The Hidden Staircase

The oasis of the Hawaiian islands. They are filled with rich culture, beautiful blue waters, and some of the most fertile volcanic soil that brings life to lush green foliage and unique species of animals. They are heaven on earth. Today's story will tell us about a young woman named Valerie Ann Warshay who traveled to Hawaii in 1978 for a hiking and camping trip. Sadly, she ended up in a fort...

We all have a relationship with our postal workers. Some of us are even friends with them, often talking daily as they deliver the mail. Over time, a sense of trust develops. I mean, they know where you live. Who wouldn’t be kind? It would be difficult to imagine that behind that friendly smile and wave could lie a killer. But, unfortunately, that would be the sad reality of one small Ohio town in...

They say, “misery loves company,” and Belle Gunness kept quite a lot of company but not for very long. She is known today as Hell’s Belle or Lady Bluebeard. Belle sits among the unnerving rank as one of the few female serial killers in America’s history. She is known to have murdered at least fourteen people, with some of the victims including her several husbands and even her own children. Belle...

We often associate unique marriages with the last several decades. Often forgetting that for most of history, marriages have been more of a contract for wealth, comfort, and offspring. Kings would have multiple wives, and wealthy noble’s children were often just pawns to increase the family’s status by marrying them off to the most wealthy single nobles they could. People have continually construc...

Welcome to the Library beneath the Hidden Staircase with Kristen Seavey as our Librarian. The Sloss Furnace in Birmingham, Alabama is a place filled with strong emotional energy. The Sloss Furnace was the main manufacturer of pig iron in the United States during the Industrial Revolution, providing jobs to the lower class. Unfortunately, the Mill had a high mortality rate with 60 workers losing th...