Hometown History

Latest Episodes:

Oak Ridge's Secret Army: The Calutron Girls (Part 2) Jan 18, 2022

Show notes

Oak Ridge, Tennessee. One of the most important cities in the history of civilization was founded on Oak Ridge when the world-altering Manhattan Project made this area its district headquarters. Alan and Ray take us a little deeper into the science of Oak Ridge. And I know that you said that initially they wanted a location and they wanted to keep it at least out of the press. So did the locals immediately know what they were building? No, I didn't have any idea.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Oak Ridge is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 47 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 175 (Athens, Tennessee)

Hometown History explores forgotten stories from small-town America. The overlooked events, hidden triumphs, and buried tragedies that shaped the country we live in. New episodes every Tuesday. Find every episode at mythsandmalice.com/hometown-history

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Oak Ridge: The Secret City That Built the Bomb (Part 1) Jan 03, 2022

Show notes

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 forty nights, and I will be shown visions of what the future holds for this land.

TIMELINE
1900: 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.
1942: In 1942, the continent of Europe was crumbling under an onslaught of Nazi invasion and ingenuity.
1947: Everything owned by the Atomic Energy Commission starting in 1947.
1949: Until 1949, only Manhattan Project employees and their families could ever come inside.

Episode 46 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 175 (Athens, Tennessee)

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Lepa Radić: Yugoslavia's 17-Year-Old Resistance Fighter Dec 13, 2021

Show notes

Wabash, Indiana. We've named this episode After the Hunt for the Red October, because it's like that, but instead of a Soviet submarine, the search is on for a powerful sleeper agent known to the U.S. 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.

TIMELINE
1939: Beginning with Poland in 1939, the Germans moved quickly and decisively in a series of lightning-fast invasions.
1940: When the French government capitulated in June of 1940, for example, many French soldiers and citizens refused to give up.
1941: When Germany invaded Yugoslavia in early April 1941, a familiar thing happened.
1942: In 1942, the Nazis executed a partisan commander named Stefan Filipovic by hanging.
1944: By 1944, two years later, the Yugoslavian resistance had grown to include 650,000 men and women organized into 52 separate divisions.
1945: By 1945, that number had risen to 800,000, and many refused to be captured.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Wabash is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 45 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)

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Indianapolis Moved a Building (With Workers Inside) Dec 06, 2021

Show notes

Indianapolis, Indiana. The greatest author in the history of my home state of Indiana is by most counts the incomparable Kurt Vonnegut. Before I ever knew he was a fellow Hoosier, I had chewed through a dozen of his books in high school, in place of schoolwork, the Bible, and everything else. At some point, you've probably read him too. Classics like Mother Night, Slaughterhouse-Five, Dead Eye Dick, and others helped me see the world more clearly through difficult years.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Indianapolis is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 44 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)

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Belle Boyd: The Teenage Spy Who Changed the Civil War Nov 29, 2021

Show notes

Martinsburg, West Virginia. She was known by many names, the Siren of 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 17-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.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Martinsburg is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 43 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 178 (Gauley Bridge, West Virginia)

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The Friends of Dorothy Investigation Nov 08, 2021

Show notes

In 1981, the Naval Investigative Service launched a massive hunt for a mysterious figure known only as "Dorothy." Agents went undercover in clubs and interrogation rooms across the country, convinced they were tracking a powerful operative who controlled a vast network of infiltrators deep within the U.S. military. The more they searched, the more her name appeared. Every door opened at the mention of being her "friend." To the NIS, Dorothy was a national security threat operating sleeper cells right under their noses.

But Dorothy wasn't a person at all. She was a character from The Wizard of Oz, and "friend of Dorothy" was code language gay men used to identify each other safely during an era when being discovered could destroy your life. The investigation became one of the most embarrassing intelligence failures of the Cold War, a witch hunt that exposed nearly 2,000 service members while completely missing what they were actually hunting.

This episode explores how a beloved film became a lifeline for a marginalized community, and how misunderstanding a simple cultural reference led to one of the military's most shameful purges.

Subscribe to Hometown History for forgotten American history stories every week. New episodes release Tuesdays.

Show Notes:

The 1981 Naval Investigative Service launches a nationwide hunt for "Dorothy"
How The Wizard of Oz became a cultural touchstone for the gay community
The code language that let LGBTQ Americans identify each other safely
Nearly 2,000 service members discharged in the military's post-Vietnam purges
The embarrassing moment investigators realized their mistake

Key Figures:

Judy Garland - Star of The Wizard of Oz whose performances resonated with gay audiences
L. Frank Baum - Author of the original Wizard of Oz books (died 1919)
NIS Agents - Naval investigators who misunderstood cultural code language

Timeline:

1939: The Wizard of Oz releases in theaters
1956: Film airs on television for the first time, becoming annual tradition
1960s-1970s: "Friend of Dorothy" becomes established code in gay community
1981: NIS investigation searches for "Dorothy" across military bases nationwide
1981: Record 1,976 gay service members discharged in post-Vietnam era purge

Tags: Friends of Dorothy, 1981 military investigation, Naval Investigative Service, gay military history, Wizard of Oz history, LGBTQ American history, Cold War witch hunt, military purge 1980s, forgotten history, Judy Garland, code language, American military history, LGBT rights history, military discrimination, cultural history

Category: History

Chapter Markers: 0:00 - Introduction: The Hunt for Dorothy 1:15 - 1981: A National Security Threat 3:30 - The Wizard of Oz Becomes a Phenomenon 6:00 - Why the Film Resonated with Gay Americans 9:00 - "You Have Some Queer Friends, Dorothy" 11:30 - Friends of Dorothy: The Code Revealed 13:45 - The Investigation's Embarrassing Conclusion 15:00 - Conclusion: Dreams of Acceptance

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Richmond's Spy Mistress: The Elizabeth Van Lew Story Nov 01, 2021

Show notes

Richmond, Virginia. The year is 1861, and America is on the grips of a bloody civil war that will change it forever. In Richmond, the capital of the new Confederate states, Southern bells and ladies are sewing uniforms, throwing fundraising gallows, and nursing injured soldiers, all with the support of young female slaves. They can't go into the battlefield, but they're doing the best they can to support their husbands, brothers, sweethearts, and fathers.

TIMELINE
1818: Elizabeth Van Loo was born into a wealthy, slave-owning Virginia family in 1818.
1861: The year is 1861, and America is on the grips of a bloody civil war that will change it forever.
1900: When she died in 1900, Elizabeth was alone, broke, and broken.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Richmond is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 40 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

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The Live Burial of Hammond, Indiana Oct 25, 2021

Show notes

Hammond, Indiana is known for a number of things, like being the home of the former NFL team, the Hammond Pros, who were led by the first black coach in NFL history, the legendary Fritz Pollard, in 1925. It would be another 60 years before there was a second black NFL coach, when the Oakland Raiders hired Art Schell in 1989, so Fritz was living well ahead of his time. While Pollard is an icon, and I hope to tell his story one day.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Hammond is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 39 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)

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The Princes in the Tower: London's Darkest Royal Mystery Oct 18, 2021

Show notes

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.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of London is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 38 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

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The Key That Didn't Work: Bill Russell in Marion Oct 12, 2021

Show notes

Marion, Indiana. When Hall of Fame NBA coach Phil Jackson was asked which player he would choose first overall for his own personal dream team, he paused for a moment to think it over. When the players he's coached, his need to step back and reflect is easy to understand. We're talking Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, Shaquille O'Neal, Scottie Pippen, Karl Malone, and the list goes on. These are not just good players, these are some of the best athletes in history.

WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Marion is a reminder that the events that shaped America didn't always happen in the biggest cities. What unfolded here left marks on the community that are still visible today. The full story is more complicated, and more human, than the version most people know.

Episode 37 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters

If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)

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