98 Available Episodes (98 Total)Average duration: 00:08:20
Jun 07, 2022
Herb Lore: Why it's okay to eat off the ground in New York City
00:08:43
Most New Yorkers might be a little skeptical about eating something they found on the street — if it’s not from a food cart. But one New Yorker has made it his life’s work to convince his neighbors that nature’s bounty is accessible even in the heart of the city.
May 17, 2022
Herb Lore: How witch hazel made its way into everything
00:07:17
Take a look through your medicine cabinet — from skin cream to body wash and deodorant. Many of these products share an ingredient: witch hazel. And the witch hazel industry has deep roots in the Connecticut River Valley.
Apr 27, 2022
Herb Lore: The nearly 400-year-old fruit tree that keeps giving
00:08:38
The first colonial governor of Massachusetts planted a pear tree in the 1600s. It’s now believed to be the oldest cultivated fruit tree in the Americas.
Mar 22, 2022
LGBTQ Stories: How "Family Week" helped gay families find acceptance
00:05:11
A few LGBTQ families met up on the tip of Cape Cod one summer in the mid '90s. Their fun beach week had a bigger impact than they expected. Family Week — as it’s called — has helped redefine ideas of marriage and family for more than 25 years. And it still takes place every summer in Provincetown, Massachusetts.
Feb 24, 2022
LGBTQ stories: Andy Warhol's unlikely spirituality
00:07:51
One of America’s most beloved artists kept a secret. Andy Warhol — pop artist and gay icon — was also a lifelong Catholic who went to mass regularly at a church in New York City’s Upper East Side.
Feb 04, 2022
LGBTQ stories: The 'Sip-In' paved the way for gay rights
00:06:01
A few years before the Stonewall riots, a protest took place at another New York City gay bar, just about a block away. It didn’t draw as much attention, but in its own way, it was a milestone for gay rights.
Jan 18, 2022
Folk Songs: Opening up traditional music to new audiences
00:05:29
Musician Nicole Singer, the organizer of Youth Traditional Song Weekend, which took place online this month due to the pandemic, is trying to bring young people and non-traditional audiences into folk music.
Dec 16, 2021
Folk Songs: Sea Shanties are the sound of New England's nautical history
00:07:04
Sea shanties have enjoyed some renewed attention on social media. A lot of them have strong ties to New England’s maritime culture and whaling industry.
Nov 23, 2021
Folk Songs: An 'Exceedingly Good' Night of Music
00:07:37
A group singalong has hopped from bar to bar in New York City for years — and in the age of the pandemic, it lives on Zoom. It’s called Exceedingly Good Song Night.
Nov 04, 2021
Folk Songs: A folk dancing camp for the people
00:06:18
There’s a camp in the woods of Massachusetts where traditional styles of folk music and dance from around the world are kept alive. It’s the oldest continuously operated folk dance camp in the United States. It’s called the Pinewoods Camp.
Oct 21, 2021
Beyond Salem: New England's other witch hunts were in Connecticut
00:09:12
At least 11 people were executed for witchcraft in Connecticut. And they’re far less remembered than the victims of Salem.
Sep 30, 2021
Off the Path — Garden State: The Institute Of 'Useless Knowledge'
00:11:03
The Institute for Advanced Study doesn’t have any students or classes. There’s no regular daily agenda full of meetings and conferences. The scholars here don’t even have to research any specific topic.
Sep 15, 2021
Off The Path - Garden State: The House Where Sinatra Still Sings
00:05:26
It’s not unusual to hear music on a boardwalk in New Jersey on a nice summer day. But there’s one house where the music has played all day, every summer, for 20 years.
Aug 26, 2021
Off The Path — Garden State: The Secret Behind the Monopoly Board
00:09:30
How did Atlantic City end up as the inspiration for all those place names in Monopoly — Marvin Gardens, Park Place, the Boardwalk? It’s a tale of race and social conflict you’d never suspect when you sit down to play one of America’s most famous board games.
Aug 13, 2021
Off the Path Revisited: The Love Shack is For Sale
00:07:03
Interested in a kitschy, kooky and cool Catskills motel? How about one previously owned by B-52s singer Kate Pierson? Kate listed her motel for sale this summer. Revisit Davis's 2018 trip to "Kate's Lazy Meadow" and decide if you'd like to visit a real-life Love Shack — or maybe own it outright.
Jul 30, 2021
Off the Path Revisited: America's Favorite Viewing Machine
00:05:22
If you're on the road this summer, you may find yourself looking at a scenic vista through one of those coin-operated viewing machines. You know the ones — binoculars on poles, encased in a metal shell. And if you do, there's a good chance you're looking through a machine assembled in a small factory in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Jul 16, 2021
Off The Path Revisited: ‘The Little Prince’ On Long Island
00:06:47
‘Off the Path’ is taking a summer break, but we’re revisiting a few of our favorite episodes. In 2019, Davis visited Long Island to learn the story of a French classic — ‘The Little Prince’ — written not in France, but on Long Island’s North Shore.
Jun 14, 2021
Off the Path: Revisited — Manhattan's Wild Corner
00:07:11
There’s a place in Manhattan that makes you feel like you just took a trip on the Wayback Machine — to the 1600s, when European settlers first arrived. And you can find it all the way up on the northern tip of Manhattan Island in Inwood Hill Park.
Apr 29, 2021
Off The Path: Breaking The Tiffany Glass Ceiling
00:08:01
Tiffany lampshades — made of leaded glass — are icons of American art. Louis Comfort Tiffany showed them to the public for the first time in the 1890s. It was always assumed Tiffany designed all his lamps. But it took a century to recognize the contributions of the women who designed many of them — thanks to some long-lost letters.
Apr 15, 2021
Off The Path: What's In America's First Cookbook?
00:07:41
The tradition of American cooking can trace its origin to a single cookbook — published less than a decade after the U.S. Constitution. It was the first to present recipes of the new world, instead of just copying English and French dishes. And it’s called — simply — American Cookery.
Mar 25, 2021
Off The Path: Mr. Vanderbilt's Wild Ride
00:08:41
A dashing young heir to one of America’s most famous families had a dream. He loved to race expensive cars, and he wanted a road tailor-made to do it. He built his speedway on Long Island in 1908. It was the first road in the country designed just for cars. He called it the Long Island Motor Parkway — also known as the Vanderbilt Parkway. For more information on the Vanderbilt Cup races and the Long Island Motor Parkway — and to read Vanderbilt's wild speech in its entirety — visit vanderbiltcupraces.com.
Mar 11, 2021
Off The Path: Stars Fell On Connecticut
00:06:19
A meteorite fell from the sky into a field in rural Connecticut more than 200 years ago. It didn’t cause much damage, but it did put American science on the map. And it's preserved at Yale University’s Peabody Museum.
Feb 25, 2021
Off The Path: Why Are So Many Great Authors Buried In Concord, Massachusetts?
00:08:19
Four of America’s greatest authors lived in the same small town in the mid-1800s. Now they're all buried there together, just a few steps away from each other.
Feb 11, 2021
Off The Path: Why Is This Field Full of Rocking Horses?
00:06:04
There’s something weirdly unexpected along a drive down a winding country road in Lincoln, Massachusetts. You round a corner and there, in a field, is a herd of children’s rocking horses. The locals call it Ponyhenge.
Feb 03, 2021
Off The Path: You Could Own Lizzie Borden's House
00:07:02
For sale: a charming New England Bed & Breakfast in Fall River, Massachusetts. Victorian style, three floors, eight bedrooms. A little pricey at $2 million. But it’s a rare find — because it's the site of one of the most gruesome murders in American history.
Jan 21, 2021
Off The Path: How Did A Connecticut Town Take On The Nazis?
00:07:01
American Nazis built dozens of youth camps around the U.S. in the years leading up to World War II. The purpose was to indoctrinate German-American kids into the Nazi ideology. There’s only one place we know of that stood up to them and ran them out of town: Southbury, Connecticut.
Dec 30, 2020
Off The Path: John Oliver vs. Danbury — A Very 2020 Saga
00:07:01
For Off the Path's last episode of 2020, Davis takes us to a place that may be the perfect symbol for the year — a sewage treatment plant in Danbury, Connecticut. This unlikely tourist attraction ended up on the map this year thanks to comedian John Oliver, host of HBO’s Last Week Tonight.
Dec 17, 2020
Off The Path: America's First Pet Cemetery
00:06:09
Thousands of animals — and not just dogs and cats — have their final resting place in the oldest pet cemetery in the United States. It’s a family-owned business, lovingly cared for on a five-acre hillside just outside New York City.
Nov 25, 2020
Off The Path: Weird Atomic Beasts Who Live Off Human Blood! It Came From Stamford.
00:08:51
The 1964 movie "The Horror of Party Beach" has been called one of the worst films of all time. And yet it’s become a cult classic. It was filmed — on a beach — in Stamford, Connecticut.
Nov 02, 2020
Off The Path: Freedom from Fear
00:12:26
The Norman Rockwell museum in Stockbridge, Mass., has welcomed back four old friends. They were touring the country for two years. The “friends” are illustrations called the “Four Freedoms” that Rockwell based on a speech given by President Roosevelt before the US entered World War II. They still hold a lot of resonance today.
Oct 29, 2020
Thrilling Tales of Terror: Why We Love To Be Scared
01:10:05
A headless horseman roams a sleepy hollow. Unearthly sounds echo out of a small mountain in Connecticut. The spirit of a lovesick woman haunts a lake on Long Island, where she lures men to their deaths.
Oct 22, 2020
Off The Path: The Mysterious Moodus Noises
00:09:02
Some of the first European settlers in Connecticut heard mysterious rumblings that came from a small mountain in the town of East Haddam. Those sounds have inspired centuries of spooky tales about witches, ghosts, demons and a mysterious wizard. Davis Dunavin reports as part of the WSHU series Off the Path from New York to Boston.
Oct 10, 2020
Off The Path: Life In The Ruins
00:06:34
There’s an old abandoned hospital on Roosevelt Island in New York City. It was built for smallpox patients in the mid-1800s, but no one's used it for more than half a century. Today, its ruins loom over the southern edge of the island, looking out on the East River. And it’s become a playground for wayward cats.
Sep 17, 2020
Off The Path: Murder on Smuttynose Island
00:09:24
There’s a tiny 27-acre island off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire called Smuttynose Island. The population in 1873 was six. So it shocked the country when two of them were brutally murdered — an event that led to the publication of the book "Mystery on the Isles of Shoals," by J. Dennis Robinson. WSHU’s Davis Dunavin brings us the story as part of the podcast ‘Off the Path from New York to Boston.’ And a caution — this story contains disturbing details about two murders.
Sep 03, 2020
Taylor Swift and the 'Last Great American Dynasty'
00:06:50
Pop star Taylor Swift’s songs often draw from her own life. For her new album, Folklore, Swift turned to a new muse: an eccentric heiress who once owned Swift’s multi-million-dollar beachfront mansion in Watch Hill, Rhode Island. WSHU’s Davis Dunavin brings us the story as part of the podcast Off the Path from New York to Boston.
Aug 14, 2020
LGBTQ Stories: Harlem's 100-year-old drag shows
00:07:27
The oldest drag shows in New York City’s Harlem neighborhood may date back to 1869 — four years after the Civil War and a century before the Stonewall Riots.
Jul 31, 2020
Off the Path Revisited: The Voynich Manuscript
00:07:31
It’s one of the world’s great literary mysteries: a 15th century book full of bizarre illustrations of imaginary plants, astrological signs, surreal figures and landscapes. Its origins are unknown, its creator anonymous. And it’s written entirely in an unknown language that’s stumped the world’s greatest codebreakers.
Jul 03, 2020
Off the Path Revisited: Touro Synagogue
00:07:50
This story first aired in 2018. It was inspired by a line from the Pulitzer Prize-winning musical “Hamilton,” now streaming on Disney Plus. It's a real line from a letter written by George Washington: "Everyone shall sit under their own vine and fig tree and no one shall make them afraid."
Jun 19, 2020
The People's Food, Cooked The Feminist Way
00:06:36
Until we get fully back on the road again, I’m checking in with a few establishments that are a little closer to home. Here's one just down the road from me. Bloodroot is a vegetarian restaurant and feminist bookstore on the banks of Long Island Sound in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
May 29, 2020
Off The Path Revisited: The Elephant Man
00:08:42
Off the Path is slowing down a bit for the summer (as are we all.) In the meantime, we're revisiting some classic stories. This episode originally aired February 1, 2018.
May 08, 2020
A Garden Of Books
00:05:27
I don’t say this lightly – The Book Barn might top my list of all-time favorite establishments.
Apr 17, 2020
Behold The Mechanical Messiah
00:08:23
Thirteen brothers and sisters made up the Hutchinson Family Singers. They toured the United States and Europe. And they drew crowds of thousands of people.
Apr 03, 2020
Be(a)man
00:07:02
Cesar Beman marched and fought with black and white soldiers during the Revolutionary War up and down the Hudson River. But he wasn’t supposed to be there.
Mar 20, 2020
The Man Who Defied Gravity
00:08:59
An economic genius is remembered for predicting the 1929 stock market crash that led to the Great Depression. His last words of wisdom live on – stenciled on a series of boulders in a Massachusetts ghost town.
Feb 28, 2020
A Quirk Of The Map And A Wild Prizefight
00:06:49
Note: The area today known as “Boston Corners” was once known as the singular “Boston Corner” – no “s.” To avoid confusion, this story refers to the area by its contemporary name throughout.
Feb 14, 2020
Drinking The Ale That Never Lets You Grow Old
00:07:01
McSorley’s Old Ale House opened in the 1850s – it’s one of the oldest bars in New York City.
Jan 24, 2020
Searching For The Lost Limner
00:08:25
Travelling portrait painters were common in the 1800s, but many didn’t even sign their work. There are hundreds of these paintings attributed to one artist: a man named Ammi Phillips.
Dec 24, 2019
Yes Virginia, There Still Is A Santa Claus
00:08:31
It’s probably the most reprinted newspaper editorial in American history, written over 120 years ago. Francis P. Church responded to a question from an 8-year-old who wanted to know if Santa Claus was real, writing famously, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus.” And the spirit of the letter lives on in Manhattan’s Upper West Side.
Dec 23, 2019
The Full Story Goes Off The Path: Redux
00:28:27
Davis Dunavin joins The Full Story host Ron Ropiak to talk Dylan, Casablanca and Alice’s Restaurant, plus previews of upcoming stories and more.
Dec 13, 2019
Sherlock Holmes Builds His Dream Castle
00:06:52
William Gillette was one of the most famous stage actors in America in the late 19th and early 20th century. He brought Sherlock Holmes to the theatre. Gillette was an eccentric man with an unusual house – actually, a castle full of theatrical flairs. It towers on a cliff overlooking the Connecticut River.
Nov 22, 2019
You Can Get Anything You Want At Alice's Restaurant
00:08:13
For the Vietnam War generation, one song has become a thanksgiving staple: “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” by Arlo Guthrie, commonly known simply as “Alice’s Restaurant.”
Nov 08, 2019
Hat City, USA!
00:09:15
Danbury, Connecticut, calls itself Hat City, USA. It was the biggest hat manufacturer in America for more than a hundred years. The industry eventually left Danbury, but you can still see bowlers and fedoras on signs and billboards all over its streets. Those hats also left behind another – more complicated – legacy.
Oct 25, 2019
Grave Of The Vampire
00:08:20
There are lots of beautiful historic cemeteries in New England. The oldest headstones date back to the 1600s. Many are faded and mossy. And a few harbor a dark secret. Some people used to believe these were the resting places of the malevolent undead.
Oct 11, 2019
Casablanca In Cambridge
00:08:47
The enduring legacy of Humphrey Bogart – and his most famous film – is deeply entwined with the story of a one-room theater not far from Harvard Square.
Sep 20, 2019
The View That Launched American Art
00:08:24
Two 19th century artists defined American landscape painting. Their art took them all over the world. But they always returned to the mountains and valleys around New York’s Hudson River.
Sep 06, 2019
Emmalyn Rides The Flying Horse
00:07:48
Today’s story idea came from a listener – 7-year-old Emmalyn Paulsson. She wanted to show me her favorite place: Watch Hill in Westerly, Rhode Island, with its famous merry-go-round.
Aug 23, 2019
Nikola Tesla Dreams of Electricity
00:07:18
Nikola Tesla spent years obsessed with a dream to bring wireless communication to the world. He built a laboratory and a huge tower to harness the earth’s energy — but he eventually lost it all — in the village of Shoreham, on Long Island.
Aug 02, 2019
Bob Dylan's First Gig
00:07:39
Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and Jimi Hendrix have something in common – aside from being music legends. They all performed as unknowns on a small stage in a basement club in Greenwich Village.
Jul 30, 2019
A Look Ahead To Season 3
00:04:00
Off the Path host Davis Dunavin speaks with WSHU Morning Edition host Tom Kuser for a sneak preview at some upcoming stories in the next season.
Jul 16, 2019
A Look Back At Season 2's Best Moments
00:04:42
Off the Path host Davis Dunavin speaks with Morning Edition host Tom Kuser about the funniest, weirdest and most poignant moments from season two of the podcast.
Jun 27, 2019
Strawberry Moon
00:04:22
Dozens of indigenous tribes once lived in the Northeast. And there are places that still share their music, storytelling and agricultural traditions. In Washington, Connecticut, a group of native people celebrate the festival of the Strawberry Moon in mid-June.
May 31, 2019
Mark Twain’s Final Gift
00:07:01
Mark Twain lived all over the country – but spent his last years in the small town of Redding, Connecticut. One of his final acts before he died was to set aside a little money to build the Mark Twain Library.
May 17, 2019
The Highest Point In Rhode Island
00:06:42
The highest point in Rhode Island isn’t very high. It’s more like a slight incline. But it was a tricky point to reach for many years. You can find it in a small clearing just off a state road – at a place called Jerimoth Hill.
Apr 26, 2019
Holy Land USA
00:07:09
A 60-foot cross looms on a hilltop above the city of Waterbury, Connecticut. It once welcomed visitors to a popular religious tourist attraction. It was abandoned and decrepit for decades. But there are still people who want to rescue Holy Land, USA.
Apr 12, 2019
The Mystery of Dighton Rock
00:06:45
For centuries, people have tried to translate the markings on a 40-ton boulder found on the banks of a New England river. That rock, with its mysterious message, is now housed in a small museum in Berkley, Massachusetts.
Mar 29, 2019
Crossword Geeks Unite!
00:04:38
Hundreds of crossword puzzle enthusiasts from around the world gather once a year for two days of intense puzzle solving. And it happens in a pretty unassuming place – a Marriott hotel in Stamford, Connecticut.
Mar 22, 2019
Shakespeare's Starlings
00:07:04
An eccentric 19th-century New Yorker had a strange fascination -- he wanted to bring every bird mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays to North America. He was very successful with one of them. A little too successful.
Mar 08, 2019
The Sunken Towns Underneath The Quabbin Reservoir
00:06:57
The ghostly remains of four towns can be found at the bottom of Boston’s drinking supply. The townsfolk were forced to leave in the 1930s when the state of Massachusetts flooded the area to create a reservoir. But there are many who keep alive the memory of the Swift River Valley.
Feb 15, 2019
The Bone Wars
00:07:28
Two 19th century paleontologists spent decades in a bitter feud to find as many new dinosaur species as possible and destroy each other in the process. Their rivalry led to the discovery of many important dinosaur species we know today.
Feb 01, 2019
There Shall Be No Pain
00:07:16
A young dentist in the 1840s is believed to be the first doctor to use nitrous oxide – laughing gas – to dull pain. But the father of anesthesia met a tragic end. His story begins in Hartford, Connecticut, and ends in New York City.
Jan 18, 2019
Manhattan's Wild Corner
00:06:10
There’s a place in Manhattan that makes you feel like you just took a trip on the Wayback Machine – to the 1600s, when European settlers first arrived. And you can find it all the way up on the northern tip of Manhattan Island in Inwood Hill Park.
Jan 09, 2019
The Full Story Goes Off The Path
00:28:27
In this special crossover episode, Davis spends some time with Ron Ropiak, host of WSHU’s The Full Story, to share some of his favorite stories, including the history behind the folk song "Charlie on the MTA," the Connecticut connection to "The Great Gatsby" and the notorious Lizzie Borden's Massachusetts home...that's now a B&B.
Dec 14, 2018
How 'The Little Prince' Landed On Long Island
00:06:47
“The Little Prince” is one of the best-selling books of all time. It was written by a Frenchman, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, and translated into 300 languages since its publication in 1943. But the author didn’t write “Le Petit Prince” in his native France – he wrote it in New York. And there’s a wonderful story about a statue of the Little Prince outside a library on Long Island’s North Shore.
Nov 30, 2018
The World's Smelliest Fruit
00:04:47
The durian is said to be the world’s smelliest fruit. It’s a delicacy in Southeast Asia, but many also find the smell too disgusting – even unbearable. You have to search out places in the U.S. to find durian. On the East Coast, a good bet is New York City’s Chinatown.
Nov 09, 2018
The Story Behind The Iconic American Viewing Machine
00:06:02
You’ve probably seen them – and maybe even dropped in a quarter to look through them at some scenic overlook. They’re at the top of the Empire State Building, next to the Golden Gate Bridge and Niagara Falls. Essentially, they’re binoculars on poles. The factory that’s made them longer than anyone else is in Norwalk, Conn. And its employees crisscross the country to service the machines and collect those quarters.
Oct 26, 2018
Lizzie Borden Took An Axe...
00:07:06
One of the most notorious crimes in American history was memorialized in a grisly playground chant — Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks. And when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one. The Borden family home, the scene of the crime in 1892, is now a bed and breakfast — not for the faint of heart — in Fall River, Massachusetts.
Oct 05, 2018
The Real-Life Love Shack
00:07:03
Kate Pierson spent decades on tour as one of the vocalists of the legendary rock group the B-52s. You know – the big hairdos? The surf guitars? Love Shack? Turns out, at the same time, Pierson also collected art, antiques and other decor. That collection is now part of her offbeat side project. A cute little roadside motel – a real-life “Love Shack” – just outside Woodstock, New York.
Sep 21, 2018
Everyone Shall Sit Under Their Own Vine And Fig Tree
00:06:59
The musical "Hamilton" has a lot of catchy music and memorable lyrics. Some of the most memorable come from President George Washington. They’re taken almost verbatim from a letter Washington wrote to the oldest synagogue in America, in Newport, Rhode Island, in which he rebuked bigotry.
Sep 07, 2018
T.S. Eliot's Seaside Childhood
00:07:49
T.S. Eliot chose four places to write about in his poem “Four Quartets.” Three of them are in England, but one is a nondescript cluster of rocks off the coast of Gloucester, Massachusetts. Eliot’s childhood vacation home is now a retreat for writers. The T.S. Eliot Foundation says it hopes other writers can be inspired by the same idyllic seaside setting that inspired Eliot.
Aug 24, 2018
Westport Stakes Its Claim To ‘The Great Gatsby’
00:07:54
F. Scott Fitzgerald set his novel The Great Gatsby on Long Island’s North Shore – with its opulent mansions, beautiful gardens and decadent parties. But some people think Fitzgerald might have been inspired by another location – across Long Island Sound in Westport, Connecticut.
Jul 06, 2018
The Great Boombox Parade
00:06:11
There might be only one Fourth of July parade that has no live music accompaniment. That’s not to say there isn’t music though. And you can find this parade every Independence Day in Willimantic, a neighborhood in Windham, Connecticut.
Jun 21, 2018
Morbid Anatomy
00:06:42
Cemeteries are not places where you’re likely to find a library – except perhaps one that deals with death. This library is the result of one woman’s quest to change how we think and talk about the subject of death. And you’ll find it – at least for now – in the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York.
Jun 07, 2018
But Did He Ever Return? No, He Never Returned
00:08:57
Lots of songs have been used as anthems for particular causes or movements. But probably only one for a transit system. The song is the story of Charlie, a hapless commuter who finds himself trapped on the Boston subway.
May 25, 2018
Inside Samuel Colt’s 19th Century Tinkerers’ Palace
00:06:22
The National Park Service has awarded a $750,000 grant to historic Colt Park in Hartford, the factory Samuel Colt started in the 1800s to make his iconic gun. But in 2018, being a gun manufacturer is not so easy. Remington Firearms recently filed for bankruptcy. But the making of guns has been an intricate part of our history. Back in the mid-1800s, one gun maker went beyond just the making of firearms. He wanted to create a workplace utopia at his factory in Hartford, Conn.
May 03, 2018
There Is A Donald Trump State Park, Believe Me!
00:05:25
Most people have no idea there’s a state park named for Donald Trump. It’s a patch of untended weeds and brush that’s been described as an abandoned wasteland in Westchester County, New York. And it’s pretty hard to find.
Apr 18, 2018
Skull And Bones, And Other Yale Secret Societies
00:05:48
There are lots of stories and rumors about secret societies at elite colleges. Skull and Bones is the oldest and most notorious secret college society in America. Not much is known about what goes on at Skull and Bones, but you can easily find its headquarters on the campus of Yale University in New Haven.
Apr 05, 2018
The 600-Year-Old Mystery Of The Voynich Manuscript
00:06:41
It’s one of the world’s great literary mysteries: a 15th century book full of bizarre illustrations of imaginary plants, astrological signs, surreal figures and landscapes. Its origins are unknown, its creator anonymous. And it’s written entirely in an unknown language that’s stumped the world’s greatest codebreakers.
Mar 22, 2018
The Man Who Met The Men In Black
00:09:32
Most people think of the Men in Black as the cool, stylish heroes of the movie franchise. They kept the world safe from aliens. But among the UFO subculture, the Men in Black are entirely different. They’re shadowy figures who come after people who claim to experience paranormal activity. The idea of these Men in Black started in the 1950s – and one of the most notorious encounters happened in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
Mar 10, 2018
The Haunted 'Annabelle' Doll Of Horror Movies Is Real - And She's In Connecticut
00:06:02
Annabelle is an ordinary Raggedy Ann doll. But some people believe she’s possessed by a demon, and terrorized a bunch of college students in the 1970s. Movies like Annabelle and The Conjuring tell this story.
Feb 22, 2018
A Scene From Stephen King’s Childhood In Connecticut
00:03:33
Stephen King’s novels usually take place in small town Maine. But one of King’s most famous novels might contain a call-back to his childhood in Fairfield County, Connecticut.
Feb 01, 2018
The Elephant Man
00:08:30
The first circus elephant in America didn’t start with Barnum & Bailey. It was more than a generation earlier. And it ended in bloodshed – not once, but twice. The saga began in the early 1800s with a man who came from the town of Somers, New York.
Jan 18, 2018
See The Cosmic Ballet In An MIT Hallway
00:07:28
You probably know about the phenomenon of Stonehenge – an ancient alignment of giant slabs that acts as a cosmic calendar. There’s something like that here in the U.S. too. It’s called MIThenge. And yes, it’s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology – MIT – in Cambridge.
Jan 02, 2018
Lovecraft: Providence’s Weird, Troublesome Native Son
00:06:30
The city of Providence, Rhode Island, mostly celebrates the legacy of author H. P. Lovecraft – one of the fathers of horror fiction and, increasingly, a pop culture icon. But there’s a lot to grapple with – and his bleak, wordy prose about incomprehensible interstellar monsters is far from the most difficult thing about Lovecraft.
Dec 20, 2017
An American Love Story, From Litchfield Hills To The Trail Of Tears
00:07:01
In the early 1820s, a pair of Native American students fell in love with two white women in the hills of northwest Connecticut. Their parallel lives ended in personal and national tragedy. In this episode, WSHU reporter Davis Dunavin travels to Cornwall, Connecticut, for the story of the Foreign Mission School.
Nov 30, 2017
Take That, Bob Dylan
00:07:08
Matt Farley may be one of the most prolific recording artists of all time – that you have never heard of. He has produced hundreds of albums you can stream on iTunes and Spotify, all from his basement in Danvers, Massachusetts.
Nov 15, 2017
Living On An Island Ruled By Birds
00:06:01
There’s a tiny island off the coast of Connecticut. Its residents are more than ten thousand little white seabirds called terns. They have long orange beaks and sometimes ominous black tufts on their heads. There might be more terns on this island than anywhere on earth. And for fifty years, one woman has served as steward and caretaker.
Oct 30, 2017
A Visit With Phineas Gage And His Legendary Skull
00:05:47
A grisly construction accident in New England in 1848 left railroad worker Phineas Gage with severe brain damage – but gave scientists valuable clues about how the brain functions. Gage survived the metal spike that went clear through his head and has since become an icon of both science and pop culture. His skull is on display at Harvard Medical School in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Aug 17, 2016
Why Is America’s First Country Music Superstar Buried In Bridgeport?
00:14:23
There are questions that might stump even the most dedicated country music fan: Who kickstarted the country music industry in the 1920s, even before big names like Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family? And why is this Texas musician buried in Bridgeport, Connecticut?
Jun 07 | 00:08:43
Herb Lore: Why it's okay to eat off the ground in New York City
May 17 | 00:07:17
Herb Lore: How witch hazel made its way into everything
Apr 27 | 00:08:38
Herb Lore: The nearly 400-year-old fruit tree that keeps giving
Mar 22 | 00:05:11
LGBTQ Stories: How "Family Week" helped gay families find acceptance
Feb 24 | 00:07:51
LGBTQ stories: Andy Warhol's unlikely spirituality
Feb 04 | 00:06:01
LGBTQ stories: The 'Sip-In' paved the way for gay rights
Jan 18 | 00:05:29
Folk Songs: Opening up traditional music to new audiences
Dec 16 | 00:07:04
Folk Songs: Sea Shanties are the sound of New England's nautical history
Nov 23 | 00:07:37
Folk Songs: An 'Exceedingly Good' Night of Music
Nov 04 | 00:06:18
Folk Songs: A folk dancing camp for the people
Oct 21 | 00:09:12
Beyond Salem: New England's other witch hunts were in Connecticut
Sep 30 | 00:11:03
Off the Path — Garden State: The Institute Of 'Useless Knowledge'
Sep 15 | 00:05:26
Off The Path - Garden State: The House Where Sinatra Still Sings
Aug 26 | 00:09:30
Off The Path — Garden State: The Secret Behind the Monopoly Board
Aug 13 | 00:07:03
Off the Path Revisited: The Love Shack is For Sale
Jul 30 | 00:05:22
Off the Path Revisited: America's Favorite Viewing Machine
Jul 16 | 00:06:47
Off The Path Revisited: ‘The Little Prince’ On Long Island
Jun 14 | 00:07:11
Off the Path: Revisited — Manhattan's Wild Corner
Apr 29 | 00:08:01
Off The Path: Breaking The Tiffany Glass Ceiling
Apr 15 | 00:07:41
Off The Path: What's In America's First Cookbook?
Mar 25 | 00:08:41
Off The Path: Mr. Vanderbilt's Wild Ride
Mar 11 | 00:06:19
Off The Path: Stars Fell On Connecticut
Feb 25 | 00:08:19
Off The Path: Why Are So Many Great Authors Buried In Concord, Massachusetts?
Feb 11 | 00:06:04
Off The Path: Why Is This Field Full of Rocking Horses?
Feb 03 | 00:07:02
Off The Path: You Could Own Lizzie Borden's House
Jan 21 | 00:07:01
Off The Path: How Did A Connecticut Town Take On The Nazis?
Dec 30 | 00:07:01
Off The Path: John Oliver vs. Danbury — A Very 2020 Saga
Dec 17 | 00:06:09
Off The Path: America's First Pet Cemetery
Nov 25 | 00:08:51
Off The Path: Weird Atomic Beasts Who Live Off Human Blood! It Came From Stamford.
Nov 02 | 00:12:26
Off The Path: Freedom from Fear
Oct 29 | 01:10:05
Thrilling Tales of Terror: Why We Love To Be Scared
Oct 22 | 00:09:02
Off The Path: The Mysterious Moodus Noises
Oct 10 | 00:06:34
Off The Path: Life In The Ruins
Sep 17 | 00:09:24
Off The Path: Murder on Smuttynose Island
Sep 03 | 00:06:50
Taylor Swift and the 'Last Great American Dynasty'
Aug 14 | 00:07:27
LGBTQ Stories: Harlem's 100-year-old drag shows
Jul 31 | 00:07:31
Off the Path Revisited: The Voynich Manuscript
Jul 03 | 00:07:50
Off the Path Revisited: Touro Synagogue
Jun 19 | 00:06:36
The People's Food, Cooked The Feminist Way
May 29 | 00:08:42
Off The Path Revisited: The Elephant Man
May 08 | 00:05:27
A Garden Of Books
Apr 17 | 00:08:23
Behold The Mechanical Messiah
Apr 03 | 00:07:02
Be(a)man
Mar 20 | 00:08:59
The Man Who Defied Gravity
Feb 28 | 00:06:49
A Quirk Of The Map And A Wild Prizefight
Feb 14 | 00:07:01
Drinking The Ale That Never Lets You Grow Old
Jan 24 | 00:08:25
Searching For The Lost Limner
Dec 24 | 00:08:31
Yes Virginia, There Still Is A Santa Claus
Dec 23 | 00:28:27
The Full Story Goes Off The Path: Redux
Dec 13 | 00:06:52
Sherlock Holmes Builds His Dream Castle
Nov 22 | 00:08:13
You Can Get Anything You Want At Alice's Restaurant
Nov 08 | 00:09:15
Hat City, USA!
Oct 25 | 00:08:20
Grave Of The Vampire
Oct 11 | 00:08:47
Casablanca In Cambridge
Sep 20 | 00:08:24
The View That Launched American Art
Sep 06 | 00:07:48
Emmalyn Rides The Flying Horse
Aug 23 | 00:07:18
Nikola Tesla Dreams of Electricity
Aug 02 | 00:07:39
Bob Dylan's First Gig
Jul 30 | 00:04:00
A Look Ahead To Season 3
Jul 16 | 00:04:42
A Look Back At Season 2's Best Moments
Jun 27 | 00:04:22
Strawberry Moon
May 31 | 00:07:01
Mark Twain’s Final Gift
May 17 | 00:06:42
The Highest Point In Rhode Island
Apr 26 | 00:07:09
Holy Land USA
Apr 12 | 00:06:45
The Mystery of Dighton Rock
Mar 29 | 00:04:38
Crossword Geeks Unite!
Mar 22 | 00:07:04
Shakespeare's Starlings
Mar 08 | 00:06:57
The Sunken Towns Underneath The Quabbin Reservoir
Feb 15 | 00:07:28
The Bone Wars
Feb 01 | 00:07:16
There Shall Be No Pain
Jan 18 | 00:06:10
Manhattan's Wild Corner
Jan 09 | 00:28:27
The Full Story Goes Off The Path
Dec 14 | 00:06:47
How 'The Little Prince' Landed On Long Island
Nov 30 | 00:04:47
The World's Smelliest Fruit
Nov 09 | 00:06:02
The Story Behind The Iconic American Viewing Machine
Oct 26 | 00:07:06
Lizzie Borden Took An Axe...
Oct 05 | 00:07:03
The Real-Life Love Shack
Sep 21 | 00:06:59
Everyone Shall Sit Under Their Own Vine And Fig Tree
Sep 07 | 00:07:49
T.S. Eliot's Seaside Childhood
Aug 24 | 00:07:54
Westport Stakes Its Claim To ‘The Great Gatsby’
Jul 06 | 00:06:11
The Great Boombox Parade
Jun 21 | 00:06:42
Morbid Anatomy
Jun 07 | 00:08:57
But Did He Ever Return? No, He Never Returned
May 25 | 00:06:22
Inside Samuel Colt’s 19th Century Tinkerers’ Palace
May 03 | 00:05:25
There Is A Donald Trump State Park, Believe Me!
Apr 18 | 00:05:48
Skull And Bones, And Other Yale Secret Societies
Apr 05 | 00:06:41
The 600-Year-Old Mystery Of The Voynich Manuscript
Mar 22 | 00:09:32
The Man Who Met The Men In Black
Mar 10 | 00:06:02
The Haunted 'Annabelle' Doll Of Horror Movies Is Real - And She's In Connecticut
Feb 22 | 00:03:33
A Scene From Stephen King’s Childhood In Connecticut
Feb 01 | 00:08:30
The Elephant Man
Jan 18 | 00:07:28
See The Cosmic Ballet In An MIT Hallway
Jan 02 | 00:06:30
Lovecraft: Providence’s Weird, Troublesome Native Son
Dec 20 | 00:07:01
An American Love Story, From Litchfield Hills To The Trail Of Tears
Nov 30 | 00:07:08
Take That, Bob Dylan
Nov 15 | 00:06:01
Living On An Island Ruled By Birds
Oct 30 | 00:05:47
A Visit With Phineas Gage And His Legendary Skull
Aug 17 | 00:14:23
Why Is America’s First Country Music Superstar Buried In Bridgeport?
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