Grim Philly

Latest Episodes:

Witches – with Dr. Kristine Rabberman, University of Pennsylvania Oct 28, 2024

Show notes

From Germany to Philadelphia evil magic and witches have frightened, fascinated; been studied, and characterized from King James and Shakespeare to modernity in the popular imagination. Join historians from Grim as we discuss belief in magic and witchcraft from The Old World to The New – and everything you’ve ever wanted to know about witches, in a scholarly sense – from the Germanic territories and British Isles through Philadelphia and Salem. Numerous academic voices join our long-form conversational exploration with a mild comedic nugget at the end.

Visit https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly for a scholarly follow-up interview on a facet of this same topic with Dr. Tom Webster on English witches, demonic possession, and exorcism in the British Isles recorded on-location in Scotland at University of Edinburgh where he is a tenured professor and widely published expert in the field.

https://www.grimphilly.com/for nightly Dark Philly Adult Night Tours with a spattering of the paranormal for mature-audiences live in Philadelphia all season.

Voted Philadelphia’s best history and ghost tours and one of the highest rated attractions in the country on Trip Advisor’s Best of the Best Activities of The United States for 2024.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopExperiences-g191#25

For your friendship and support we are ever so humbled and cannot wait to bring to you more recorded material here!

Ghost Hunting with Dr. Anya Shultz Oct 21, 2024

Show notes

Dr. Anya and Professor Joe talk ghost hunting, paranormal investigative technique and equipment, and ghost-hunting investigations from Batsto in the Jersey Pines and The Jersey Devil to New Hope Pennsylvania.

Visit https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly for more weekly short-story extras on ghost tales and the paranormal this spooky season—for our patrons. And to be a friend of this podcast.

https://www.grimphilly.com/for Dark Philly Adult Night Tours live every night this fall. Not a Ghost Tour but Better! Ranked nearly the highest rated ghost tour in the entire country on Trip Advisor’s Best of the Best activities and one of the highest rated of all attractions throughout the entire United States for 2023 and 2024. https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopExperiences-g191#25

For your kind friendship and support these many years we are ever so humbled and cannot wait to bring you more studio recordings and to see you live in Philadelphia!

The Devil's Tree and Mary Jo's Haunted Dolls Oct 14, 2024

Show notes

From the Jersey Devil’s haunted home in the Jersey Pines to one of the most infamous haunted dolls on television today. Penn Paranormal’s Mary Jo Chudley joins in-studio to talk paranormal investigation and ghost hunting at The Devil’s Tree, demonic presences, and about her collection of haunted objects. Ghost story readings by Celebrity Historian Britnee Smith. And joined by Dr. Anya Shultz, Psychic Medium Brandi Van, and World History Professor Joe Wojie.

Visit https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly for more weekly short-story extras on ghost tales and the paranormal this spooky season—for our patrons. And to be a friend of this podcast.

https://www.grimphilly.com/ for Dark Philly Adult Night Tours live every night this fall. Ranked nearly the highest rated ghost tour in the entire country on Trip Advisor’s Best of the Best activities and one of the highest rated of all attractions throughout the entire United States for 2023 and 2024. https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopExperiences-g191#25

For your kind friendship and support these many years we are ever so humbled and cannot wait to bring you more studio recordings and to see you live in Philadelphia!

Haunted Philadelphia: Fort Mifflin, Pennhurst, and Byberry with Psychic Medium Brandi Van Oct 07, 2024

Show notes

Ghost Stories, Ouija, and Necromancy from Philadelphia to Salem. Professor Joe Wojie and Celebrity Historian Britnee Smith are joined by Dr. Anya Shultz, Penn Paranormal’s Mary Jo Chudley, and Psychic Medium Brandi Van for true tales of haunting and the paranormal around Philadelphia and Pennsylvania’s most famously haunted locations.

Visit https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly for more weekly short story extras on ghost tales and the paranormal—for our patrons. And to be a friend of this podcast.

https://www.grimphilly.com/for nightly Dark Philly Adult Night Tours with a spattering of the paranormal for mature-audiences live in Philadelphia this fall. Voted #2 Ghost Tour in the entire United States on Trip Advisor’s Best of the Best and #14 of all attractions throughout the entire country for 2024. We are not technically speaking, actually a ghost tour though. Well, maybe a little like a ghost tour. But better. We think. And are honored and thrilled for Trip Advisor's acknowledgement of the care we've put in to creating these experiences for you and the talent of guides who we are quit frankly lucky to have! https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopExperiences-g191#25

For your friendship and support these many years we are ever so humbled and cannot wait to bring to you more recorded material here with the personalities from our tours and special the guests who join us; and to see you for live events with us every night this fall and year-round here in Philadelphia!

Al Capone - Interview in Chicago with Author, Adam Selzer Oct 03, 2024

Show notes

On-Location interview in Chicago: Professor Joe Wojie interviews Author Adam Selzer about The Rise and Fall of Scarface Al Capone. Specific street addresses for assassination attempts by and against the gangster, beer wars, bloodshed, how the gangster got his scar, to Capones love-life, family, and public relations with local press and more are discussed…including fallacies dispelled and urban legends in Chicago about Al Capone.

This interview is part of the larger interview library compiled before Grim Philly existed yet in podcast form outside of the original walking tours from which studio recordings later sprung. Please forgive the earlier discrepancies with sound quality and plosives herein – as the interview content is good. The sound quality less-so. The recording is complete also with an earlier introduction and pilot-name, (World History X) before the official launch of Grim Philly studio podcast in 2019.

https://www.grimphilly.com/for daily and nightly history and dark histories walks with historians in Philadelphia since 2011.

https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly. for weekly extras—short story tales of ghosts and the paranormal—for our patrons. And to be a friend of this podcast.

And thank you for supporting these podcast and walking tours these many years and for helping make Grim Philly the number one fall season attraction in Philadelphia, and one of the premiere Best of the Best things to do across the entire United States for 2024! https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopExperiences-g191#25

For your friendship and support we are ever so humbled and cannot wait to bring you more!

Old Rum River - Smedley "Batman" Butler Comes to Philadelphia Sep 30, 2024

Show notes

From poisoned liquor to mass bribery and criminal activity among Philadelphia police and the mayor – failing attempts to curb the death rate and corruption in Prohibition Philadelphia are brought in to the light by Criminologist Dr. Favian Martin, Professor of World History Joe Wojie, and Historians Britnee Smith and Ted Sisco. Bartender mixology in the era of prohibition period cocktails are mixed in to a more serious sociological mix of The Mayor's Office to thwart reform efforts of Smedley Darlington Butler, Grim Philly’s so-called Batman in 1920’s Gotham Philadelphia. Neighboring New Jersey’s similar sentiment among corrupt public servants and a thirsty citizenry joined to thwart federal attempts at enforcement throughout the Garden State and it’s capital city in kind.

Join the personalities from this podcast every night live this fall for a Dark Philly Adult Night Tour, on https://www.grimphilly.com/

Join us for weekly extras—short story tales of ghosts and the paranormal—for our patrons over at https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly.

And thank you for supporting these podcast and walking tours these many years and helping to make Grim Philly the number one fall season attraction in Philadelphia, and one of the premiere Best of the Best things to do across the entire United States! https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopExperiences-g191#25

For your friendship and support we are ever so humbled and can not thank you enough!

The Philly Phanatic is Machine-Gunned Down in the Streets Sep 23, 2024

Show notes

Hughie McLoon, Boardwalk Empire, and other politically incorrect stories from Prohibition era Philadelphia to the Jersey Shore are revealed within the larger geo-political climate of the period. World History Professor Joe Wojie is joined by Celebrity Historian Britnee Smith, Historian Ted Sisco, and Arcadia University Criminologist Dr. Favian Martin to discuss everything from mixology to Molly Hatchet in Grim Philly’s Prohibition Part II.

Join the personalities from this podcast every night live this fall for a Dark Philly Adult Night Tour, on https://www.grimphilly.com/

And join us for weekly extras—short story tales of ghosts and the paranormal—for our patrons over at https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly.

And thank you for supporting Grim Philly’s podcast and tours these many years and making us the number one fall season attraction here in the City of Brotherly Love and in the Great State of Pennsylvania!

The Wild Woods Sep 16, 2024

Show notes

A criminologist, two historians, and a history professor reveal everything from moonshining and speakeasies at the boardwalk and beach, to New Jersey and Pennsylvania’s outright refusal to enforce national prohibition at their respective state levels. The surprising lawlessness of Wildwood and the Jersey Shore saw everything from the illicit liquor trade on boats, barges, and inlets; gangster shoot-outs - to even a mention of The New Jersey Devil or two. Join Britnee, Ted, Joe, and Favian for this storied journey down the shore back to the New Jersey beaches of yesteryear, for Grim Philly’s, Prohibition: Part I: The Wild Woods.

Become a patron for exclusive weekly short-story tales of folklore and ghosts this season on https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly.

And join the personalities from this show live in Philadelphia for nightly dark philly history tours and more this fall on https://www.grimphilly.com/

Jersey Devil III - Freakshow Sep 09, 2024

Show notes

A living Jersey Devil caged exhibit was displayed at the 9th and Arch Street Dime Museum in Philadelphia following national headlines and a thousand witness statements claiming to have seen the beast in 1909. Join Grim Philly for a peak inside the gothic world of Philadelphia Victorian entertainments including freak shows, trance lectures and necromancy, mummy unwrapping parties, and the performers whose traveling freak exhibits graced the city of brotherly love. Grim Philly original interview clips from Bedlam Asylum and University of Edinburgh on location highlight entertainments of the era. Visit https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly for additional 2 hours original interview material recorded at Bedlam Asylum in London this winter. Visit https://www.grimphilly.com/ for live entertainments in Philadelphia nightly this fall.

Shades of Death Road: a short-story horror reading Sep 06, 2024

Show notes

Celebrity Historian Britnee Smith reads us a short-story tale of murder and ghosts from New Jersey’s infamous Shades of Death Road. Available only to our patrons at https://www.patreon.com/grimphilly. We hope to see you there for exclusive weekly short-story readings in folklore and ghosts throughout this fall. And, live in Philadelphia each night with the personalities from this podcast. Dark History tour tickets available at https://www.grimphilly.com/. Just a humble thank you to our patrons and friends who have supported our podcast and tours and helped us to become the highest ranked of all activities across the entire city of Philadelphia and our Dark Philly Adult Night Tour: the 14th BEST of ALL activities across the entire United States for 2024! https://www.tripadvisor.com/TravelersChoice-ThingsToDo-cTopExperiences-g191#25

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