling Demons: Detective Work at The Conjuring House | Skeptical Inquirerhttps://preservation.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur406/files/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/burrillville/burr_harrisville-mill-village-hd.pdfEd and Lorraine Warren - WikipediaEd and Lorraine WarrenLorraine Warren, Paranormal Investigator Portrayed in ‘The Conjuring,' Dies at 92 - The New York TimesAbout - NESPRPerron Family Haunting - NESPRFrom the archives: Ed and Lorraine Warren of 'The Conjuring' Have a Long History of Paranormal Investigation in Connecticut (April 1972)https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/19251916:60525The Terrifying Rise of Haunted TourismAndrea Perron returns to RI to tell the true story behind 'The Conjuring' | Arts And Living | independentri.com

    62. MILLS: Ann & Hope

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 11, 2022 27:13


    Ann & Hope… were two women. Then the words became the name of a ship, followed by a mill, and later a store. This week, I'll bring you along as I learn the story of the Ann & Hope Mill and the discount department store that shared its name. And along the way, we'll even uncover a bit of a mystery. Episode Source MaterialAnn and Hope Store Complex (Ann and Hope Mill, Lonsdale Mill) | SAH ARCHIPEDIAAnn & Hope mill sells for $3.5 million | News | valleybreeze.comDevelopers unveil proposal for old Ann & Hope building | WPRI.comHistoricandArchitectural Resources of Cumberland, Rhode IslandThe Hermit of Study Hill: Where are Blackstone's bones? – Rhode's GalleryBrown and IvesLonsdale Company Records (MSS 9 SG 2)Ann & Hope - WikipediaPassages: Irwin Chase, co-founder of Ann & Hope department store, paved way for Walmart, KmartThe Wal-Mart RevolutionHow to be a Billionaire: Proven Strategies from the Titans of WealthCaptain Wilbur Kelly - Blackstone River ValleyThe Landmark | BVHS HistoricandArchitectural Resources of Cumberland, Rhode IslandThe mysterious case of William Blackstone's remains | News | valleybreeze.comWilliam Blackstone Memorial Park | quahog.orgNational Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form 1. Name 2 Location 3. Classification 4. Owner of Property 5. LocaBlackstone River State Park, Bikeway, and Visitor's Center HistoryMill Preservation in the Blackstone River ValleyRhode Island Jewish Historical Notes | 1972Ann & Hope: America's First Superstore | Down the Rhode #11993 Annual ReportDiscount store - Wikipedia

    61. Windswept: The Pain-Killer Mansion

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 27, 2022 22:14


    Have you ever been to Scarborough Beach in Narragansett and noticed that beautiful stone ruin just beyond the sand? Well, it turns out it's the remnants of an old carriage house that once stood beside this mansion overlooking the water. The mansion was called Windswept, but locally it was known as the house built with Painkiller money, and it was built by a family who made their fortune selling this over-the-counter medicine called “Perry Davis's Vegetable Pain-Killer,” remembered today as the first-ever nationally advertised remedy for chronic pain.Want to know more? Check out these other podcasts:Painkiller: America's Fentanyl Crisis | Podcast on SpotifyHow The Opioid Industry Operated Like A Cartel - Fresh Air | Podcast on SpotifyHooked | Podcast on SpotifyAbout Perry Davis' Pain-Killer:These Plantations | By J. Earl ClausonHistory of Providence, Rhode Island - 3 - Published 1878 The Story of Perry Davis and His PainkillerThe History of Drug Advertising | Weill Cornell Medicine Samuel J. Wood LibraryMark Twain quotations - Perry Davis Pain-KillerChapter 12 | The Adventures of Tom Sawyer | Mark Twain | Lit2Go ETCPerry Davis' Vegetable Pain Killer | windowthroughtimeGreat Island Historian's LogProvidence Landmark Sold: Built By Painkiller FamilyWindsweptPerry Davis' Vegetable Pain-Killer - Ads and Marketing MaterialsPerry Davis' Vegetable Pain Killer - ECU Digital Collections[Perry Davis, bust, facing right, on advertisement for Perry Davis' vegetable pain killer] | Library of Congress - ImagesLewiston Evening Journal - August 4, 1891 | AdvertisementUS Navy Patent Medicine Perry Davis Vegetable Pain Killer c. 1900 color promo – AdvertisementAround the World in 40 Years Booklet Patent Medicine Used by Australian Gold Miners Pain Killer by Perry Davis → a Patent medicine booklet about Perry Davis' Pain Killer[Patent medicine labels for Perry Davis & Son, showing view of Providence, R.I., and four patent medicine bottles] / Kilburn & Mallory sc., Boston.CIRCA 1900 BOOKLET - DAVIS PAIN-KILLER - PERRY DAVIS & SON PROVIDENCE RI - Advertisement1868 PAIN KILLER ALMANAC. PERRY DAVIS AND SON, PROVIDENCE RIPatent Medicines / Medicine History:History of Patent Medicine"A most detestable medicine." America's Real Drug ProblemPain-Killer: A 19th Century Global Patent Medicine and the Beginnings of Modern Brand Marketing - Ross D. Petty, 2019How Advertising Shaped the First Opioid Epidemic | Science| Smithsonian MagazineThe History of Opiates | Michael's House Treatment CenterA History Of Opioids In America : NPRPurdue Pharma taps a Gilded Age history of pharmaceutical fraudHistory of aspirin - WikipediaThe strange history of opiates in America: from morphine for kids to heroin for soldiers | James Nevius | The GuardianAdministered for pain, drugs like OxyContin have taken a massive toll | HubPrescription Painkillers | Northern Nevada Medical Center Reno–Sparks.Medicated nation: 1 in 3 people take over-the-counter painkillers daily - Study FindsEdmund Davis's Death - If you want to learn more about that!The Mysterious Death of a Fisherman on the Grand Cascapedia River | Gaspesian Heritage WebMagazineThe American Fly Fisher

    60. FIRSTS: First Oyster Bar in Providence

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 13, 2022 20:23


    Long before the quahog became Rhode Island's iconic shellfish, oysters dominated local waters. In this episode, I'll be diving into the stories of black innovators and entrepreneurs who shaped the oyster industry–including Manna Bernoon, who established Providence's first Oyster and Ale House in 1736, the year of his emancipation from slavery. Episode Source Material: Early Rhode Island: A Social History of the People | 1910Johnson & Wales Culinary Arts Museum Celebrates African-American Food | Cranston, RI PatchProvidence Waterways: StoryMapA noble tradition - The Bay State BannerThe Truth about Baked Beans: An Edible History of New EnglandON THE RHODE TO FREEDOM | stagesoffreedomGabriel Bernon | Goodwin-Genealogy WikiaRhode Island's Shellfish Heritage: An Ecological HistoryGoing Deep Into Oyster Country - The New York TimesHistory on the Half-Shell: The Story of New York City and Its OystersThe History of Oysters: Its Rise as a Delicacy and a Staple Food Beloved by ManyA 19th Century Black Success Story: The Downing Family | HistoryNetAncient Australians and Americans Ate Billions of Oysters Over MillenniaOyster Archaeology: Ancient Trash Holds Clues To Sustainable Harvesting : The Salt : NPRHow Oysters Became a Source of Economic Freedom for Emancipated Black Folks - Earth in Coloroyster cellars | Restaurant-ing through history.Oyster bar - WikipediaCITY LORE; When the Oyster Was Their World - The New York TimesThomas Downing (restaurateur) - WikipediaHow a child of Virginia slaves became the oyster king of New York — and a favorite of the Queen of England – The Virginian-PilotGeorge Thomas Downing (1819 - 1903) — BLACK and EducationGeorge T. Downing - The Fight for Black Mobility: Traveling to Mid-Century ConventionsOn Staten Island, one of NYC's oldest African American enclaves is preserved - Curbed NYRossville, Staten Island - WikipediaFinding Freedom Through Oysters in 19th Century New York (Part Two) | Department of History | NC State UniversityEp 18 – Sandy Ground – The African American Oyster Community – City BetweenNative American Secrets Lie Buried in Huge Shell Mounds - The New York TimesThe Voluminous Shell Heaps Hidden in Plain Sight All Over NYC - Gastro Obscura

    59. CYCLEDROME: And the First New England NFL Champions

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2022 20:33


    In 1925, a massive bicycle racing track was built on North Main Street in Providence. Later that year, it would become home to the Providence Steam Roller, remembered today as New England's first NFL Champions.Episode Source MaterialRhode Island History | November 1977Providence Cyclodrome | ArtInRuinsForgotten Stadiums: The CycledromeCycledrome History | Pro-Football-Reference.comCycledrome - Wikipedia.Deflategate, Roaring '20s Style: New England's 1st Controversial NFL Champions | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors | Bleacher ReportWay before the Patriots, Providence fans enjoyed title ride with Steam RollerForgotten Stadiums: Kinsley ParkMotor-Paced - RI SPORTS CHRONICLECranston Historical SocietyProvidence Steam Roller – NFL & the Great DepressionThe Birth of the National Football League - HISTORYHow the NFL took over America in 100 yearsWho Invented (American) Football - HISTORYProvidence Steam RollerDecade by Decade The 1920s and Providence | Pro Football Hall of Fame Official SiteThrill of the 6-day race: When endurance cycling was the sport to watch – Chicago TribuneRhode Island History Journal: Volume 77 No. 1 by The Rhode Island Historical Society - IssuuA Revolution On Two Wheels: Columbia Bicycles - Connecticut History | a CTHumanities ProjectThe Safety Bicycle and Beyond | Smithsonian InstitutionNewark: Cradle of Cycling in the Sport's Golden AgeSix Day Bike Racing Was a Far More Brutal Predecessor of the Tour de France....Who Killed It and Why?Six-Day Racing in America - Peloton MagazineBike Racing 1920s | Ephemeral New York

    58. WRITERS: H.P. Lovecraft

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022 25:40


    So, you've seen his face on t-shirts and posters and on the covers of anthology books all over Providence, but who exactly is H. P. Lovecraft? Tune in to the first episode of Season 2 to find out! I cover a number of Providence locations in this episode, and you're welcome to visit them while listening. Many are pretty close to one another. Here's my recommended mini tour:  Lovecraft's Birthplace Memorial (home demolished): 454 Angell Street, Providence, RILovecraft's 2nd Home: 598 Angell Street, Providence, RISt. John's Churchyard: 271 N. Main Street, Providence, RILovecraft's 3rd Home: 10 Barnes Street, Providence, RILovecraft's Final Home: 65 Prospect StreetLovecraft's Grave: Swan Point Cemetery Episode Source MaterialH. P. Lovecraft: Nightmare Countries (The Master of Cosmic Horror) by S. T. Joshi (2012) HardcoverToday We Celebrate the Short, Unhappy Life of H.P. Lovecraft | Smart News| Smithsonian Magazine  H. P. Lovecraft - WikipediaThe Fantasy Author H.P. Lovecraft at 125: Genius, Cult Icon, Racist - The AtlanticHer Letters To Lovecraft: Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft – Deep Cuts in a Lovecraftian VeinLovecraftian horror — and the racism at its core — explainedHoward Phillips Lovecraft: The Life of a Gentleman of ProvidenceGuide to Lovecraftian Sites in Rhode IslandH.P. Lovecraft Birthplace - Providence, Rhode Island USA - Childhood Homes on Waymarking.comHow to Find the Spirit of H.P. Lovecraft in Providence - The New York TimesReanimating Providence | The Haunts and Hauntings of H. P. LovecraftI Am Providence”: The Life and Times of H. P. Lovecraft – Chris Thayer - IssuuA Literary History of Weird Fiction: An Interview with S. T. JoshiThe Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H. P. Lovecraft 

    57. GHOST TOWN: Hanton City

    Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2022 22:55


    In Smithfield, Rhode Island, out in the middle of the woods, there are the remains of an old village that disappeared over 100 years ago. A ghost town known as Hanton City, sometimes called Haunted City or the Lost City.  To Visit: Walk the Hanton City Hiking Trail, starting from 70 W. Reservoir Rd in Smithfield. About 3/4 of a mile or so in (I didn't map it exactly) you'll see the remains of an old cellar on your right in a clearing. This is my last episode before a little summer break. Thank you to everyone who continues to listen and support me on this little podcasting journey! It truly means the world to me. Episode Source MaterialRemembering Smithfield: Sketches of Apple ValleyHanton City, Rhode IslandThe Diary of Thomas Vernon: A Loyalist, Banished from Newport by the Rhode Island General Assembly 1776Are There Ghosts in Smithfield's “Haunted City?”Benjamin Harrington, of Providence (c.1618 - 1694) - GenealogyThey Live Alone in Ghost Towns - The New York TimesGhost Towns - Why do we love abandoned places?Ghost town - WikipediaWilliam Harrington or HerringtonHerendeen Descendants ReportTown of Smithfield HistoryHistoricandArchitectural Resources of Smithfield, Rhode Island:Hanton City Road Area -... - Greater Rhode Island Roaming | FacebookThe Early Records of the Town of Providence

    56. PPAC: Providence's Movie Palaces

    Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 35:27


    Have you ever been to see a show at the Providence Performing Arts Center and marveled at the gorgeous building? Well, you might be surprised to know that when PPAC opened in the late 1920s, the theater showed a different kind of show–movies! I'm joined by special guests Lynn Singleton and Alan Chille this week to dive into the history of Providence's Movie Palace, these elaborately decorated movie theaters designed to make the average person feel like royalty. And Lynn and Alan will share some amazing behind-the-scenes stories that shed light on everything that goes into keeping a historic building like this one open for all to enjoy. Episode Source Materialhttps://preservation.ri.gov/sites/g/files/xkgbur406/files/pdfs_zips_downloads/national_pdfs/providence/prov_weybosset-street-220_loews-state-theater.pdfPPAC History | Providence Performing Arts CenterLoews Cineplex Entertainment - Wikipediahttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickelodeon_(movie_theater)Movie palace - WikipediaThe Theaters of Providence Part 2 – The Modern Era - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryRapp and Rapp - WikipediaProvidence Performing Arts Center - WikipediaProvidence Performing Arts Center | Rhode TourProvidence Performing Arts Center in Providence, RI - Cinema TreasuresThe Theaters of Providence, Part 1 – The Early Years - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryLoew's State Theatre, Palace Concert Theater & Ocean State TheatrePolitics and Pasta History of film - WikipediaSilent film - WikipediaProvidence Performing Arts Center (Loew's State Theatre) | SAH ARCHIPEDIAPalace Theater, (Ocean State Theatre, Performing Arts Center), 220 Weybosset Street, Providence, RI“Playing the Palace”: A History Of Motion Picture Palaces - The CreditsMovie Palaces Let Everyday Americans Be Royalty | Smart News| Smithsonian MagazineA very short history of cinema | National Science and Media Museum

    55. MURDER: Carter Jackson Monument

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 26, 2022 24:17


    In South Kingstown, there's an odd monument hidden away in the bushes off Tower Hill Road. It's a four-sided granite pillar covered, from top to bottom on all sides, in a written inscription. And this inscription tells a story. But not one of a famous battle or prominent leader or politician or historical landmark. It tells the story of a gruesome murder that took place here.To Visit: Map to Koch Eye Associates in Wakefield, at 20 Hampton Way, Wakefield, RI 02879. Park in the Koch parking lot near the business's dumpster. The monument is directly behind the dumpster. It's in thick brush. You won't see it at first, but if you walk to the edge of the busy road (be safe) right in line with the dumpster, you'll see a break in the bushes where the monument is hidden. Episode Source MaterialJackson Was Murdered And Carter Was Hanged For It-But That Is All We're Sure About - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryMemoirs of the Rhode Island Bar | Wilkins UpdikeThe Narragansett Historical Register | Volume 1 1882-3The Narragansett Historical Register | Volume II 1883-84The Narragansett Historical Register | Volume VII 1889State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations at the End of the Century: A History | 1902Literary Gossip, Criticisms of Books and Local Historical Matters Connected with Rhode Island | 1902South Kingstown Public Library Digital Collections | Hazard Diary 009Joseph Peace Hazard PapersMysterious Carter Jackson Monument, South Kingstown, Rhode IslandJoseph Peace Hazard: Rhode Island Spiritualist · Introduction · Special Collections ExhibitsMurder memorials: A grisly history written in stone - BBC NewsMurder stone - WikipediaThe Gibbet: A Disturbing Execution Practice Meant To Deter CriminalsThe Gibbet — History's Most Inhumane Punishment | by HdogarWho was Joseph Peace Hazard? | SKPL HistoryNational Register of Historic Places Registration Form GHanging in Chains - Harnessing the Power of the Criminal Corpse - NCBI BookshelfThe Incredibly Disturbing Historical Practice of GibbetingMemorials and MonumentsWhy Just 'Adding Context' to Controversial Monuments May Not Change Minds | History| Smithsonian MagazineWho do American monuments honor the most? A landmark study finally has answers.

    54. DINERS: Modern Diner

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 12, 2022 22:01


    The history of the classic American diner started right here in Rhode Island. It began as something called a Night Lunch Wagon. But over time the diner grew and changed, following trends in the workforce, the American family, and food culture to become the uniquely American restaurant we know and love today. And one of my favorite diners around is Modern Diner–which also happens to be the first diner ever listed on the National Register of Historic places. To Visit: 364 East Ave, Pawtucket, RI 02860Episode Source Material: If you really enjoy diners, read anything by Richard Gutman: American Diner Then and Now: Gutman, Richard JS: 9780801865367: Amazon.com: BooksA Life Devoted to the American Diner | Arts & Culture| Smithsonian MagazineNATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY-- NOMINATION FORM NAME LOCATION tq.Modern Diner – Pawtucket, Rhode Island - Gastro ObscuraRestaurateur sues, wants shirt off Disney's rackRHODE ISLAND DINER SETTLES TRADEMARK SUIT WITH DISNEY – Orlando SentinelWhy So Many Diners Look Like Train Cars - Gastro ObscuraStreamline Moderne - Wikipedia.Hidden for more than 75 years, the origins of a Chepachet diner are being revealed | WJARHistory of Purple Cat Restaurant to be preserved by new owners | News | valleybreeze.comDrive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and TriviaFrom Hash House to Family Restaurant: The Transformation of the Diner and Post-World War II Consumer CultureDINER HISTORYWalter Scott – Rhode Island Heritage Hall of FameModern DinerHOW THE DINER GOT ITS START – Daily PressDiner - WikipediaWhere No-Frills Fast Food (the Real Thing) Was Born - The New York TimesRhode Island Diners – Where to Eat – Vacation Travel InfoFrom Chuck Wagons to Pushcarts: The History of the Food TruckFood truck - WikipediaTH Buckley- Come Get Your American DreamThe Transition from Horse-Drawn to StationaryThe Classic American EntrepreneurshipThe Original Lunch WagonsThe Masters of the Booming Lunch Car IndustryAppealing to the customersDiners of New England | Randy GarbinBluefield Daily Telegraph | April 1, 1987Clovis News Journal | June 22, 1986Today's specialHaven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner – Food on a truck, man! - MotifPROVIDENCE DINER, 97, VS. CITY HALL, '87 - The New York TimesNews in Antebellum AmericaLong Live the Lunch Wagon King! Worcester's Diners Prove Resilient | Mass Food & WineWhence Came the Rhode Island Food Truck? | Edible RhodyHistory of the American Diner - Legendary Route 66

    53. DINERS: Haven Brothers

    Play Episode Listen Later Apr 5, 2022 15:58


    If you've been to Kennedy Plaza, you've probably seen the big, shiny stainless steel piece of Providence late-night culture that is Haven Brothers diner. Maybe you've even eaten one of their famous Murder Burgers. But did you know that Haven Brothers traces its origin back to 1893, making it one of the oldest restaurants on wheels in America? To Visit: 12 Dorrance St, Providence, RI 02903Episode Source Material: Haven Brothers Diner - WikipediaHaven BrosHaven BrothersProvidence Journal | Mark PatinkinDrive I-95: Exit by Exit Info, Maps, History and TriviaAunt Carrie, Mother Prentice were ahead of their time | | ricentral.comThe Cowl | November 19, 1988RI icon Haven Brothers gets a taste of movie fameA Life Devoted to the American Diner | Arts & Culture| Smithsonian MagazineFrom Hash House to Family Restaurant: The Transformation of the Diner and Post-World War II Consumer CultureDINER HISTORYWalter Scott – Rhode Island Heritage Hall of FameModern DinerHOW THE DINER GOT ITS START – Daily PressDiner - WikipediaWhere No-Frills Fast Food (the Real Thing) Was Born - The New York TimesRhode Island Diners – Where to Eat – Vacation Travel InfoFrom Chuck Wagons to Pushcarts: The History of the Food TruckFood truck - WikipediaTH Buckley- Come Get Your American DreamThe Transition from Horse-Drawn to StationaryThe Classic American EntrepreneurshipThe Original Lunch WagonsThe Masters of the Booming Lunch Car IndustryAppealing to the customersDiners of New England | Randy GarbinBluefield Daily Telegraph | April 1, 1987Clovis News Journal | June 22, 1986Today's specialHaven Brothers: Legacy of the American Diner – Food on a truck, man! - MotifPROVIDENCE DINER, 97, VS. CITY HALL, '87 - The New York TimesNews in Antebellum AmericaLong Live the Lunch Wagon King! Worcester's Diners Prove Resilient | Mass Food & WineWhence Came the Rhode Island Food Truck? | Edible Rhody

    52. WEIRD NEWS: When the Wright's Chicken Farm Kids were Kidnapped

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2022 14:39


    When a friend said to me, “What about an episode about that time the Wright's Chicken Farm kids were kidnapped?” I had to know more. Today's episode comes right from the newspaper archives, from March of 1979. Episode Source Material: State v. Ballard :: 1982 :: Rhode Island Supreme Court DecisionsSTATE v. BALLARD | FindLawNewport Daily News Newspaper Archives, Mar 10, 1979, p. 1Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, Mar 9, 1979Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives Aug 16, 1979Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, Oct 16, 1979, p. 8Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, Mar 13, 1980, p. 8Wright's rules the roost

    51. STRANGE STREETS: The Mystery of Ridge St. and Pidge Ave.

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 15, 2022 27:59


    Episode Description: On the border of Providence and Pawtucket, there's a strange intersection. One single road changes its name from Ridge Street to Pidge Avenue. With Ridge and Pidge being just one letter apart, it always seemed like a mistake. With the help of Providence Journal reporter Paul Parker, we get to the bottom of the mystery. And uncover another one along the way. To Visit: Intersection of Pidge Avenue and East Avenue, Pawtucket, RIPidge Tavern was at 586 Pawtucket AvenueEpisode Source MaterialIt's No Typo | Paul Parker | January 19, 2020 (Search “Pidge” in the Journal Archive)Not gone after all - The Providence Journal, 3/8/2020A Toll, A Tavern, and A Farm: A History of Pidge AvenueNew York Times | Granville Standish Jr. ObituaryHistoric Taverns of Rhode Island | Robert A GeakeRhode Island · George Washington's Mount VernonTo George Washington from Nicholas Cooke, 4 April 1776Rochambeau | American Battlefield TrustMarquis de Lafayette | American Battlefield TrustDexter House | preserveriHistory & Culture - Washington-Rochambeau Revolutionary Route National Historic Trail (US National Park Service)

    50. SUMMER MEMORIES: RI's Historic Carousels

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 8, 2022 24:13


    Carousels are playful and whimsical, bright and colorful. They evoke memories of childhood and innocence. Here, in Rhode Island, they're not only time capsules of happy summer moments, but museums of folk art from the golden age of the American carousel. To Visit: Looff Carousel | Crescent Park | 700 Bullocks Point Ave, Riverside, RI 02915Looff Carousel | Slater Park | 825 Armistice Blvd, Pawtucket, RI 02861Flying Horse Carousel | Westerly, RI 02891Episode Source Material: Rhode Island: Looff Carousel (Local LegaciesHistory | Crescent Park CarouselCrescent Park Looff Carousel - WikipediaFlying Horse Carousel - WikipediaCharles ID Looff - WikipediaTHE CAROUSELS OF CONEY ISLANDCharles ID Looff Historical MarkerCharles ID Looff - A Level Above - Pier RatsWhen the Hippodrome Was Hip: The Looff Carousel and the Era of Seaside Amusement | KCETCarousel of HappinessThe Dizzy History of Carousels Begins With Knights | Smart News| Smithsonian MagazineCarousel - WikipediaCrescent Park Carousel | Preservation RICrescent Park | ArtInRuinsA Horse is a Horse: FWMoA's Looff Carousel Horse"Life's just a merry-go-round": Exploring carousel animals in the museum's collection | National Museum of American HistoryThe History of the Carousel | Origins of the CarouselCarousel AKA Merry Go Round – The Vintage LensCarousels, Roundabouts and Merry-Go-Rounds in Art | DailyArt MagazineCarousel CarversAround the World of Carousel Art.Crescent Park (defunct amusement park) - WikipediaCrescent ParkThe Coney Island of the East Coast - Reporter TodayBrass RingFlying Horses Carousel - WikipediaThe Watch Hill Flying Horse Carousel - WESTERLY RIAndrew Christian and Charles W.F. Dare - Part 1Brooklyn Daily Eagle | July 31, 1899Trolley park - Wikipediahttps://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/6974427c-b4f4-49ae-8ca2-05d79c1f90b8Pawtucket Slater Park Looff Carousel 

    49. WEIRD ANNIVERSARY: Part 2 | Fun Facts

    Play Episode Listen Later Mar 1, 2022 32:46


    Sometimes when I'm researching, I waste a bunch of time researching something only slightly related to the episode topic. Like the time I read an entire book about apples while researching the Tree Root that Ate Roger Williams. Today, instead of a regular episode, for each topic I've covered, I'm going to share one fun or interesting fact I learned while researching that didn't make its way into the podcast.

    48. WEIRD ANNIVERSARY: One Year of Weird Island

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 22, 2022 13:25


    I've been making this podcast for a year! So instead of bringing you a normal story, I thought I'd tell you my own. 

    47. WEIRD FOOD: Cuffy Cockroach's Sea Turtle Soup

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 15, 2022 20:37


    People began eating turtle soup in the 1700s, and they kept eating it through the early 1900s. Companies like Campbell's and Heinz made canned turtle soup (and something called mock turtle soup). And it wasn't just available. It was a real culinary obsession. In the early days, there would be these big, elaborate parties, called Turtle Frolics, where people would get together to enjoy it. Including a notable Turtle Frolic in Newport, prepared and served by a talented chef named Cuffy Cockroach. Episode Source Material: Reminiscences of Newport - George Champlin Mason - Google Books 1884 A Newport Rhode Island Turtle Feast, 1767 – AfroculinariaTurtle Soup: From Class to Mass to Aghast - JSTOR DailyThe Turtles of Philadelphia's Culinary PastEarly Recollections of Newport, R.I. From the Year 1793 to 1811 | George Gibbs ChanningOne of New York's Queer Institutions | New York TimesFoodways to Freedom: African Heritage Entrepreneurs in 18th- and 19th-Century Rhode Island – The Rhode Island Historical SocietyAfrican Americans in Rhode Island Who Used Food to Achieve Independence - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryEncyclopedia of African American BusinessRhode Island History | Volume 73Black Southern Caterers: A History of Enterprise and Culinary Good TasteThe History of Catering in the United States | by KC Rippy | Made From Scratch Fine Catering | MediumA Shining Thread of Hope: The History of Black Women in AmericaDark Work: The Business of Slavery in Rhode IslandThe Negro in Rhode Island: His Past, Present, and FutureSeparate and Sometimes Equal: African Burials in Colonial NewportNewport's Turtle Party Slows Hectic Yule Pace - Los Angeles Times1776 Season 1 Episode 4Colonial Dames and Good Wives | Alice Morse Earle | 189550 Years of Christmas in NewportAn Archaeology of Manners: The Polite World of the Merchant Elite of Colonial Massachusetts | Lorinda B. R. GoodwinWhat Ever Happened to Turtle Soup?Turtle soup - WikipediaWhy Don't People Eat Turtle Soup Anymore?The End of Turtle Soup | History TodayOur Taste For Turtle Soup Nearly Wiped Out Terrapins. Then Prohibition Saved Them : The Salt : NPRA ban on trapping the diamondback terrapin passes after advocates stick their necks out – Baltimore SunHow America Fell Into—and Out of—Love With Mock Turtle Soup.From Delicacy to Decline: A Tale of the Diamond-Backed Terrapin | Virginia DWRHoboken Turtle Club | New York TimesJournal of A Residence in America | Frances Anne ButlerPrimer 0013: So Rich and So Green: The History of Turtle Soup

    46. FIRSTS: First Oval-Track Auto Race

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 8, 2022 17:07


    In 1896, the very first auto race on an oval track took place at the Rhode Island State Fair, just one year after the first city-to-city auto race in the world took place. Cars were so new, no one knew what to call them. Horseless wagons? Motor wagons? Motocycles? Electric Traps?Episode Source Material: Left Turns In The Ocean State | HemmingsScientific American Volume 75The Autocar: A Journal Published in the interests of the mechanically-propelled road carriage1896 Novel RaceMy Home Track - Rhode Island and the late, great Narragansett Park Speedway - NASCAR Talk | NBC SportsBoston Sunday Globe Archives, Sep 19, 1915, p. 15Narragansett Park SpeedwayThe First Automobile Races in America (Upd. Cranston, Rhode Island) - PreWarCarA Look Back On Rhode Island's Narragansett ParkChicago Times-Herald race - WikipediaThe Forgotten Car That Won America's First Auto Race | Smart News | Smithsonian MagazineOval track racing - WikipediaDuryea Motor Wagon Company - WikipediaThe Duryea Motor Wagon: There's a First Time for Everything | 2020Time Lapse: Turrets, tents and hippies -- where, when, what's happening here?History of Auto Racingautomobile racing | BritannicaAndrew L. Riker - WikipediaHistory of the American Automobile - Cole's Collision CenterRacing in AmericaAutomobile History.History of the automobile - WikipediaRace track - WikipediaHorseracing in the US | American Experience | Official Site | PBSFirst asphalt superspeedway track | Guinness World Records(1.366%2D,%2Fh%20(76.26%20mph). Riker Automobiles before they merge into Electric Vehicle Company and Columbia . . . . . .The day electricity led the way in the first American auto race 

    45. ARCHITECTURE: Turk's Head Building

    Play Episode Listen Later Feb 1, 2022 16:09


    How did the Turk's Head building get its name? Well, it's actually built on the site of a colonial house and a store that had an unusual sign mounted outside--a wooden carving of an Ottoman Sultan. The store became known as "at the Sign of the Turk's Head." To visit: 1 Turk's Head Place, Providence, RI 02903Episode Source Material:Providence in Colonial Times | Gertrude Selwyn KimballOld Providence: A Collection of Facts and Traditions Relating to Various Buildings and Sites of Historic Interest in Providence | The Merchants National Bank of Providence 1918Publications of the Rhode Island Historical Society | Volume V 1897Providence Magazine | January 1917The Narragansett Historical Register: Volume VI | 1888Turks Head Building | WikipediaTurks Head BuildingSights ~ The Turk's Head Building ~ Providence | I {heart} RhodyNational Register of Historic Places | Custom House DistrictThe Legend of "Turk's Head": In Charles Dexter WardProvidence Architecture | Locations | Turk's Head BuildingNational Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomiflation Form 1. Name ci 2. Location 3. Classification 4. Owner of Property 5.A Walk Through Downtown ProvidenceFlatiron Building - HISTORYA History Of Metals In Colonial America [PDF] [4c30ubrbld80]Ship figureheads and decoration | Royal Museums Greenwich.Providence besieged by Great Gale in 18151815 New England hurricane - WikipediaThe Great September Gale of 1815 - New England Historical SocietySigns of the TimesJacob Whitman | Rhode Island, U.S., Historical Cemetery Commission Index, 1647-2008

    44. BUBBLERS: Cogswell's Infamous Fountains

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 18, 2022 19:30


    In the middle of downtown Pawtucket, there's an old, no longer functioning drinking fountain that most people assume is just a statue. But it's one of only a handful of remaining Temperance Fountains, donated to the city by a man who believed that the solution to drunkenness might just be a glass of fresh, cold water. To Visit: Corner of Roosevelt Ave and Main Street, Pawtucket RI | You can map to 175 Main Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860Episode Source Material: Debunking the the bubbler mythHenry D. Cogswell - WikipediaBoston Daily Globe | September 27, 1893Temperance fountain - Wikipedia“God's Free Gift to Man and Beast” - Henry Cogswell's Temperance Fountains | Rhode TourDubuque Daily Herald | March 6, 1885Sandy Creek News | July 28, 1887Frederick Weekly News | May 29, 1884Brooklyn Daily Eagle | July 16, 1883Thompsonville Press | May 5, 1881Stafford Springs Press | October 8, 1885“All Benefactors of Man I Claim as My Brethren”: Henry D. Cogswell and his Fountains of Philanthropy | SPMCTompkins Square Park Monuments - Temperance FountainCogswell Memorial FountainTemperance Fountain: Nobody Knows How Dry It Was - Heyday DCJenks Park and Cogswell Tower , Adjoining £80 Broad Street to the north Providence Central .FallsPawtucket Walking TourShenipsit Lake - WikipediaTemperance Fountain – Washington, DC - Atlas ObscuraProhibition: A Case Study of Progressive Reform | Progressive Era to New Era, 1900-1929 | US History Primary Source Timeline | Classroom Materials at the Library of Congress | Library of CongressHistory of Drinking Water TreatmentWomen Led the Temperance Charge – Prohibition: An Interactive HistoryA Brief History of US Drinking - JSTOR DailyThe time when Americans drank all day long - BBC NewsAccess to Free Public Water Fountains Might Have the Temperance Movement to Thank13 Weird Moments In The History Of Water Fountains | HuffPost LifeNew York Times | June 11, 1859Mark Twain: The Complete Interviews

    43. WRITERS: Edgar Allan Poe in Providence

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 11, 2022 24:47


    Episode Description: While he never lived in Rhode Island, Edgar Allan Poe famously spent time here at the end of his life. He courted a Providence writer, Sarah Helen Whitman, and spent time at her East Side home, Swan Point Cemetery and the Athenaeum. Episode Source Material: About… – Edgar Allan Poe: Rhode IslandSarah Helen Whitman, Providence Poet Who Dumped Edgar Allan Poe - New England Historical SocietySarah Helen Whitman, Providence Poet Who Dumped Edgar Allan Poe - New England Historical SocietySarah Helen Whitman - WikipediaSarah Helen Whitman | Poetry FoundationSarah Helen Whitman | Biography, Books, & Facts | BritannicaUlalume - WikipediaPoe & WhitmanBenefit Street: Sarah Helen Whitman Residence, Rose Garden, & St. John's Cathedral – Edgar Allan Poe: Rhode Island“Ulalume” & The American Whig Review – Edgar Allan PoeThe Franklin Lyceum – Edgar Allan Poe: Rhode IslandSarah Helen and Susan Anna Residence, 140 Power Street – Edgar Allan PoeSwan Point Cemetery – Edgar Allan Poe“Ultima Thule” – Edgar Allan PoeSarah Helen Whitman – Edgar Allan PoeThe (Still) Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe | History | Smithsonian MagazinePoe Biography - The Poe MuseumEdgar Allan Poe & Sarah Helen Whitman | curioEdgar Allan Poe and His Tumultuous Romances (US National Park Service)Edgar Allan Poe on Valentine's DayPoe, Lynch, and the Literary Salon SceneEdgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Letters - SH Whitman to EA Poe (early August 1848)Works - Letters - EA Poe to SH Whitman (September 5, 1848)Works - Letters - SH Whitman to EA Poe (September 27-29, 1848)The Last Letters of Edgar Allan Poe to Sarah Helen WhitmanEdgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Letters - EA Poe to SH Whitman (November 24, 1848)Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - People - Mrs. Frances Sargent OsgoodThe Life and Addictions of Edgar Allan PoeDeath of Edgar Allan Poe - WikipediaEdgar Allan Poe - WikipediaVirginia Clemm | History of American Women 

    42. ANIMAL ESCAPE: Frosty The Polar Bear

    Play Episode Listen Later Jan 4, 2022 11:26


    A mini episode this week, with another animal escape. Frosty the Polar Bear escaped from the now-closed Slater Park Zoo, twice!Episode Source Material:Life After Slater ParkFanny the elephant to be freedNewport Daily News Newspaper Archives, May 25, 1979, p. 13Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, May 23, 1979, p. 13'JATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY-- NOMINATION FORM flNAME flLOCATION CLASSIFICATION OWNER OF PROPERTY LOCATION

    41. WATERFIRE: In the Renaissance City

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 31, 2021 20:21


    WaterFire is the quintessential Providence experience, centering around a series of nearly 100 bonfires along the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown Providence. But just 40 years ago, you might not have even known that those rivers existed. If you think WaterFire isn't weird, well, maybe it isn't. But the fact that, at one point, Providence completely covered its rivers, is. Episode Source Material: Maps of the Great Salt Cove: Cove Basin and its Evolution | ArtInRuinsAbout WaterFireBarnaby Evans, Artist | WaterFire ProvidenceMusic of WaterFireWaterPlace Park and Waterfire | Rhode TourBrown to co-sponsor WaterFire Providence, host Family Weekend visitors for Oct. 16 lighting | Brown UniversityProvidence River Relocation | CNURudy Bruner Award - River Relocation"Downtown Providence: Parking Lot, Rail Yard"Buddy Cianci, flamboyant and roguish mayor who rebuilt Providence, dies at 74 - The Washington PostWaterFire - WikipediaThe Providence Cove | Rhode TourRiver Relocation Project and Providence River ParkPROVIDENCE LOSING A BRIDGE TO GAIN A RIVERBANK - The New York TimesChapter 6: The River Relocation Project (1984-1994)Revamped Downtown Isolated City's West Side — ecoRI NewsProvidence River - Wikipedia.Moshassuck River - WikipediaWoonasquatucket River - WikipediaA History of the Providence River: With the Moshassuck, Woonasquatucket & Seekonk TributariesProvidence, the Renaissance City

    40. HOLIDAY MAGIC: The Polar Express

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 24, 2021 20:01


    The Polar Express has become a Christmas classic, but did you know it was written right here in RI by author Chris Van Allsburg? Episode Source Material: Chris Van AllsburgChristmas at the Van Allsburgs' | Holiday House Tour - New England TodayAbout Chris Van AllsburgAT HOME WITH: Chris Van Allsburg; Bad Things Happen To Good Houses - The New York TimesA Conversation with Chris Van Allsburg by Anita Silvey – The Polar Express36 Harwich Rd, Providence, RI 02906 - realtor.com®The Polar Express - Wikipedia. Blackstone Boulevard Realty Plat10 Wild Facts About Jumanji | Mental FlossJumanji Author Chris Van Allsburg on the New Movie | TimeHistoric and Architectural Resources of the East Side of ProvidenceAn Interview with Jumanji Author Chris Van Allsburg | Lincoln School Green Light DetailsChris Van Allsburg: From UM to world-renowned children's authorWriter's cliffhangers hook kids – Chicago Tribune8 Festive Facts About The Polar Express | Mental FlossThe Polar Express (Pere Marquette 1225) History & Movie ReviewVAN ALLSBURG'S EXPRESS - The New York TimesChris Van Allsburg

    39. RHODESIDE ATTRACTIONS: The Big Blue Bug

    Play Episode Listen Later Dec 14, 2021 18:15


    The star of this week's episode is a 58 foot long, 9 foot tall, 4,000 pound termite named Nibbles Woodaway. But you might know him better as the Big Blue Bug. Episode Source Material: Big Blue BugGet To Know Us | The Big Blue Bug Of RI, MA & CTWorld's Largest Bug, Providence, Rhode IslandCreator of RI's Big Blue Bug diesThe Big Blue Bug in Providence is broken. What might happen nextBig Blue Bug gets lit for 29th yearNibbles Woodaway and Lou Ferrigno join forces to benefit the RI Chapter of the ALS AssociationNibbles Woodawayhttps://www.providencejournal.com/story/news/2017/06/20/graffiti-suspect-turns-himself-in-ordered-to-have-no-contact-with-big-blue-bug/20487696007/About Big Blue Bug Solutions | Pest Control In RI, MA And CTBig Blue Bug Solutionshttps://newspaperarchive.com/cedar-rapids-gazette-may-27-2001-p-45/https://newspaperarchive.com/nashua-telegraph-may-26-2001-p-11/https://newspaperarchive.com/independence-examiner-aug-05-1989-p-27/Reticulitermes flavipesTermite“World's biggest” roadside attractions: a history of “world's largest” tourist traps.Roadside Attractions Lesson Plan from the National Register of Historic PlacesLucy the ElephantAn Introduction to Eusociality | Learn Science at ScitableRoadside attraction10 of the Biggest Bugs in the WorldRhode Island Looks Up To a Two-Ton Termite 

    38. FIRSTS: The First Presidential Phone Call

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 30, 2021 14:00


    The first presidential phone call took place in Rhode Island, when Alexander Graham Bell called 19th President Rutherford B. Hayes as he attended a clambake at Rocky Point Park. To Visit: Rocky Point Ave. | Nothing to see but a sign, but you can stand where the first Presidential phone call took place, if that's a thing you want to do. Episode Source Material: Rutherford B. Hayes has first phone installed in White HouseA clambake, slurs and phone sex: The long, strange history of presidential callsAmerican RadioWorks - The President CallingAlexander Graham Bell and Rhode IslandMarch 10, 1876: 'Mr. Watson, Come Here ... 'First speech transmitted by telephone - HISTORYTBT: When the First Telephone Call Was MadeEncyclopedia Brunoniana | Blake, Eli WhitneyImage 2 of Speech by Alexander Graham Bell, November 2, 1911History of the telephoneElisha Gray and Alexander Bell telephone controversyElisha Gray and the Telephone Controversy with Alexander Graham BellThe Bell Versus Gray Telephone Dispute: Resolving a 144-Year-Old Controversy [Scanning Our Past]Obama's whopper about Rutherford B. Hayes and the telephoneBefore 1929, Nobody Thought the President Needed a Telephone in his OfficeHotline established between Washington and Moscow - HISTORYFrom the Telegram to Twitter, How Presidents Make Contact With Foreign LeadersElectrical telegraphHistory of the telephoneWho answers the White House phone, anyway?Great Invention, But Who Would Ever Want to Use One? – Quote Investigator

    37. ANIMAL ESCAPE: Rhoda the Sea Lion

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 23, 2021 15:11


    Could a rumor that a sea lion escaped Roger Williams Zoo and made it all the way to the bay possibly be true? To Visit: Roger Williams Zoo | 1000 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI 02907Episode Source Material: Roger Williams HistoryRoger Williams Park - WikipediaHorace ClevelandRhode Island Providence 1T

    36. ABANDONED: The Railroad that Went Down with the Titanic

    Play Episode Listen Later Nov 16, 2021 23:42


    We're heading to Woonsocket this week to check out a mural painted on what was an unassuming concrete wall you wouldn't think twice about. But this concrete wall actually has an incredibly interesting backstory, one with ties to the Titanic. To Visit: Cass Ave, Woonsocket, RI - across from Woonsocket High SchoolEpisode Source Material: The Southern New England RailwaySouthern New England Railway - Wikipediahttps://www.providencejournal.com/article/20140202/LIFESTYLE/302029971NEW HAVEN TO BOSTONTitanic helped sink New Haven RailroadNew York, New Haven and Hartford RailroadNew Hampshire Railroad - Historic Context StatementCass Ave. railroad abutment will be a concrete canvas for high school art teacher and her students as they'll put paint to plaster to pay tribute to Charles Melville Hays Mural in the makingNew York Times | Indict 21 in Deals of the New HavenNew York Times | New Haven Story One of UpheavalsCharles Melville Hays : Titanic VictimBiography – HAYS, CHARLES MELVILLE – Volume XIV (1911-1920) – Dictionary of Canadian BiographyCharles Melville Hays | Titanic Database Wiki | FandomFounder of Prince Rupert died on the Titanic 100 years ago By DAVE KIFFERWhy the Titanic Still Fascinates Us | HistoryCass Avenue mural recalls railroad that might've beenPaint progressWhite Star LineTitanicJUST BEFORE SMASH HAYS SAID DISASTERRailway magnate expected rescue from TitanicJUST BEFORE SMASH HAYS SAID DISASTERThe Golden Age of Rail. Charles Melville Hays BiographyThe Truth about the Titanic - CHAPTER I - THE LAST DAY ABOARD SHIP

    35. GIANT PUMPKINS: And the RI Grower Who “Squashed” World Records

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 31, 2021 19:30


    In 2006, Rhode Islander Ron Wallace grew the first 1,500 lb. pumpkin--something no one thought was possible. Then in 2012, he became the first person in the world to grow a pumpkin weighing 2,000 lbs. Now his goal is to be the first to grow a 3,000 lb. pumpkin… Hear about what it takes to grow a giant pumpkin, then try for yourself: Giant Pumpkin Seeds Wallace's WhoppersEpisode Source Material: About Wallace Organic Wonder & Ron Wallace Organic FertilizerGrowing Giant Pumpkins in the Home GardenThe Great Pumpkin | ScienceWorld-Record Giant Pumpkins and the People who Grow ThemGiant pumpkin - WikipediaOrigin of the Giant Pumpkin – Plant TalkHistory of Pumpkins | The History Kitchen.Henry David Thoreau Grows the First Giant Pumpkin in AmericaHenry David Thoreau - Wikipedia'GREAT CAN DO' COMES THROUGH 1,061-POUND GOURD BREAKS RECORD, NETS COUPLE $50,000 PRIZEGiant pumpkin weigh-off crowns a new winner

    34. HAUNTED: Ramtail Mill

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 26, 2021 23:25


    Out in Foster, Rhode Island a ghost is rumored to haunt the place of his death. A factory that once stood along the Ponaganset river. And his presence has been noted so often and for so long in this place that it actually became Rhode Island's only officially documented Haunted location.To Visit: In the woods off Route 6 and Ramtail Road, Foster, RIWARNING: This episode includes talk of death and suicide. Please take care when listening. Episode Source Material:Thomas D'Agostino, Rhode Island's Haunted Ramtail FactoryNehgsHistory of Providence County, Vol I & IINational Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form 1. Name 3. Classification 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of LegThe History of Horror: How Ghost Stories Have EvolvedRamtail Factory, Foster, Rhode Island (Haunted Place)Freaky Friday: Peleg Walker and Foster's haunted millHaunted RI: The Legends of Dolly Cole   

    33. CUMBERLAND LIBRARY: Wednesday, October 20 at 6:30PM

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 17, 2021 8:30


    Come meet me! I'll be telling stories at the Cumberland Library on Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30PM. Check out this mini episode to learn the unique history of the Cumberland Library and its past life as a Trappist Monastery. Event Details: Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30PMCumberland Public Library, 1464 Diamond Hill Rd, Cumberland, RI 02864Weird Island: A Night of True Tales about Our Little State - Cumberland Public Library, 2021-10-20  Weird Island Live at Cumberland Library Oct. 20 | Libraries | valleybreeze.comEpisode Source Material: Monastery HistoryCisterciansOur Lady of the Valley 1900-1950 | Saint Joseph's AbbeyWhat's the Story Behind the Cumberland Monastery?Trappist | Definition, Monks, History, Beer, & FactsORDERS OF CATHOLIC MONKS AND NUNS: BENEDICTINES, DOMINICANS AND OTHERS6 Catholic Orders that Shaped Monasticism - Ascension Press MediaTrappists

    32. HAUNTED: Newport's Belcourt Castle

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2021 19:05


    Belcourt Castle, the third biggest mansion in Newport, was built as a bachelor pad for Oliver Belmont and his many horses. Over the years, it developed a reputation for its paranormal activity. To Visit: 657 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI 02840 - Tours on WeekendsEpisode Source Material: Belcourt of NewportGhost Hunters Investigate Newport's Belcourt Castle'Ghosts of Belcourt Castle' - News - The Newport Daily News - Newport, RIBelcourt Castle – Haunted HousesThe Ghosts Of Belcourt Castle - PDF Free DownloadBenny CollinBelcourt of Newport - WikipediaOliver Belmont - WikipediaHaunted no more? - Entertainment - The Newport Daily News - Newport, RIBelcourt Castle in Newport Gets a Face-LiftClass and Leisure at America's First Resort: Newport, Rhode Island, 1870-1914THE BELMONT BOYS AND GIRLS PART 2: Their 3 Sons, (and a Daughter!) —belcourtcastleThe Weird World of ‘Haunted' eBay: ‘Purchase With Caution' (Published 2019)Belcourt Castle in Newport Gets a Face-LiftThe New York Social Season – Edwardian PromenadeMemories of Belcourt Castle with Harle Tinney  

    31. BARNABY CASTLE: Part 2 | A Murder Mystery

    Play Episode Listen Later Oct 5, 2021 27:06


    Don't just listen, see inside Barnaby Castle yourself at this years HALLOWEEN PARTY! Tickets at: http://www.kaitlyn-alyece-events.com/barnaby-castle  Last week we explored the story of Barnaby Castle and the first person convicted of committing murder via the mail. This week, we'll dive deeper into that murder mystery and ask, what if the man who was convicted didn't do it? Plus, hear from one of the tenants living in Barnaby Castle about what it's like to live in such a unique historical building.Episode Source Material: "A revolting transaction": Conrad, Barnaby: 9780877955344American State Trials - Volume 13 - 1921Extravagant Barnaby's Castle and Murder Most Foul - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryHappy New Year… in April? – The Rhode Island Historical SocietyCOLONEL JOHN HOWARD CONRAD: CONRAD CITY NEVER FULFILLED HIS EXPECTATIONS by Jane Gaffin (This article originally apTHE BARNABY MURDER. — San Francisco Call 10 May 1891 — California Digital Newspaper CollectionWhy do Females and Males Have Different Handwriting Styles? | SiOWfa16: Science in Our World: Certainty and ControversyMen and women differ in the neural basis of handwritingBarnaby CastleBarnaby Castle – Doors Open RIJerothmul B. Barnaby HouseJ. B. Barnaby Obit - September 19, 1889New York Times - April 2, 1877 - General NotesDr. T. Thatcher Graves and The Rhode Island Mail Order MurderThe Bangor Mystery.Oklahoma Bar Journal - October 10, 2009 - Volume 80Death in The Mail. A Narrative of The Murder of a Wealthy Widow and The Trial and Conviction of The Assassin,… by Martin C Day - First Edition - 1892 - from Michael Laird Rare Books LLC (SKU: 3533)New York Times - December 18, 1884 - Wedding Notice Conrad-BarnabyNew York Times - May 3, 1891 - The Barnaby Murder Mystery - No clue yet to the person who sent the poisoned liquidTHE BARNABY MURDER. — San Francisco Call 10 May 1891 — California Digital Newspaper CollectionNew York Times - January 5, 1892 - The News in ProvidenceMower County Transcript - January 6, 1892New York Times - April 18, 1892 - Dr. Graves Wants a New TrialHerald Democrat - August 7, 1892New York Times - January 18, 1893 - New Trial for Dr. GravesNew York Times - February 8, 1893 - Dr. Graves Surrendered. His Counsel Determined to Force a New Trial at OncePage 6 — Indiana State Sentinel 6 September 1893Page 5 — Pontiac Gazette (1877) 8 September 1893 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection

    30. BARNABY CASTLE: First Murder by Mail

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 28, 2021 18:43


    Barnaby Castle, on Broadway in Providence, is this unusual looking building designed to suit its original owner, this larger-than-life personality and self-made millionaire named Jerothmul Bowers Barnaby. But while the story of J.B. Barnaby is interesting enough on its own, it's actually his death that launches the most fascinating and odd part of this story - because his death set off a series of events that resulted in the very first murder committed via the mail. Don't just listen, see Barnaby Castle yourself at this years HALLOWEEN PARTY! Tickets at: http://www.kaitlyn-alyece-events.com/barnaby-castleEpisode Source Material: Barnaby Castle"A revolting transaction": Conrad, Barnaby: 9780877955344Extravagant Barnaby's Castle and Murder Most Foul - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryBarnaby Castle – Doors Open RIJerothmul B. Barnaby HouseHappy New Year… in April? – The Rhode Island Historical SocietyJ. B. Barnaby Obit - September 19, 1889New York Times - April 2, 1877 - General NotesDr. T. Thatcher Graves and The Rhode Island Mail Order MurderThe Bangor Mystery.Oklahoma Bar Journal - October 10, 2009 - Volume 80Death in The Mail. A Narrative of The Murder of a Wealthy Widow and The Trial and Conviction of The Assassin,… by Martin C Day - First Edition - 1892 - from Michael Laird Rare Books LLC (SKU: 3533)New York Times - December 18, 1884 - Wedding Notice Conrad-BarnabyNew York Times - May 3, 1891 - The Barnaby Murder Mystery - No clue yet to the person who sent the poisoned liquidTHE BARNABY MURDER. — San Francisco Call 10 May 1891 — California Digital Newspaper CollectionNew York Times - January 5, 1892 - The News in ProvidenceMower County Transcript - January 6, 1892New York Times - April 18, 1892 - Dr. Graves Wants a New TrialHerald Democrat - August 7, 1892New York Times - January 18, 1893 - New Trial for Dr. GravesNew York Times - February 8, 1893 - Dr. Graves Surrendered. His Counsel Determined to Force a New Trial at OncePage 6 — Indiana State Sentinel 6 September 1893Page 5 — Pontiac Gazette (1877) 8 September 1893 — Digital Michigan Newspapers CollectionAmerican State Trials - Volume 13 - 1921

    29. MINI EPISODE: Pawtucket's Hollywood Walk of Fame

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 14, 2021 11:35


    Pawtucket has it's very own, tiny little “Walk of Fame” that Roadside America has dubbed “either the saddest or most optimistic Hollywood Walk of Fame.”I've got a Live Episode coming up on Monday, September 20th at 7:30pm! It's on Zoom, and if you wish to attend please email  info@eghps.org and the East Greenwich Historic Preservation Society will send you the Zoom link!Episode Source Material: Hollywood Walk of FamePawtucket, RI - Hollywood Walk of FameWoody Allen's handprints on RI walk of fameWoody Allen Summer ProjectDOWNTOWN PAWTUCKET HISTORIC WALKING TOUR 1American Buffalo (film)American Buffalo• Movie genres by average box office revenue in North America 1995-2021Domestic Yearly Box OfficeAmerican Buffalo SummaryAmerican Buffalo movie review (1996)Michael CorrenteWoody AllenIrrational Man Filming Locations – Rhode Island, Newport, Providence And MoreIrrational Man (film)Irrational Man movie review & film summary (2015)History of the Walk of FameHollywood Walk of Fame | Explorestars on the Hollywood Walk of FameAmerican Buffalo (1996) - Financial Information

    28. TAYLOR SWIFT: The Story of Her Rhode Island Home

    Play Episode Listen Later Sep 7, 2021 22:37


    In 2013, singer Taylor Swift showed up in Rhode Island with $17.7MM in cash and purchased a summer home called High Watch. Then, she wrote a song about it (see: “the last great american dynasty”). This is the real history behind Taylor Swift's Rhode Island home. Episode Source Material: Holiday House (Watch Hill)The Outrageous Life of Rebekah Harkness, Taylor Swift's High-Society MuseThe story of Rebekah Harkness is way more complicated than Taylor Swift lets onWho is Rebekah Harkness and Why is She the Star of Taylor Swift's 'The Last Great American Dynasty'?Rebekah Harkness, the Scorned Socialite of Watch Hill, RITaylor Swift's new album tells a tale about a St. Louis-born oil heiressClambakes and superior sunbaking at Rhode island's historic beach hangout.'IS THERE A CHIC WAY TO GO?'A LIFE OF FLAMBOYANT DESPERATIONREBEKAH WEST HARKNESS, 67, PATRON OF DANCE AND MEDICINE (Published 1982)Jolfrey Ballet Cuts 2‐Year Tie With Rebekah Harkness Fund; Leader of Troupe Rejects ‘Ultimatum' to Name It After Foundation and ‘Vague Assurances'on Control (Published 1964)William Harkness Marries Mrs. PierceHarkness, Rebekah WestStandard OilWho Is Rebekah Harkness, Star of Taylor Swift's 'The Last Great American Dynasty'?Joffrey BalletThe Last Great American Hideaway: A Brief History of Taylor Swift's Rhode Island FeudTaylor Swift's Homes All Over the US Valued at More Than $81 MillionWatch Hill, Rhode IslandWATCH HILL TO POINT JUDITH: 20 MILES OF SUMMER FUN (Published 1981)Taylor Swift House on the Hill | Watch Hill, RI - Rhode IslandFolklore (Taylor Swift album) 

    27. GETTYSBURG GUN: A Cannonball Trapped in Time

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 31, 2021 21:51


    In the entrance of the Rhode Island state house there is a cannon with a cannonball stuck in its muzzle. And for 100 years, no one checked to see if that cannon was filled with explosive gunpowder. To Visit: Rhode Island State House | 82 Smith St, Providence, RI 02903Episode Source Material: Our Story: The Lives and Legacy of Those Who Served in Battery B First Rhode Island Light ArtilleryOn the Gettysburg anniversary, a cannon in R.I. has a story to tellFirst Floor - Rhode Island - Nellie M. GorbeaThe Gettysburg GunCivil War monument to Battery B 1st Rhode Island Artillery at GettysburgBattle of Gettysburg - WikipediaPickett's Charge FactsArtillery in the Civil War1st Rhode Island Light Artillery, Battery BWilliam Jones, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery – Killed at Gettysburg

    26. MINI EPISODE: The Madman of Jerimoth Hill

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 17, 2021 10:03


    Some people spend months or years trying to visit the highest point in every state. Rhode Island's is Jerimoth Hill, and it's the 5th lowest highest point in the U.S. But if you think that means it's always been easy to get to, think again. To Visit: The trailhead is right on Route 101/Hartford Pike, approximately 0.8 miles east of the Connecticut state line. Parking is across the road from the trailhead. Be careful crossing Rt.101/Hartford Pike.Episode Source Material: Highest Elevation Points in The United StatesVisual The Highest and Lowest Elevation of Every US StateUS Lowpoint GuideReaching the Highest and Lowest Point in Every StateHighest point in Delaware | The Delaware Geological Survey50 CompletersHighpointing4 Responses to Unofficial List of Highpointing RecordsThe Effort Scale of Highpointing the Fifty US States : Articles1 Response to The Birth of the Highpointers ClubJerimoth HillABQjournal: Why RI's Jerimoth Hill Is Nation's Toughest SummitJeopardy Champ Ken Jennings Finds the Highest Point in…Rhode Island?

    25. MINI EPISODE: Tombstone Tourism at Precious Blood

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 10, 2021 12:55


    Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket is one of Rhode Island's most haunted cemeteries, after a natural disaster left spirits searching for their loved ones--and even their own body parts! In addition to its paranormal activity, this cemetery features interesting graves, including that of Marie Rose Ferron, America's first stigmatic. Episode Source MaterialPrecious Blood Cemetery – Woonsocket, Rhode IslandPrecious Blood CemeteryRose Ferron Foundation of Rhode Island - Woonsocket, RIPrecious Blood Cemetery & Aram Pothier Mausoleum – Blackstone Valley TourismPrecious Blood Cemetery, Woonsocket, RI | lostinnewenglanddotcomPrecious Blood Cemetery | Woonsocket, RI April 2nd, 2015 Som…FRENCH AND BELGIANCreepy EVP's Heard while Investigating Precious Blood Cemetery | Haunted AdventuresHaunted Cemeteries of Rhode IslandHaunted places around the world: Visit -- if you dare! | CNN TravelRhode Island Historical Cemeteries - Cemetery DetailsL'Eglise du Precieux SangGov. Aram PothierMayor Aram PothierHurricane Diane - August 15-19, 1955Worst Hurricanes in New England HistoryHurricane Diane, 1st $1 Billion Hurricane, Wallops New England in 1955Preserving the legacy of Rhode Island's historical cemeteriesWorld War II State Park HistoryDam Breaks, Soaks Rhode Island Area | NY Times 

    24. SISTINE CHAPEL OF NEW ENGLAND: St. Ann Arts and Cultural Center

    Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2021 26:48


    Hidden away in Woonsocket, RI is a church that has been called the Sistine Chapel of New England. Inside is one of the largest collections of frescoes in the United States. While the artwork is incredible, it's only the beginning. After the paintings draw you in, what you find are stories--because all 475 people painted into the frescoes are real people who lived in Woonsocket in the 1940s. And some of these stories will make you say, “Wow, I've never heard something like that before.”  To Visit: 84 Cumberland Street, Woonsocket, RI 02895 - Tours Sunday 1-4Episode Source Material: Mission StatementThe 40 Angels of St. Ann, the Sistine Chapel of WoonsocketThe Miracle of the Woonsocket Mill OrderNew England Notebook: One Reporter, Six States, Uncommon Stories -  p. 47At 100-year celebration, St. Ann Center recalls church's past military connectionFrench AmericansNew England FrenchQuebec diasporaGuido NincheriGuido Nincheri: An Italian-Canadian TreasureGuido Nincheri, InductedGuido Nincheri, 86, Won Papal Medal for his ArtMarguerite B. Forget - Obituary - Woonsocket, RI - Fournier & Fournier Funeral Services 

    23. MINI EPISODE: Woonsocket's Hachikō Statue

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2021 11:52


    Have you heard the story of Hachiko, Japan's most loyal dog? Find out why there's a statue of Hachiko hidden in Woonsocket, RI.  To Visit: 1 Depot Square, Woonsocket, RI 02895Episode Source Material:Akita (dog)History of the Akita Breed - The Akita BreedAkita History: Hachikō & the Revival of the Devoted Japanese Breed – American Kennel Club15 thoughts on “What does Hachiko mean?”HachikōHidesaburō UenoHachi: A Dog's TaleAround New England: Woonsocket's Railroad Station's Deserved, but Short-Lived Stardom - Design New EnglandHachiko - A Dog's Loyalty10 things you didn't know about Hachiko, Japan's most loyal dog 3 days agoHachiko Breed Information: History, Health, Pictures, and more

    22. SLATER THE TRAITOR: Father of the American Industrial Revolution

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 20, 2021 20:57


    Episode Source MaterialThe Birth of American Industry: Why Pawtucket? - Online Review of Rhode Island HistoryThe Industrial Revolution - The Big Story - Blackstone River Valley National Heritage CorridorRhode Island and the Industrial Revolution | EnCompassSlater Mill | EnCompassBrown University Portrait CollectionWikipedia, History of Rhode IslandSamuel Slater - WikipediaDavid Wilkinson (machinist)How America's Industrial Revolution Was Launched by SpiesHannah Wilkinson Slater and Mary Dixon Kies | Profiles in Sewing History - ThreadsHow Industrial Espionage Started America's Cotton Revolution | Smart NewsMoses Brown - WikipediaMoses Brown (1738-1836) PapersRI Historical Society | Volume 33:2 May 1974 - P. 35Economic Growth and the Early Industrial Revolution [ushistory.org]John Slater (1776-1843)Francis Cabot LowellSlater, SamuelUS Slavery: Timeline, Figures & Abolition - HISTORYThomas Jefferson and the Embargo Act of 1807 (thoughtco.com)Industrial Revolution | Definition, History, Dates, Summary, & FactsRhode Island and the Industrial Revolution | EnCompass#3 - Report on manufactures. - Full ViewCotton production in the United States  Pawtucket Visitor Center Signage

    21. MINI EPISODE: What the heck is Cumberlandite?

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 13, 2021 11:49


    Episode Source Material: GEOLOGY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND - 184The American journal of scienceRhode Island State Rock: CumberlanditeCumberlandite Raw Cubes stone of Venus – Song of StonesGC51DR2 Only in Rhode Island (Earthcache) in Rhode Island, United States created by Twohig260Walking RI: Hunt for RI's rare state rock at Cumberland's Blackall/Ballou PreserveCumberlandite - Cumberland, Rhode Island USA - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.comHistoric and Architectural Resources of Cumberland RIAvaloniaIgneous Rocks.2 Replies to “Igneous Rocks: How Are They Formed?”Intrusive rock | geologyGabbroGeology of Rhode IslandEastern Avalonia 

    20. ABANDONED: It's a Bird… It's a Plane.. It's the Superman Building!

    Play Episode Listen Later Jul 6, 2021 23:20


    Episode Source Material: Gotham state of mind: what do comics tell us about cities?Why Superhero Comics Are Obsessed With CitiesDC Finally Confirms Metropolis is Located in New YorkCLE Myths: Ohio Bell Building Inspired SupermanThe Architecture of Superman: A Brief History of The Daily PlanetDaily Star - SupermanicaDaily Star (DC Comics)The Daily Planet in Film and Television | Arts & CultureArchitectural Critic Will Morgan: Superman BuildingIndustrial National Bank BuildingIndustrial National Bank BuildingIndustrial Trust Building, Providence RIPHOTOS: Inside Providence's Superman BuildingCrumbling face of an icon: Can 'Superman' be saved?Providence Magazine | Industrial TrustProvidence's Most Iconic Skyscraper Needs a SuperheroAdaptive Reuse, Innovation, and Saving Superman — The Providence FoundationArt Deco architecture of New York CityThe Beauty and Backstory Behind Art Deco DesignPeregrine falcon - WikipediaThe Falcon Eye | peregrine brown falcons

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