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 02860 Episode Source Material: Debunking the the bubbler myth Henry ...
Jan 18, 2022•20 min•Season 1Ep. 44
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 Island Sarah Helen Whitman, Providence Poet Who Dumped Edgar Allan Poe - New England Historical Society Sarah Helen Whitman, Providence Poet Who Dumped Edgar Allan Poe - New England Histori...
Jan 11, 2022•25 min•Season 1Ep. 43
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 Park Fanny the elephant to be freed Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, May 25, 1979, p. 13 Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, May 23, 1979, p. 13 'JATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY-- NOMINATION FORM flNAME flLOCATION CLASSIFICATION OWNER OF PROPERTY LOCATION...
Jan 04, 2022•11 min•Season 1Ep. 42
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 | ArtInRuins About W...
Dec 31, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 41
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 Allsburg Christmas at the Van Allsburgs' | Holiday House Tour - New England Today About Chris Van Allsburg AT HOME WITH: Chris Van Allsburg; Bad Things Happen To Good Houses - The New York Times A Conversation with Chris Van Allsburg by Anita Silvey – The Polar Express 36 Harwich Rd, Providence, RI 02906 - realtor.com® The Polar Expre...
Dec 24, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 40
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 Bug Get To Know Us | The Big Blue Bug Of RI, MA & CT World's Largest Bug, Providence, Rhode Island Creator of RI's Big Blue Bug dies The Big Blue Bug in Providence is broken. What might happen next Big Blue Bug gets lit for 29th year Nibbles Woodaway and Lou Ferrigno join forces to benefit the RI Chapt...
Dec 14, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 39
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 House A clambake, slurs and phone sex: The long, strange history of presidential c...
Nov 30, 2021•14 min•Season 1Ep. 38
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 02907 Episode Source Material: Roger Williams History Roger Williams Park - Wikipedia Horace Cleveland Rhode Island Providence 1T<.TT.7:::: Roger Williams Park Historic District See Description #7 Providence Tiernan #2 Rhode Isl History of American urban squirrel Temple To Music Sea Lions Sea Lions Return to RWP! The Sea ...
Nov 23, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 37
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 School Episode Source Material: The Southern New England Railway Southern New England Railway - Wikipedia https://www.providencejournal.com/article/20140202/LIFESTYLE/302029971 NEW HAVEN TO BOS...
Nov 16, 2021•24 min•Season 1Ep. 36
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 Whoppers Episode Source Material: About Wallace Organic Wonder & Ron Wallace Organic Fertilizer Growing Giant Pumpkins in the Home ...
Oct 31, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 35
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, RI WARNING: This episode includes talk of death and suicide. Please take care when listening. Episode Source Material: Thomas D'Agostino, Rhode Island...
Oct 26, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 34
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 6:30PM Cumberland Public Library, 1464 Diamond Hill Rd, Cumberland, RI 02864 Weird Island: A Night of True Tales about Our Little State - Cumberland Public Library, 2021-10-20 Weird Island Live at Cumberland Library Oct. 20 | Libra...
Oct 17, 2021•9 min•Season 1Ep. 33
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 Weekends Episode Source Material: Belcourt of Newport Ghost Hunters Investigate Newport's Belcourt Castle 'Ghosts of Belcourt Castle' - News - The Newport Daily News - Newport, RI Belcourt Castle – Haunted Houses The Ghosts Of Belcourt Castle - PDF ...
Oct 12, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 32
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 buildin...
Oct 05, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 31
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 Barnab...
Sep 28, 2021•19 min•Season 1Ep. 30
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 Fame Pawtucket, RI - Hollywood Walk of Fame Woody Allen's handprints on RI walk of ...
Sep 14, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 29
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 Muse The story of Rebekah Harkness is way more complicated than Taylor Swift lets on Who is Rebekah Harkness and Why...
Sep 07, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 28
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 02903 Episode Source Material: Our Story: The Lives and Legacy of Those Who Served in Battery B First Rhode Island Light Artillery On the Gettysburg anniversary, a cannon in R.I. has a story to tell First Floor - Rhode Island - Nellie M....
Aug 31, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 27
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...
Aug 17, 2021•10 min•Season 1Ep. 26
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 Material Precious Blood Cemetery – Woonsocket, Rhode Island Precious Blood Cemetery Rose Ferron Foundation of Rhode Island - Woonsocket, RI Precious ...
Aug 10, 2021•13 min•Season 1Ep. 25
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:...
Aug 03, 2021•27 min•Season 1Ep. 24
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 02895 Episode Source Material: Akita (dog) History of the Akita Breed - The Akita Breed Akita History: Hachikō & the Revival of the Devoted Japanese Breed – American Kennel Club 15 thoughts on “What does Hachiko mean?” Hachikō Hidesaburō Ueno Hachi: A Dog's Tale Around New England: Woonsocket's Railroad Station's Deserved, bu...
Jul 27, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 23
Episode Source Material The Birth of American Industry: Why Pawtucket? - Online Review of Rhode Island History The Industrial Revolution - The Big Story - Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Rhode Island and the Industrial Revolution | EnCompass Slater Mill | EnCompass Brown University Portrait Collection Wikipedia, History of Rhode Island Samuel Slater - Wikipedia David Wilkinson (machinist) How America's Industrial Revolution Was Launched by Spies Hannah Wilkinson Slater and Mar...
Jul 20, 2021•21 min•Season 1Ep. 22
Episode Source Material: GEOLOGY OF MASSACHUSETTS AND RHODE ISLAND - 184 The American journal of science Rhode Island State Rock: Cumberlandite Cumberlandite Raw Cubes stone of Venus – Song of Stones GC51DR2 Only in Rhode Island (Earthcache) in Rhode Island, United States created by Twohig260 Walking RI: Hunt for RI's rare state rock at Cumberland's Blackall/Ballou Preserve Cumberlandite - Cumberland, Rhode Island USA - Places of Geologic Significance on Waymarking.com Historic and Architectural...
Jul 13, 2021•12 min•Season 1Ep. 21
Episode Source Material: Gotham state of mind: what do comics tell us about cities? Why Superhero Comics Are Obsessed With Cities DC Finally Confirms Metropolis is Located in New York CLE Myths: Ohio Bell Building Inspired Superman The Architecture of Superman: A Brief History of The Daily Planet Daily Star - Supermanica Daily Star (DC Comics) The Daily Planet in Film and Television | Arts & Culture Architectural Critic Will Morgan: Superman Building Industrial National Bank Building Industr...
Jul 06, 2021•23 min•Season 1Ep. 20
Episode Source Material: Respect (and Customers) Comes Back to Drive-Ins (Published 1997) Rustic Tri-View Drive-in Theatre in North Smithfield, RI Drive In Movie Theaters History Northeast Connecticut Rhode Island Massachusetts Lonsdale Drive-In: Rhode Island Blueways Drive-in Theaters: A History from Their Inception in 1933 The History of the Drive-In Movie Theater A History of the Drive-in Theater Drive-in theater - Wikipedia Why old drive-in movie theaters were popular, and what they were lik...
Jun 22, 2021•20 min•Season 1Ep. 19
Episode Source Material: VIDEO: Ride along with the Providence Police, 1993. Documentary featuring the old downtown Police HQ, the RISD May Day riot, and of course Buddy Cianci. : providence PROVIDENCE TUNNEL OPENED | New York Times Description of East Side Tunnel project East Side Train Tunnel providence.html What's underneath — Erik Gould Projects Transit advocates say reusing Providence train tunnel a waste of money/ Poll The Indy With Demolition Looming, A Look Back At The Counterculture Of ...
Jun 15, 2021•22 min•Season 1Ep. 18
Controversy and Opinions on the Gaspee Affair: Was the Gaspee Affair About Slavery? The Gaspee Affair was about the business of slavery – Uprise RI The Conspiracy to Destroy the Gaspee Additional Episode Source Material: About: Gaspee Days Conflicts That Led Up To the Burning of the Gaspee Copy of the testimony of Aaron Briggs | EnCompass This Licentious Republic: Maritime Skirmishes in Narragansett Bay 1763-1769 The Story of the 1772 Gaspee Affair – in Virtual Reality – Virtual Reality for Educ...
Jun 08, 2021•18 min•Season 1Ep. 17
Episode Source Material: Best Places - Donut Data Set Home / Rankings / Top Donut Cities A Dozen Things You Didn't Know About Dunkin' | Dunkin' The Salvation Army USA Blog - The Salvation Army Celebrates National Donut Day! National Donut Day Doughnut Girls: The Women Who Fried Donuts and Dodged Bombs on the Front Lines of World War I - World War I Centennial . Donut Day History - The Salvation Army Metropolitan Division The Women Who Fried Donuts and Dodged Bombs on the Front Lines of WWI...
Jun 01, 2021•7 min•Season 1Ep. 16
Check this out! 130 years of facial hair trends, in one chart Episode Source Material: Ambrose Burnside, The Sideburned Civil War Commander Who Didn't Want The Job Ambrose Burnside - HISTORY 'Sideburns' The Hairy History of 'Sideburns' . Why is this Style of Facial Hair Called Sideburns? How Sideburns Got Their Name | Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History the history of ‘burnsides’, ‘sideburns’ and ‘sideboards’ Women in the Civil War The History of Shaving and Beards | Timeline of Culture...
May 25, 2021•15 min•Season 1Ep. 15
