Off the Path

Off the Plank: Murder on Smuttynose Island (Revisited)

There’s a 27-acre island off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire called Smuttynose Island. The population in 1873 was six: a family of Norwegian immigrants who rented the only house on the island. So it shocked the country when two of them were brutally murdered. The murder still inspires wild theories — and a bestselling book and movie — a century and a half later.

Off the Plank: The Pirate and the Preacher

William Fly’s pirate career was short and brutal — and his death in 1726 is sometimes considered to mark the end of the days when pirates ruled the Atlantic. It began with a mutiny — led to a last-ditch conversion attempt — and ended with a gruesome display on an island in Boston Harbor.

Off the Plank: Moby-Dick in New Bedford

Herman Melville published one of the great American novels in 1851. Just in case you missed it in high school, a quick refresher: we follow Ishmael. He’s a crew member aboard the whaling ship the Pequod. Its captain, Ahab, is a menacing figure obsessed with catching a whale he calls Moby-Dick. This book is all about whaling, which used to be one of the most lucrative industries in the world — and it was partially inspired by the author’s time in the seaside whaling town of New Bedford, Massac...

Off the Plank: The Turtle, America's First Submarine

America's first submarine dates to the Revolutionary War. Built by a Connecticut inventor, it sailed into New York Harbor in 1776 with a mission to blow up a British warship. It was ahead of its time — maybe a little too ahead of its time. There are a few places you can see replicas of the Turtle — and one of them is at the Connecticut River Museum in Essex.

Off the Plank: The Wreck of the Whydah

One of the most successful pirates of all time died at sea in a dramatic storm, leaving all his treasure buried under the ocean floor. Hundreds of years later, a Cape Cod man followed a real-life treasure map to find it — and now you can go to his museum to see real-life pirate booty. Featured song: “Jolly Sailor Bold,” performed by the Ranzo Boys.

Off the Plank: Trailer

Host Davis Dunavin previews his upcoming adventure at sea! Among other things, you’ll hear about quite a few pirates in this series, which is why we decided to call it Off the Plank.

The legend of Sleepy Hollow lives on

In 1820, Washington Irving wrote a short story steeped in the ghostly folklore of New York’s Hudson Valley. Its simple premise and terrifying climax has spooked and entertained people for two centuries. It was set in North Tarrytown, but Irving called it Sleepy Hollow.

A 'close encounter' in New Hampshire

Barney and Betty Hill claimed they had an encounter with aliens more than 60 years ago. Their story became the launching point for alien abductions in popular culture. And it happened — supposedly — late one night on a lonely road in New Hampshire’s White Mountains.

The Desert of Maine: An ecological odyssey at a tourist spot

The state of Maine has deep forests and rocky shores. It also has one small stretch of sandy dunes in the town of Freeport — that looks more like the Sahara than northern New England.

Christina's World: The "enigma" and friendship behind a classic American painting

Andrew Wyeth’s 1948 painting “Christina’s World” shows the reality of life for his longtime friend, a woman with a disability, on her farm in coastal Maine.

"Appreciate the Mundane" at a museum for umbrella covers

A small museum on an island in Maine boasts the world’s largest collection of a specific kind of artifact: umbrella covers. Not umbrellas — just the covers.

The "Lost Limner" returns in a new play

Chicken Farmer I Still Love You

There are six words spray painted on a rock along a highway near Newbury, New Hampshire. How they got there is still a mystery. Davis Dunavin took a drive up Route 103 to see the mystery rock — and maybe get some answers.

The view and the visionary behind the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail stretches more than 2,000 miles from Maine to Georgia. It was the brainchild of an idealistic forester who drew inspiration from a mountain top in Vermont.

Inside Robert Frost's legendary stone house

The beloved poet bought a home in Vermont — where he wrote some of his most famous poems, weathered family tragedy and picked lots of apples.

Off the Path: Trailer

Host Davis Dunavin is back on the road as he previews his next set of adventures on a new season of Off the Path!

Herb Lore: Why it's okay to eat off the ground in New York City

Most New Yorkers might be a little skeptical about eating something they found on the street — if it’s not from a food cart. But one New Yorker has made it his life’s work to convince his neighbors that nature’s bounty is accessible even in the heart of the city.

Herb Lore: How witch hazel made its way into everything

Take a look through your medicine cabinet — from skin cream to body wash and deodorant. Many of these products share an ingredient: witch hazel. And the witch hazel industry has deep roots in the Connecticut River Valley.

Herb Lore: The nearly 400-year-old fruit tree that keeps giving

The first colonial governor of Massachusetts planted a pear tree in the 1600s. It’s now believed to be the oldest cultivated fruit tree in the Americas.

LGBTQ Stories: How "Family Week" helped gay families find acceptance

A few LGBTQ families met up on the tip of Cape Cod one summer in the mid '90s. Their fun beach week had a bigger impact than they expected. Family Week — as it’s called — has helped redefine ideas of marriage and family for more than 25 years. And it still takes place every summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts.

LGBTQ stories: Andy Warhol's unlikely spirituality

One of America’s most beloved artists kept a secret. Andy Warhol — pop artist and gay icon — was also a lifelong Catholic who went to mass regularly at a church in New York City’s Upper East Side.

LGBTQ stories: The 'Sip-In' paved the way for gay rights

A few years before the Stonewall riots, a protest took place at another New York City gay bar, just about a block away. It didn’t draw as much attention, but in its own way, it was a milestone for gay rights.

LGBTQ stories: The "Sip-In" paved the way for gay rights

A few years before the Stonewall riots, a protest took place at another New York City gay bar, just about a block away. It didn’t draw as much attention, but in its own way, it was a milestone for gay rights.

Folk Songs: Opening up traditional music to new audiences

Musician Nicole Singer, the organizer of Youth Traditional Song Weekend, which took place online this month due to the pandemic, is trying to bring young people and non-traditional audiences into folk music.

Folk Songs: Sea Shanties are the sound of New England's nautical history

Sea shanties have enjoyed some renewed attention on social media. A lot of them have strong ties to New England’s maritime culture and whaling industry.

Folk Songs: An 'Exceedingly Good' Night of Music

A group singalong has hopped from bar to bar in New York City for years — and in the age of the pandemic, it lives on Zoom. It’s called Exceedingly Good Song Night.

Folk Songs: A folk dancing camp for the people

There’s a camp in the woods of Massachusetts where traditional styles of folk music and dance from around the world are kept alive. It’s the oldest continuously operated folk dance camp in the United States. It’s called the Pinewoods Camp.

Beyond Salem: New England's other witch hunts were in Connecticut

At least 11 people were executed for witchcraft in Connecticut. And they’re far less remembered than the victims of Salem.

Off the Path — Garden State: The Institute Of 'Useless Knowledge'

The Institute for Advanced Study doesn’t have any students or classes. There’s no regular daily agenda full of meetings and conferences. The scholars here don’t even have to research any specific topic.

Off The Path - Garden State: The House Where Sinatra Still Sings

It’s not unusual to hear music on a boardwalk in New Jersey on a nice summer day. But there’s one house where the music has played all day, every summer, for 20 years.

Off The Path — Garden State: The Secret Behind the Monopoly Board

How did Atlantic City end up as the inspiration for all those place names in Monopoly — Marvin Gardens, Park Place, the Boardwalk? It’s a tale of race and social conflict you’d never suspect when you sit down to play one of America’s most famous board games.

Off the Path Revisited: The Love Shack is For Sale

Interested in a kitschy, kooky and cool Catskills motel? How about one previously owned by B-52s singer Kate Pierson? Kate listed her motel for sale this summer. Revisit Davis's 2018 trip to "Kate's Lazy Meadow" and decide if you'd like to visit a real-life Love Shack — or maybe own it outright.

Off the Path Revisited: America's Favorite Viewing Machine

If you're on the road this summer, you may find yourself looking at a scenic vista through one of those coin-operated viewing machines. You know the ones — binoculars on poles, encased in a metal shell. And if you do, there's a good chance you're looking through a machine assembled in a small factory in Norwalk, Connecticut.

Off The Path Revisited: ‘The Little Prince’ On Long Island

‘Off the Path’ is taking a summer break, but we’re revisiting a few of our favorite episodes. In 2019, Davis visited Long Island to learn the story of a French classic — ‘The Little Prince’ — written not in France, but on Long Island’s North Shore.

Off the Path: Revisited — Manhattan's Wild Corner

There’s a place in Manhattan that makes you feel like you just took a trip on the Wayback Machine — to the 1600s, when European settlers first arrived. And you can find it all the way up on the northern tip of Manhattan Island in Inwood Hill Park.

Off The Path: Breaking The Tiffany Glass Ceiling

Tiffany lampshades — made of leaded glass — are icons of American art. Louis Comfort Tiffany showed them to the public for the first time in the 1890s. It was always assumed Tiffany designed all his lamps. But it took a century to recognize the contributions of the women who designed many of them — thanks to some long-lost letters.

Off The Path: What's In America's First Cookbook?

The tradition of American cooking can trace its origin to a single cookbook — published less than a decade after the U.S. Constitution. It was the first to present recipes of the new world, instead of just copying English and French dishes. And it’s called — simply — American Cookery.

Off The Path: Mr. Vanderbilt's Wild Ride

A dashing young heir to one of America’s most famous families had a dream. He loved to race expensive cars, and he wanted a road tailor-made to do it. He built his speedway on Long Island in 1908. It was the first road in the country designed just for cars. He called it the Long Island Motor Parkway — also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway. For more information on the Vanderbilt Cup races and the Long Island Motor Parkway — and to read Vanderbilt's wild speech in its entirety — visit vanderbilt...

Off The Path: Stars Fell On Connecticut

A meteorite fell from the sky into a field in rural Connecticut more than 200 years ago. It didn’t cause much damage, but it did put American science on the map. And it's preserved at Yale University’s Peabody Museum.

Off The Path: Why Are So Many Great Authors Buried In Concord, Massachusetts?

Four of America’s greatest authors lived in the same small town in the mid-1800s. Now they're all buried there together, just a few steps away from each other.

Off The Path: Why Is This Field Full of Rocking Horses?

There’s something weirdly unexpected along a drive down a winding country road in Lincoln, Massachusetts. You round a corner and there, in a field, is a herd of children’s rocking horses. The locals call it Ponyhenge.

Off The Path: You Could Own Lizzie Borden's House

For sale: a charming New England Bed & Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts. Victorian style, three floors, eight bedrooms. A little pricey at $2 million. But it’s a rare find — because it's the site of one of the most gruesome murders in American history.

Off The Path: How Did A Connecticut Town Take On The Nazis?

American Nazis built dozens of youth camps around the U.S. in the years leading up to World War II. The purpose was to indoctrinate German-American kids into the Nazi ideology. There’s only one place we know of that stood up to them and ran them out of town: Southbury, Connecticut.

Off The Path: John Oliver vs. Danbury — A Very 2020 Saga

For Off the Path's last episode of 2020, Davis takes us to a place that may be the perfect symbol for the year — a sewage treatment plant in Danbury, Connecticut. This unlikely tourist attraction ended up on the map this year thanks to comedian John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight.

Off The Path: America's First Pet Cemetery

Thousands of animals — and not just dogs and cats — have their final resting place in the oldest pet cemetery in the United States. It’s a family-owned business, lovingly cared for on a five-acre hillside just outside New York City.

Off The Path: Weird Atomic Beasts Who Live Off Human Blood! It Came From Stamford.

The 1964 movie "The Horror of Party Beach" has been called one of the worst films of all time. And yet it’s become a cult classic. It was filmed — on a beach — in Stamford, Connecticut.

Off The Path: Freedom from Fear

The Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, Mass., has welcomed back four old friends. They were touring the country for two years. The “friends” are illustrations called the “Four Freedoms” that Rockwell based on a speech given by President Roosevelt before the US entered World War II. They still hold a lot of resonance today.

Thrilling Tales of Terror: Why We Love To Be Scared

A headless horseman roams a sleepy hollow. Unearthly sounds echo out of a small mountain in Connecticut. The spirit of a lovesick woman haunts a lake on Long Island, where she lures men to their deaths.

Off The Path: The Mysterious Moodus Noises

Some of the first European settlers in Connecticut heard mysterious rumblings that came from a small mountain in the town of East Haddam. Those sounds have inspired centuries of spooky tales about witches, ghosts, demons and a mysterious wizard. Davis Dunavin reports as part of the WSHU series Off the Path from New York to Boston.

Off The Path: Life In The Ruins

There’s an old abandoned hospital on Roosevelt Island in New York City. It was built for smallpox patients in the mid-1800s, but no one's used it for more than half a century. Today, its ruins loom over the southern edge of the island, looking out on the East River. And it’s become a playground for wayward cats.