Author Conversations
107 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 2 ratingsJoin us as we have conversations with local history authors all across America to learn how local history is national history.
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Episodes
Food, Hope & Resilience During and After the Holocaust
November 22, 2023 13:00 - 49 minutes - 45 MBThis week Jenni and Jonny talk about June Hersh's new title, Food, Hope & Resilience. This book features a collection of stories from Holocaust survivors and recipes that helped those survivors remember their life before World War II during their postwar lives. You can find the book online at arcadiapublishing.com. A portion of the proceeds from sales of the book will benefit organisations committed to Holocaust education.
The Real Story of the Best Little Whore House in Texas Part 2
November 15, 2023 15:00 - 45 minutes - 41.9 MBIf you thought part one was crazy wait until you listen to part 2. Undercover newsmen, angry prostitutes, armed cowboys, angry sheriffs, a sketchy media personality and hypocritical politicians make up this week's episode. Again this episode is rated "E" for explicit.
The Real Story of the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas
November 08, 2023 19:00 - 49 minutes - 45.1 MBIf you get offended easily or get the "vapors" this one is not for you. If you're wearing pearls you may clutch them while listening. It's our first explicit podcast and a two parter! Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch gives a detailed history of the world famous brothel. Jenni and Jonny talk about the book and author. We also tell some of the history of the ranch's rise and fall.
Wizard Clip
October 26, 2023 14:01 - 53 minutes - 48.6 MBJenni and Jonny discuss the events surrounding America's first reported poltergeist, The Wizard Clip. Wizard Clip had a need, a compulsion to cut clothes in a crescent shape, cut trousers, give a flock of ducks a brutal ending, and demand prayers. Was this a real phenomenon or something else? How was this story used to keep old world beliefs alive during the age of the enlightenment? Find out on this episode of Author Conversations.
The Hoyt-Wallis Murder (It’s a weird one)
October 26, 2023 14:00 - 48 minutes - 44.7 MBStep-siblings getting married. A lonely wife on the farm. A love triangle or quadrangle and of course murder! We have a lot to unpack in this one.
Author Conversations is back!
October 26, 2023 13:00 - 3 minutes - 3.47 MBAuthor Conversations is back and Jonny has a cohost, Jenni!
George Wallace in Wisconsin
May 30, 2022 12:00 - 25 minutes - 34.4 MBAlabama governor George Wallace ran for president four times between 1964 and 1976. In the Badger State, his campaigns fueled a debate over constitutional principles and values. Wallace weaponized states’ rights, arguing that the federal government should stay out of school segregation, promote law and order, restrict forced busing and reduce burdensome taxation. White working-class Wisconsinites armed themselves with Wallace’s rhetoric, pushing back on changes that threatened the status quo...
Montpelier Transformed
March 21, 2022 13:01 - 26 minutes - 35.8 MBIn 2000, the newly created Montpelier Foundation took over management of the historic home of James Madison with a seemingly insurmountable task before it. The house was no longer recognizable as the home of the Madisons, and most other structures were in poor condition. Within ten years, the foundation overcame numerous hurdles to restore the house and turn Montpelier into a monument to the Father of the Constitution. Over the next decade, the site also became a monument to Montpelier’s ens...
Gettysburg’s Lost Love Story
January 24, 2022 14:08 - 54 minutes - 75.3 MBUnion general John Reynolds was one of the most beloved and respected military leaders of the Civil War, yet beyond the battlefield, the captivating true story of his secret romance with Catherine “Kate” Mary Hewitt remains etched into his legacy. Clandestinely engaged before John marched off to war, the couple’s love remained a secret. Kate made a poignant “last promise,” a commitment to enter into a religious life if her beloved were to be killed. Tragically, Reynolds lost his life leading...
All Aboard Georgia
November 03, 2021 16:14 - 14 minutes - 20.2 MBRosalind and Maggie Bunn have recently written a great children’s book which explores the Peach State entitled, All aboard Georgia. In the book A young child rides the train through Georgia's beautiful, historic, and interesting landscapes. https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781455626144
Haunted Shenandoah Valley
October 18, 2021 12:45 - 26 minutes - 36.3 MBThe abolitionist John Brown still roams the West Virginia panhandle—and beyond. In Lexington, a statue sheds real tears, mourning Virginians killed in battle. Decades of abuse at a sanatorium unleashed malevolent entities in Staunton. Spirits of Native Americans, Civil War soldiers and children frequent natural springs in Frederick County and caves near Strasburg. Ghosts stay free of charge at the nation’s oldest inn in Middletown, and at the Natural Bridge Hotel, phantom children play in th...
Haunted Kernersville
October 11, 2021 12:01 - 29 minutes - 40.1 MBNestled between Winston-Salem, Greensboro and High Point, what was once a sleepy little village, just a stop on the Great Wagon Road, became a thriving community in the nineteenth century. Residents have spent lifetimes looking after one another—and sometimes they continue to do so even in death. Does a young soldier haunt the Kernersville Museum, flirting with the women who work there? Learn the truth of the ghost of the old McCuiston House. Local institutions like the P&N Store and Snow’s ...
Texas Oblivion
October 04, 2021 12:01 - 29 minutes - 40.5 MBOn February 2, 1963, a tanker with thirty-nine men aboard departed Beaumont and never returned. In the mid-spring of 1882, Billy the Kid’s friend, foe and equal escaped Huntsville Penitentiary and vanished. On December 9, 1961, a young boy in Wichita Falls disappeared without a trace. On November 18, 1936, a father and son were swallowed by a “Walled Kingdom.” On December 23, 1974, three girls went to a Fort Worth mall and were never seen or heard from again. This collection explores twenty ...
A Culinary Tour Through Alabama
September 27, 2021 12:00 - 34 minutes - 47 MBOne of the surest ways to connect with the past is to sample what was on its plate. That’s the goal with this gustatory journey through Alabama history. Sweetmeats with the governor’s lonely, oft-depressed wife in 1832 Greensboro. Shrimp and crabmeat casserole at a long-departed preacher’s house at the Gaines Ridge Dinner Club in Camden. Pimento cheese and tea with notes of cinnamon and citrus at the Bragg-Mitchell Mansion in Mobile. Poundcake from Georgia Gilmore’s kitchen in Montgomery, wh...
Early Nature Artists in Florida
September 20, 2021 12:00 - 28 minutes - 39.7 MBThese artists were also adventurers! Florida’s amazing landscapes and fascinating wildlife were sources of inspiration for early naturalists seeking new horizons. Among them was John James Audubon. Elegant herons, acrobatic terns, endearing pelicans and colorful roseate spoonbills all feature among his beloved artwork. But Audubon was not the first nature artist inspired by Florida. Mark Catesby, an English country squire turned adventurer, helped introduce the wonders of Florida to a Eur...
Pullman: the Man, the Company, the Historical Park
September 15, 2021 16:16 - 38 minutes - 52.6 MBGeorge Pullman’s legacy lies in the town that bears his name. As one of the first thoroughly planned model industrial communities, it was designed to give the comforts of a permanent home to the employees who built America’s most elegant form of overnight railroad travel. But the town was more than just a residential wing of sleeper car manufacturing; its 1894 railroad strike led to the national Labor Day holiday. In the early twentieth century, the Pullman Company became the country’s large...
Big Basin
August 30, 2021 12:03 - 36 minutes - 49.6 MBThe epic saga of Big Basin began in the late 1800s, when the surrounding communities saw their once “inexhaustible” redwood forests vanishing. Expanding railways demanded timber as they crisscrossed the nation, but the more redwoods that fell to the woodman’s axe, the greater the effects on the local climate. California’s groundbreaking environmental movement attracted individuals from every walk of life. From the adopted son of a robber baron to a bohemian woman winemaker to a Jesuit priest...
Vermont's Ebenezer Allen
August 16, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 45.3 MBEbenezer Allen was born during political instability and hardships in an unknown frontier. He matured during the tipping point of the American Revolution as an invincible leader who personified patriotism. Unlike his better-known cousins, Ebenezer was a skilled commando and combat veteran in Warner’s Regiment and Herrick’s Rangers. Following the capture of a British rear-guard force in 1777, Captain Allen took leave of his regiment and wrote an emancipation statement for a captured enslaved ...
Young author Jack Drake and Preston Hollow
August 11, 2021 17:27 - 7 minutes - 10.7 MBOn this special edition of Author Conversations I speak with 16 year old Jack Drake who has authored his first book with us entitled Preston Hollow.
Hidden History of Kentucky Political Scandals
August 09, 2021 12:15 - 45 minutes - 63 MBFrom a man who rivals Benedict Arnold and Aaron Burr in treachery to a State Treasurer who absconded with $7 Million in today's money. This book has it all! Does a Civil War General deserve the moniker "The Butcher of Kentucky"? What does a mysterious blood stain in the U.S. Capitol Building have to do with the Bluegrass State? Listen to this week's episode of Author Conversations to find out! Click the link below to order your copy of Hidden History of Kentucky Political Scandals. htt...
Arcadia Kids 2021
August 03, 2021 16:19 - 25 minutes - 34.7 MBFrom ghostly tales to joke books with big facts, Arcadia Kids has it all. Nancy Ellwood joins me again to talk about new books from Arcadia Kids and exciting new series that are on the horizon. https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Search?searchtext=ghostly%20tales&searchmode=anyword&searchoption=allbooks
George Washington's Long Island Spy Ring
July 19, 2021 12:00 - 25 minutes - 34.9 MBIn 1778, two years after the British forced the Continental Army out of New York City, George Washington and his subordinates organized a secret spy network to gather intelligence in Manhattan and Long Island. Known today as the “Culper Spy Ring,” Patriots like Abraham Woodhull and Robert Townsend risked their lives to report on British military operations in the region. Vital reports clandestinely traveled from New York City across the East River to Setauket and were rowed on whaleboats ac...
Solving the West Georgia Murder of Gwendolyn Moore
July 12, 2021 16:48 - 56 minutes - 77 MBOn a sultry August morning in 1970, the battered body of a young woman was hoisted from a dry well just outside Hogansville, Georgia. Author and investigator Clay Bryant was there, witnessing the macabre scene. Then fifteen, Bryant was tagging along with his father, Buddy Bryant, Hogansville chief of police. The victim, Gwendolyn Moore, had been in a violent marriage. That was no secret. But her husband had connections to a political machine that held sway over the Troup County Sheriff’s Off...
Lost Colony Murder on the Outer Banks
May 28, 2021 16:22 - 34 minutes - 47.2 MBIn the summer of 1967, nineteen-year-old Brenda Joyce Holland disappeared. She was a mountain girl who had come to Manteo to work in the outdoor drama The Lost Colony. Her body was found five days later, floating in the sound. This riveting narrative, built on unique access to the state investigative file and multiple interviews with insiders, searches for the truth of her unsolved murder. This island odyssey of discovery includes séances, a suicide and a supposed shallow grave. Journalist J...
Bigfoot in Maine
May 17, 2021 12:00 - 39 minutes - 54.1 MBThe dark woods of Maine have been the setting for many eerie and unexplained events, none more captivating than sightings of a giant hominid known as Bigfoot. But what makes this corner of New England such a perfect place for this cryptid to live? Learn about the ecology and geography that support the legend and meet the people forever changed by close encounters with it. From previously unpublished eyewitness accounts to modern-day media portrayals, author and illustrator Michelle Souliere...
George Washington's 1791 Southern Tour
May 03, 2021 12:00 - 27 minutes - 37.7 MBNewly elected president George Washington set out to visit the new nation aware that he was the singular unifying figure in America. The journey's finale was the Southern Tour, starting in March 1791. The long and arduous trek from the capital, Philadelphia, passed through seven states and the future Washington, D.C. But the focus was on Virginia, the Carolinas and Georgia. The president kept a rigorous schedule, enduring rugged roads and hazardous water crossings. His highly anticipated arr...
Atlanta's Olympic Resurgence
April 26, 2021 10:00 - 26 minutes - 35.8 MBThe summer of 1996. In nineteen days, six million visitors jostled about in a southern city grappling with white flight, urban decay and the stifling legacy of Jim Crow. Six years earlier, a bold, audacious partnership of a strong mayor, enlightened business leaders and Atlanta’s Black political leadership dared to bid on hosting the 1996 Olympic Games. Unexpectedly, the city won, an achievement that ignited a loose but robust coalition that worked collectively, if sometimes contentiously, t...
Florida's Historic African American Homes
April 19, 2021 10:00 - 31 minutes - 43.1 MBThe state of Florida has a rich history of African Americans who have contributed to the advancement and growth of today. From slaves to millionaires, African Americans from all walks of life resided in cabins, homes, and stately mansions. The lives of millionaires, educators, businessmen, community leaders, and innovators in Florida’s history are explored in each residence. Mary McLeod Bethune, A.L. Lewis, and D.A. Dorsey are a few of the prominent African Americans who not only resided in...
The Maceos and the Free State of Galveston
April 05, 2021 12:30 - 42 minutes - 58.9 MBThroughout the long and colorful history of Galveston, no name has embodied the “Spirit of the Island” quite like the name Maceo. Two penniless Sicilian immigrants rose from modest beginnings to lead an entire city to prosperity, yet the nature of their industry and its abrupt and embarrassing end resulted in a legacy cloaked in stereotypes and rumor. For nearly forty years, Sam and Rose Maceo ruled a far-reaching underground economy of illegal booze and gambling but used their influence to ...
Historic Tales of Acadiana
April 01, 2021 18:04 - 21 minutes - 29.8 MBA century on, the twisted wreckage from the Ricohoc disaster smolders, passenger trains turned into husks amid predawn fog. Would-be assassins draw straws to determine who will take out Huey Long. And pickers stroll the banks of the Vermilion River during the heyday of the Spanish moss industry, plucking their livelihood from majestic oaks, many of which still stand. This strange country bewilders Vermilion Parish pioneers, and the Olive once again plies the waters of the Mermentau River. Au...
The Lost Freedmen's Town of Hamburg South Carolina
March 17, 2021 10:00 - 21 minutes - 29.2 MBHamburg is perhaps South Carolina’s most famous ghost town. Founded in 1821, it grew to four thousand residents before transportation advances led to decline. During Reconstruction, recently freed slaves reshaped Hamburg into a freedmen’s village, where residents held local, county and state offices. These gains were wiped away after the Hamburg Massacre in 1876, a watershed event that left seven African Americans dead, most of them executed in cold blood. Yet more than a century after Hambu...
Railroad History with Thad Carter
March 08, 2021 11:00 - 24 minutes - 33.9 MBThad Carter joins me for this episode. Thad is the author of The Railroads of Lake Charles which is available now. This week we talk about Thad's memories of the railroad growing up, the importance of the railroad today and where it may go in the future. If you would like to purchase Thad's latest book you can do so by clicking the link below: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467106153
The Ashland Tragedy
March 01, 2021 11:00 - 29 minutes - 40.7 MBA true crime story that captured the attention of the nation. On Christmas Eve 1881, a horrible crime shook the small town of Ashland, Kentucky, and captivated the entire nation. Three children were brutally murdered and their house set ablaze. Nothing in the small town’s past had prepared it for what followed. Three men were convicted of the crimes, and two were sentenced to death. But the murderers were protected by the governor’s untrained militia, which would eventually turn their guns...
The Northeast Corridor
February 15, 2021 11:00 - 32 minutes - 44 MBThe Northeast Corridor between Boston and Washington is perhaps the single most significant stretch of railroad in the country, connecting dozens of cities like Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City. The line carries thousands of passengers daily on a mix of long-distance, regional, and commuter trains. Before it emerged as a vital stretch of railway, some of the earliest railroads in America created a foundation for the future corridor. They constructed a patchwork of lines that laid t...
Racing in Daytona Beach
February 11, 2021 20:15 - 34 minutes - 48 MBRacing is more than just turning left. It is about grit and determination. Technology and skill. Author Robert Redd joins me today on this special episode as we get ready for the Daytona 500. Long before the Speedway was even a glimmer in Bill France Sr.’s eye, racers in Daytona Beach were careening along at the fastest possible clip. Cars were still a novelty in 1903 when Daytona Beach drivers were pushing for land speed records on a track near today’s Granada Avenue beach entrance. A rep...
The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer
February 08, 2021 11:00 - 34 minutes - 47 MBThis week we learn the history of a serial killer who took the lives of over 20 victims yet hardly anyone knows his story or more importantly the story of those who's lives were cut short. Until now. Join me this week as I talk with Janie Jones who is the author of The Arkansas Hitchhike Killer and learn the story of how the nationwide murderer slipped under the radar of true crime writers for so long. You can purchase this week's title by following the link below: https://www.arcadiapubli...
The Civil War Battles of Macon
February 03, 2021 14:01 - 28 minutes - 39.8 MBOn this episode we learn the intriguing history of Macon, GA during the Civil War. Macon was a cornerstone of the Confederacy’s military-industrial complex. As a transportation hub, the city supplied weapons to the Confederacy, making it a target once the Union pushed into Georgia in 1864. In the course of the war’s last year, Macon faced three separate cavalry assaults. The battles were small in the grand scheme but salient for the combatants and townspeople. Once the war concluded, it wa...
The Hidden History of Old Atlanta
February 01, 2021 14:00 - 40 minutes - 55.7 MBAtlanta has a rich history that goes far beyond a town in flame during the Civil War. Learn about the rich Native American History and how Atlanta's crossroads with ancient trails have been bringing cultures to a point in what is now Georgia for millennia. People from all over the world have helped shape Atlanta into the city it is today. Order the book by by following the link below: https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/Products/9781467146074
US Coast Guard Academy
November 16, 2020 13:00 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBToday I speak with Retired United States Coast Guard Captain Jeffrey Hartman. Join us for the interesting history of the academy and stories from the Captain's career. The predecessor of the US Coast Guard (USCG) was the Revenue Marine, formed to enforce the customs laws. The officers for the service were drawn from the Merchant Marines, and occasionally the US Navy, and political connections were often more important than competency. To ensure consistent training, the original Revenue Cut...
Haunted Prescott
October 27, 2020 17:03 - 22 minutes - 30.9 MBThis week we travel out west to Haunted Prescott, AZ! When Arizona was created as a U.S. territory in 1864, Prescott became its first capital. Accompanying the city's rich history is an equally dramatic heritage of supernatural manifestations. Visitors report a strange chill in the Palace Restaurant and taps on the shoulder at the Smoki Museum. Lingering spirits crowd famed hotels like the Vendome and the Hassayampa Inn, as well as theaters such as the Elks Opera House and Prescott Center ...
Haunted Charleston
October 19, 2020 12:45 - 23 minutes - 31.9 MBOn this episode continue our journey into the spooky month of October by exploring Haunted Charleston with author and Tour Guide Ed Macy. You can book a tour with Ed by visiting his website here: https://edmacytours.com/
Haunted History of Pasco County
October 08, 2020 12:05 - 30 minutes - 41.6 MBIn a land occupied for thousands of years, mystery and unrest linger. Anguished soldierly figures dot the landscape of Pasco County, from the doomed march of Major Dade and his haunted hill to the ghost of Captain Jeffries standing watch over his homestead in Zephyrhills. A pair of spirits drifts about near a Dade City pond, perhaps the brother and sister cut down during the infamous Bradley Massacre. Echoes of the once rugged frontier rebound from the Ellis-Gillett feud, vigilantism and She...
Ghostly Tales and History
October 05, 2020 10:00 - 23 minutes - 32 MBToday I am joined by the Director of Children's Books for Arcadia Publishing, Nancy Ellwood to talk about Arcadia Publishing's new Spooky Tales series. Spooky America is adapted from Arcadia’s bestselling Haunted America series (more than 300 titles strong), and brings you the ghoulishly gruesome, fantastically phantasmal stories of our nation’s undead souls. Rewritten for the middle-grade audience, these terrifically terrifying tales bring local history to life—even if the main players ar...
Arsenal of History: The Powder Magazine of South Carolina
September 21, 2020 11:00 - 8 minutes - 11.7 MBThe Powder Magazine is South Carolina's oldest public building and today's serves as a museum. The museum's director and author of Arsenal of History, Alan Stello joins me to discuss the site's history and the museums upcoming virtual luncheon series. You can find out more about the museums Zoom luncheon series by visiting powdermagazine.org/programs
Hidden History of Music Row
September 02, 2020 11:00 - 31 minutes - 42.8 MBNashville’s Music Row is as complicated as the myths that surround it. And there are plenty, from an adulterous French fur trader to an adventurous antebellum widow, from the early Quonset hut recordings to record labels in glass high-rise towers and from “Your Cheatin’ Heart” to “Strawberry Wine.” Untangle the legendary history with never-before-seen photos of Willie Nelson, Patsy Cline, Kris Kristofferson and Shel Silverstein and interviews with multi-platinum songwriters and star performe...
The Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks
August 03, 2020 10:01 - 21 minutes - 30 MBThis week we focus in on the fascinating history of the Revolutionary War in the Adirondacks. Much of New York during the Revolutionary era was frontier wilderness, sparsely populated and bitterly divided. Although the only major campaign in the region would end at the Battle of Saratoga, factional raiding parties traversed the mountains and valleys of the Adirondacks throughout the war. Sir Christopher Carleton led groups of Loyalists, Hessians and Iroquois in successful attacks along Lake...
Bizarre Bluegrass
July 27, 2020 10:00 - 13 minutes - 18.7 MBThis week we explore the Bizzare History of the Bluegrass State with author Keven McQueen. From ghost towns to circus performers to mass hysteria, the Bluegrass State is no stranger to the strange. Read stories of famed President Abraham Lincoln you’ve never heard before. Find possible solutions to the mystery of Pearl Bryan’s missing head and decipher the outrageous hoaxes involving an unsolvable puzzle and monkeys trained to perform farm work. Learn about the time when the author wrote to ...
Fort Clinch, Fernandina and the Civil War
July 20, 2020 12:00 - 31 minutes - 43.1 MBThis week we discuss a site who's role is not well known but was vital in bringing about an end to the Civil War. The site? Fort Clinch in Fernandina, FL. Even though Fernandina was tucked away in the far southern reaches of the Confederacy, Fort Clinch had been abandoned to Federal forces by March 1862. It proved a boon to the Union war effort, and the island became a haven for runaway slaves, with many joining the Federal army. The military occupation of this vital seaport helped end the...
Shark Attacks along the Jersey Shore
July 13, 2020 14:00 - 29 minutes - 41.1 MBAuthors Patricia and Robert Heyer join me this episode to tell us about famous attacks along the Jersey Shore including attacks in the early 1900's that influenced pop culture. Every summer, thousands flock to the Jersey Shore for its beaches and boardwalks, but lurking in the depths beyond is a historic threat to tranquility. Dozens of shark attacks and interactions have occurred throughout Jersey Shore history that reveal bravery, heartbreak and the hubris of man. A boy paid a gruesome p...
Hidden History of East Texas
July 06, 2020 12:00 - 20 minutes - 28.6 MBJoin me this week as I talk with the author of Hidden History of East Texas, Tex Midkiff about Texas Rangers, Big Tex, Shootouts, UFO's and theories around the JFK assassination. The heritage of East Texas partakes in the same degree of unexpected turns and hidden depths as its backroads and bayous. One line of inquiry meanders into another. Start out searching for La Salle’s grave and end up chasing Spanish gold in Upshur County. From Sam Houston’s Bible to the Longview nightclub that hos...