PODCAST · history
Weird Island
by Weird Rhode Island
Small state, big on the weird! Weird Island brings you some of the strangest stories you probably haven’t heard before, all originating in little Rhode Island. Maybe you’re a true crime fan, but you’re burning out on the binges and looking to shake things up. Well, look no further! We’ll bring you unsolved mysteries, conspiracy theories, weird history and even some MURDER (no need to completely leave your comfort zone). Join us as we uncover some strange stories from the smallest state.
Episodes
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73. FOOD: The Newport Man Who Ate… Tomatoes?
Episode Description: While today, tomatoes are one of the most commonly consumed vegetables in the United States, that wasn’t always the case. For much of history, tomatoes were not only ignored, but feared. So, what changed? And is it possible a Newport man played a role in introducing the…
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72. DAREDEVILS: Sam Patch
The first famous American daredevil got his start leaping from Pawtucket Falls. Episode Source Material Sam Patch The Famous Jumper | Paul E. Johnson The Real Simon Pure Sam Patch | Rochester History The Last Leap of Sam Patch | Headlines & Heroes The Hillsborough recorder. [volume]…
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71. HOUSES: Octagon Houses
In 1848, a man named Orson Squire Fowler ignited a homebuilding fad when he dreamed up a bold new home design, one that might be cheaper, more efficient and even make you happier. Inventory of Octagonal Houses in RI - One’s I’ve found to still be there: Lemuel C Richmond Octagon House, 41 High...
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70. IDA LEWIS: The Keeper of Lime Rock
This week, we’ll meet Ida Lewis, the fearless lighthouse keeper of Newport, Rhode Island, who became a national hero for her daring rescues at sea. Episode Sources: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter: The Remarkable True Story of American Heroine Ida Lewis by Lenore Skomal Women who kept the lights…
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69. GYMS: The Providence Ladies’ Sanitary Gymnasium
Episode Description: Weird Island is back! In the first episode in over a year and a half, we’ll uncover the story of a gym for women in 1880s Providence, begun by feminist philosopher, lecturer and writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman. Episode Sources: “As Near to Flying as One Gets Outside a…
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68. ANIMALS: Oscar, the Cat Who Could Predict Death
Oscar seemed like an ordinary kitten when he was adopted by Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation center in Providence, RI. But the staff and residents at Steere House quickly suspected Oscar had a unique ability. He seemed to be able to predict when someone was going to die. Heads up, this...
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WEIRD ISLAND CHECK IN: Taking a (Little) Pause
Hey all! I’m taking a tiny pause on new episodes for a little while to work on some other things that inspire me. I’ll be back before you know it! And, in the meantime, I still have a couple of episodes to drop. So, I hope you’ll stick around. If you’re looking for something new to listen to…
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67. MILLS: From Cotton Cloth to Space Age Textiles
While researching RI mills, I came across this one little snippet about the Ashton Mill in Cumberland, and had to know more: “Owens-Corning Fiberglas Company bought the mill... They operated in the mill until 1983. They made tire cord, drapery, and beta cloth for spacesuits for the Apollo Moon...
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66. MEET ME AT THE BILTMORE: Dutee Wilcox Flint
This week, I’m joined by Amanda Quay Blount, who just released her new book Meet Me at the Biltmore this October. She brought me a story I’d never heard before about this Rhode Island based Ford dealer. His name was Dutee Wilcox Flint, and he was one of the earliest and most successful Ford…
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65. THANKSGIVING: Revisiting the Origin Story
This week, as many get ready to celebrate Thanksgiving, I wanted to revisit the story of the Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving that many of us learned as kids. Because, I found out as an adult that I didn’t really learn the full story–I learned a mythologized version of it. And I learned that...
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64. MURDER: Amasa Sprague and the Trial of John Gordon
On December 31, 1843, Amasa Sprague was found murdered near his home in Cranston, RI. An Irish immigrant named John Gordon was tried and convicted of the crime, but even at the time, many believed he may have been innocent. Episode Source Material: Opinion/Harrington: Mystery still shrouds murder...
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63. HAUNTED: The Conjuring House
Have you seen The Conjuring, the 2013 Hollywood film so successful it spawned a franchise of supernatural horror films? Did you know it’s loosely based on the haunting of a Rhode Island family? The old colonial farmhouse in Burrillville, where they lived and experienced paranormal phenomena in…
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62. MILLS: Ann & Hope
Ann & Hope… were two women. Then the words became the name of a ship, followed by a mill, and later a store. This week, I’ll bring you along as I learn the story of the Ann & Hope Mill and the discount department store that shared its name. And along the way, we’ll even uncover a bit of a…
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61. WINDSWEPT: The Pain-Killer Mansion
Have you ever been to Scarborough Beach in Narragansett and noticed that beautiful stone ruin just beyond the sand? Well, it turns out it’s the remnants of an old carriage house that once stood beside this mansion overlooking the water. The mansion was called Windswept, but locally it was known…
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60. FIRSTS: First Oyster Bar in Providence
Long before the quahog became Rhode Island’s iconic shellfish, oysters dominated local waters. In this episode, I’ll be diving into the stories of black innovators and entrepreneurs who shaped the oyster industry–including Manna Bernoon, who established Providence’s first Oyster and Ale House in...
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59. CYCLEDROME: And the First New England NFL Champions
In 1925, a massive bicycle racing track was built on North Main Street in Providence. Later that year, it would become home to the Providence Steam Roller, remembered today as New England’s first NFL Champions. Episode Source Material Rhode Island History | November 1977 Providence Cyclodrome |...
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58. WRITERS: H.P. Lovecraft
So, you’ve seen his face on t-shirts and posters and on the covers of anthology books all over Providence, but who exactly is H. P. Lovecraft? Tune in to the first episode of Season 2 to find out! I cover a number of Providence locations in this episode, and you’re welcome to visit them while...
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57. GHOST TOWN: Hanton City
In Smithfield, Rhode Island, out in the middle of the woods, there are the remains of an old village that disappeared over 100 years ago. A ghost town known as Hanton City, sometimes called Haunted City or the Lost City. To Visit: Walk the Hanton City Hiking Trail, starting from 70 W. Reservoir…
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56. PPAC: Providence’s Movie Palaces
Have you ever been to see a show at the Providence Performing Arts Center and marveled at the gorgeous building? Well, you might be surprised to know that when PPAC opened in the late 1920s, the theater showed a different kind of show–movies! I’m joined by special guests Lynn Singleton and Alan...
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55. MURDER: Carter Jackson Monument
In South Kingstown, there’s an odd monument hidden away in the bushes off Tower Hill Road. It’s a four-sided granite pillar covered, from top to bottom on all sides, in a written inscription. And this inscription tells a story. But not one of a famous battle or prominent leader or politician or...
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54. DINERS: Modern Diner
The history of the classic American diner started right here in Rhode Island. It began as something called a Night Lunch Wagon. But over time the diner grew and changed, following trends in the workforce, the American family, and food culture to become the uniquely American restaurant we know and...
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53. DINERS: Haven Brothers
If you’ve been to Kennedy Plaza, you’ve probably seen the big, shiny stainless steel piece of Providence late-night culture that is Haven Brothers diner. Maybe you’ve even eaten one of their famous Murder Burgers. But did you know that Haven Brothers traces its origin back to 1893, making it one…
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52. WEIRD NEWS: When the Wright’s Chicken Farm Kids were Kidnapped
When a friend said to me, “What about an episode about that time the Wright’s Chicken Farm kids were kidnapped?” I had to know more. Today’s episode comes right from the newspaper archives, from March of 1979. Episode Source Material: State v. Ballard :: 1982 :: Rhode Island Supreme Court…
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51. STRANGE STREETS: The Mystery of Ridge St. and Pidge Ave.
Episode Description: On the border of Providence and Pawtucket, there’s a strange intersection. One single road changes its name from Ridge Street to Pidge Avenue. With Ridge and Pidge being just one letter apart, it always seemed like a mistake. With the help of Providence Journal reporter Paul...
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50. SUMMER MEMORIES: RI’s Historic Carousels
Carousels are playful and whimsical, bright and colorful. They evoke memories of childhood and innocence. Here, in Rhode Island, they’re not only time capsules of happy summer moments, but museums of folk art from the golden age of the American carousel. To Visit: Looff Carousel | Crescent Park |...
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49. WEIRD ANNIVERSARY: Part 2 | Fun Facts
Sometimes when I’m researching, I waste a bunch of time researching something only slightly related to the episode topic. Like the time I read an entire book about apples while researching the Tree Root that Ate Roger Williams. Today, instead of a regular episode, for each topic I’ve covered, I’m...
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48. WEIRD ANNIVERSARY: One Year of Weird Island
I've been making this podcast for a year! So instead of bringing you a normal story, I thought I'd tell you my own.
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47. WEIRD FOOD: Cuffy Cockroach’s Sea Turtle Soup
People began eating turtle soup in the 1700s, and they kept eating it through the early 1900s. Companies like Campbell’s and Heinz made canned turtle soup (and something called mock turtle soup). And it wasn’t just available. It was a real culinary obsession. In the early days, there would be…
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46. FIRSTS: First Oval-Track Auto Race
In 1896, the very first auto race on an oval track took place at the Rhode Island State Fair, just one year after the first city-to-city auto race in the world took place. Cars were so new, no one knew what to call them. Horseless wagons? Motor wagons? Motocycles? Electric Traps? Episode Source...
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45. ARCHITECTURE: Turk’s Head Building
How did the Turk’s Head building get its name? Well, it’s actually built on the site of a colonial house and a store that had an unusual sign mounted outside--a wooden carving of an Ottoman Sultan. The store became known as "at the Sign of the Turk's Head." To visit: 1 Turk’s Head Place,...
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44. BUBBLERS: Cogswell’s Infamous Fountains
In the middle of downtown Pawtucket, there’s an old, no longer functioning drinking fountain that most people assume is just a statue. But it’s one of only a handful of remaining Temperance Fountains, donated to the city by a man who believed that the solution to drunkenness might just be a glass...
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43. WRITERS: Edgar Allan Poe in Providence
Episode Description: While he never lived in Rhode Island, Edgar Allan Poe famously spent time here at the end of his life. He courted a Providence writer, Sarah Helen Whitman, and spent time at her East Side home, Swan Point Cemetery and the Athenaeum. Episode Source Material: About… – Edgar…
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42. ANIMAL ESCAPE: Frosty The Polar Bear
A mini episode this week, with another animal escape. Frosty the Polar Bear escaped from the now-closed Slater Park Zoo, twice! Episode Source Material: Life After Slater Park Fanny the elephant to be freed Newport Daily News Newspaper Archives, May 25, 1979, p. 13 Newport Daily News Newspaper...
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41. WATERFIRE: In the Renaissance City
WaterFire is the quintessential Providence experience, centering around a series of nearly 100 bonfires along the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown Providence. But just 40 years ago, you might not have even known that those rivers existed. If you think WaterFire isn’t weird,...
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40. HOLIDAY MAGIC: The Polar Express
The Polar Express has become a Christmas classic, but did you know it was written right here in RI by author Chris Van Allsburg? Episode Source Material: Chris Van Allsburg Christmas at the Van Allsburgs' | Holiday House Tour - New England Today About Chris Van Allsburg AT HOME WITH: Chris Van...
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39. RHODESIDE ATTRACTIONS: The Big Blue Bug
The star of this week’s episode is a 58 foot long, 9 foot tall, 4,000 pound termite named Nibbles Woodaway. But you might know him better as the Big Blue Bug. Episode Source Material: Big Blue Bug Get To Know Us | The Big Blue Bug Of RI, MA & CT World's Largest Bug, Providence, Rhode Island…
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38. FIRSTS: The First Presidential Phone Call
The first presidential phone call took place in Rhode Island, when Alexander Graham Bell called 19th President Rutherford B. Hayes as he attended a clambake at Rocky Point Park. To Visit: Rocky Point Ave. | Nothing to see but a sign, but you can stand where the first Presidential phone call took...
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37. ANIMAL ESCAPE: Rhoda the Sea Lion
Could a rumor that a sea lion escaped Roger Williams Zoo and made it all the way to the bay possibly be true? To Visit: Roger Williams Zoo | 1000 Elmwood Ave, Providence, RI 02907 Episode Source Material: Roger Williams History Roger Williams Park - Wikipedia Horace Cleveland Rhode Island...
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36. ABANDONED: The Railroad that Went Down with the Titanic
We’re heading to Woonsocket this week to check out a mural painted on what was an unassuming concrete wall you wouldn’t think twice about. But this concrete wall actually has an incredibly interesting backstory, one with ties to the Titanic. To Visit: Cass Ave, Woonsocket, RI - across from...
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35. GIANT PUMPKINS: And the RI Grower Who “Squashed” World Records
In 2006, Rhode Islander Ron Wallace grew the first 1,500 lb. pumpkin--something no one thought was possible. Then in 2012, he became the first person in the world to grow a pumpkin weighing 2,000 lbs. Now his goal is to be the first to grow a 3,000 lb. pumpkin… Hear about what it takes to grow a...
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34. HAUNTED: Ramtail Mill
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…
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33. CUMBERLAND LIBRARY: Wednesday, October 20 at 6:30PM
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...
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32. HAUNTED: Newport’s Belcourt Castle
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...
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31. BARNABY CASTLE: Part 2 | A Murder Mystery
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…
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30. BARNABY CASTLE: First Murder by Mail
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…
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29. MINI EPISODE: Pawtucket’s Hollywood Walk of Fame
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…
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28. TAYLOR SWIFT: The Story of Her Rhode Island Home
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...
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27. GETTYSBURG GUN: A Cannonball Trapped in Time
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...
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26. MINI EPISODE: The Madman of Jerimoth Hill
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...
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25. MINI EPISODE: Tombstone Tourism at Precious Blood
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...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
Small state, big on the weird! Weird Island brings you some of the strangest stories you probably haven’t heard before, all originating in little Rhode Island. Maybe you’re a true crime fan, but you’re burning out on the binges and looking to shake things up. Well, look no further! We’ll bring you unsolved mysteries, conspiracy theories, weird history and even some MURDER (no need to completely leave your comfort zone). Join us as we uncover some strange stories from the smallest state.
HOSTED BY
Weird Rhode Island
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Weird Island have?
Weird Island currently has 75 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Weird Island about?
Small state, big on the weird! Weird Island brings you some of the strangest stories you probably haven’t heard before, all originating in little Rhode Island. Maybe you’re a true crime fan, but you’re burning out on the binges and looking to shake things up. Well, look no further! We’ll bring you...
How often does Weird Island release new episodes?
Weird Island has 75 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Weird Island?
You can listen to Weird Island on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Weird Island?
Weird Island is created and hosted by Weird Rhode Island.
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