Hometown History

By Shane WatersSociety & Culture True Crime History

Hometown History episodes

July 31, 2023 West Baden's Impossible Dome and Hidden Stories
West Baden Springs, Indiana. After my conversation with Jeff Lane at the West Baden Hotel, I went over to the French Lake Hotel to meet Dan Fracher for a tour of both campuses. Because I've already covered the general history of the West Baden Hotel in our interview with Jeff, I'll be focusing on some of the quirkier or more detailed parts of the West Baden story during that part of the tour.
TIMELINE
1893: Built in 1893, a two-story wooden oval track, one-third of a mile around.
1901: June 14, 1901, one o'clock in the morning, fire strikes, and the four-story wooden hotel is destroyed by fire.
1902: Hotel Literature 1902 boasts and brags about a mammoth brick fireplace that can hold a 14-foot log.
1929: October 1929, stock market crash, the death blow.
1971: 1971, the federal government banned the sale of Pluto water because it contains lithium carbonate.
1991: Winter of 1991, a few months shy of the property's 89th birthday, a 108-foot section of the hotel collapsed.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of West Baden Springs 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 113 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)
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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Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
27 min
July 17, 2023 West Baden's Forgotten Palace: The Eighth Wonder of the World
West Baden Springs, Indiana. When it was built in 1902, with the biggest free-span dome in the world, the West Baden Springs Hotel in southern Indiana was known as the eighth wonder of the world. About a month ago, in February of 2023, the travel site TripAdvisor named it one of the top five hotels in America.
TIMELINE
1901: To house all of this traffic and to meet the expectations of so many wealthy guests, both resorts were built around 1901 and are still thriving today.
1902: When it was built in 1902, with the biggest free-span dome in the world, the West Baden Springs Hotel in southern Indiana was known as the eighth wonder of the world.
1971: Actually, 1971 was the last year Pluto water was bottled because the chemists in the laboratories at the Pluto bottling plant were traces of lithium in the water.
1983: From 1983 to 1996, this property was basically vacant.
2023: About a month ago, in February of 2023, the travel site TripAdvisor named it one of the top five hotels in America.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of West Baden Springs 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 112 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)
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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
33 min
July 10, 2023 Gus Grissom and the Dawn of American Spaceflight
Mitchell, Indiana. The first man to walk on the moon died two years before he ever got there. Or at least, the man who was supposed to be the first. His name was Gus Grissom, and he is remembered today as one of the most skilled and yet unluckiest astronauts in the history of space travel. As a member of the Mercury Seven, also known as Astronaut Group One, Gus was among the elite of the elite.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Mitchell 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 111 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)
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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
37 min
July 03, 2023 Baltimore's Clown Who Became a Historian
Baltimore, Maryland. I always tell people that I graduated from the hardest school to get into that was in existence in the United States at that time. They had statistically more people who would apply for clown college and certainly a much smaller pool of class than Harvard or Yale or any of the big Ivy League schools. So it was the hardest to get into. And I graduated from it. And then there I was, what? The Riemann Brothers Clown College.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Baltimore 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 110 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
26 min
June 18, 2023 Terre Haute's Eva Kor: A Holocaust Survivor's Legacy
Terre Haute, Indiana. After leaving the Candles Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana, I mentioned our trip to a photographer friend of mine named Rodney Markison from nearby Bloomington. I was telling Rodney about a book I had purchased at the museum that was unlike anything I'd ever read. It was a biography of Eva Kaur, the founder of the Candles Museum, but it was illustrated in a way that reminded me of a black-and-white comic book.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Terre Haute 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 109 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)
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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
31 min
June 05, 2023 From Ashes: The CANDLES Museum's Story of Resilience
Terre Haute, Indiana. I'm back with Troy Fears, Executive Director at Candles Holocaust Museum and Education Center in Terre Haute, Indiana. Twenty years ago, this museum was firebombed by a domestic terrorist. Today, it's stronger than ever, hosting thousands of visitors every year, including school groups and educational workshops. Candles educates people on the Holocaust, but more specifically, it educates people about Holocaust survivors. It takes this massive, horrific global story and makes it personal.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Terre Haute 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 108 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)
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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
24 min
May 22, 2023 Terre Haute's Holocaust Museum: Survival and Arson
Terre Haute, Indiana. I'm not sure what's going on. I'm not sure what's going on. I'm not sure what's going on. The fire was in the middle of the building. It took us about 35 to 40 minutes to bring the fire under control. On the north side of the building, the door had been knocked out prior to our arrival. At this time, the fire is under investigation. This museum was the life work of Eva Kaur, former victim of Auschwitz concentration camp, and of the so-called angel of death, Dr. Joseph Mengele.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Terre Haute 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 107 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
If you liked this: Episode 180 (Hagerstown, Indiana)
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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
31 min
May 04, 2023 From Mystery Inc: The Mystery at Airtight Bridge
Jinkies! Welcome to the Mystery Inc podcast, where we unmask the truth behind the spookiest mysteries!

In this episode, we're tackling the mystery at Airtight Bridge in Illinois. It's a place with a dark past, where strange things have been happening for decades. People have reported seeing ghostly figures walking along the bridge, strange noises, and even unexplainable accidents.

Taking us on this spooky adventure are brother hosts, Shane and Josh Waters. They're experts in all things mystery, and they're not afraid of a little paranormal.

So grab your Scooby Snacks, turn off the lights, and join us on the Mystery Inc podcast. Who knows what we might find? Zoinks!

You can find Mystery Inc here:
Website, Apple, Spotify
52 min
April 24, 2023 Florida's Unconquered: The Miccosukee Stand in the Everglades
Everglades, Florida. To my knowledge, only one Native American tribe in history has never surrendered or capitulated to the U.S. government. The Seminole tribe of Florida, most specifically one Seminole tribe, the Mickezuki Indians, settled in the Everglades and held out until 1962, until they were legally acknowledged as a sovereign domestic dependent nation by the United States government.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Everglades 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 106 | Hometown History | Hosted by Shane Waters
If you liked this: Episode 154 (Homestead, Florida)
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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
27 min
April 17, 2023 Bristol: The Twin Towns That Birthed Country Music
Bristol, Tennessee. Last month I was driving through a small downtown in northeastern Tennessee and realized that my two left tires were directly on top of the state line. On my right side was still Tennessee, but on my left side was the state of Virginia. The yellow line was the borderline. It occurred to me that these shop owners on opposite side of the street were not only in two different states, but subject to different laws and taxation.
WHY THIS MATTERS
The story of Bristol 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 105 | 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

Advertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy
35 min

About Hometown History

From the publisher's feed

Discover forgotten stories from small-town America that never made it into history books. Hometown History is the podcast uncovering hidden American history—overlooked events, local mysteries, and…