Ohio Mysteries

In 1847, a fortune teller from Morgan County traveled to Williams County and offered his self-proclaimed clairvoyant skills to the local farmers and settlers. There, he enlisted a mentally-challenged teenager to help him kill a boy so he could make money from the youth's parents by offering to find their missing child. It was something, he said, that had worked before. www.ohiomysteries.com feedba...

In this episode we explore the Millfield Mine Disaster of 1930. On November 5, 1930 the town of Millfield, Ohio was devastated by an explosion in the Sunday Creek coal mine which resulted in the deaths of 82 men. Joining us today is our special guest, Ron Luce, who has written a book to be published in January 2024 called "The Millfield Mine Disaster". We discuss the causes, the rescues, the trage...

Ep. 250 - Ohio's prehistoric race of giants? Between 1800 and 1904, there were dozens of reports in Ohio of people finding huge skeletons, mostly while excavating prehistoric Indian mounds. Descriptions typically suggested heights of 7 to 8 feet, rows of double teeth, and jaws that could encase the head of a modern man. What was going on? We review some of the more interesting accounts. www.ohiomy...

In this episode, we explore the Buckeye state's connection to Smokey the Bear, the TV shows Gunsmoke and the Adventures of Superman, the cartoon character "Mr. Magoo", Yogi Bear, Disneyland and even the UFO crash at Roswell. All of these have connections to these four great voices: Jim Backus, Dawes Butler, Bill Kennedy and George Walsh. Please check other podcast episodes like this at: https://ww...

In 1905, McConnelsville town constable Horace Porter was shot to death by a local man with no history of violence. Four years later, the same gun found its way into the hands of Morgan County prosecutor Frank Parsons, who used it to kill himself. Investigators found Parsons had been drawing the revolver on paper while working up the nerve to act. Bonus: A look at the ghosts of the Twin City Opera...

In this special Halloween episode, Dan and Mike travel down Ohio’s backroads to explore the Buckeye State’s connection to horror film director-writer and Cleveland native Wes Craven, who created one of the most iconic screen villains in cinematic history, Freddy Krueger, from the “Nightmare on Elm Street” film franchise. We’ll discuss Craven’s connections to Cleveland, the small town of Kirtland,...

In September of 2023, authorities seized a painting from Oberlin College, saying it had been stolen by the Nazis from a Jewish concentration camp victim. We tell the story of the colorful and talented Franz "Fritz" Grunbaum and how a piece of art he owned ended up in Ohio. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries www.twitter.com/mysteriesohio www.facebook.com/...

In this episode we explore the dark mysteries about Schneider Park. A city park in a residential neighborhood in suburb Akron, Ohio, Schneider Park holds secrets to this day for it was on this site that the Summit County Infirmary once stood including the graveyard. A developer came in and purchased land but seemed to ignore the graveyard and progressed with building the houses in the area. Withou...

In 2005, Logan County investigators say 18-year-old Scott Moody shot and killed his mom, grandparents and two friends before turning the gun on himself. One problem with this theory is that Scott's sister Stacy was also shot that day, but she survived and insisted the shooter wasn't her brother, but a gray-haired man she had never seen before. That and a host of other problems have many folks in B...

In this episode we explore the legends, stories, rumors and the truth about Gore Orphanage. For a century, this long rumored haunted location has drawn curiosity seekers to test their bravery and explore Gore Orphanage at night. Are the rumors about "Old Man Gore" really true? Who actually set the fire that burned down the mansion? Is Gore Orphanage really haunted? We explore the Swift, Wilbur, an...

In 1985, authorities in Lucas County announced they were bringing in bulldozers, fully expecting to find up to 75 bodies of people who had been ritually sacrificed by a local cult. They found none. We interview Jack Legg, whose new book "Digging up Devils" takes a look at that case and the national "Satanic Panic" scare that fueled thousands of witchhunts. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomyster...

In this episode we explore the UFO chase in Portage County, Ohio in 1966. At 5 a.m. April 17, 1966, two Portage County, Ohio, sheriff deputies on routine patrol stop to investigate an abandoned vehicle down a dark road and are blinded by known craft rising into the sky behind the car. Deputy Dale Spaur decides to go check it out while his partner stayed behind. They heard a noise sounding like "an...

In 1963, Ohio native Paul Landis was a Secret Service agent assigned to protect First Lady Jackie Kennedy, a role that put him on the running board of the car tailing President Kennedy at the moment Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. In October of 2023, Landis is releasing a memoir of his experience, and for the first time, he reveals a decision he made at the crime scene that could change theori...

In this episode we journey to Milan, Ohio and discuss the Mad Miller of Milan. The Mad Miller of Milan was named Sam Winchester. He owned a mill in Milan, Ohio and decided to fly in a balloon. When he set aloft in 1855, this fateful flight would lead to mysteries that are still talked about today. Here is a YouTube video filmed at the actual launch spots!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfWWUmG8z...

In 1866, the body of Rosa Colvin was discovered in the woods near the shanty she shared with her husband, Bill, in Cuyahoga County's Olmsted Township. Cause of death: An ax to the head. Though Bill was initially arrested for murder, authorities began to believe the real killer may have been a boarder the couple had taken in. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomyst...

Join us on our Backroads journey to Cincinnati, Ohio, as we explore the Queen City's connections to actor George Reeves, who is best remembered for his role as Superman In the 1950s. Reeves died under mysterious circumstances in 1959. In this episode we'll discuss why Reeves' body was sent to a Cincinnati hospital after his death, and why his body spent several months in storage at a Cincinnati ce...

A new book - “Unnatural Ohio: A History of Buckeye Cryptids, Legends and Other Mysteries” - has been released by Kevin Moore and Kristina Smith, who both work at the Hayes Presidential Library and Museum. They share with us three of their stories: the legend of Holcomb Woods (Wood County), the Elmore Rider (Ottawa County) and the Defiance Dogman (Defiance County.) www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@oh...

Hello and Welcome to the first episode of Ohio Mysteries: Backroads. In this episode we discuss the skydiving tragedy of Huron, Ohio. On Sunday, August 28th, 1967, 18 skydivers accidentally parachuted into Lake Erie in an attempt at a high altitude (20,000') jump and 16 people were killed. A series of errors led to this tragedy including a deadly mistake by the FAA, a pilot who drifted off course...

In 1936, Jesse Owens single-handedly shattered Hitler's myth of Aryan supremacy by winning four gold medals at the Berlin Olympic Games. But he returned home to a deeply segregated country that challenged him to the very end. We share the highlights of his life and career, and follow the trail of what happened to his iconic gold medals. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon....

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1970, university students Mary Petry and Bill Sproat were murdered in Bill's Columbus apartment in such a brutal way, people wondered if Charles Manson copycats were at work. In a new 7-part podcast "Mary & Bill: An Ohio Cold Case," investigative reporter Justin Glanville revisits the crime and offers fresh interviews, new facts and hope for a conclusion. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomyst...

An Ohio Mysteries/Akron Beacon Journal crossoverIn 2002, Javan and Markus Rogers - brothers and rap record producers in Akron - were shot and killed three months apart. Akron police thought they could prove who pulled the trigger in one of the murders, but an evidence mixup in Youngstown resulted in the case being thrown out. More than 20 years later, police still don't even have a motive in the m...

In Marietta, legend has it that in the late 1800s, a son beheaded his adulterous father in front of his mistress at a riverfront hotel. The former La Belle Hotel where it is said to have happened is now nearly 200 years old, and modern-day tenants believe all three of their spirits are still repeating the crime. www.ohiomysteries.com feedback@ohiomysteries.com www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries www.twi...

In 1985, Mel Wiley, the police chief in Medina County's Hinckley Township, tells his girlfriend he's meeting an old friend for a dip in Lake Erie. Three days later, park rangers find his abandoned car at Edgewater Park with his clothes, money and police ID inside - but no chief. While townsfolk wonder if he met with foul play, was lost in a drowning accident or committed suicide, the lead investig...

In 1840, a merchant ship was built in Burma for trading throughout India. But over the next century, it would be reinvented many times - as an immigrant ship from Britain to Australia, as a jail for convicts in Melbourne, as a tourist attraction throughout the western world. Her last chapter was written in Ohio, where someone lit it on fire on the Fourth of July in 1946. www.ohiomysteries.com feed...