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Tucked into the southwestern corner of Cuyahoga County, Olmsted Falls and Olmsted Township are steeped in rich Ohio history.

Dating back to the late eighteenth century, Olmsted Falls and Olmsted Township grew to become a place of idyllic beauty and fascinating stories. Uncover the myth of the infamous letter a in the Olmsted name, and learn how Olmsted became a leader in public education in Cuyahoga County. Weather battles over saloons and attempts to annex all or part of Olmsted Township to neighboring communities, and survive Rocky River floods that destroyed bridges, dams, mills and factories.

Join authors Bruce Banks and Jim Wallace, both members of the Historical Society of Olmsted Falls, as they provide a captivating account of these two historical communities.

Early Indianapolis was designed to only be one square mile, but as more settled in the Circle City, progress made its way across the Eastside.

Through their dedication to maintaining the character of neighborhoods like Woodruff Place, Fountain Square and Irvington, Eastsiders have banded together time and again to preserve the memories of landmarks like the Rivoli Theatre and Al Green's. Julie Young, a lifelong resident of the Eastside, celebrates one of the most culturally diverse areas of Indianapolis as she illuminates the strength and determination that would make any resident proud to call the Eastside home.

Eerie Erie explores the dark and bizarre corners of this county's creepy history, from vampire crypts to phantom ships.

A tall creature that howls on the devil's backbone near Harbor Creek Township, phantom ships that erupt into flames and melt into darkness, UFOs on Presque Isle—these are some of the strange tales from the lakeshores and shadowy woods of Erie County, Pennsylvania. Local paranormal expert and author Reverend Robin S. Swope explores the dark and bizarre corners of the county's history, from the forgotten 1812 dead of the brig Niagara and the mysterious earthen mounds that dot the landscape to the legend of the ravenous Storm Hag and the rumored vampire's crypt in Erie Cemetery. Join Swope as he searches for answers in the lost pages of Erie County history and lore.

Stories of Jewish Dayton recovers the lost history of Jewish life in the Miami Valley.

Many stories of Jewish Dayton's past have faded over time. Others, painful to recall, may have been intentionally buried. All are sure to surprise new generations. The Jews of Dayton drank wine during Prohibition, debated Zionism, fought the Klan, and joined the battle for civil rights in the trenches. Balancing tradition and modernity across eras, they navigated the American dream and faced challenges often strikingly similar to those we face today.

Marshall Weiss -- founding editor and publisher of the Dayton Jewish Observer and project director of Miami Valley Jewish Genealogy & History -- reaches back nearly two centuries to unearth forgotten episodes of Jewish history in Ohio's Miami Valley.

Learn about efforts underway to save the historic and environmentally important Fourth Street Preserve.

IIn 1670, the first officially deeded land in Lewes was granted by the Duke of York to the town’s earliest settler, Helmanias Wiltbanck—30 of the original 104 acres of Wiltbanck’s beloved preserve remain pristine and undeveloped today, right in the heart of Lewes. Three families owned this land for 312 of the past 355 years. Their tales involve attacks by pirate ships and the British, death and survival during the “fever years” and a prominent but forgotten judge who helped write the original Delaware Constitution and fund its Revolutionary War troops.

Local author and preservation leader Michael Rawl tells these stories and unfolds the long history of this piece of the heart of Lewes.

Through the years, relentless change has swept away many of Mishawaka’s businesses and landmarks and the memory of once-prominent events.

The Great Mishawaka Fire of September 5, 1872, destroyed much of the central business district and changed the downtown forever. The street carnival of August 1901 was the most exciting week in the city’s history but later faded into obscurity. The Twin Branch Power Plant supplied the region with electricity, but hardly a trace of it remains today. The massive Rubber Regenerating Company operated for over twenty years, and now a popular park exists atop its buried rubble. Center Point Tower, the landmark that never was, pointed the way to downtown’s future revitalization.

Peter J. De Kever finds these and other lost stories from Mishawaka’s past.

The story of the intersection between vigilantism and law enforcement

In frontier Indiana, vigilantism was a grim necessity. Beginning with the vigilance committees of the 1860s that lynched the Reno Gang and the Knights of the Golden Circle, who plotted to assassinate Governor Morton, the Hoosier State was a hotbed for citizens taking the law into their own hands. Later groups such as the White Caps enforced their own moral code, while the state legislature sanctioned the Horse Thief Detective Association and the Banking Vigilantes.

Chronicling the vigilante groups that operated in Indiana, author Robert Bowling explores the evolution of law enforcement from the lone marshal on the frontier to the birth of the modern police department and the Indiana State Police.

During the 1800s, when northeast Oklahoma was part of Indian Territory, many fugitives from US justice, like Henry Starr and Cherokee Bill, sought refuge in its hills and hollows. Statehood in 1907 did little to tame the area. Northeast Oklahoma remained a hideout for outlaws into the gangster era of the 1930s, when one of the biggest manhunts in history failed to flush Pretty Boy Floyd from the rugged Cookson Hills. Even in modern times, the region has been home to its share of desperate characters and notorious incidents. Join award-winning author Larry Wood as he chronicles dramatic criminal episodes in northeast Oklahoma history. 

Explore the dark side of Davidson County’s past.

After killing his brother-in-law in 1904, wealthy businessman Henry Clay Grubb of the Churchland community was himself killed in 1913. In 1918 an adulterous affair led Graham Hege to kill his best friend, Frank Deaderick. Though most perpetrators were caught, if not convicted, the identity of the murderer of Sarah Holland Springs remains a mystery to this day. These twelve stories explore the shadowy side of this portion of the Piedmont.

Join author Caleb Sink, a lifelong resident of Davidson County, on his quest to uncover two centuries of secrets.

From trips to the Galapagos Islands to training Sea Scouts.

In 1978 the Odyssey, a 90-foot wooden yawl, arrived in Tacoma to serve as a training vessel and beloved landmark, standing tall in the harbor. Launched in 1938 off Nevins Boatyard in City Island, New York, the Odyssey spent four years traveling the world under the ownership of Barklie Henry. The ship hosted the Vanderbilt family and famous names like Ernest Hemingway before being donated to the cause during World War II. One name change later, she began service as a top-secret research vessel for the U.S. Navy, working in places like San Diego and Woods Hole until finding a home in Tacoma.

Join author Emily Molina as she charts this fascinating history. 

Malice in a Mining Mecca

Pernicious activity tends to follow prosperity, and the heyday of the Cripple Creek mining district was no exception. Cripple Creek’s first murder spilled out from a saloon in 1892. The 1894 heist at the Victor Hotel took place mere months after opening. Railroad superintendent Richard Newell was gunned down over a construction right of way dispute—a contentious, nationwide issue to this day. By 1893, the area was home to dancehall girls and prostitutes, including the harlot who burned down Cripple Creek in 1896 and the vixen who torched Victor in 1899. From body snatcher “Pretty Jack” McEachern to conman-turned-Roosevelt confidante Ben Daniels, the district played host to a cast of capricious characters. Join author Jan MacKell Collins as she recounts the colorful camps and raucous ruffians that defined the oft-described Wild West. 

“Cold Case” Clay Bryant unravels a 20-year old cold-case murder. After a daring escape from certain death in a North Vietnamese prison, followed by years in a refugee camp in Thailand, Savang Phovixay and his family sought safety and a better life in the United States. That dream was shattered when their daughter Vieng disappeared in October 1987. In spite of substantial leads, she remained missing until 1989 when her skeletonized remains were found bound to a tree in rural West Georgia. The crime remained an unsolved tragedy for nearly two decades until Bryant took on the case in search of justice for Vieng and her family. 

Beneath the teeming streets of California’s largest city lies a dark history of serial killers, riots and strange encounters.

Spirits are said to mingle with the tourists on Olvera Street, and there are rumors that a curse placed on Griffith Park still causes deaths to this day. Do the victims of a massacre at Union Station still haunt the halls there, and does Dodger Stadium host the shades of the residents it displaced during its construction? Even the old Los Angeles Zoo is said to be a hotspot of animal apparitions reluctant to move on.

Author and paranormal historian Brian Clune explores the spooky side of Los Angeles. 

A Century of Faith

The first Mass was offered for what would eventually be known as St. Rita Church in the humblest of places, a cobbler’s shop on East Custis Avenue in the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria. The ladies of the yet-to-be-established parish provided its name—St. Rita of Cascia is the patron of impossible causes. The first small church was built on Hickory Street in Mt. Ida and a parish was founded on September 21, 1924. Through depression, war and post-war growth, political and social change and into a new millennium St. Rita Church has grown under its namesake’s patronage. A beautiful new church was built in 1949 and a school was founded in 1952. The St Rita Centennial Committee tells the stories of a century of community.

Spirits of the Gateway City

Since 1764, St. Louis has been the gateway to the unknown. Walk along the limestone cobbles of Laclede’s Landing and witness the birth of a city with large aspirations and crooked dealings. Here you will find fur traders hardened by wilderness “law,” former slaves fighting for their future, criminals immortalized in song, the rise and fall of the elite and the fight for the soul of a child. Meet the people behind Eads Bridge, the Old Courthouse, City Hospital, Lemp Brewery and more. From the Louisiana Purchase, the Civil War and Reconstruction to the modern day, hear their stories and learn why they may still haunt the cobblestones beneath your feet. Jennifer Elwyn delves into the dark side of a historic city.

A phantom stagecoach materializes on Weatherford’s Main Street, the galloping hooves of invisible horses tugging witnesses back towards the nineteenth century. A stroll through the enchanting Chandor Gardens might lead to an encounter with its creator, renowned English portrait artist Douglas Chandor. The apparition of a former judge lingers around Parker County Courthouse, while the Old Jail Museum’s corridors are filled with disembodied voices and echoing footsteps. Visitors to Old Greenwood Cemetery might hear the quiet sobbing of the woman who was murdered by a jealous lover or feel a cold nudge against their hands when they pass by a canine buried alongside his owner. Author Teal Gray walks through miles of Weatherford's history to unwind years of its haunted lore.