Hometown History

My Bloody Valentine, Part 2 Feb 10, 2023

…12 dates …
…14 love gone wrong stories…
…Will YOU be my Valentine?
This Valentine’s Day, prepare for a unique podcast experience! Shane Waters will introduce 14 crime podcast hosts. Each host brings a new, love gone wrong true story to mix. It’s an extra special, two part, more than two-hour, Valentine event.
Part 2 of 2.
Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance:
In this Part 2 Episode:
1. Sirens
2. The Trail Went Cold
3. Method and Madness
4. True Crime Cases with Lanie
5. Crimelines
6. Love Murder
7. Foul Play: Crime Series
In the Part 1 Episode:
1. Murder She Told
2. True Crime Island
3. Hillbilly Horror Stories
4. Tapes from the Darkside
5. Coffee and Cases
6. Gone Cold – Texas True Crime
7. Live, Laugh, Larceny

My Bloody Valentine, Part 1 Feb 09, 2023

…12 dates …
…14 love gone wrong stories…
…Will YOU be my Valentine?
This Valentine’s Day, prepare for a unique podcast experience! Shane Waters will introduce 14 crime podcast hosts. Each host brings a new, love gone wrong true story to mix. It’s an extra special, two part, more than two-hour, Valentine event.
Part 1 of 2.
Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance:
In this Part 1 Episode:
1. Murder She Told
2. True Crime Island
3. Hillbilly Horror Stories
4. Tapes from the Darkside
5. Coffee and Cases
6. Gone Cold – Texas True Crime
7. Live, Laugh, Larceny
In the next Part 2 Episode:
1. Sirens
2. The Trail Went Cold
3. Method and Madness
4. True Crime Cases with Lanie
5. Crimelines
6. Love Murder
7. Foul Play: Crime Series

96: New Harmony, Part 2 Feb 06, 2023

Today Jennifer Greene from the University of Southern Indiana is back with us. Jennifer is going to give us a little more insight on New Harmony, The Harmonist, and there way of life.
Episode 2 of 3.
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95: New Harmony, Part 1 Jan 30, 2023

I'm talking with Jennifer Greene today about one of my favorite hometowns in all of America - New Harmony, Indiana. New Harmony was founded by a religious commune nearly 200 years ago and despite the fact that only 700 people live there, is one of the biggest tourist destinations in all of Indiana.
Jennifer is a history professor at the University of Southern Indiana, and one of my favorite guests. She also serves as the school's Reference & Archives Librarian.
Episode 1 of 3.
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94: Paradise Spring Jan 23, 2023

Long time listeners will know that we’ve been all over the country finding stories - from Florida to Washington State, from Texas to Minneapolis. All this time, there’s been one at the end of our street - literally at the end of the street, that we haven’t covered.
Two blocks from our office, a small circle of about a dozen log cabins, marks the spot of an 1826 treaty between the Potawatomi and Miami Indian Nations and the U.S. Government.
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93: Our Visit to the Beat Museum, Part 02 Jan 16, 2023

Last episode we sat down with Brandon at the Beat Museum in San Francisco to learn more about the Beat Movement and the way it forever changed the way Americans have thought about not only literature but life itself.
This episode, we’re going to be looking specifically at the relationship between this movement and the city of San Francisco, which has been home to so many interesting people and scenes over the years.
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92: Our Visit to the Beat Museum, Part 01 Jan 09, 2023

In High School I read Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road, like everybody else.
So, when we were in San Francisco this past spring we stopped at the Beat Museum downtown, to learn more about the movement Kerouac helped found a half century ago.
In this episode we speak with Beat Museum guide and poet Brandon Loberg about the museum and the Beat Movement generally.
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91: Reno, Nevada: Divorce Mills and Lost Cities Jan 02, 2023

After our episode on “the Conqueror’s Curse,” we invited Richard Moreno back to the studio to talk more about the history of the city of Reno. One of the reasons I invited Richard back was to help introduce us to the real Reno, which was known for decades as the divorce capital of America.
Divorce was so central to Reno’s identity that getting divorced here was known as getting “Reno-vated.”
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You can find Shane's other podcasts Foul Play: Crime Series and Mystery Inc here!

90: The Conquerer's Curse Dec 26, 2022

Some would say the 1956 movie, The Conqueror, was cursed from the beginning.
It had a terrible script, an unhappy crew, and a producer, in Howard Hughes, who would soon lose his mind to obsessive compulsive disorder and any number of other unknown mental challenges. Within two years, he quit wearing clothes or cutting his nails, and would eat only three different foods - chicken, chocolate, and milk. Hughes quit bathing and bought every copy of The Conqueror for the modern-day equivalent of 120 million dollars. In order to punish himself for this commercial and critical flop, he sat alone watching it on repeat, naked in his chair, while peeing into Mason jars.
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89: Virginia City Dec 19, 2022

This episode will be a little different in that we’ll be taking you deep underground in Virginia City. This is the city where Mark Twain worked at a local paper in his younger years and became the writer we know and love today. It’s also the location of one of the biggest silver strikes in history.
The tour begins in the back of this building on main street. A pair of doors opens at the back of the saloon, and you simply walk underground.
Our guide, Spencer, agreed to be mic’d for our tour, to allow us to share it with you. We’ve included most of that tour in this episode, and hope that you enjoy it as much as we did.
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From Team Hometown History, Introducing: Mystery Inc Dec 14, 2022

From the same team that brings you Hometown History, we want to introduce you to Shane's new show Mystery Inc.
If you enjoy talking about shady mysteries, Aliens, murder, legends, and of course the occasional tea - then Mystery Inc is the podcast for you! Together brothers Shane and Josh Waters travel in their Mystery Machine Tesla scouting out some of the world’s best mysteries to share them here with you on Mystery Inc - which can be found wherever you listen to podcasts.
Find all the places to listen.
Visit Mystery Inc online.
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Josh is also the host of Rotten to the Core.

88: Crescent City Dec 11, 2022

In this episode, Shane visits the former lumber town of Crescent City, California, right at the edge of the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. Among other things, this quiet coastal village is known for having been hit by multiple tsunamis. Join me as I sit down with the Coordinator of the Del Norte County Historical Society to learn more.
Link to The Extraordinary Voyage of Kamome.
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87: Pig War / San Juan National Historic Park, Part 2 Dec 05, 2022

When things go as well as they did during the Pig War, it can be easy to forget just how wrong they could have gone. I asked former Chief of Interpretation and Historian for the San Juan Island National Historical Park, Mike Vouri, how the Pig War might have ended otherwise.
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86: Pig War / San Juan National Historic Park, Part 1 Nov 28, 2022

Have you ever had a fight with a family member over something stupid?
Better yet, have you ever had that fight, only to realize it wasn’t so stupid after all? That behind that excuse for a fight was a real fight just waiting to be had?
That’s basically the story of the Pig War.
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Listen to Shane's true crime podcast Foul Play: Crime Series

85: The North Cascades National Park Nov 21, 2022

After writing "On The Road," and before it was published, Jack Kerouac spent a long summer on Desolation Peak in what is now the North Cascades National Park. We'll be hearing from Kerouac and also our favorite Ranger, Jim Burnett. You can find Jim's books on Amazon or through his website.
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84: Crater Lake National Park Nov 14, 2022

Before we explore Crater Lake National Park, I’d like to share a few pieces of general advice. I hope this series has inspired you to see more of our national parks, so I asked Jim and Will from More Than Just Parks to offer a few tips for those of us who are just getting started.
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83: Bring Back the Civilian Conservation Corps Nov 07, 2022

The Civilian Conservation Corps was founded by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, and operated for roughly a decade until the program was ended in 1942.
In this episode, Jim and Will Pattiz, from More Than Just Parks, explain why they believe America should resurrect this popular conservation initiative.

82: Lake Mead, America's First National Recreational Area Oct 31, 2022

If you're looking to learn about the history of the Lake Mead National Recreational Area and what to expect if you go, this will be an episode you won't want to miss.
Ad-free episodes are available on our Apple Premium Channel. You can support our show by joining our Patreon.
Hometown History can be found on all these podcasting platforms.

A Nightmare Before Halloween, Part 2 Oct 25, 2022

…1 campfire…
…1 dark forest…
…31 bone-chilling stories…
…Will YOU survive the night?
This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 crime podcast hosts. Each host brings a new, nerve-wracking true story to the circle. It’s an extra special, two part, five-hour, Halloween event, but before hitting play you might want to ask yourself…can you really handle this much murder and mayhem?
So, pull up to the fire and brace yourself for ‘A Nightmare Before Halloween’
…but be warned…
…bad things happen in these woods….
Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance:
In this Part 2 Episode:
- True Crime Island [https://tinyurl.com/y6kk2npj]
- Based on a True Story [https://tinyurl.com/37axzn5z]
- The Asian Madness Podcast [https://tinyurl.com/yckkxbjn]
- Sistas Who Kill [https://linktr.ee/Sistas.Who.Kill.Podcast]
- Hometown History [https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory]
- Coffee and Cases [https://linktr.ee/coffeeandcases]
- Military Murder [https://tinyurl.com/yc5fxjyh]
- Dystopian Simulation Radio [https://tinyurl.com/khpw786w]
- Cults, Crimes & Cabernet [https://linktr.ee/cultscrimesandcabernet]
- Morbidology [https://tinyurl.com/mshyvxyt]
- Dark Pountine [https://tinyurl.com/ycydanm9]
- Hillbilly Horror Stories [https://tinyurl.com/567vxrkz]
- True Consequences [https://tinyurl.com/39fpfv3h]
- Gone Cold [https://tinyurl.com/ytzxudt8]
- Crime Stories with Nancy Grace & Crime Online [https://tinyurl.com/3dxp47wf]
- True Crime IRL & True Crime Sleep Stories [https://tinyurl.com/ykzwmnxr]
In the last Part 1 Episode:
- Foul Play: Crime Series [https://link.chtbl.com/foulplay]
- Murder She Told [https://tinyurl.com/55473exk]
- Crime Salad [https://tinyurl.com/4pbtdtpc]
- Crimelines [https://linktr.ee/crimelines]
- Frightful [https://link.chtbl.com/frightful]
- Reverie True Crime [https://linktr.ee/paigeelmore]
- Rotten to the Core [https://link.chtbl.com/Rotten]
- The Trail Went Cold [https://tinyurl.com/2zydj3y]
- Once Upon A Crime [https://www.truecrimepodcast.com]
- Criminology [https://tinyurl.com/yvuu9u8d]
- The Peripheral & Generation Why [https://link.chtbl.com/ThePeripheral]
- Live, Laugh, Larceny [https://linktr.ee/Live.Laugh.Larceny.Podcast]
- The Hidden Staircase [https://link.chtbl.com/TheHiddenStaircase]
- True Crime Cases with Lanie & It's Haunted...What Now? [https://linktr.ee/LanieHobbs]
- Obscura: A True Crime Podcast & Disaster [https://link.chtbl.com/obscura]

A Nightmare Before Halloween, Part 1 Oct 24, 2022

…1 campfire…
…1 dark forest…
…31 bone-chilling stories…
…Will YOU survive the night?
This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 crime podcast host. Each host brings a new, nerve-wracking true story to the circle. It’s an extra special, two part, five-hour, Halloween event, but before hitting play you might want to ask yourself…can you really handle this much murder and mayhem?
So, pull up to the fire and brace yourself for ‘A Nightmare Before Halloween’
…but be warned…
…bad things happen in these woods….
Podcasts are listed here in order of appearance:
In this Part 1 Episode:
- Foul Play: Crime Series [https://link.chtbl.com/foulplay]
- Murder She Told [https://tinyurl.com/55473exk]
- Crime Salad [https://tinyurl.com/4pbtdtpc]
- Crimelines [https://linktr.ee/crimelines]
- Frightful [https://link.chtbl.com/frightful]
- Reverie True Crime [https://linktr.ee/paigeelmore]
- Rotten to the Core [https://link.chtbl.com/Rotten]
- The Trail Went Cold [https://tinyurl.com/2zydj3y]
- Once Upon A Crime [https://www.truecrimepodcast.com]
- Criminology [https://tinyurl.com/yvuu9u8d]
- The Peripheral & Generation Why [https://link.chtbl.com/ThePeripheral]
- Live, Laugh, Larceny [https://linktr.ee/Live.Laugh.Larceny.Podcast]
- The Hidden Staircase [https://link.chtbl.com/TheHiddenStaircase]
- True Crime Cases with Lanie & It's Haunted...What Now? [https://linktr.ee/LanieHobbs]
- Obscura: A True Crime Podcast & Disaster [https://link.chtbl.com/obscura]
In the next Part 2 Episode:
- True Crime Island [https://tinyurl.com/y6kk2npj]
- Based on a True Story [https://tinyurl.com/37axzn5z]
- The Asian Madness Podcast [https://tinyurl.com/yckkxbjn]
- Sistas Who Kill [https://linktr.ee/Sistas.Who.Kill.Podcast]
- Hometown History [https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory]
- Coffee and Cases [https://linktr.ee/coffeeandcases]
- Military Murder [https://tinyurl.com/yc5fxjyh]
- Dystopian Simulation Radio [https://tinyurl.com/khpw786w]
- Cults, Crimes & Cabernet [https://linktr.ee/cultscrimesandcabernet]
- Morbidology [https://tinyurl.com/mshyvxyt]
- Dark Pountine [https://tinyurl.com/ycydanm9]
- Hillbilly Horror Stories [https://tinyurl.com/567vxrkz]
- True Consequences [https://tinyurl.com/39fpfv3h]
- Gone Cold [https://tinyurl.com/ytzxudt8]
- Crime Stories with Nancy Grace & Crime Online [https://tinyurl.com/3dxp47wf]
- True Crime IRL & True Crime Sleep Stories [https://tinyurl.com/ykzwmnxr]

81: Death Valley National Park Oct 17, 2022

In 1820, the well-known British writer, Sydney Smith, mocked the United States for its lack of culture and sophistication:
In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? or goes to an American play? or looks at an American picture or statue?"
This was a common sentiment at that time. America was a young country, barely forty years old, and most Europeans viewed it as a kind of low-brow, hillbilly backwater.
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80: Grand Canyon National Park Oct 10, 2022

There’s a scene in the show Mad Men that shook me up the first time I saw it. It’s probably not the one you think.
In the very first episode, the Draper family picnics along the interstate. The grass is green, the birds are out, and a small portable radio plays softly on a red and white checkered blanket. It’s a deeply nostalgic picture of 1960s America.
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79: Redwoods National Park Oct 03, 2022

One of my favorite movies as a kid was The Lorax. When I first saw The Lorax, I had some sense that it was about protecting the environment. But it’s more than a cartoon. It’s a thinly veiled environmental manifesto. I didn’t realize, until I was older, that it was also strange masterpiece of historical fiction.
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78: Yellowstone National Park Sep 26, 2022

Have you ever heard the saying that “Life imitates art”?
The person who coined this phrase was Oscar Wilde, the 19th century poet. Some say he was the first modern celebrity. What Wilde meant was simply that art often shows us the world we want to live in, more than the world we actually have. And sometimes, art can be so compelling and attractive that we change our reality to match.
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77: Yosemite National Park Sep 19, 2022

There’s not much in life you can understand without context.
When it comes to the systematic destruction of our planet during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, the context is this – for the first 300,000 years of human history, nature, as former Laker coach Pat Riley might put it, “kicked our ass.”
Nature had us in a choke hold from the first cave to the first cafe, with famine, disease, natural disasters, and the occasional haymaker of a plague, bubonic, choleric, or otherwise.
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Welcome to Hometown History Sep 13, 2022

Welcome to the Hometown History Podcast

76: National Parks Introduction with More Than Just Parks Sep 12, 2022

In my opinion, the single best online resource for visiting America’s national parks, or even appreciating them from afar, is a site called More Than Just Parks. You can find it at morethanjustparks.com. This site is run by two brothers, Will and Jim Pattiz, who will be joining us today.
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75: Levi Coffin: How to Save 2,000 People (Ep 2) Sep 05, 2022

Before we jump back into the story of the Levi and Catharine Coffin, the so-called “President” and first-lady of the Underground Railroad, I thought it’d be helpful to review some of the code words common to the movement. Most of these will be intuitive once you get the hang of the railroad theme
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74: Levi Coffin: How to Save 2,000 People (Ep 1) Aug 29, 2022

Central Region Director of the Indiana State Museum system. Joanna also manages the Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, which is where we are today. This small brick home has been called the Underground Railroad's "Grand Central Station." Over a twenty span, from 1826 to 1847, more than 2,000 slaves stopped here on their way north to Canada – and freedom.
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73: Andrew Jackson - The Hermitage: Episode 2 Aug 23, 2022

If you were with us last episode you’ll recognize the voice of Erin Adams, Director of Education at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, the former home of our 7th President, and current museum dedicated to preserving his life story. Erin will be with us again this episode as we consider Jackson's presidential legacy
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72: Andrew Jackson - The Hermitage: Episode 1 Aug 15, 2022

What’s the first step in becoming the most powerful man in America?
For our 7th president, Andrew Jackson, the first step in his journey to prominence began with the purchase of his first slave.
I sat down with Erin Adams, Director of Education at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, a museum on the premises of the president’s former home, to learn more.
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71: Parker’s Cross Roads, TN Aug 08, 2022

I’d like to introduce one of my favorite voices among anyone I’ve ever interviewed.
Parker's Crossroads, Tennessee is a small town of about 284 people, but it has a big history. This place factored in the life of one of the most controversial figures in all of American history, the Confederate General Nathan Bedford Forest, who would become the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan
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70: Parthenon Aug 01, 2022

When you think of Ancient Greece, what images pop into your head?
You probably think of the Olympics and philosophers like Plato and Socrates. You might think of stories like the Odyssey and the Iliad that you were forced to read in high school. And if you close your eyes and picture one Ancient Greek building, I would bet you are picturing the Parthenon, the iconic temple complex located on the high rocky hilltop overlooking the city of Athens. Surrounded by a towering ring of white marble pillars, this structure has become a picturesque symbol of Ancient Greece and, by extension, of Greek democracy.
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69: Sun Studio, Part 3 Jul 25, 2022

That’s the voice of Dewey Phillips hosting his radio show called “Red, Hot & Blue,” on WHBQ, a Memphis station. In the 1950s, more than 100,000 people listened to his primetime slot every day.
If you couldn’t make out what Dewey was saying, don’t feel bad. I had to listen to it a few times myself. But for Memphians of that era, Dewey’s frantic and crazed cadence was just part of the experience.
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68: Sun Studio, Part 2 Jul 18, 2022

In 2015, musical artist Jack White paid $300,000 for a 78-rpm record at auction. The record was of Elvis Presley singing the songs “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin.” It was the first record Elvis ever made.
That $300,000 price tag is a far cry from the $4 that Elvis originally paid to make the record at Sun Studio, a place I visited recently.
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67: Sun Studio, Part 1 Jul 11, 2022

You’re hearing the song “Rocket 88,” widely considered to be the first rock and roll song ever recorded. It was recorded here, at Sun Studio, by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats. The Delta Cats included Ike Turner, just one of the many legendary musicians to record here.
Artists from many genres such as B.B. King, Roy Orbison, and Rufus Thomas all used Sun Studio. It was the home to one of the most legendary nights in music history when the Million Dollar Quartet – consisting of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, and Jerry Lee Lewis – recorded a spontaneous jam session.
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66: Fort Negley Jul 04, 2022

In December 1864, Confederate troops were moving toward Nashville with a plan. Union troops had occupied this southern city for the last two years, and Lieutenant General John Bell Hood wanted to take it back.
Luckily, the Union army had prepared for this very moment by building a 180,000 square-foot fortress near downtown Nashville called Fort Negley
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65: Talking in Memphis with Historian Wayne Dowdy Jun 27, 2022

Those are a few lines from a song called “Beale Street Blues.” The most famous performance of that song came from Louis Armstrong, but it was written by a man named W.C. Handy, who called himself the “Father of the Blues.”
Beale Street, of course, runs through Memphis, Tennessee, where Handy lived when he wrote most of his music. The blues were a cultural phenomenon in the early 1900s that changed American music forever and touched many other musical genres.
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64: French Family Murders, Part 4: The Hanging Jun 20, 2022

It was raining on the day of the execution. As Fletcher described it,
The rain during the forenoon had the effect of making the streets and almost every other place exceedingly sloppy and muddy. The ground having recently been frozen, the mud was not very deep, but every place was very slippery.
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63: French Family Murders, Part 3: The Trial Jun 13, 2022

Before it was called Richvalley, the community the French family was living in was known as Keller Station. Isaac Keller and his brother owned large tracts of land in this area, as well a popular Inn and Tavern that was the social hub of that neighborhood. Isaac Keller actually owned the land that the Frenches, and now the Hubbards, had been living on.
On their way to the cabin, the posse locates Keller; they also find a doctor, and they bring both men with them.
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62: French Family Murders, Part 2: The Hubbards Jun 06, 2022

Aaron French moved in from Cincinnati.
He had only been here approximately 6 Months. So he himself was a transient character, he had attempted to be a businessman in Cincinnati, involved in the meat packing industry and went broke. And so he decided to maybe , try his hand at farming.
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61: French Family Murders, Part 1: The Frenches May 30, 2022

I remember the first time I tried to visit the French family grave, just outside of Wabash, Indiana.
It was a Sunday, in the middle of the winter, one day before the mini-blizzard that closed county schools and buried every car on Market Street up to its door handles.
I had just moved into town, and I was feeling the things you feel when you move someplace new. I was wondering if the people were nice, and I thought of the friends I hoped to make. I wondered if the new job would work out, and I hoped that Wabash was a good place to call home.
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60: The Peshtigo Fire May 23, 2022

The sky to the west of the small town of Peshtigo (PESH-ti-go [not pesh-TEE-go]), Wisconsin glowed red before the sunrise, on the morning of October 8th, 1871. It was Sunday, and when the local priest stepped out of his church to greet parishioners, the air was smoky and white ash fell like snow.
The priest, whose name was Peter Pernin, turned and went back into the church and ran to the front of the sanctuary. He grabbed the holy tabernacle, the small cabinet that holds the Catholic eucharist.
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59: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 8 May 16, 2022

The day after leaving Copper County, I took the obligatory cruise of the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. It might be the one thing up here that people from outside the UP are likely to have heard of. And these open cliff faces, roughly 200 feet high, are truly spectacular. But they’re especially pictured in more ways than one. First, they have mineral stains covering their face, due to the huge amount of metal in the ground up here. There’s red and orange, from iron; blue and green, from copper; brown and black, from manganese; white, from limonite, and other colors besides.
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58: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 7 May 09, 2022

That sound you hear in the background is the hoist control of the Quincy Mine just outside Hancock, Michigan, where we’re heading today.
Quincy is sort of the Madison Square Garden of the northern Michigan ghost mining world. During its lifetime, the Quincy was the 2nd most profitable mine in Keweenaw County. Whereas the Adventure Mine, which was huge, was 7 levels deep, the Quincy Mine is 92 levels deep – that’s two full miles into the ground.
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57: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 6 May 02, 2022

So, the motel that I stayed at in Eagle Harbor, Fletchy's Otter Belly Lodge, formerly the Shoreline Motel, was apparently the location of well-known feud between a local doctor and the president of the most powerful mine in Michigan. Because it speaks to some of the tensions that existed between the mining companies and the general population, I’ll add a brief episode to Black Label, telling that story.
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56: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 5 Apr 25, 2022

One of the things I’d heard about my next stop, Phoenix, Michigan, was that it was home to a well-known bridge troll – but instead of a bridge, it was a 148-year-old general store, and instead of a troll, it was an 87-year woman who owned the store and more or less lived in the front window, scowling at passerby and customers alike, as her one and only hobby.
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55: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 4 Apr 18, 2022

The following morning, my first real stop across the canal, apart from gawking at random pieces of rotting machinery, was the ghost town of Gregoryville – which is of a very different sort than the one at Fayette. As far as I could tell, looking out from the empty gravel parking lot of the Maple Leaf Bar, it isn’t just the people of Gregoryville, but also the buildings, that are ghosts.
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54: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 3 Apr 11, 2022

The first mining boom in American history was not the California Gold Rush, the Klondike Gold Rush, or any other gold rush. The first mining boom in American history was the copper rush of the uppermost part of the Upper Peninsula, the Keweenaw peninsula. And by the time it was over, this boom actually had a greater economic impact than either of those gold rushes.
In fact, from the 1860s to the 1920s, this part of Michigan supplied over 90% of the world's copper.
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53: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 2 Apr 04, 2022

The distinctive sound of the Mackinaw Bridge is due to the grating in the two center lanes, one going each way. This grating allows air to pass through the bridge rather than pushing against it.
Part of the reason for this technology was the collapse of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge years earlier in Washington state.
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52: Upper Peninsula of Michigan, Part 1 Mar 28, 2022

No, there’s nothing wrong with your audio. That sound is the gateway to the best place to live in the year 2100, at least in North America. And, depending on what you like, it may be the best place right now. Or you might hate it, now and also when it’s the new environmental citadel for the coming apocalypse.
If it were its own state, this place would be the least populated state in America, by about 50%, in spite of the fact that it is larger than Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Delaware combined.
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51: Alcatraz East, The Smokey Mountain Museum of Crime Mar 14, 2022

This episode is focused less on the history of a hometown, than a hometown that specializes in history.
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee is famous for tourist attractions and southern hospitality but it’s also a hotbed of local culture and storytelling.
There are more than two dozen museums and galleries in the area, and whatever your interests happen to be, there is likely something that will appeal to you. A personal favorite of mine, for obvious reasons, is the Alcatraz East Crime Museum, and on this most recent visit I was able to sit down with the head of their collection.
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50: Biltmore Mansion: The Greatest Home in America Feb 28, 2022

I don’t know a better way to introduce this episode than by just saying the Biltmore estate is one of my favorite places in the world.
It’s the largest private home in the United States and it’s simply unrivaled on this continent for old world beauty and elegance.
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49: The Museum of the Cherokee Indian (Part 2) Feb 14, 2022

The Cherokee don’t believe in signatures.
Who can blame them?
In 1763, the British signed a proclamation preventing white colonization west of the Appalachian divide.
It happened anyway.
In 1785, the United States government signed the Treaty of Hopewell, ensuring that no more U.S. citizens would settle on Cherokee land.
They did it anyway.
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48: The Museum of the Cherokee Indian (Part 1) Jan 30, 2022

The Cherokee don’t believe in signatures.
Who can blame them?
In 1763, the British signed a proclamation preventing white colonization west of the Appalachian divide.
It happened anyway.
In 1785, the United States government signed the Treaty of Hopewell, ensuring that no more U.S. citizens would settle on Cherokee land.
They did it anyway.
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47: Oak Ridge: The Forgotten City of the Nuclear Age (Part 2) Jan 18, 2022

On a warm summer day in 1900, the village idiot of Oak Ridge, Tennessee laid on his back in the middle of the woods and heard the voice of God.
Returning home, he told his wife:
In the woods, as I lay on the ground and looked up into the sky, there came to me a voice as loud and as sharp as thunder. The voice told me to sleep with my head on the ground for 40 nights and I would be shown visions of what the future holds for this land.
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46: Oak Ridge: The Forgotten City of the Nuclear Age (Part 1) Jan 03, 2022

On a warm summer day in 1900, the village idiot of Oak Ridge, Tennessee laid on his back in the middle of the woods and heard the voice of God.
Returning home, he told his wife:
In the woods, as I lay on the ground and looked up into the sky, there came to me a voice as loud and as sharp as thunder. The voice told me to sleep with my head on the ground for 40 nights and I would be shown visions of what the future holds for this land.
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45: Lepa Radic Dec 13, 2021

17-year-old Lepa Radić was a Yugoslavian partisan, having joined the communist party at age 15. Two years later, while tending to the wounded at the battle of Neretva, Lepa was captured and tortured for more than a week for information. She refused. Her Nazi captors sentenced her to death.
As she stood on a wooden box with a noose around her neck, the executioner gave her one last chance to provide the names of friends and allies. This is what she said:
“I am not a traitor of my people. Those whom you are asking about will reveal themselves when they have succeeded in wiping out all you evildoers, to the last man."
"Long live the Communist Party, and partisans! Fight, people, for your freedom! Do not surrender to the evildoers! I will be killed, but there are those who will avenge me!"
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44: Indiana Bell Building Dec 06, 2021

In 1930, a local architect moved a 11,000 tons building in downtown Indianapolis, using hand-powered jacks and an ingenious engineering solution.
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43: Belle Boyd: Siren of the Shenandoah Nov 29, 2021

She was known by many names - the Siren of the Shenandoah, the Rebel Joan of Arc, the Cleopatra of Secession – but when the first shots were fired at Fort Sumter in April 1861, she was just seventeen-year-old Belle Boyd of Martinsburg. By the time the Civil War was over she would be one of the most dangerous women in America.
Belle would use her beauty and charm for the cause of the Confederacy throughout the Civil War, seducing and betraying one Union man after another. Her intelligence would determine the outcome of battles, and while her cause was unjust, she remains one of the most memorable and dashing figures of the Civil War
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41: The Hunt for the Friends of Dorothy Nov 08, 2021

We’ve named this episode after The Hunt for the Red October because it’s kind of like that, but instead of a Soviet submarine, the search is on for a powerful sleeper agent, known to the US government only as Dorothy. The year is 1981, and her network of associates has infiltrated the U.S. military to the extent that the Department of Defense has concerns over national security, both at home and abroad. In simpler terms, this episode is about an attempt to uncover and exterminate the presence of homosexuality in the American armed forces.
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40: Elizabeth Van Lew Nov 01, 2021

The year is 1861 and America is in the grips of a bloody Civil War that will change it forever. In Richmond, the capital of the new Confederate States, Southern Belles and Ladies are sewing uniforms, throwing fundraising galas, and nursing injured soldiers, all with the support of young female slaves. They can’t go onto the battlefield but they’re doing the best they can to support their husbands, brothers, sweethearts, and fathers.
But in the middle of all this Southern charity is one woman who separates herself from the pack, choosing to visit the Union prisoners in Libby Prison rather than the injured Confederates in the hospitals. She takes them books, food, and anything else that could comfort them, despite the fact that as a wealthy white Southerner, she is the natural enemy of the Yankee.
And because she looks the part – expensive clothes, genteel accent, black servants – no one thinks to question her charity. That is their first mistake. Because this woman is not like her peers. She is not a loyal Southerner, nor is she pro-Slavery. Her name is Elizabeth Van Lew, and, by the end of the war, Ulysses S. Grant will call her the “source of the most valuable information received from Richmond during the war.”
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39: Buried Alive in Wolf Park Oct 25, 2021

On July 17, 1904, 500 residents of Hammond, Indiana gathered together one unseasonably hot summer afternoon, wearing their Sunday best, to watch an innocent man get buried alive.
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38: The Princes in the Tower Oct 18, 2021

In 1647, laborers toiling away at the Tower of London uncovered two small skeletons while clearing away rubble from a staircase.
Had the discovery been made today, scientists would have used a whole host of forensic tools, including genetic samples and family trees, to determine the identities of the remains. None of these existed back in 17th-century England; however, people still knew who the skeletons were.
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37: Bill Russell in Marion, Indiana Oct 12, 2021

I just recently learned that NBA legend Bill Russell once came to my hometown of Marion, Indiana during the 1960's. The result of this brief stay was at once funny and inspiring, and one of the best stories ever told about basketball's greatest ever player.
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36: Straw Hat Riots of 1922 Oct 04, 2021

In 1922, thousands of teenagers in Manhattan went on a straw hat smashing spree that sent many of them to jail, and some of their victims to the hospital. The exact reasons for the riot are unclear, but a clue from contemporary newspaper articles suggests a probable motive, as well as a possible identity of those responsible.
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35: The Worst Speech in History Sep 27, 2021

There are just times when you need a great speech. These times are rare, but they exist. This episode is about a time like this, when America need a speech and the President of the United States stood with his hat in his hand, looked at the eager crowd, and laid an absolute egg.
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34: The Case of Henry Livermore Abbott Sep 20, 2021

On a cold morning, October 21st, 1861, an officer in the Union army named Major Henry Livermore Abbott led the 20th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment through another hopeless assault against a superior enemy force, up an isolated hill at the tip of northern Virginia, at what would become known as the Battle of Ball’s Bluff.

33: The Stabbing of Monica Seles Sep 13, 2021

Sometimes the bad guys win.
Sometimes the people with the worst intentions get what they want in life and their victims lose everything, like when one unemployed German lathe operator attempted to murder the best tennis player in the world with a 9-inch boning knife in 1993 – on live TV.
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32: America's Cincinnatus Sep 06, 2021

One of the most important hometowns in American history is Alexandria, Virginia. Along with being the wealthiest city in Virginia, Alexandria is home to the Institute for Defense. Analyses, the United States Patent and Trademark Office and the National Science Foundation.
This city of 150,000 boasts a long list of famous residents, including Nirvana drummer, Dave Grohl, Doors front man Jim Morrison, Civil War general Robert E. Lee, and NASA rocket scientist Wernher von Braun, among many others. Alexandria was also location of some of the first fatalities of the American Civil War, when a Union officer, Col. Elmer Ellsworth, removed a large Confederate flag from the top of a local hotel called the Marshall House – a story we told in detail in last week’s episode.But none of this is the reason for Alexandria’s singular importance in American history, which Is simply that in 1797 it was not Washington DC.Let me explain.
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31: Forgotten Third Battle of the American Civil War Aug 23, 2021

The first battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Fort Sumter, off the coast of South Carolina, in early April 1861. A week later, something like a battle erupted in the streets of Baltimore during the Pratt Street Riots, when Union soldiers faced off with a gang of Southern sympathizers during their march through the city. Four Union soldiers and 12 citizens were killed in the shooting. The next clash was a gory three-man skirmish in a staircase in a Virginian hotel, the Marshall Inn, one month later in May.
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30: The Italian Hall Disaster of 1913 Aug 09, 2021

Sometimes known as the 1913 Massacre, the Italian Hall Disaster was a tragedy that occurred on December 24th, 1913 in Calumet, Michigan. 73 people were crushed to death in a stampede when someone falsely shouted "fire" at a crowded Christmas party.
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29: The Potsdam Giants Jul 19, 2021

Sometime in 1678, the mighty Prussian king Friedrich Wilhelm I, known as the “soldier king” of Europe’s most warlike state, sat in his heavily padded throne surveying his army with an ambassador from France.With a row of particularly muscular lummoxes parading before him in bright red and blue uniforms with wide golden sashes across their chests, he turned to the French ambassador and said, with a dreamy look in his eyes, "The most beautiful girl or woman in the world would be a matter of indifference to me, but tall soldiers—they are my weakness".
This is the history of The Potsdam Giants.
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28: Madam C.J. Walker, Part 2: 1st Female Self-Made Millionaire Jul 13, 2021

Part 2 - Madam C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America. (Multiple sources mention that although other women might have been the first, their wealth is not as well-documented)Visit us online at itshometownhistory.comSupport our show and listen to episodes early and ad free by becoming a Patron at Patreon.com/itshometownhistoryEpisode Sponsors:Find the right candidate for your job! Get a $75 credit at Indeed.com/hometown

27: Madam C.J. Walker, Part 1: 1st Female Self-Made Millionaire Jun 21, 2021

Part 1 - Madam C.J. Walker (born Sarah Breedlove; December 23, 1867 – May 25, 1919) was an African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist. She is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America. (Multiple sources mention that although other women might have been the first, their wealth is not as well-documented)
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26: Robert Smalls Jun 14, 2021

How have I never heard of Robert Smalls?I’m betting you haven’t either. Smalls was an antebellum slave and real-life action hero who fought without permission in the Civil War and pulled off one of the most daring heists in American military history.
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25: The Dumb Blonde Stereotype Jun 07, 2021

Does Blonde hair make you dumb? No, seriously does it? Let’s track the history of this stereotype and find out if it’s true.
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24: Dear H.H. Holmes, Part 2 May 17, 2021

This is the 2nd half of our Dear H.H. Holmes episode. Meet Almeda Huiet, of Wabash County, Indiana. Possibly the first Chicago victim of infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes.
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23: Dear H.H. Holmes, Part 1 May 10, 2021

Could this be the first Chicago victim of infamous serial killer H.H. Holmes? In Chicago on a cold November morning in 1888, the body of a young lady is found in a lake with her throat slit. The story of this young lady, and her untimely death, was quickly forgotten as her body was shipped back to her hometown of Wabash County, Indiana. Join Shane while he tries to unravel the mysterious death and tragic life of a young girl who very well could be the first Chicago victim of H.H. Holmes. This investigation will be used for a future series on the Foul Play podcast. Visit us online at itshometownhistory.com

22: Black Like Me May 03, 2021

Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup that white performers have used throughout history to portray, and demean, black people. The dark substance white performers would put on their faces was typically shoe polish, grease paint, or burnt cork, and the end result was as ridiculous and off-putting as you might imagine. Throughout history has there ever been an appropriate time someone wore blackface?
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21: Monopoly Apr 19, 2021

Have you ever heard of The Landlord's Game, created by Elizabeth Magie? Well if you haven't, you certainly aren't alone. Elizabeth Magie's creation looked like Monopoly, but it was anti-Monopoly - more accurately, it's the original Monopoly, that was renamed and repackaged in 1906 in one of the greatest intellectual property thefts of the 20th century.

20: The Cadaver Synod Apr 12, 2021

World history is filled with strange occurrences, from deadly fashion trends to wars fought on baseless grounds. However, none are as weird as the Cadaver Synod, which saw the decaying corpse of a pope being screamed at for hours on end by one of his successors during a bizarre posthumous trial. The Cadaver Synod continues to haunt the Catholic Church, mainly due to the fact that it took place at a time when the papacy was subject to political intrigue, controversy, and murder. Indeed, even the site where it happened prefers to scrub it from history, with not even a monument to mark the macabre event. In this episode of Hometown Histories, we’ll take you through the Cadaver Synod, an incident that the Catholic Church would rather forget.
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19: Abraham Lincoln's Springfield Home Apr 05, 2021

The centerpiece of the Lincoln Home National Historic Site is the former home of our 16th president, where he lived with his young family for seventeen years. After moving to the White House in 1861, Abraham and Mary kept this as a rental with plans of returning after serving in Washington. Following his assassination in 1865, she refused to come back, and the house was later donated to the State of Illinois. In the 1970s, the state transferred ownership to the National Park Service.https://www.nps.gov/liho/Visit our website at itshometownhistory.comEpisode Sponsors:Grab your Liquid I.V. in bulk nationwide at Costco or you can get 25% off when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code HOMETOWN at checkout.

18: April Fools' Day Mar 29, 2021

The first of April is widely regarded as an unofficial holiday reserved for pranks and hoaxes that seem too ridiculous to be believed yet are surprisingly enough to fool several hundreds of people. The pages of history are littered with such incidents, from claims of a flying saucer to news reports of a shocking theft. For decades now, individuals – and even, reputable organizations – have been trying to outdo each other with the craziest yet most believable tales. These may not always result in laughs, but they do make for pretty good stories! In this episode, we’ll dive into three of the strangest pranks to have ever been carried out on April Fools’ Day. Given how outlandish they were, it’s hard to believe that they managed to fool thousands of people across the world! Visit us online at itshometownhistory.comEpisode Sponsor:Join us 3x weekly EXCLUSIVELY on the Stereo App for LIVE chats over at Stereo.com/hometownhistory

17: Liberty's First Crisis Mar 22, 2021

When the founding fathers of the United States began adding amendments to the U.S. Constitution to help secure rights and safeguard a free society, the first thing they focused on was the most fundamental: free speech.Autho Charles Slack joins us again for this episode. Check out his book "Liberty's First Crisis" which you can find on Amazon. Visit us online at itshometownhistory.comEpisode Sponsors:Join us 3 times each week for LIVES exclusively on the Stereo App! Stereo.com/hometownhistoryCheck out the Stuck at Home Podcast, which can be found anywhere you stream podcasts!

16: Benjamin Franklin and the Bald Eagle Mar 15, 2021

I think since the very beginning, America has struggled with the question of whether it was a turkey or an eagle. Visit us online at itshometownhistory.comEpisode Sponsors:Get key nutrients without the B.S. - Get 10% off your first 3 months at Ritual.com/hometownJoin us 3x each week for LIVE conversations exclusively on the Stereo App! Stereo.com/hometownhistoryIndeed delivers 4x more hires than all other job sites combined! Get $75 credit to upgrade your job post at Indeed.com/Hometown

15: The Two-Party System Mar 08, 2021

Those of you who have listened to my podcasts over the past few years will know how I feel about the discipline of history. It’s been one of the great joys in my life and I believe it’s made me a better thinker, a better person, and a more responsible citizen. I think it does that for all of us when we’re willing to set aside our assumptions and look frankly and interrogatingly at the past. I’ve invited a personal friend and a professor at a nearby university, Dr. Mark Smith, onto the podcast to help us do this. He’ll be joining us for a brief series of conversations in which we’ll explore ways in which different local and national histories can help us think more clearly about the present, in the present.Episode SponsorsGrab your Liquid I.V. and get 25% off when you go to LiquidIV.com and use code HOMETOWNJoin us 3 times each week for LIVE podcasts in the Stereo App! Stereo.com/HometownHistory (Follow us @HometownHistory)

14: Black Powder Explosions Mar 01, 2021

If you lived outside the town of Wilmington, Delaware during the 19th century you probably found yourself, at some point during the week, sitting at the Burning Rag Inn, downing a glass of lukewarm ale. You’d be there with friends from work, shooting the breeze, maybe having a meal with the faint smell of gunpowder in the air.Episode Sponsorships:Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play! Join Shane 3 times a week LIVE in the Stereo App - just visit Stereo.com/hometownhistoryDick's book is "Across the Creek: Black Powder Explosions On the Brandywine"

13: Misfits, Part 5: Hetty Green Feb 15, 2021

Nicknamed the Witch of Wall Street, Hetty Green was an American businesswoman and financier known as the richest woman in America during the late 19th century. She was known for her wealth and was named by the Guinness Book of World Records as the "greatest miser," which meant that even when being incredibly rich, she was a renowned cheapskate. Interview featuring author Charles Slack, his book on Hetty Green can be found at https://www.charlesslackauthor.com/Sponsorship:- Get key nutrients - without the B.S. ... Get 10% off during your first 3 months at Ritual.com/Hometown

12: Misfits, Part 4: Diogenes Feb 02, 2021

The 4th person we are highlighting in our misfits series is Diogenes the Cynic, known more commonly as Diogenes. He was born in Sinope (modern day Turkey) around 404BC (or 412BC, its not exactly clear) and died at Corinth in 323 BC. Diogenes was a very controversial figure - let us tell you why.Visit us online at itshometownhistory.comEpisode Sponsors:Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play!Support the show by becoming a Patreon, check out the perks! patreon.com/itshometownhistory

11: Misfits, Part 3: George Dibbern Jan 15, 2021

Born in 1889, George Dibbern was an author, adventurer, and sailor-philosopher. He was a free thinker, self-declared citizen of the world and is our 3rd Misfits in our series.Visit us online at itshometownhistory.comEpisode Sponsors:Download Best Fiends FREE on the Apple App Store or Google Play!Get 10% your Ritual Multivitamin at Ritual.com/HometownSupport the show by becoming a Patreon, check out the perks! patreon.com/itshometownhistory

10: Misfits, Part 2: Tarrare Dec 15, 2020

Tarrare was born in 1772 in rural France. He was born hungry, and seemingly that hunger never went away. This 2nd episode in our Misfits series is focused on one of history's most fascinating people - a man noted for his unusual eating habits. Episode Sponsors:Swanson.com - 20% off sitewide with promo code "HOME20" Support us at Patreon.com/itshometownhistoryVisit us online at itshometownhistory.comCheck out Shane's other podcast - Foul Play

9: Misfits, Part 1: Emperor Norton Dec 01, 2020

Introducing Part 1 of our Misfits mini-series. Joshua Norton proclaimed himself "Norton I, Emperor of the United States" in 1859 from his home in San Francisco, California. If you've never heard of the only US Emperor, let us explain why in this episode. *Note: The anti-“Frisco” proclamation to Emperor Norton is unproven and disputed

8: Islands of Michigan, Part 6: Belle Isle Nov 15, 2020

Belle Isle is a 982-acre island park located immediately east of Detroit, Michigan, in the Detroit River. Connected to Detroit by the MacArthur Bridge, Belle Isle is the larked city-owned island park in the United States.

7: Islands of Michigan, Part 5: The Manitou Islands Nov 02, 2020

North and South Manitou Island can be found around 14 miles northwest of the Michigan mainland in Lake Michigan. The islands are very rich in history and are part of the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

6: Islands of Michigan, Part 4: Mackinac Island Sep 30, 2020

Mackinac Island is a 4.35 square mile island located in Lake Huron between Michigan's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. Based on a former trading post, Fort Mackinac was constructed on the island by the British during the American Revolutionary War. It was the site of two battles during the War of 1812 before the US gained the island into its territory. Visit us at itshometownhistory.comSupport the show at Patreon.com/itshometownhistory

5: Islands of Michigan, Part 3: The Fox Islands and the Children of the Snow Sep 15, 2020

The Fox Islands consist of the North Fox and South Fox islands, in Lake Michigan. North Fox Island was once home to a pornography mill, the details are darker than you can imagine. This episode is narrated by Nina Innsted of the Already Gone podcast.Visit us online at itshometownhistory.com

4: Islands of Michigan, Part 2: High Island and the House of Virgins Sep 01, 2020

High Island is an island in Lake Michigan and is part of the Beaver Island archipelago. It was the home of a timber-cutting and truck farm operation from 1912-1927 ran by the House of David. And... it is presumably still filled with many unmarked graves.
They were never marked - these people were buried without ceremony, and in dishonor, for the humiliating and repeatable crime of...wait for it... dying.
Visit us online at itshometownhistory.com
Support our show at Patreon.com/itshometownhistory

3: Islands of Michigan, Part 1: Beaver Island and the Last American King Aug 10, 2020

Every king in American history has been assassinated in the harbor of St. James, Michigan. And also born in the tiny town of Scipio, New York. And married to five women. And every king has owned a personal cannon and received a revelation from God.
This episode is about the only king in American history: Jesse Strang - King of Beaver Island, Michigan.
Visit us at itshometownhistory.com
Find Hometown History on all platforms: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory
Support the show at Patreon.com/itshometownhistory
Hometown History is created by Shane Waters, you can find his other podcast Foul Play: Crime Series here: https://link.chtbl.com/foulplay

2: The Real Dorothy & The Wizard of Oz Jul 01, 2020

Have you ever wondered who the character Dorothy was based on in The Wizard of Oz? Well, I think I found her. And I believe much more than the character was based on her tragic young life. Let me explain...
In the back of the sleepy old Evergreen Memorial Cemetery in Bloomington, Illinois, sits a tiny 122-year-old unremarkable stone. Buried here, nestled between two old bushes, rests a young 5 month-old little girl whose name is forever memorialized in one of the best-known stories in American Literature - The Wonderful Wizard of OZ.
A video was created of the making of this episode, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/St92C6hMAMo
Find the podcast on all outlets here: https://link.chtbl.com/hometownhistory
Visit us at: itshometownhistory.com
Hometown History is hosted by Shane Waters, he also is the creator of Foul Play: Crime Series which can be found here: https://link.chtbl.com/foulplay

1: The First Electrically Lighted City May 01, 2018

"From the towering dome of the Courthouse at 8 p.m. on March 31, 1880, burst a flood of lights that made world history. Wabash had a population of 320. Over 10,000 people witnessed the event.
For a mile around, houses and yards were distinctly visible, while far away the Wabash River glowed like a band of molten silver."....Charles F. Brush, Cleveland, Ohio, had been experimenting with a new electric arc light, known as the "Brush Light", with the hope of a public test in some city in order to prove it worked to light a city at night.
The Wabash City Council agreed with Mr. Brush to make a test of his light in Wabash.Four "Brush Lights" were placed on top of the Wabash County Court House and turned on. On March 31, 1880, Wabash became the "First Electrically Lighted City in the World." https://www.wabashmuseum.org

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