Weird Island

Out in Foster, Rhode Island a ghost is rumored to haunt the place of his death. A factory that once stood along the Ponaganset river. And his presence has been noted so often and for so long in this place that it actually became Rhode Island’s only officially documented Haunted location.

To Visit: In the woods off Route 6 and Ramtail Road, Foster, RI

WARNING: This episode includes talk of death and suicide. Please take care when listening. 

Episode Source Material:

• Thomas D'Agostino, Rhode Island's Haunted Ramtail Factory
• Nehgs
• History of Providence County, Vol I & II
• National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination Form 1. Name 3. Classification 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Leg
• The History of Horror: How Ghost Stories Have Evolved
• Ramtail Factory, Foster, Rhode Island (Haunted Place)
• Freaky Friday: Peleg Walker and Foster's haunted mill
• Haunted RI: The Legends of Dolly Cole   

Come meet me! I’ll be telling stories at the Cumberland Library on Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30PM. Check out this mini episode to learn the unique history of the Cumberland Library and its past life as a Trappist Monastery. 

Event Details: 

Wednesday, October 20th at 6:30PM

Cumberland Public Library, 1464 Diamond Hill Rd, Cumberland, RI 02864

• Weird Island: A Night of True Tales about Our Little State - Cumberland Public Library, 2021-10-20  
• Weird Island Live at Cumberland Library Oct. 20 | Libraries | valleybreeze.com

Episode Source Material: 

• Monastery History
• Cistercians
• Our Lady of the Valley 1900-1950 | Saint Joseph's Abbey
• What's the Story Behind the Cumberland Monastery?
• Trappist | Definition, Monks, History, Beer, & Facts
• ORDERS OF CATHOLIC MONKS AND NUNS: BENEDICTINES, DOMINICANS AND OTHERS
• 6 Catholic Orders that Shaped Monasticism - Ascension Press Media
• Trappists

Belcourt Castle, the third biggest mansion in Newport, was built as a bachelor pad for Oliver Belmont and his many horses. Over the years, it developed a reputation for its paranormal activity. 

To Visit: 657 Bellevue Ave, Newport, RI 02840 - Tours on Weekends

Episode Source Material: 

• Belcourt of Newport
• Ghost Hunters Investigate Newport's Belcourt Castle
• 'Ghosts of Belcourt Castle' - News - The Newport Daily News - Newport, RI
• Belcourt Castle – Haunted Houses
• The Ghosts Of Belcourt Castle - PDF Free Download
• Benny Collin
• Belcourt of Newport - Wikipedia
• Oliver Belmont - Wikipedia
• Haunted no more? - Entertainment - The Newport Daily News - Newport, RI
• Belcourt Castle in Newport Gets a Face-Lift
• Class and Leisure at America's First Resort: Newport, Rhode Island, 1870-1914
• THE BELMONT BOYS AND GIRLS PART 2: Their 3 Sons, (and a Daughter!) —
• belcourtcastle
• The Weird World of ‘Haunted’ eBay: ‘Purchase With Caution’ (Published 2019)
• Belcourt Castle in Newport Gets a Face-Lift
• The New York Social Season – Edwardian Promenade
• Memories of Belcourt Castle with Harle Tinney

Don't just listen, see inside Barnaby Castle yourself at this years HALLOWEEN PARTY! Tickets at: http://www.kaitlyn-alyece-events.com/barnaby-castle  

Last week we explored the story of Barnaby Castle and the first person convicted of committing murder via the mail. This week, we’ll dive deeper into that murder mystery and ask, what if the man who was convicted didn’t do it? 

Plus, hear from one of the tenants living in Barnaby Castle about what it’s like to live in such a unique historical building.

Episode Source Material: 

• "A revolting transaction": Conrad, Barnaby: 9780877955344
• American State Trials - Volume 13 - 1921
• Extravagant Barnaby's Castle and Murder Most Foul - Online Review of Rhode Island History
• Happy New Year… in April? – The Rhode Island Historical Society
• COLONEL JOHN HOWARD CONRAD: CONRAD CITY NEVER FULFILLED HIS EXPECTATIONS by Jane Gaffin (This article originally ap
• THE BARNABY MURDER. — San Francisco Call 10 May 1891 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
• Why do Females and Males Have Different Handwriting Styles? | SiOWfa16: Science in Our World: Certainty and Controversy
• Men and women differ in the neural basis of handwriting
• Barnaby Castle
• Barnaby Castle – Doors Open RI
• Jerothmul B. Barnaby House
• J. B. Barnaby Obit - September 19, 1889
• New York Times - April 2, 1877 - General Notes
• Dr. T. Thatcher Graves and The Rhode Island Mail Order Murder
• The Bangor Mystery.
• Oklahoma Bar Journal - October 10, 2009 - Volume 80
• Death in The Mail. A Narrative of The Murder of a Wealthy Widow and The Trial and Conviction of The Assassin,… by Martin C Day - First Edition - 1892 - from Michael Laird Rare Books LLC (SKU: 3533)
• New York Times - December 18, 1884 - Wedding Notice Conrad-Barnaby
• New York Times - May 3, 1891 - The Barnaby Murder Mystery - No clue yet to the person who sent the poisoned liquid
• THE BARNABY MURDER. — San Francisco Call 10 May 1891 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
• New York Times - January 5, 1892 - The News in Providence
• Mower County Transcript - January 6, 1892
• New York Times - April 18, 1892 - Dr. Graves Wants a New Trial
• Herald Democrat - August 7, 1892
• New York Times - January 18, 1893 - New Trial for Dr. Graves
• New York Times - February 8, 1893 - Dr. Graves Surrendered. His Counsel Determined to Force a New Trial at Once
• Page 6 — Indiana State Sentinel 6 September 1893
• Page 5 — Pontiac Gazette (1877) 8 September 1893 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection

Barnaby Castle, on Broadway in Providence, is this unusual looking building designed to suit its original owner, this larger-than-life personality and self-made millionaire named Jerothmul Bowers Barnaby. But while the story of J.B. Barnaby is interesting enough on its own, it’s actually his death that launches the most fascinating and odd part of this story - because his death set off a series of events that resulted in the very first murder committed via the mail. 

Don't just listen, see Barnaby Castle yourself at this years HALLOWEEN PARTY! Tickets at: http://www.kaitlyn-alyece-events.com/barnaby-castle

Episode Source Material: 

• Barnaby Castle
• "A revolting transaction": Conrad, Barnaby: 9780877955344
• Extravagant Barnaby's Castle and Murder Most Foul - Online Review of Rhode Island History
• Barnaby Castle – Doors Open RI
• Jerothmul B. Barnaby House
• Happy New Year… in April? – The Rhode Island Historical Society
• J. B. Barnaby Obit - September 19, 1889
• New York Times - April 2, 1877 - General Notes
• Dr. T. Thatcher Graves and The Rhode Island Mail Order Murder
• The Bangor Mystery.
• Oklahoma Bar Journal - October 10, 2009 - Volume 80
• Death in The Mail. A Narrative of The Murder of a Wealthy Widow and The Trial and Conviction of The Assassin,… by Martin C Day - First Edition - 1892 - from Michael Laird Rare Books LLC (SKU: 3533)
• New York Times - December 18, 1884 - Wedding Notice Conrad-Barnaby
• New York Times - May 3, 1891 - The Barnaby Murder Mystery - No clue yet to the person who sent the poisoned liquid
• THE BARNABY MURDER. — San Francisco Call 10 May 1891 — California Digital Newspaper Collection
• New York Times - January 5, 1892 - The News in Providence
• Mower County Transcript - January 6, 1892
• New York Times - April 18, 1892 - Dr. Graves Wants a New Trial
• Herald Democrat - August 7, 1892
• New York Times - January 18, 1893 - New Trial for Dr. Graves
• New York Times - February 8, 1893 - Dr. Graves Surrendered. His Counsel Determined to Force a New Trial at Once
• Page 6 — Indiana State Sentinel 6 September 1893
• Page 5 — Pontiac Gazette (1877) 8 September 1893 — Digital Michigan Newspapers Collection
• American State Trials - Volume 13 - 1921

Pawtucket has it’s very own, tiny little “Walk of Fame” that Roadside America has dubbed “either the saddest or most optimistic Hollywood Walk of Fame.”

I've got a Live Episode coming up on Monday, September 20th at 7:30pm! It's on Zoom, and if you wish to attend please email  [email protected] and the East Greenwich Historic Preservation Society will send you the Zoom link!

Episode Source Material: 

• Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Pawtucket, RI - Hollywood Walk of Fame
• Woody Allen's handprints on RI walk of fame
• Woody Allen Summer Project
• DOWNTOWN PAWTUCKET HISTORIC WALKING TOUR 1
• American Buffalo (film)
• American Buffalo
• • Movie genres by average box office revenue in North America 1995-2021
• Domestic Yearly Box Office
• American Buffalo Summary
• American Buffalo movie review (1996)
• Michael Corrente
• Woody Allen
• Irrational Man Filming Locations – Rhode Island, Newport, Providence And More
• Irrational Man (film)
• Irrational Man movie review & film summary (2015)
• History of the Walk of Fame
• Hollywood Walk of Fame | Explore
• stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• American Buffalo (1996) - Financial Information

In 2013, singer Taylor Swift showed up in Rhode Island with $17.7MM in cash and purchased a summer home called High Watch. Then, she wrote a song about it (see: “the last great american dynasty”). This is the real history behind Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island home. 

Episode Source Material: 

• Holiday House (Watch Hill)
• The Outrageous Life of Rebekah Harkness, Taylor Swift’s High-Society Muse
• The story of Rebekah Harkness is way more complicated than Taylor Swift lets on
• Who is Rebekah Harkness and Why is She the Star of Taylor Swift's 'The Last Great American Dynasty'?
• Rebekah Harkness, the Scorned Socialite of Watch Hill, RI
• Taylor Swift's new album tells a tale about a St. Louis-born oil heiress
• Clambakes and superior sunbaking at Rhode island's historic beach hangout.
• 'IS THERE A CHIC WAY TO GO?'
• A LIFE OF FLAMBOYANT DESPERATION
• REBEKAH WEST HARKNESS, 67, PATRON OF DANCE AND MEDICINE (Published 1982)
• Jolfrey Ballet Cuts 2‐Year Tie With Rebekah Harkness Fund; Leader of Troupe Rejects ‘Ultimatum’ to Name It After Foundation and ‘Vague Assurances’on Control (Published 1964)
• William Harkness Marries Mrs. Pierce
• Harkness, Rebekah West
• Standard Oil
• Who Is Rebekah Harkness, Star of Taylor Swift's 'The Last Great American Dynasty'?
• Joffrey Ballet
• The Last Great American Hideaway: A Brief History of Taylor Swift's Rhode Island Feud
• Taylor Swift's Homes All Over the US Valued at More Than $81 Million
• Watch Hill, Rhode Island
• WATCH HILL TO POINT JUDITH: 20 MILES OF SUMMER FUN (Published 1981)
• Taylor Swift House on the Hill | Watch Hill, RI - Rhode Island
• Folklore (Taylor Swift album)

In the entrance of the Rhode Island state house there is a cannon with a cannonball stuck in its muzzle. And for 100 years, no one checked to see if that cannon was filled with explosive gunpowder. 

To Visit: Rhode Island State House | 82 Smith St, Providence, RI 02903

Episode Source Material: 

• Our Story: The Lives and Legacy of Those Who Served in Battery B First Rhode Island Light Artillery
• On the Gettysburg anniversary, a cannon in R.I. has a story to tell
• First Floor - Rhode Island - Nellie M. Gorbea
• The Gettysburg Gun
• Civil War monument to Battery B 1st Rhode Island Artillery at Gettysburg
• Battle of Gettysburg - Wikipedia
• Pickett's Charge Facts
• Artillery in the Civil War
• 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery, Battery B
• William Jones, 1st Rhode Island Light Artillery – Killed at Gettysburg

Some people spend months or years trying to visit the highest point in every state. Rhode Island’s is Jerimoth Hill, and it’s the 5th lowest highest point in the U.S. But if you think that means it’s always been easy to get to, think again. 

To Visit: The trailhead is right on Route 101/Hartford Pike, approximately 0.8 miles east of the Connecticut state line. Parking is across the road from the trailhead. Be careful crossing Rt.101/Hartford Pike.

Episode Source Material: 

• Highest Elevation Points in The United States
• Visual The Highest and Lowest Elevation of Every US State
• US Lowpoint Guide
• Reaching the Highest and Lowest Point in Every State
• Highest point in Delaware | The Delaware Geological Survey
• 50 Completers
• Highpointing
• 4 Responses to Unofficial List of Highpointing Records
• The Effort Scale of Highpointing the Fifty US States : Articles
• 1 Response to The Birth of the Highpointers Club
• Jerimoth Hill
• ABQjournal: Why RI's Jerimoth Hill Is Nation's Toughest Summit
• Jeopardy Champ Ken Jennings Finds the Highest Point in…Rhode Island?

Precious Blood Cemetery in Woonsocket is one of Rhode Island’s most haunted cemeteries, after a natural disaster left spirits searching for their loved ones--and even their own body parts! In addition to its paranormal activity, this cemetery features interesting graves, including that of Marie Rose Ferron, America’s first stigmatic. 

Episode Source Material

• Precious Blood Cemetery – Woonsocket, Rhode Island
• Precious Blood Cemetery
• Rose Ferron Foundation of Rhode Island - Woonsocket, RI
• Precious Blood Cemetery & Aram Pothier Mausoleum – Blackstone Valley Tourism
• Precious Blood Cemetery, Woonsocket, RI | lostinnewenglanddotcom
• Precious Blood Cemetery | Woonsocket, RI April 2nd, 2015 Som…
• FRENCH AND BELGIAN
• Creepy EVP's Heard while Investigating Precious Blood Cemetery | Haunted Adventures
• Haunted Cemeteries of Rhode Island
• Haunted places around the world: Visit -- if you dare! | CNN Travel
• Rhode Island Historical Cemeteries - Cemetery Details
• L'Eglise du Precieux Sang
• Gov. Aram Pothier
• Mayor Aram Pothier
• Hurricane Diane - August 15-19, 1955
• Worst Hurricanes in New England History
• Hurricane Diane, 1st $1 Billion Hurricane, Wallops New England in 1955
• Preserving the legacy of Rhode Island's historical cemeteries
• World War II State Park History
• Dam Breaks, Soaks Rhode Island Area | NY Times