In the final installment of the “Identity” series, we move the story of the first LGBTQ+ bar in Vermont, Andrews Inn, into the present day. Though the bar closed its doors in 1984, its legacy was broad and deep for the community of Bellows Falls, affecting lives in the village today and in ways many of us may not even be aware of.

*Post production correction: the late Gary Smith was responsible for opening, developing and running Popolo Restaurant in the Hotel Windham building, not the Windham Development Group.

Acknowledgements:

Segment Participants:
Michael Bruno
Kate Buckman
Adam Gearhart
Jon Midura

Interviewees:
Remy Walker
Alain Martinez
Jeremy Youst
Thom Herman

Special Thanks:
HB Lozito, Out In the Open: for giving us permission to use clips from their *audio
clips from their 2017 Andrews Inn Oral History Project and for acting as a sounding board for the
concept of this show and reading through the scripts for content and tone. For more information
about OITO, check out their website, www.weareoutintheopen.org.

Mike Smith and Marty Gallagher of Fact 8 TV: for the use of the audio clips from their
documentary, “Call to Duty: Terry Brown and Dana Fuller”.

Remy Walker and Alain Martinez at Wunderbar, for hosting our interview.

Music and Sound Effects: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC
George’s Sandbox- Magnus Ludvisson
In the Spirit of Cannes - The Flax
Some Autumn; His Old Lover - Leimoti
Something to Someone - Bireli Snow
Happy Minor Waltz - Franz Gordon
Bobby Swing - Bladverk Band
Morning Dew - Heath Cantu

PREL Dron 16; 57; 80

Photos:
Gail Golec

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The Secret Life of Death Podcast
Facebook and Instagram

At the end of 1982, Andrews Inn had been sent reeling from the set-up and raid by authorities and their business struggled in its aftermath. But 1982 was also the year that AIDS broke into the public consciousness, also affecting business. Not much has been said about both topics in the last 40 years, which makes you think about what stories get told and what stories do not - and why that might be.

Acknowledgements:

Segment Participants:
Kate Butt

Interviewees:
Florence Golec
Jeremy Youst
Thom Herman
Fletcher Proctor
Sheila Glover

Special Thanks:
HB Lozito, Out In the Open: for giving us permission to use clips from their *audio
clips from their 2017 Andrews Inn Oral History Project and for acting as a sounding board for the
concept of this show and reading through the scripts for content and tone. For more information
about OITO, check out their website, www.weareoutintheopen.org.

Music and Sound Effects: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC
George’s Sandbox- Magnus Ludvisson
In the Spirit of Cannes - The Flax
Some Autumn; His Old Lover - Leimoti
Something to Someone - Bireli Snow
Happy Minor Waltz - Franz Gordon
Bobby Swing - Bladverk Band
Morning Dew - Heath Cantu

PREL Dron 16; 57; 80

Photos:
Sheila Glover
UVM Historic Photo Archive
Library of Congress
Florence Golec

Follow us on the social medias!
The Secret Life of Death Podcast
Facebook and Instagram

After the sale of Andrews Inn to gay couple, Thom Herman and Jeremy Youst (1979) went through and some of the fervor of the anti-gay protest march that took place in its wake had died down, life got on in Bellows Falls. The Inn, its owners, staff and patrons had forged a mostly civil and at times, fruitful and supportive relationship with the town. But in 1982 - things began to change.

Acknowledgements:

Interviewees:
Kate Buckman
Fletcher Proctor
Florence Golec
Jeremy Youst
Thom Herman
Kathy MacDonald
Sheila Glover

Special Thanks:
HB Lozito, Out In the Open: for giving us permission to use clips from their *audio
clips from their 2017 Andrews Inn Oral History Project and for acting as a sounding board for the
concept of this show and reading through the scripts for content and tone. For more information
about OITO, check out their website, www.weareoutintheopen.org.

Music and Sound Effects: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC
George’s Sandbox- Magnus Ludvisson
In the Spirit of Cannes - The Flax
Some Autumn; His Old Lover - Leimoti
Something to Someone - Bireli Snow
Happy Minor Waltz - Franz Gordon
Bobby Swing - Bladverk Band
Morning Dew - Heath Cantu

PREL Dron 16; 57; 80

Photos:
Brattleboro Reformer

Follow us on the social medias!
The Secret Life of Death Podcast
Facebook and Instagram

By 1979, Andrews Inn, now operating as a “gay nightclub” as well as a sit down restaurant and bar was doing well and though locals didn’t always understand and weren’t always happy about the LGBTQ+ crowd it attracted, they were inclined to leave well enough alone. That year, the Moisis family were looking for buyers and found some: Thom Herman and Jeremy Youst, an openly gay couple. Openly gay business owners was a first for this town and it wasn’t clear how people would respond.

Radical social change doesn’t happen in places like Bellows Falls, VT, does it?….or does it?

Acknowledgements:

Segment Participants:
Kate Buckman
Jon Midura
Myles Mickle
Michael Bruno
Adam Gearhart

Interviewees:
Ain Gordon
Jeremy Youst*
Thom Herman*

Special Thanks:
HB Lozito, Out In the Open: for giving us permission to use clips from their *audio
clips from their 2017 Andrews Inn Oral History Project and for acting as a sounding board for the
concept of this show and reading through the scripts for content and tone. For more information
about OITO, check out their website, www.weareoutintheopen.org.

Alan and Pat Fowler, owners of the Hotel Windham

Music and Sound Effects: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC
George’s Sandbox- Magnus Ludvisson
In the Spirit of Cannes - The Flax
Some Autumn; His Old Lover - Leimoti
Something to Someone - Bireli Snow
Happy Minor Waltz - Franz Gordon
Bobby Swing - Bladverk Band
Morning Dew - Heath Cantu

PREL Dron 16; 57; 80

Photos:
Kate Buckman
Blueboy
Brattleboro Reformer

Follow us on the social medias!
The Secret Life of Death Podcast
Facebook and Instagram

In 1973, the Moisis Family of Bellows Falls, VT bought the historic Hotel Windham building in the downtown, cleaned it up, refurbished it and opened a nice, sit down restaurant with the look and feel of the town’s former 19th century glory. But this fine dining experience didn’t seem to fly in this burned out, blue collar old mill town. So the family found a clientele that would be interested in the good food, dancing and socializing they were offering ...

Acknowledgements:

Segment Participants:
Kate Buckman
Jon Midura
Myles Mickle
Michael Bruno

Interviewee:
John Moisis*

Special Thanks:
HB Lozito, Out In the Open: for giving us permission to use clips from their *audio
clips from their 2017 Andrews Inn Oral History Project and for acting as a sounding board for the
concept of this show and reading through the scripts for content and tone. For more information
about OITO, check out their website, www.weareoutintheopen.org.

Music and Sound Effects: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC
George’s Sandbox- Magnus Ludvisson
In the Spirit of Cannes - The Flax
Some Autumn; His Old Lover - Leimoti
Something to Someone - Bireli Snow
Happy Minor Waltz - Franz Gordon
Bobby Swing - Bladverk Band

PREL Dron 16; 80

Photos:
Rockingham Free Public Library
Brattleboro Reformer
Gay Country News

Follow us on the social medias!
The Secret Life of Death Podcast
Facebook and Instagram

After how many years??? Finally!

Part 1 of 6, the "Identity" series explores the history of Andrews Inn, the first and at the time, the only gay bar in the state of Vermont (1973-1984). We begin with a discussion about why is knowing this little slice of LGBTQ+ history so important.

Acknowledgements:

Segment Participants:
Alan Fowler
Kate Buckman
Jon Midura
Myles Mickle
Michael Bruno
Interviewees:
Florence Golec
Kate Butt
Kelly Michaelson

Special Thanks:
Alan and Pat Fowler, owners of the Hotel Windham: for letting us look around the Hotel

HB Lozito and Eva Westheimer, Out In the Open: for giving us permission to use clips from their audio
clips from their 2017 Andrews Inn Oral History Project and for acting as a sounding board for the
concept of this show and reading through the scripts for content and tone. For more information
about OITO, check out their website, www.weareoutintheopen.org.

Music and Sound Effects: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC

Photos:
Gail Golec
Kate Buckman
Rockingham Free Public Library

Follow us on the social medias!
The Secret Life of Death Podcast
Facebook and Instagram

Here at TSLOD, we are excited to announce a new podcast collaboration with Caitlin Abrams (of TikTok cemetery fame with her fantastic gravestone cleaning/story telling videos as Manicpixiemom). I interviewed Caitlin last summer (Episode 9: Taphosphere) and frankly, we hit it off! Caitlin and I both cover cemeteries but in different ways, so we had the idea to join forces (like Superman and Batman in the Justice League) and do a little spin-off show of our own (like Joanie Loves Cha-chi spun off of Happy Days - except our show would be good …woof!)

Caitlin and I will be discussing some of the stories about historic crime and such that we’ve come across while doing our respective research projects in this new series we’re calling TSLOD Presents: True Crimes from Olden Times.

In this first episode, we’ll be talking about the 1913 double murder of Walter and Katherine Nichols in West Guilford, VT. We’ll get into the details about the crime, its effect on the local community and of course, we’ll be talking about cemeteries and the gravestones of the Nichols and that of the person who murdered them.

Acknowledgements:

Music and Sound Effects: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC
Park Avenue Stroll by The New Fools
When the Sun Shines by Golden Age Radio

Photos:
Gail Golec
Gail Lynde
Brattleboro Daily Reformer

Follow us on the social medias!
The Secret Life of Death Podcast
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
Caitlin Abrams
TikTok, Instagram

Taphophiles are a very niche group of enthusiasts. And so, it stands to reason that podcasts that cater to a niche market are even more nichey. That’s okay. The little gang of cemetery podcasters out there feels warm and homey, even if we’re generally dealing with dead people.

Normally, dealing with dead people all day would be a fine thing but at the end of the past two pandemic-stricken years, even I am looking to have more interactions with the live variety of human. And what better way to bridge these two lands of cemetery podcasting and wanting to talk to a real person than to talk to a cemetery podcaster? So neat and tidy.

Episode 10: Neighborhood is an interview I did with fellow cemetery podcaster, Liz Clappin from TOMB WITH A VIEW PODCAST. We had a great time talking together - Liz is an urban planner for the city of Altanta, GA and takes her knowledge about culture, history and cemetery issues into the streets, if you will. She has some really interesting ideas about how to incorporate cemeteries into a modern and growing city as well as how to utilize historic burying grounds to revililize existing communities.

This episode is about making connections in this world - between cemetery podcasters; between communities and their history; and between the modern world and the world yet to come. We don’t have to repeat the mistakes of the past - and Liz has some ideas that could save us all.

Special Thanks for this Episode:
Interviewee: Liz Clappin of TOMB WITH A VIEW PODCAST
Follow Liz’s work on Instagram @tombwithaviewpodcast
Music: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound, LLC
Playful Mischief by Josef Falkenskold
A Touch of You by Oakwood Station
In the Spirit of Cannes by The Flax
Bobby Swing by Baldverk

Sound Effect: PREL Drone 16
Wind Chimes 16

Taking a break on the finishing touches on Episode 8: Identity to round out the year, with a new show, Episode 9: Taphosphere! This one is F.U.N!

When I met cemetery internet sensation, Caitlin Abrams, for the first time this fall, I felt like I had known her forever. We “knew” each other, as only two people who share and interest boarding on obsession can - our shared love of historic New England cemeteries unknowingly connected us through the ether - this world of like-minded cemetery weirdos that I call the “TAPHOSPHERE”.

Caitlin has taken the world by storm with her videos of cleaning historic gravestones throughout VT and eastern NY, while telling the stories of the people in those graves (her work can be found on TikTok @Manicpixiemom and Instagram @stonedinnewengland).

In September of 2021, she was kind enough to show me some of her cleaning work at the Old Pawlet Cemetery in Pawlet, VT and the two of us gabbed and jabbered away about all things cemetery! And we made some very interesting connections between some gravestones I had seen over in NH to what we saw in the Old Pawlet Cemetery — Caitlin is going to be making some TikTok videos describing what we discovered! [CROSSOVER ALERT!!!] You can find a teaser for Caitlin’s upcoming videos about HERE and more to come after the new year.

Just some notes about the episode:
—if you’ve ever wanted to be a fly on the wall while two weirdos nerd-out over something they both really like, this conversation
between two new/old friends about cemeteries, is for you!
—Caitlin often refers to “VOCA” doing work in the Old Pawlet cemetery: VOCA stands for the Vermont Old Cemetery Association, a
volunteer group that encourages the preservation and restoration of Vermont’s cemeteries. For more information about the group,
please check-out VOCA’s website.
—the cleaning chemical Caitlin refers to is called “D/2” and it is a “biological solution” this is, as Caitlin says in our conversation the
“gold standard for safe gravestone cleaning”.

For those of you who would like to know more about Caitlin Abrams work, she’s done a number of interviews with professional news outlets (I prefer to keep my “amature” status so that I may one day compete in the News Outlet Olympics) that you can listen to here:
Vermont Public Radio (VPR)
Insider.com
WCAX TV
VICE Channel

Special Thanks for this Episode:
Interviewee: Caitlin Abrams
Follow Caitlin’s work on TikTok @Manicpixiemom and Instagram @stonedinnewengland
Photos: Gail Golec
Music: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound
“Only the Wise Know” by Headlund
“Evening Song”
“In the Spirit of Cannes” by The Flax
“Bobby Swing” by Bladverk

Turns out, in the process of podcastery, a lot of extra audio material gets left of the cutting room floor, so I’ve taken some of that extra stuff and cut together another “teaser”/”pre-show” show.

So come along and visit the Weybridge Hill Cemetery with me and TSLoD cemetery adventure team (CAT) as we explore the grave sites of Charity Bryant and Sylvia Drake. Charity and Sylvia were a same sex couple who lived together in Weybridge, VT between 1809-1851.

Side note: we’re in the final stages of production for the upcoming, long awaited and long suffering TSLoD Episode 8: Identity series - about Andrews Inn, the first gay hotel/bar in the state of Vermont (1974-1982). This series is slated to come out this fall, so please stay tuned.

Special Thanks for this Teaser:
Cemetery Adventure Team: Kate Butt, Kelly Michaelson, River the Dog
Photos: Gail Golec and Kelly Michaelson

Music: provided with permission by Epidemic Sound
“In the Spirit of Cannes” by The Flax
“Only the Wise Know” by Headlund
“Outward Bound”
“Evening Song”
“Brother’s Magic”
“Bobby Swing” by Bladverk
“A Touch of You” by Oakwood Station