Off the Path

This story first aired in 2018. It was inspired by a line from the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Hamilton,” now streaming on Disney Plus. It's a real line from a letter written by George Washington: "Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid."

Until we get fully back on the road again, I’m checking in with a few establishments that are a little closer to home. Here's one just down the road from me. Bloodroot is a vegetarian restaurant and feminist bookstore on the banks of Long Island Sound in Bridgeport, Connecticut.

Off the Path is slowing down a bit for the summer (as are we all.) In the meantime, we're revisiting some classic stories. This episode originally aired February 1, 2018.

I don’t say this lightly – The Book Barn might top my list of all-time favorite establishments.

Thirteen brothers and sisters made up the Hutchinson Family Singers. They toured the United States and Europe. And they drew crowds of thousands of people.

Cesar Beman marched and fought with black and white soldiers during the Revolutionary War up and down the Hudson River. But he wasn’t supposed to be there.

An economic genius is remembered for predicting the 1929 stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. His last words of wisdom live on – stenciled on a series of boulders in a Massachusetts ghost town.

Note: The area today known as “Boston Corners” was once known as the singular “Boston Corner” – no “s.” To avoid confusion, this story refers to the area by its contemporary name throughout.

McSorley’s Old Ale House opened in the 1850s – it’s one of the oldest bars in New York City.

Travelling portrait painters were common in the 1800s, but many didn’t even sign their work. There are hundreds of these paintings attributed to one artist: a man named Ammi Phillips.

It’s probably the most reprinted newspaper editorial in American history, written over 120 years ago. Francis P. Church responded to a question from an 8-year-old who wanted to know if Santa Claus was real, writing famously, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” And the spirit of the letter lives on in Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Davis Dunavin joins The Full Story host Ron Ropiak to talk Dylan, Casablanca and Alice’s Restaurant, plus previews of upcoming stories and more.

William Gillette was one of the most famous stage actors in America in the late 19th and early 20th century. He brought Sherlock Holmes to the theatre. Gillette was an eccentric man with an unusual house – actually, a castle full of theatrical flairs. It towers on a cliff overlooking the Connecticut River.

For the Vietnam War generation, one song has become a thanksgiving staple: “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” by Arlo Guthrie, commonly known simply as “Alice’s Restaurant.”

Danbury, Connecticut, calls itself Hat City, USA. It was the biggest hat manufacturer in America for more than a hundred years. The industry eventually left Danbury, but you can still see bowlers and fedoras on signs and billboards all over its streets. Those hats also left behind another – more complicated – legacy.

There are lots of beautiful historic cemeteries in New England. The oldest headstones date back to the 1600s. Many are faded and mossy. And a few harbor a dark secret. Some people used to believe these were the resting places of the malevolent undead.

The enduring legacy of Humphrey Bogart – and his most famous film – is deeply entwined with the story of a one-room theater not far from Harvard Square.

Two 19th century artists defined American landscape painting. Their art took them all over the world. But they always returned to the mountains and valleys around New York’s Hudson River.

Today’s story idea came from a listener – 7-year-old Emmalyn Paulsson. She wanted to show me her favorite place: Watch Hill in Westerly, Rhode Island, with its famous merry-go-round.

Nikola Tesla spent years obsessed with a dream to bring wireless communication to the world. He built a laboratory and a huge tower to harness the earth’s energy — but he eventually lost it all — in the village of Shoreham, on Long Island.

Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Jimi Hendrix have something in common – aside from being music legends. They all performed as unknowns on a small stage in a basement club in Greenwich Village.

Off the Path host Davis Dunavin speaks with WSHU Morning Edition host Tom Kuser for a sneak preview at some upcoming stories in the next season.

Off the Path host Davis Dunavin speaks with Morning Edition host Tom Kuser about the funniest, weirdest and most poignant moments from season two of the podcast.

Dozens of indigenous tribes once lived in the Northeast. And there are places that still share their music, storytelling and agricultural traditions. In Washington, Connecticut, a group of native people celebrate the festival of the Strawberry Moon in mid-June.

Mark Twain lived all over the country – but spent his last years in the small town of Redding, Connecticut. One of his final acts before he died was to set aside a little money to build the Mark Twain Library.