Moving Through Georgia

Today we look through the newspapers at five different stories, all headlined 'A Tragedy in Georgia'.  Some are legitimate tragedies, some are strange, and I think at least one is just made up.   TWO LIVE SHOWS:  -=> Saturday April 6 at BSG Cafe in Cornelia, next to Bigg Daddy’s.  Start at 3:00 -=> Saturday April 13th - Sweet Southern Creations, 1363 Washington St in Clarkesville, across fro...

A few short stories from James Mooney's 1906 book "Myths of the Cherokee"- mostly about the moon and the sun.  Also why you shouldn't cheat at soccer. LIVE SHOW:  Saturday April 13th - Sweet Southern Creations, 1363 Washington St in Clarkesville, across from the theater.  Staring at 3:00, an hour of true crime and mystery from Habersham County’s past.  This is all new material, different from the...

-=>  There was an 'ooops' in the audio, it's fixed now <=-   As you drive through Tallulah Falls, you'll pass over the Rev. George Vandiver Memorial Bridge, and the Adam Poole Vandiver bridge.  The story of these two men involves growth of a family as it establishes itself in the area.  There will also be some good and bad hunting tips, and what to do if a deer pushes you off a cliff. LIVE S...

A short followup about the search for the Confederate Gold, which may or may not be lost.  Stories of gold hunters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, and Michigan. LIVE SHOW:  Saturday April 13th - Sweet Southern Creations, 1363 Washington St in Clarkesville, across from the theater.  Staring at 3:00, an hour of true crime and mystery from Habersham County’s past.  This is all new material, different from...

When Jefferson Davis and other Confederate officials left Richmond, how much money did they take with them?  Where did it end up?  The long version of a story I told in an earlier podcast. LIVE SHOW:  Saturday April 13th - Sweet Southern Creations, 1363 Washington St in Clarkesville, across from the theater.  Staring at 3:00, an hour of true crime and mystery from Habersham County’s past.  This is...

Reconstruction was a crazy time.  The former Confederacy was given a set of rules to rejoin the Union, then the rules were changed.  This week the Thirteenth, Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments get passed and Rufus Bullock is elected Governor.  Bullock would be a very unpopular governor and resign in disgrace- only to return later and be remembered as a hero.   The Moving Through Georgia book is...

Eula Mae THompson was convicted of murder with her husband and his moonshine business partner.  Then she changed the story.  But... she can't be executed because the governor says her head just isn't shaped like a murderer's head...  Confused?  Me too.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Amazon. But they are dead - A look at mourning and notable burials in Northeast Georgia

Can we know your personality by studying the shape of your head?    

Wow- I recorded the Compulsory Education episode when I had the flu, and I didn't realize how bad I had it.  I missed a few edits, and even lost an entire track.  Not my best work.  To make up for it, here's a bonus episode.   A short story about a character born in Georgia who would become the premier con man of Denver, then Scagway Alaska amid the Yukon Gold Rush The Moving Through Georgia book...

A really, really long walk.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Amazon.   But they are dead - A look at mourning and notable burials in Northeast Georgia

James Oglethorpe intended Georgia to be a center for producing silk, not cotton.  Today we look at past industries that are no longer with us- saddle trees, folding bathtubs, asbestos mining and the Toccoa Casket Company.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Amazon.   But they are dead - A look at mourning and notable burials in Northeast Georgia  

We start with a signifcant Revolutionary War battle in Wilkes County, then take a closer look at the career of one of the generals.  Elijah Clarke would serve in the American and French armies, and when he got fed up with the federal government he went off and started his own country.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Amazon.   But they are dead - A look at mourning and notable bur...

Gus Johnson was one of the most infamous criminals in the area of Rome, Georgia.  Today we'll discuss his crimes and his death at the gallows.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Amazon. But they are dead - A look at mourning and notable burials in Northeast Georgia

In Cornelia a train wrecks, the engineer and another man are killed.  Was it an accident, or a plot between his wife and another man to get his out of the way?  Also, some distractions from the newspaper.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Amazon. But they are dead - A look at mourning and notable burials in Northeast Georgia

Happy Halloween!

You may have seen Dwight Shrute read from the book 'Struwwelpeter'.  It's an actual children's book and I had a copy as a kid.  Here's one poem- The Hare.   I did make a video at : https://youtu.be/D5cMJ42alhc?feature=shared

The audio is from Librivox, but I did make a video for this poem: https://youtu.be/nJKZSRALo9M?feature=shared

This is a video walk through of the 1963 courthouse on the square in Clarkesville.  It's been empty since 2019, and as of now is slated to be demolished.   https://youtu.be/756tvwZ2Qdk?si=cZfLBhh7g28ceNbh  

I put this out a while ago, but it deserves another listen!   Scary video version:  https://youtu.be/02bd_JsafXk?feature=shared   Kids Video version:  https://youtu.be/_HhwkBHN3Yc?feature=shared  

Blind Susie is a traditional story from Banks County.  You can join the Band Historical Society on October 20-21 for their historical walk through downtown.  You'll learn a lot about your communities' history, and maybe meet a character or two.  Personally, I'm looking forward to visiting the jail.

Two Civil War era shost stories from Georgia, orginally published in an 1886 newspaper. History, Mystery, Murder and Mayhem walking tours of downtown Clarkesville will be every weekend from September 15 until October 30!  Meet at the theater in downtown Clarkesville- Friday and Saturday at 7:00, Sunday at 5:00.  Spend an hour with tales of Habersham’s history, notable people, crimes, and a ghost s...

How do you define conjure?  For some, it's a form of faith healing; drawing fire from the body or stopping excessive bleeding.  In some places it's magic- graveyard dirt at the crossroads.  This is a short overview of two types of conjure from Georgia. History, Mystery, Murder and Mayhem walking tours of downtown Clarkesville will be every weekend from September 15 until October 30!  Meet at the t...

We're kicking off autumn with two ghost stories from a Savannah newspaper!  The paper casually reports some very supernatural events as casually as any other news. History, Mystery, Murder and Mayhem walking tours of downtown Clarkesville will be every weekend from September 15 until October 30!  Meet at the theater in downtown Clarkesville- Friday and Saturday at 7:00, Sunday at 5:00.  Spend an h...

Just as an experiment I took an entire article about a disgraced pastor in Banks County from the Atlanta Constitution and uploaded it to ChatGPT.  Chat GPT is an artificial intelligence, and it used it's processes to turn the news article into a story.  All the facts are true, and it does turn a fairly dry newspaper account into a lively story.   The Moving Through Georgia book is available on Ama...

If you downloaded this earlier and it was blank- here is the episode.   A serial killer stalks Atlanta's Fourth Ward not long after Jack the Ripper terrorizes Whitechapel.  Was there a serial killer at work?  This week the African American residents of Atlanta at the turn of the century face fear in various different forms. This will be the last episode in thise series- stay subscribed!  Some fun...