Laura Keene: Actress, Entrepreneur, and Comforter - Episode 61

British actress Laura Keene came to America around 1850, and established herself, first as a capable entrepreneur, and second as an admired actress.  When she leased Baltimore’s Charles Street Theater in 1853, she became the first woman in America to manage a theatrical business, and in 1856, she opened her own venue, the Laura Keene Theater in New York.In 1858, a play titled Our American Cousin, opened to rave reviews at Laura Keene’s Theater, and enjoyed a long run in New York, Philadelphia, and other cities – and in April, 1865 it opened at Ford’s Theater in Washington, D.C.Well, you know what happened next.  President and Mrs. Lincoln attended the play where he was assassinated by John Wilkes Booth – but there is something else that happened that you aren’t likely aware of – for which Laura Keene was once again a leading lady.

Stories from History’s Dust Bin is a 3-volume set of historical short stories.  These are the nuggets of gold that had fallen by the wayside… the little known and unusual.  Many of these gems were destined to be forever lost until they were collected, dusted off and brought back to life by author Wayne Winterton.

Each podcast episode features one of over 450 short stories from either Winterton’s Award-Winning Stories from Dust Bin series* or the companion volume, From Ace to Zamboni: 101 More Dust Bin Stories, as narrated by either the author or his son, William, or daughter, Jana.

If you enjoy today’s episode, please leave us 5 stars and a glowing review on iTunes!  And if you don’t want to wait a whole week to hear another story from the Dust Bin, consider picking up the books on Amazon (either downloadable or good ol’ fashioned ink and paper).

The Entire History’s Dust Bin Collection Is Available On Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bDrip4