Weird Island

Episode Description: While today, tomatoes are one of the most commonly consumed vegetables in the United States, that wasn’t always the case. For much of history, tomatoes were not only ignored, but feared. So, what changed? And is it possible a Newport man played a role in introducing the tomato into the American diet?  Episode Source Material - Michel Felice Corne Cornè House - Atlas Obscura Mi...

The first famous American daredevil got his start leaping from Pawtucket Falls.  Episode Source Material Sam Patch The Famous Jumper | Paul E. Johnson The Real Simon Pure Sam Patch | Rochester History The Last Leap of Sam Patch | Headlines & Heroes The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, October 28, 1829, Image 2 « Chronicling America « Cherokee phoenix, and Indians' ad...

In 1848, a man named Orson Squire Fowler ignited a homebuilding fad when he dreamed up a  bold new home design, one that might be cheaper, more efficient and even make you happier.  Inventory of Octagonal Houses in RI - One’s I’ve found to still be there: Lemuel C Richmond Octagon House, 41 High Street, Bristol Cranston (Battey) Octagon House, 80 Phenix Avenue. The only surviving of 3 once in Cran...

This week, we’ll meet Ida Lewis, the fearless lighthouse keeper of Newport, Rhode Island, who became a national hero for her daring rescues at sea.  Episode Sources: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter: The Remarkable True Story of American Heroine Ida Lewis by Lenore Skomal Women who kept the lights : an illustrated history of female lighthouse keepers : Clifford, Mary Louise : Free Download, Borrow...

Episode Description: Weird Island is back! In the first episode in over a year and a half, we’ll uncover the story of a gym for women in 1880s Providence, begun by feminist philosopher, lecturer and writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman.   Episode Sources: “As Near to Flying as One Gets Outside a Circus”: Charlotte Perkins Gilman and the Providence Ladies’ Sanitary Gymnasium, 1881-1884 - Online Review o...

Oscar seemed like an ordinary kitten when he was adopted by Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation center in Providence, RI. But the staff and residents at Steere House quickly suspected Oscar had a unique ability. He seemed to be able to predict when someone was going to die.  Heads up, this episode is more speculative than usual. And it includes a lot of talk of death. Keep that in mind while l...

Hey all! I’m taking a tiny pause on new episodes for a little while to work on some other things that inspire me. I’ll be back before you know it! And, in the meantime, I still have a couple of episodes to drop. So, I hope you’ll stick around.  If you’re looking for something new to listen to while I’m taking a breather, I wanted to share some of the podcasts that I've been loving recently. Some l...

While researching RI mills, I came across this one little snippet about the Ashton Mill in Cumberland, and had to know more: “Owens-Corning Fiberglas Company bought the mill... They operated in the mill until 1983. They made tire cord, drapery, and beta cloth for spacesuits for the Apollo Moon missions.” Episode Source Material: Address at Rice University in Houston, Texas on the Nation's Space Ef...

This week, I’m joined by Amanda Quay Blount, who just released her new book Meet Me at the Biltmore this October. She brought me a story I’d never heard before about this Rhode Island based Ford dealer. His name was Dutee Wilcox Flint, and he was one of the earliest and most successful Ford dealers in the world before he lost his empire, moved into the Biltmore, and largely vanished from memory. F...

This week, as many get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, I wanted to revisit the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving that many of us learned as kids. Because, I found out as an adult that I didn’t really learn the full story–I learned a mythologized version of it. And I learned that while I heard a lot about the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth, I didn’t know as much about the Wampanoag pe...

On December 31, 1843, Amasa Sprague was found murdered near his home in Cranston, RI. An Irish immigrant named John Gordon was tried and convicted of the crime, but even at the time, many believed he may have been innocent.  Episode Source Material: Opinion/Harrington: Mystery still shrouds murder of Amasa Sprague John Gordon - Online Review of Rhode Island History The Murder of Amasa Sprague, and...

Have you seen The Conjuring, the 2013 Hollywood film so successful it spawned a franchise of supernatural horror films? Did you know it’s loosely based on the haunting of a Rhode Island family? The old colonial farmhouse in Burrillville, where they lived and experienced paranormal phenomena in the 1970s, has been described by some as one of the most active paranormal locations in the world.  Episo...

Ann & Hope… were two women. Then the words became the name of a ship, followed by a mill, and later a store. This week, I’ll bring you along as I learn the story of the Ann & Hope Mill and the discount department store that shared its name. And along the way, we’ll even uncover a bit of a mystery.  Episode Source Material Ann and Hope Store Complex (Ann and Hope Mill, Lonsdale Mill) | SAH ARCHIPED...

Have you ever been to Scarborough Beach in Narragansett and noticed that beautiful stone ruin just beyond the sand? Well, it turns out it’s the remnants of an old carriage house that once stood beside this mansion overlooking the water. The mansion was called Windswept, but locally it was known as the house built with Painkiller money, and it was built by a family who made their fortune selling th...

Long before the quahog became Rhode Island’s iconic shellfish, oysters dominated local waters. In this episode, I’ll be diving into the stories of black innovators and entrepreneurs who shaped the oyster industry–including Manna Bernoon, who established Providence’s first Oyster and Ale House in 1736, the year of his emancipation from slavery.  Episode Source Material:  Early Rhode Island: A Socia...

In 1925, a massive bicycle racing track was built on North Main Street in Providence. Later that year, it would become home to the Providence Steam Roller, remembered today as New England’s first NFL Champions. Episode Source Material Rhode Island History | November 1977 Providence Cyclodrome | ArtInRuins Forgotten Stadiums: The Cycledrome Cycledrome History | Pro-Football-Reference.com Cycledrome...

So, you’ve seen his face on t-shirts and posters and on the covers of anthology books all over Providence, but who exactly is H. P. Lovecraft? Tune in to the first episode of Season 2 to find out! I cover a number of Providence locations in this episode, and you’re welcome to visit them while listening. Many are pretty close to one another. Here’s my recommended mini tour:   Lovecraft’s Birthplace...

In Smithfield, Rhode Island, out in the middle of the woods, there are the remains of an old village that disappeared over 100 years ago. A ghost town known as Hanton City, sometimes called Haunted City or the Lost City.   To Visit: Walk the Hanton City Hiking Trail, starting from 70 W. Reservoir Rd in Smithfield. About 3/4 of a mile or so in (I didn't map it exactly) you'll see the remains of an...

Have you ever been to see a show at the Providence Performing Arts Center and marveled at the gorgeous building? Well, you might be surprised to know that when PPAC opened in the late 1920s, the theater showed a different kind of show–movies! I’m joined by special guests Lynn Singleton and Alan Chille this week to dive into the history of Providence’s Movie Palace, these elaborately decorated movi...

In South Kingstown, there’s an odd monument hidden away in the bushes off Tower Hill Road. It’s a four-sided granite pillar covered, from top to bottom on all sides, in a written inscription. And this inscription tells a story. But not one of a famous battle or prominent leader or politician or historical landmark. It tells the story of a gruesome murder that took place here. To Visit:  Map to Koc...

The history of the classic American diner started right here in Rhode Island. It began as something called a Night Lunch Wagon. But over time the diner grew and changed, following trends in the workforce, the American family, and food culture to become the uniquely American restaurant we know and love today. And one of my favorite diners around is Modern Diner–which also happens to be the first di...

If you’ve been to Kennedy Plaza, you’ve probably seen the big, shiny stainless steel piece of Providence late-night culture that is Haven Brothers diner. Maybe you’ve even eaten one of their famous Murder Burgers. But did you know that Haven Brothers traces its origin back to 1893, making it one of the oldest restaurants on wheels in America?  To Visit: 12 Dorrance St, Providence, RI 02903 Episode...

When a friend said to me, “What about an episode about that time the Wright’s Chicken Farm kids were kidnapped?” I had to know more. Today’s episode comes right from the newspaper archives, from March of 1979.  Episode Source Material:  State v. Ballard :: 1982 :: Rhode Island Supreme Court Decisions STATE v. BALLARD | FindLaw Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, Mar 10, 1979, p. 1 Newport Daily...

Episode Description:  On the border of Providence and Pawtucket, there’s a strange intersection. One single road changes its name from Ridge Street to Pidge Avenue. With Ridge and Pidge being just one letter apart, it always seemed like a mistake. With the help of Providence Journal reporter Paul Parker, we get to the bottom of the mystery. And uncover another one along the way.  To Visit:  Inters...

Carousels are playful and whimsical, bright and colorful. They evoke memories of childhood and innocence. Here, in Rhode Island, they’re not only time capsules of happy summer moments, but museums of folk art from the golden age of the American carousel.  To Visit:  Looff Carousel | Crescent Park | 700 Bullocks Point Ave, Riverside, RI 02915 Looff Carousel | Slater Park | 825 Armistice Blvd, Pawtu...