Ohio Mysteries

In 1975, boxing great Muhammad Ali faced off against an underdog - Chuck Wepner - in a match held at Summit County's Richfield Coliseum. Wepner held up for almost 15 full rounds, and even scored a rare knockout against the reigning world champ. Wepner's performance in Ohio inspired an out-of-work actor named Sylvester Stallone to sit down over the next three days and pen the script for one of Holl...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries: Backroads. This week’s episode brings us the incredible stories of four famous animals with strong Ohio ties. All four of these beloved animals were nationally recognized for their achievements, accomplishments and heroics. Join us we discuss the extraordinary lives of Colo, Balto, Bing, and Smoky and celebrate their rightful place among the...

In 1915, a German submarine torpedoed the passenger liner RMS Lusitania, killing nearly 1,200 people, including many Ohioans. We tell the story of the tragedy through the lives of people like Charles Frohman, a Sandusky native who coined the term "stars" for describing beloved actors, and Theodate Pope, a Cleveland woman who became one of the first licensed architects in the country. Learn more ab...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we are joined by our friends Wendy Koile, author of 4 fantastic books, and Sherry Spenzer, an author and historian with the Avon Lake Historical Society. We discuss the mysterious 1932 death of Eva Volpe. The 21 year old Miss Volpe was a governess of an area family and was visiting her mother in Lorain when she...

The entire army of the American Revolution died before John Gray. When Gray passed in March of 1868, he was the last soldier standing. In this episode, we learn a little about the life and times of this Noble County veteran with a unique distinction. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries www.twitter.com/mysteriesohio www.facebook.com/ohiomysteries Additiona...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we talk about the world's very first commercial aviation flight from Dayton to Columbus, Ohio on November 7, 1910. The Wright Brothers found themselves involved in a number of lawsuits and the resulting negative publicity didnt help their attempts to sell their airplanes. Enter Max Morehouse. He conceived of an...

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we talk about the miraculous high school basketball team, the Waterloo Warriors! Despite practicing on outdoor dirt courts and practicing with a ball made of rags wrapped with tape, this amazing team won back to back state titles. With only 26 boys in the entire school, coach Magellan Hairston lead this small gr...

In 1941, the US government fined a Dayton-area farmer for planting more wheat than was allowed per a new law hoping to stabilize a market that had wild fluctuations due to the war. Roscoe Filburn refused to pay the fine and filed a lawsuit instead, saying his wheat had nothing to do with the econmy - he grew it for his family and his livestock. The result of this battle had ramifications in all ar...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we talk discuss the notorious Simon Girty. He was a frontiersman who lived a fascinating long life that took him through many travels and travails. Some call him a traitor, some called him a patriot. Jon us and listen to this fascinating story of one of the pioneers who helped shape the Ohio frontier. Our listen...

Ep 304 - Butler County: Teddy Franks, Eugene Sauer, Beverly Krause Three cold cases from Butler County. Teddy Franks leapt from a moving car to escape an unknown foe, and was never seen again. Eugene Sauer's bullet-ridden body was found next to his car along a state route. And a Jane Doe was given to the wrong family to bury until a detective in the future discovered her true identity. www.ohiomys...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we talk discuss the infamous ship, the Success. The Success would sail the world 'round being advertised as a prison ship museum with all the cruel torture devices that could be expected to be found within. Only the story wasnt true. The Success sailed for over 1oo years and made millions for its owners before e...

Ghosts of two 19th century girls haunt the streets in western Belmont Count. We explore the legend of Lady Bend Hill, a tale of two lovers that ended in tragedy. And the murder of Louiza Fox, a 13-year-old courted by a coal miner who killed her when she rejected his marriage proposal.  www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries www.twitter.com/mysteriesohio www....

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we talk discuss the shootout in Little Italy. On May 17, 1926. The sleepy Southern Ohio town of Wellsville, Ohio would be rocked by the shooting of Patrolman Jim Kenney in the midst of a police scandal involving the tight lipped Italian American neighborhood. Bribery, bootleggers, and bad guys would all play a p...

Ep 303 - Mary Draper Ingles: A story of endurance Mary Draper Ingles and her two children were kidnapped by Shawnee warriors in a raid on their Virginia home. They were marched to a Shawnee town in Ohio, where her children were given to Shawnee families passing through. Eventually, Mary managed to escape. This is the story of her 42-day, 600-mile run for home. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomy...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we talk with our friend Josh and discuss Ohio urban legends. Josh has a YouTube channel where he visits many locations around Ohio that have fascinating (and creepy) urban legends. He also does fantastic research about the origins of the legends and how they came to be. We discuss the Kirkland Melonheads, the wi...

Ulysses S Grant, born and raised in Southwest Ohio's Georgetown, led the Union to victory in the Civil War and spent eight years as president. We combed his biographies and found a handful of fun and interesting things about his life - like the fact that his name wasn't really Ulysses S. Grant, and that the male side of his wedding party (including his best man) later had to surrender to him. www....

In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating and often overlooked history of how the Portsmouth Spartans, a small-town football team from Portsmouth, Ohio, became the iconic Detroit Lions. From their humble beginnings in the early days of professional football to their move north and eventual transformation into an NFL powerhouse, we explore the pivotal moments, key players, and visionary de...

From the mid 1980s into 1990, sex workers from truck stops throughout the state were being strangled or beaten to death, their bodies disposed of without clothing or shoes. Eventually, someone would recognize a pattern, and a task force concluded it likely that the women were the victim of one may - a truck driving serial killer who many have come to call the elusive Dr. No. www.ohiomysteries.com...

Ep 300 - The Ohio origins of Play-Doh, Etch-a-Sketch and Uno Three of the most popular childhood activities in the world were born in Ohio. Join us for the story of how repurposing some putty saved a Cincinnati wallpaper cleaning company from bankruptcy, how a dentist in Bryan turned a French curiosity into every Baby Boomer's Christmas wish, and how an activity developed by a Reading barber becam...

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode author Wendy Koile shares stories from her book: Legends and Lost Treasure of Northern Ohio. We learn about The Money House, whose destruction provided an entire neighborhood with cold, hard cash. Simon Girty is up next and we find out more about his lost treasure and if the infamous cannon from the Anthony Wayn...

In 1944, a fire at the Ringling Brothers circus in Hartford, Connecticut became one of the worst tragedies in American history, killing at least 168 people and injuring 700 more. Investigators blamed a carelessly thrown cigarette for igniting the flame that took down the big top. But six years later, all eyes turned to Ohio when a Circleville man confessed to setting the fire as a 15-year-old rous...

For half a century, the Mirmans served an East Akron neighborhood as its local grocer, and everyone knew Robert Mirman, the third generation of the family to run the store. The Mirmans knew robberies were part of the business, and survived several of them. But in 1981, someone entered the store and stabbed Robert numerous times, killing him in a vicious act that was very uncharacteristic of a rout...

In the fall of 1984, the east side of Cleveland and its eastern suburbs were rocked by four chillingly-similar murders - all 14-year-old girls, strangled to death while going about their daily routine. But this was not the work of a serial killer. In time, police would catch and convict three killers in three cases, leaving one still-open homicide. The family of Leslie Cross, murdered on her way t...

Hello and Welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries: Backroads. In tonight's we discuss the historic, haunted Buxton Inn in Granville, OH. Step back in time for a captivating podcast exploring the rich history, legendary hauntings, and hidden stories of one of Ohio's most beloved landmarks — The Buxton Inn. Nestled in the charming town of Granville, this historic inn has been a welcoming retrea...