TwistedPhilly

Episode 97 This is a story about Philadelphia’s gay history, beginning with the first protest at Dewey’s Restaurant in the 1960s, our Reminder events and history makers who’ve made an incredible difference in our city’s LGBTQIA community. Historically, Philly pride was held in an area of the city called the Gayborhood.  Named as such in October 1995 during the city’s first Outfest in honor o...

Episode 96 In the musical Hamilton, Angelica Schuyler may have called New York the greatest city in the world, but what Lin Manuel Miranda left out of the show is the scandal that rocked Alexander Hamilton’s career, nearly destroyed his marriage and was the basis of the Reynolds Pamphlet, happened in Philadelphia. Hamilton’s Philadelphia home near 3rd and Walnut Streets was just a few blocks...

Episode 95 Step Outside Show is a Philadelphia based artist collective showcasing the street art and graffiti scene. Their latest show featured works by 100 artists primarily from Philly but also a few from Baltimore and New York.  This was their third major show  – all of their events are interactive – visitors can tag and leave your own mark while you celebrate the diverse collection of st...

Episode 93 In 1892, architect Willis G. Hale began construction on a lavish apartment building on Broad Street in north Philadelphia. What began as a turn of the century residential multi family structure evolved over the last 120 years into something so much more – the Divine Lorraine. This is the story of that evolution, lead by a man named Reverend Major Jealous Divine, better known as Fa...

Episode 92 Ona Maria Judge – better known as Oney – was born into slavery in 1774 at a familiar location in Virginia: Mount Vernon. Oney’s mother Betty was brought to Mount Vernon after George Washington married Martha in 1759. Betty, and her descendants, were considered the “property” of Martha Washington’s first husband, Daniel Custis, who’d died just a...

Episode 91 – Originally released February 2020 Women in white, midnight Mary, lonely roads all over the US and other parts of the world have their own legends of a young woman in a pale dress, wandering in the middle of the night searching for someone to give them a ride. Sometimes they’re searching for their true love. They hitch a ride with an unsuspecting motorist, or they mysteriou...

Episode 90 – Originally released January 2020 Content warning: this episode contains discussions about sexual assault and murder. Listener discretion is advised. Between the summer of 1997 and August 1999, six women in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, were raped by a man known only as the Center City Rapist. One woman, Shannon Schieber, was murdered in May 19...

 Episode 89 – Originally released January 2020 Content warning: this episode contains discussions about sexual assault and murder. Listener discretion is advised. Between the summer of 1997 and August 1999, six women in the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood in Center City, Philadelphia, were raped by a man known only as the Center City Rapist. One woman, Shannon Schieber, was murdered in...

Episode 88 – Originally released December 2019 Last weekend I took the family to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, a town about 90 minutes north of Philadelphia and known all over the country as Christmas Town (or Christmas City depending on with whom you speak!) Even Travel and Leisure magazine called Bethlehem the “most festive city in the entire country.” In this episode, I’ll take you...

Episode 86 – Originally released November 2019 Content warning: this episode contains discussions about serial murder, family annihilators, and death of children.  Listener discretion is advised. Can we apply today’s true crime labels to centuries old murders?  Can a woman be considered a family annihilator?  Does murdering your family make you a serial killer?  How could...

Episode 85 – Originally released November 2019 In West Philadelphia’s Fairmount Park sit several historic homes, some dating back to the late 1700s. Long ago this section of the city was nothing but farmland and forests, an area where Philadelphians built country homes far from the noise and congestion of the city. These properties are rich with history, some are filled with hauntings, and a...

Episode 84 – Originally Released October 2019 Pennsylvania is filled with folklore and ghost stories from all over the state: ghost stories, cryptids, haunted houses, and abandoned towns with misty forms wandering the forest.  These legends aren’t enough for me.  I always want to know the history behind the hauntings, what’s the real story that inspired the folk tales, and ar...

Episode 83 – Originally Released August 2019 Incorporated in 1855, Mount Moriah Cemetery sat high up on a hill next to Cobbs Creek at the edge of Southwest Philadelphia. Like Laurel Hill Cemetery in the 1830s, the location of Mount Moriah was chosen for it’s distance from the busy city, the pastoral setting and beautiful views. Originally 54 acres, the cemetery grew to over 200 acres before...

Episode 82 – Originally Published August 2019 with special guest co-host Margo D., cohost of the Book vs. Movie podcast, Dorking Out and What a Creep podcasts Content warning: this episode includes discussions about addiction, assault, and death. Listener discretion is advised. Her faced graced the cover of vogue and cosmopolitan dozens of times.  She represented brands like Dior, Versace, Ar...

Episode 81 – Originally Released July 2019 Content warning: this episode includes discussions about emotional and physical abuse of children, unlawful incarceration, and death because of suicide. Listener discretion is advised. NOTE: If you have not yet listened to part 1, pause this episode and listen to part 1 first. Judge Mark Ciavarella sent thousands of children from Luzerne County, Pennsylva...

Episode 80 – Originally Released July 2019 Content warning: this episode includes discussions about emotional and physical abuse of children, unlawful incarceration, and death because of suicide. Listener discretion is advised. In January 1996, attorney Mark Ciavarella was appointed a Luzerne County judge in Wilkes Barre, PA.  Less than a year later he was made a juvenile judge, a position wh...

Episode 79 – Originally Released June 2019 On Sunday, June 9, 2019, the city of Philadelphia celebrated pride month with our annual Pride Parade and Festival hosted by Philly Pride Presents. If you follow me on social media, you’ve seen some of the photos of that amazing event. This annual celebration takes considerable effort on the part of so many people in the city, the LGBTQ+ community a...

Episode 78 – Originally Released May 2019 The Germantown section of Philadelphia is filled with historic homes, many dating back to the 1700s, and the homestead of one is even older.  If you wander a little further along Germantown Avenue, past Grumblethorpe, you’ll come to rather imposing Georgian home called Cliveden Mansion, built by Pennsylvania Chief Justice Benjamin Chew in the 1760s. C...

Episode 77 – Originally Released May 2019 Germantown is a section of Philadelphia bordering the northwest suburbs of the city. Within Germantown is tiny little area called Wister.  That’s a name you’ll hear quite a bit as we spend our time together today because of a very famous old house along Germantown Avenue, built by German immigrant John Wister in 1744. This 275-year-old home has ties t...

Episode 76 – Originally Released April 2019 Content warning: This episode contains adult subject matter including the brutal beating and subsequent death of a child. Listener discretion is advised. On Friday night, November 11, 1994, 16 year old Eddie Polec and his younger brother Billy planned on spending a typical evening with their friends in the Fox Chase neighborhood in Philadelphia; han...

Episode 75 – Originally Released April 2019 On April 13, 2019, I had the opportunity to visit Pennhurst State School and Hospital to interview the Operations Manager, Jim. Jim and I walked the grounds for a time before sitting down to record together. During our tour Jim shared his thoughts with me about Pennhurst’s history, details about a few of the buildings we passed and his thoughts abo...

Episode 74 – Originally Released March 2019 In Part 2 of our series about Pennhurst State School and Hospital I’m joined by Jerry and Tracy Paulley, hosts of the Hillbilly Horror Stories podcast, to discuss paranormal activity at Pennhurst. Jerry and Tracy listen as I share tales of paranormal investigations at Pennhurst, my visit to Pennhurst in August 2018 and their perspectives on p...

Episode 73 – Originally Released March 2019 Content warning: This episode contains adult subject matter including discussions about physical and intellectual disabilities, patient abuse, and eugenics.  Listener discretion is advised. Pennhurst State School and Hospital was once called the Shame of Pennsylvania.  It sat only about 25 miles outside of Philadelphia, yet it may have been a w...

Episode 72 – Originally Released February 2019 Content warning: This episode contains adult subject matter including discussions about missing persons, and murder, which may be upsetting to some listeners.  Listener discretion is advised. Between the summer of 1985 and fall 1990, eight women were brutally murdered in the Frankford section of Philadelphia.  Police already had their hands...

Episode 71 – Originally Released January 2019 Content warning: This episode contains adult subject matter including discussions about missing persons, sexual assault, and murder, which may be upsetting to some listeners.  Listener discretion is advised. In September 2017, I shared a story on Patreon about Temple University student Jenna Burleigh.  Jenna was a transfer student from suburb...