Author Conversations

Newly elected president George Washington set out to visit the new nation aware that he was the singular unifying figure in America. The journey's finale was the Southern Tour, starting in March 1791. The long and arduous trek from the capital, Philadelphia, passed through seven states and the future Washington, D.C. But the focus was on Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. The president kept a ri...

The summer of 1996. In nineteen days, six million visitors jostled about in a southern city grappling with white flight, urban decay and the stifling legacy of Jim Crow. Six years earlier, a bold, audacious partnership of a strong mayor, enlightened business leaders and Atlanta’s Black political leadership dared to bid on hosting the 1996 Olympic Games. Unexpectedly, the city won, an achievement t...

The state of Florida has a rich history of African Americans who have contributed to the advancement and growth of today. From slaves to millionaires, African Americans from all walks of life resided in cabins, homes, and stately mansions. The lives of millionaires, educators, businessmen, community leaders, and innovators in Florida’s history are explored in each residence. Mary McLeod Bethune, A...

Throughout the long and colorful history of Galveston, no name has embodied the “Spirit of the Island” quite like the name Maceo. Two penniless Sicilian immigrants rose from modest beginnings to lead an entire city to prosperity, yet the nature of their industry and its abrupt and embarrassing end resulted in a legacy cloaked in stereotypes and rumor. For nearly forty years, Sam and Rose Maceo rul...

A century on, the twisted wreckage from the Ricohoc disaster smolders, passenger trains turned into husks amid predawn fog. Would-be assassins draw straws to determine who will take out Huey Long. And pickers stroll the banks of the Vermilion River during the heyday of the Spanish moss industry, plucking their livelihood from majestic oaks, many of which still stand. This strange country bewilders...

Hamburg is perhaps South Carolina’s most famous ghost town. Founded in 1821, it grew to four thousand residents before transportation advances led to decline. During Reconstruction, recently freed slaves reshaped Hamburg into a freedmen’s village, where residents held local, county and state offices. These gains were wiped away after the Hamburg Massacre in 1876, a watershed event that left seven...

Thad Carter joins me for this episode. Thad is the author of The Railroads of Lake Charles which is available now. This week we talk about Thad's memories of the railroad growing up, the importance of the railroad today and where it may go in the future.  If you would like to purchase Thad's latest book you can do so by clicking the link below:  https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/978146710...

A true crime story that captured the attention of the nation.  On Christmas Eve 1881, a horrible crime shook the small town of Ashland, Kentucky, and captivated the entire nation. Three children were brutally murdered and their house set ablaze. Nothing in the small town’s past had prepared it for what followed. Three men were convicted of the crimes, and two were sentenced to death. But the murde...

The Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington is perhaps the single most significant stretch of railroad in the country, connecting dozens of cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. The line carries thousands of passengers daily on a mix of long-distance, regional, and commuter trains. Before it emerged as a vital stretch of railway, some of the earliest railroads in America...

Racing is more than just turning left. It is about grit and determination. Technology and skill. Author Robert Redd joins me today on this special episode as we get ready for the Daytona 500.  Long before the Speedway was even a glimmer in Bill France Sr.’s eye, racers in Daytona Beach were careening along at the fastest possible clip. Cars were still a novelty in 1903 when Daytona Beach drivers w...

This week we learn the history of a serial killer who took the lives of over 20 victims yet hardly anyone knows his story or more importantly the story of those who's lives were cut short. Until now. Join me this week as I talk with Janie Jones who is the author of The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer and learn the story of how the nationwide murderer slipped under the radar of true crime writers for so...

On this episode we learn the intriguing history of Macon, GA during the Civil War.  Macon was a cornerstone of the Confederacy’s military-industrial complex. As a transportation hub, the city supplied weapons to the Confederacy, making it a target once the Union pushed into Georgia in 1864. In the course of the war’s last year, Macon faced three separate cavalry assaults. The battles were small in...

Atlanta has a rich history that goes far beyond a town in flame during the Civil War. Learn about the rich Native American History and how Atlanta's crossroads with ancient trails have been bringing cultures to a point in what is now Georgia for millennia. People from all over the world have helped shape Atlanta into the city it is today.  Order the book by by following the link below:  https://ww...

Today I speak with Retired United States Coast Guard Captain Jeffrey Hartman. Join us for the interesting history of the academy and stories from the Captain's career.  The predecessor of the US Coast Guard (USCG) was the Revenue Marine, formed to enforce the customs laws. The officers for the service were drawn from the Merchant Marines, and occasionally the US Navy, and political connections wer...

This week we travel out west to Haunted Prescott, AZ!  When Arizona was created as a U.S. territory in 1864, Prescott became its first capital. Accompanying the city's rich history is an equally dramatic heritage of supernatural manifestations. Visitors report a strange chill in the Palace Restaurant and taps on the shoulder at the Smoki Museum. Lingering spirits crowd famed hotels like the Vendom...

On this episode continue our journey into the spooky month of October by exploring Haunted Charleston with author and Tour Guide Ed Macy.  You can book a tour with Ed by visiting his website here: https://edmacytours.com/    

In a land occupied for thousands of years, mystery and unrest linger. Anguished soldierly figures dot the landscape of Pasco County, from the doomed march of Major Dade and his haunted hill to the ghost of Captain Jeffries standing watch over his homestead in Zephyrhills. A pair of spirits drifts about near a Dade City pond, perhaps the brother and sister cut down during the infamous Bradley Massa...

Today I am joined by the Director of Children's Books for Arcadia Publishing, Nancy Ellwood to talk about Arcadia Publishing's new Spooky Tales series.  Spooky America is adapted from Arcadia’s bestselling Haunted America series (more than 300 titles strong), and brings you the ghoulishly gruesome, fantastically phantasmal stories of our nation’s undead souls. Rewritten for the middle-grade audien...

The Powder Magazine is South Carolina's oldest public building and today's serves as a museum. The museum's director and author of Arsenal of History, Alan Stello joins me to discuss the site's history and the museums upcoming virtual luncheon series.  You can find out more about the museums Zoom luncheon series by visiting powdermagazine.org/programs 

Nashville’s Music Row is as complicated as the myths that surround it. And there are plenty, from an adulterous French fur trader to an adventurous antebellum widow, from the early Quonset hut recordings to record labels in glass high-rise towers and from “Your Cheatin’ Heart” to “Strawberry Wine.” Untangle the legendary history with never-before-seen photos of Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Kris Kri...

This week we focus in on the fascinating history of the Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks. Much of New York during the Revolutionary era was frontier wilderness, sparsely populated and bitterly divided. Although the only major campaign in the region would end at the Battle of Saratoga, factional raiding parties traversed the mountains and valleys of the Adirondacks throughout the war. Sir Chris...

This week we explore the Bizzare History of the Bluegrass State with author Keven McQueen. From ghost towns to circus performers to mass hysteria, the Bluegrass State is no stranger to the strange. Read stories of famed President Abraham Lincoln you’ve never heard before. Find possible solutions to the mystery of Pearl Bryan’s missing head and decipher the outrageous hoaxes involving an unsolvable...

This week we discuss a site who's role is not well known but was vital in bringing about an end to the Civil War. The site? Fort Clinch in Fernandina, FL.  Even though Fernandina was tucked away in the far southern reaches of the Confederacy, Fort Clinch had been abandoned to Federal forces by March 1862. It proved a boon to the Union war effort, and the island became a haven for runaway slaves, w...

Authors Patricia and Robert Heyer join me this episode to tell us about famous attacks along the Jersey Shore including attacks in the early 1900's that influenced pop culture.  Every summer, thousands flock to the Jersey Shore for its beaches and boardwalks, but lurking in the depths beyond is a historic threat to tranquility. Dozens of shark attacks and interactions have occurred throughout Jers...

Join me this week as I talk with the author of Hidden History of East Texas, Tex Midkiff about Texas Rangers, Big Tex, Shootouts, UFO's and theories around the JFK assassination.  The heritage of East Texas partakes in the same degree of unexpected turns and hidden depths as its backroads and bayous. One line of inquiry meanders into another. Start out searching for La Salle’s grave and end up cha...