Throughout most of the nineteenth century, Cincinnati was one of the more prominent (not to mention one of the largest) cities in America. By 1850, we only had a few “States” west of the Mississippi River, everything else was just a territory or some kind of unorganized lands that used to belong to someone else […]
William Cunningham and the Cincinnati Resurrectionists Read More »
History, True Crime
The year is 1865 and the streets of Cincinnati have a problem. To be fair, they have lots of problems, between the rodents scurrying about and the number of drunks passed out and laying in their own … um … filth, let’s just say that residents certainly had a number of things they liked to
That Time All The Street Addresses In Cincinnati Changed Read More »
History
It should go unsaid that most things in cemeteries and graveyards shouldn’t move. Obviously, people may need to roam about, and it’s probably impossible to keep small animals from going about – but I’m sure we can all agree that some things, such as headstones and monuments really ought not to be in motion. There
The Merchant’s Globe – A Rotating Spectacle Read More »
History, Myths and Legends
In the previous post I noted that there had only been a single trial for witchcraft in Ohio. There had also only been one individual who was put to death after being accused of being a witch. Surprisingly, there wasn’t really any witchcraft going on in either case. The witch was deemed innocent because she
A History of Witches in Ohio (Part 2) This Time With Real Witches Read More »
History, Myths and Legends
When we think of the history of witches, or witchcraft, we tend to think about certain periods of history. For example, The Early Modern Witchcraft Trials a couple thousand years ago throughout Europe, or perhaps the various crusades and inquisitions a thousand years after that. America had The Salem Witch Trials of 1962 in slightly
A History of Witches in Ohio (Part 1) Read More »
History, Myths and Legends
Dublin, Ohio (a suburb of Columbus) was named, or so the story goes, by an Irishman named John Sheilds at some point around 1810, which may explain why Dublin has the largest number of Asian citizens in the State of Ohio. Or maybe not. I don’t always understand these demographic things. It also, however, boasts
Have you heard the seemingly persistent rumor that Ohio was once home to a race of giants? They say that giant skeletons were uncovered in various archeological sites throughout the state of Ohio, including some discovered at the Great Serpent Mound. They say that most of the native tribes that once lived in what would
The Giants of … Ohio? Read More »
History, Myths and Legends
The day is Christmas Eve, 1959. The place is Mentor, Ohio, a distant suburb of Cleveland. The time is approximately 6:40 in the evening. Charles Roy Clark is standing in the kitchen wearing his Boy Scouts uniform. Later in the evening, he is planning to meet his troop to go Christmas Caroling. His wife, Lois,
Was Charles Ray Clark Murdered? Read More »
True Crime, Unsolved Unresolved
Alliance, Ohio is a small town with a population somewhere slightly above 20,000 according to the last few censuses, that most people consider to be a part of the Canton-Massillon Metropolitan area. The city had once been a major player in the construction of the railroad system, but today it’s mostly known as the home
Who Killed Yvonne Layne Read More »
True Crime, Unsolved Unresolved
It’s the evening August 15, 1977, and an Astronomer named Jerry R. Ehman is scanning the skies looking for signs of intelligent life because … what else is an astronomer going to do on a Monday night when he’s located in the outskirts of Delaware, Ohio. He’s accomplishing this (or, trying to anyway) by using this
