Hometown History

Ever wondered about the incredible stories hiding in your own hometown? The events too small for textbooks but too fascinating to forget? , the podcast that uncovers forgotten local American history from across the country.

Each week, host Shane Waters digs into overlooked events, extraordinary people, and wild stories from small towns and big cities alike. These aren't the history lessons you learned in school. These are the surprising, strange, and unforgettable tales that shaped communities, and disappeared from memory.

If you love true stories, local mysteries, and discovering the hidden history right in your backyard, this is your new favorite podcast.

Subscribe now to Hometown History and start exploring America's forgotten past, one hometown at a time.

Show Notes: About Hometown History:

• Uncover forgotten local American history from across the country
• New episodes exploring surprising small-town stories
• True historical events you won't find in textbooks
• Hosted by Shane Waters

What to Expect:

• 20-minute deep dives into overlooked local events
• Fascinating stories from every state and region
• Carefully researched, conversationally told
• History that's surprising, strange, and unforgettable

Tags: hometown history, local history podcast, American history, forgotten history, true stories, small town history, local history stories, historical podcast, community history, regional history, hidden history, documentary podcast

Category: History

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

When most people think of America's national parks, they imagine breathtaking landscapes, the towering cliffs of Yosemite, the geysers of Yellowstone, the misty valleys of the Great Smoky Mountains. But behind every protected vista lies a political battle, and in this special episode, Shane sits down with Will and Jim Patis, founders of More Than Just Parks, to explore the untold story of the presidents who fought to preserve these landscapes for future generations, and the personal experiences that shaped their conservation legacies.

The conversation spans more than a century of environmental history, from Theodore Roosevelt's transformative years as a Dakota rancher to Jimmy Carter's politically risky stand to protect 150 million acres of Alaskan wilderness. Will and Jim reveal surprising details about these conservation champions, including both Roosevelts' shared passion for birding from childhood and Carter's willingness to sacrifice his presidency to do what he believed was right for America's wild places. The episode also tackles the Hetch Hetchy controversy, the only time in American history that a national park was dammed, and what that 1913 battle taught us about preserving nature versus exploiting it.

But this isn't just a history lesson. Will and Jim also provide practical advice for modern park visitors, from the most underrated national parks (Voyageurs in Minnesota offers the best Northern Lights displays in the continental U.S.) to strategies for avoiding crowds at popular destinations like the Great Smoky Mountains, which welcomes over 12 million visitors annually. They discuss how recent overcrowding challenges reflect Americans falling back in love with their parks and why that's ultimately better than the alternative of apathy and exploitation.

The episode highlights three key conservation presidents who shaped the national park system: Theodore Roosevelt, who created the U.S. Forest Service in 1905 and established five new national parks; Franklin D. Roosevelt, whose birding expertise from childhood informed his creation of 140 wildlife refuges and 29 national forests; and Jimmy Carter, whose Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) doubled the size of the entire National Park System in 1980. Carter's conservation legacy, often overshadowed by his single presidential term, may prove to be his most enduring achievement as climate change makes preserved wilderness increasingly precious.

Whether you're planning your first national park adventure or you're a seasoned visitor looking for hidden gems, this conversation offers both inspiration and practical guidance. Will and Jim's passion for these protected landscapes is contagious, and their website, More Than Just Parks, has been called home to "the most beautiful videos of America you'll ever watch." This episode reminds us that national parks aren't just tourist destinations, they're living monuments to leaders who had the courage to think beyond their political careers and preserve beauty for generations they'd never meet.

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

Fountain City, Indiana. Before we jump back into the story of Levi and Catherine Coffin, the so-called president and first lady of the Underground Railroad, I thought it'd be helpful to review some of the code words common to the movement. Most of these will be intuitive once you get the hang of the railroad theme. Tracks were simply the routes abolitionists used to move the slaves north. Stations or depots were hiding places or homes where runaways might stay. Conductors were guides and hosts, like the coffins.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 75 | 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

Fountain City, Indiana. So, Levi is confused at his young age because at the age of seven, he's thinking, wait a minute, these men have been taken from their families? All these thoughts are going through his head, and he's wondering, what did these men do that were so bad? And his father's, I'm sure, explaining to him they didn't deserve anything for this. They're enslaved, and legally, they have no choice. They're never going to see their families again. And he says, from that age on, I was an abolitionist.

TIMELINE

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 74 | 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

Nashville, Tennessee. The tomb was vandalized in 2018. It was the only time in 130 some years that had ever happened. Fortunately, there was no structural damage to it, but it was spray paint. Tennessee limestone just drinks up spray paint. So we had to bring out a laser crew from Sweden. They had to build like a whole wooden structure covering the tomb so that they could use the lasers because they're the kind that will burn your retinas at half a mile. So that was big.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 73 | 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

Nashville, Tennessee. What's the first step in becoming the most powerful man in America? For our seventh president, Andrew Jackson, the first step in his journey to prominence began with the purchase of his first slave. I sat down with Erin Adams, director of education at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, a museum on the premises of the president's former home, to learn more.

TIMELINE

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 72 | 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

Parker's Crossroads, Tennessee. I'd like to introduce one of my favorite voices among anyone I've ever interviewed. Well, my name is Steve McDaniel, and I grew up, I'm seven generations in this community here at what we call Parker's Crossroads. Parker's Crossroads, Tennessee, is a small town of 284 people, but it has a big history.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 71 | 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

Nashville, Tennessee. When you think of ancient Greece, what images pop into your head? You probably think of the Olympics and philosophers like Plato and Socrates. You might think of stories like the Odyssey and the Iliad that you were forced to read in high school. And if you close your eyes and picture one ancient Greek building, I bet you are picturing the Parthenon, the iconic temple complex located on the high rocky hilltop overlooking the city of Athens.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 70 | 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

Memphis, Tennessee. Oh That's the voice of Dewey Phillips, hosting his radio show called Red Hot and Blue on WHBQ, a Memphis station. In the 1950s, more than 100,000 people listened to his primetime slot every day. If you couldn't make out what Dewey was saying, don't feel bad. I had to listen to it a few times myself. But for Memphians of that era, Dewey's frantic and crazed cadence was just part of the experience. Dewey was a very popular radio DJ here in Memphis.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 69 | 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

Memphis, Tennessee. In 2015, musical artist Jack White paid $300,000 for a 78 RPM record at auction. The record was of Elvis Presley singing the songs My Happiness and That's When Your Heartache Begins. It was the first record Elvis ever made. That $300,000 price tag is a far cry from the $4 that Elvis originally paid to make the record at Sun Studio, a place I recently visited. Elvis wanted to hear what his voice sounded like on vinyl, so he sang those popular songs and gave the 78 to his mother as a gift.

WHY THIS MATTERS

Episode 68 | 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