Best Ashtabula Podcasts (2026)

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OM Backroads: Ep. 95: The Ashtabula Train Disaster of 1876 29:47

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11d ago29:47

29:47

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. On a cold winter night in December 1876, a passenger train thundered across the Ashtabula River in northeastern Ohio—never reaching the other side. In an instant, the bridge collapsed, sending railcars plunging into the icy ravine below. Fire erupted, screams echoed through the darkn…

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Light Hearted Lite 36 – Bob Mannino, Nantucket Lightship LV-112 30:30

2d ago30:30

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Nantucket Lightship LV-112. By Arnold Reinhold, Creative Commons license. Today we look back at an interview that was first heard in October 2020. Our guest is Bob Mannino, founder and president of the United States Lightship Museum. The USLM is the steward of the Nantucket Lightship LV-112, the largest lightship ever built in the United States. Bo…

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Light Hearted ep 333 – Valeria Araúz Molina, Île Vierge, France 41:59

10d ago41:59

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The 1846 and 1902 lighthouses on Ile Vierge. Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont. Ile Vierge is a 15-acre island off the northwest coast of Brittany in northwest France. The first lighthouse on the island was a 108-foot-tall square tower that began service in 1845. It was considered too short, and a new tower was built between 1896 and 1902. The new lighth…

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Light Hearted Lite #35: Lighthouse preservationist Mike Vogel 29:09

16d ago29:09

29:09

In this episode we revisit a conversation from June 2022 with Mike Vogel, who at that time was the president of the U.S. Lighthouse Society. Mike Vogel retired as editorial page editor of The Buffalo News in 2011, after a 43-year journalism career. He was the organizer and founding president of the Buffalo Lighthouse Association, which carried out …

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UNRESOLVED Ep. 4: Leslie Ann Barke 26:53

19d ago26:53

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An Ohio Mysteries/Akron Beacon Journal crossover In 1978, Akron school teacher Leslie Ann Barker attended a matchmaking event at the popular Reds discotheque in Akron, Ohio. But three hours after leaving the bar, she was found in her burning car, a few blocks from home. ⁠ Ohio Mysteries: http://www.ohiomysteries.com⁠⁠ Akron Beacon Journal: http://w…

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OM Backroads: Ep. 94: Ohio Mad Dog Killers 15:22

22d ago15:22

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In the quiet heart of Richland County, something vicious once stalked the streets. Ohio Mad Dog Killers dives deep into one of Mansfield’s most disturbing true-crime chapters—an era marked by fear, violence, and a nickname that still sends chills through Ohio history. Correspondence,…

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Light Hearted ep. 332 – Sketch artist Jim Lammers 39:05

23d ago39:05

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Jim Lammers, who lives in Minnesota, was educated as an architect back when freehand sketching was an integral part of the curriculum. His writing and sketching has been published in a number of professional journals and on websites. His most recent book is “Lighthouses of the Great Lakes: An Architect’s Sketchbook.” The illustrations in Jim’s book…

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OM Backroads: Ep. 93: The Massillon State Hospital 37:23

30d ago37:23

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. Founded in 1898 on 240 acres of farmland donated to the state, Massillon State Hospital opened its doors under the name Eastern Ohio Mental Asylum. Its first patients came from 21 Ohio counties. At its peak in the 1950s, the hospital housed more than 3,100 patients and employed rough…

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Light Hearted Lite #34: Lee Radzak, Split Rock, Minnesota 23:01

1M ago23:01

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Lee Radzak Split Rock Lighthouse, on a 127-foot-high cliff on the northwest shore of Lake Superior, began service in 1910. The light station is now the centerpiece of 2200-acre Split Rock Lighthouse State Park. Lee Radzak became the lighthouse site manager in November 1982. Over the next 36 years, he and his wife Jane raised a son and a daughter, m…

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Ep. 101 - What happened to Mary Jane Vangilder? 49:21

1M ago49:21

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Jane Vangilder was a mother of five and wife of an abusive husband when she walked away from her West Virginia home in 1945 and wound up at a wartime factory in Plymouth, Ohio. A few months later, mail from her children bounced back undeliverable, starting a 75-year-old search for the missing woman. Thanks to a police officer from Shelby, Ohio, the…

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Light Hearted ep 331 – Joe Santiana, Ashtabula, OH 43:23

1M ago43:23

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Ashtabula, Ohio, is a community of about 18,000 people at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie. In the late 1800s the city was a major port for the shipping of coal and iron ore. The first lighthouse in Ashtabula Harbor was a small wooden tower built in 1836. When the channel into the harbor was widened and a breakwater was constructed in …

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OM Backroads: Ep. 92: After The Flames: The Golden Age Nursing Home Fire of 1963 14:08

2M ago14:08

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. On November 23, 1963—while the nation was consumed by news of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination—a devastating fire quietly swept through the Golden Age Nursing Home in Fitchville, Ohio. In a matter of minutes, 63 residents, many unable to walk or call for help, lost their liv…

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OM Backroads: Ep. 91: Harvests and Heritage: Ohio’s Thanksgiving Traditions 9:47

2M ago9:47

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In todays special BONUS episode we explore Ohio's historic Thanksgiving traditions. From pioneers to today these traditions have become part of our lives and passed down from one generation to the next. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Check out our Facebook page!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebo…

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Light Hearted Lite #33: Italian historian/author Annamaria Mariotti 20:52

1M ago20:52

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Light Hearted host Jeremy D’Entremont with Annamaria Mariotti in 2010 at Cape Elizabeth Lighthouse in Maine This is an edited version of an interview from September 2020. The guest is Annamaria Mariotti, an author and lighthouse historian in Italy. Lilla, as she’s known to friends, is the author of many books, articles, and stories related to the s…

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Light Hearted ep 330 – Dave Briska, Dunkirk, NY 56:23

2M ago56:23

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Dunkirk, New York, is on the south shore of Lake Erie, about 35 miles southwest of Buffalo. Dunkirk, with its natural harbor, got one of the earliest lighthouses on the lake. The first lighthouse at Point Gratiot in Dunkirk began service in 1827. The lighthouse that stands today was completed in 1876. The 61-foot square limestone tower stands next …

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OM Backroads: Ep. 90: Murder in the Leaves 16:44

2M ago16:44

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In this chilling true-crime episode, we unravel the disturbing story of Matthew Hoffman, the Ohio man whose obsession with trees and leaves hid a far darker secret. When three people vanished from the small town of Mount Vernon in 2010, investigators stumbled upon a nightmarish scene…

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Light Hearted Lite #32 – Florida lighthouse historian Josh Liller 21:25

2M ago21:25

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Josh Liller inside the lens at Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse This is an edited version of an interview first heard in episode 16 back in 2019. The guest is Josh Liller, Historian and Collections Manager for the Loxahatchee River Historical Society and Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse & Museum. Josh is also historian for the Florida Lighthouse Association. Jupit…

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Light Hearted ep 329 – Frank Sipkovsky and Dave Kramer, Lorain West Breakwater Light, OH 53:40

2M ago53:40

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Lorain, Ohio, on the south shore of Lake Erie, is known for its history as an industrial hub, and it’s also been an important point for the shipping of materials like coal, iron ore, and limestone. Lorain West Breakwater Lighthouse, also known simply as Lorain Lighthouse, began service in 1919,. The building consists of a square tower rising from t…

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Light Hearted Lite #31 – Dianna Stampfler and “Michigan’s Haunted Lighthouses” 26:33

2M ago26:33

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This is an edited version of an interview first heard in May 2021. Dianna Stampfler has written countless articles for many Michigan travel and culture periodicals. In August 2004, she launched Promote Michigan to help market the people, places, and products of her home state. Dianna has also been researching Michigan’s lighthouses for many years. …

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UNRESOLVED Ep 25: Musa Al Barr 21:07

3M ago21:07

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In 1977, Musa Al Barr was hired by the city of Akron to recruit minority candidates to safety fore positions. But his promising career in the civic arena came to an end when someone crawled through his basement window, lured him into the dark cellar, and shot him to death. Was his murder connected to his job? Or troubles in his personal life? A col…

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OM Backroads: Ep. 89: 3 Ohio Ghostly Tales 26:25

3M ago26:25

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we explore 3 ghostly Ohio tales. The first is the story of the murder of Billy Fee along the Ohio River whose ghost reportedly still haunts the area where he was murdered still seeking revenge The next story is that of Gretchen's lock. A young girl who reportedly…

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Light Hearted ep 328 – Don Ladolcetta and “Hannah: The Lighthouse Girl of Newfoundland” 59:07

3M ago59:07

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Don LadolcettaDon Ladolcetta's new book, Hannah: The Lighthouse Girl of Newfoundland, tells the story of a young girl who doesn’t know what to expect when her family moves to an isolated lighthouse on the rugged Newfoundland coast. What she discovers is a life filled with adventure, wonder—and danger. SARAH Facing everything from the fury of Mother…

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OM Backroads: Ep. 88: Echoes in Time: The iconic Molly Stark Hospital of Louisville, Ohio 33:21

3M ago33:21

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we are joined by our special guest, Maria, as we discuss the iconic tuberculosis hospital Molly Stark of Louisville, Ohio. In this episode we uncover the fascinating, eerie and often forgotten history of the Molly Stark hospital of Louisville, Ohio. Once a season…

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Light Hearted Lite #30 – Russ Rowlett and The Lighthouse Directory 11:04

3M ago11:04

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Russ RowlettToday's interview was first heard in episode 19 back in 2019. The conversation is with Russ Rowlett, webmaster of The Lighthouse Directory, one of the most useful lighthouse-related sites on the internet. When Russ was growing up in Richmond, Virginia, his only exposure to lighthouses was climbing the Old Cape Henry Lighthouse when his …

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Ep 319: Davis and Norris 23:30

3M ago23:30

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A pair of Columbus mysteriesIn this episode, we recall two of Columbus' most stubborn mysteries. The 2019 case of Tyler Davis, who vanished after walking away from his hotel in Columbus after celebrating his wife's birthday. And the 1989 murder of Yvonne Norris, who was murdered by an intruder who set fire to her home in an attempt to destroy the c…

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Light Hearted ep 327 – Therese Langer Woelfel and “Our Guiding Light” 53:09

3M ago53:09

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Therese WoelfelTherese Woelfel, who lives in Green Bay, Wisconsin, has held leadership roles in Fortune 500 companies, entrepreneurial endeavors, and non-profit organizations. Her new book, Our Guiding Light, is her first non-fiction work. Therese’s grandfather, Charles A. Linsmeier, was a Lighthouse Service keeper at several stations on the Great …

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OM Backroads Ep:63. The Cholera Cemetery of Sandusky Ohio (rebroadcast) 26:39

3M ago26:39

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode author Wendy Koile joins Doug and Dan as they discuss the Cholera Cemetery of Sandusky, Ohio. In 1849, a brutal and vicious cholera epidemic swept through the nation and the growing town of Sandusky was greatly impacted. Over half the town fled in terror and the …

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Light Hearted Lite #29 – Dan Spinella and his amazing replica Fresnel lenses 22:04

3M ago22:04

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Dan Spinella created this replica third-order lens for Buffalo Lighthouse in New York.This is an edited version of an interview that first appeared in episode 107 in February 2021. The guest is Dan Spinella, a man who is known for creating amazing replica Fresnel lenses. Dan, who is employed as an engineer at Disney World, began his Fresnel lens re…

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Ep: 318: A pair of Lorain County mysteries 19:28

4M ago19:28

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In this episode, we share two mysteries in Lorain County. The 1991 murder of 17-yer-old Angela Ayala in her own Sheffield Lake Bedroom. And the 2010 disappearance of Darla Kustra, who vanished with the exception of her severed foot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Evergreen Podcasts

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OM Backroads Ep:87: Vanished in Alaska, the wild tale of Wade Tackett 21:15

4M ago21:15

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we explore the strange disappearance of Wade Tackett, a 17 year old from Hillsboro, Ohio who ventured out to Alaska to work for the summer. Wade and a friend decided to take a trip in a small boat and only the friend would return. What happened next is a crazy st…

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Light Hearted Lite #28 – Elaine Jones, Burnt Island, ME 26:13

4M ago26:13

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This is an an edited version of a conversation that was first heard in episode 62 in May 2020. The guest is Elaine Jones and the subject is Burnt Island Light in Maine. A lighthouse was built in 1821 on five-acre Burnt Island at the west side of the entrance to Boothbay Harbor in Maine, which was a center for shipbuilding, gristmills, and fishing g…

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Light Hearted ep 326 – Portsmouth Harbor Light, NH 48:34

4M ago48:34

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Portsmouth Harbor Light, near the mouth of the Piscataqua River in the town of New Castle, New Hampshire, is one of the most picturesque and historic lighthouses in New England. The original wooden lighthouse on the site (1771) was the first lighthouse north of Boston. The present (1878) cast-iron lighthouse stands on the grounds of Coast Guard Sta…

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Rewind: The search for Amy Mihaljevic's killer (Ep 28) with James Renner 41:56

4M ago41:56

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1989, 10-year-old Amy Mihaljevic was in her home in the comfortable Cleveland suburb of Bay Village when the phone rang. A man introduced himself as her mother's co-worker, and asked for her help in picking out a gift to celebrate her mother's promotion. Amy agreed. Friends who walked her to the shopping center on the appointed day were the last to…

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Light Hearted ep 325 – Michael Skaling, Curtis Island, ME 50:40

4M ago50:40

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The first lighthouse on Curtis island at the entrance to Camden, Maine, was established in 1836. For many years, the island served as a signal station for the large steamships that passed by. The 25-foot brick lighthouse tower that still stands was built in 1896, and the light was automated in 1972.Curtis Island Light Station, Camden, Maine. Photo …

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OM Backroads Ep:15. The Men in Black visit Ohio Rewind 14:05

4M ago14:05

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We are all familiar with the Men in Black film franchise starring Tommy Lee Jones and Will Smith, but did you know that the Men in Black were a very real phenomenon often associated with Flying Saucers, especially in the 1960s and 1970s? Join Dan and Mike as they discuss the bizarre Men in Black case that was reported in Dayton, Ohio, in 1967. This…

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Light Hearted Lite #27 – Elena Hansteensen and Littleisland Lighthouse, Norway 24:42

4M ago24:42

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This is a look back at an interview that was first heard in episode 122 back in May 2021. The interview is with Elena Hansteensen, who is the owner of Littleisland Lighthouse in Norway, which is operated as a small hotel.Litløy fyr, Norway. (Courtesy of Littleisland Lighthouse)Litløy fyr, or Littleisland Lighthouse in English, is on a small island …

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Ep 317: A tangled Toledo mystery 23:05

5M ago23:05

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In 1931, the Lucas County coroner ruled that 11-year-old Eddie Baginski accidentally drowned in a local creek. In 1934, a pivotal strike at the Electric Auto-Lite plant near downtown led to two deaths when Ohio National Guardsmen opened fire. Two completely unrelated tragedies - until a local man tried to claim he was twice a murderer.www.ohiomyste…

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Light Hearted ep 324 – Darlene Chisholm’s lighthouse adventures around the world 56:33

5M ago56:33

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Tom and Darlene Chisholm on a Texas trip in 2022. Photo by Carol Nettleton.Darlene Chisholm of Albion, Michigan, is a veteran of many U.S. Lighthouse Society tours, both in the U.S. and abroad. In the course of her travels, she’s photographed well over 4,000 lighthouses. Darelene was a longtime librarian in the public school system in Albion. Her h…

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Light Hearted Lite 26 – Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, CT 29:55

5M ago29:55

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Tim Pettee at Greens Ledge Light, photo by Jeremy D'Entremont.Greens Ledge Light, which was built in Norwalk, Connecticut, in 1902, is a cast-iron lighthouse tower on a cylindrical cast-iron concrete-filled foundation. It’s typical of offshore lighthouses built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Male keepers lived inside the lighthouse tower. Under…

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Ep 316: Barry Bremen, the Great Imposter, comes to Ohio 24:52

5M ago24:52

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Bremen was a Michigan insurance salesman who loved sneaking into professional sports events and pretending to be an athlete, official, and once even as a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader. Twice, he brought his antics to Ohio, posing as a golfer when Toledo hosted the US Open, and again as an NBA All-Star at a game held at the Richfield Coliseum in Summit…

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Light Hearted 323 – Moses Calouro, Portia Calouro: How lighthouses are helping to save right whales 1:01:04

5M ago1:01:04

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AIS (Automatic Identification System) has been used for years to monitor the movements of ships and aircraft in real-time, helping to ensure safe and efficient operations. The company MotionInfo provides second-by-second data accuracy using an extensive network of stations. A North Atlantic right whale and calf. (NOAA Photo Library)Bob Trapani, Jr.…

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OM Backroads Ep:85: Lake Erie Rum Runners versus the Coast Guard during Prohibition. Our interview with author RC Durkee 1:21:02

5M ago1:21:02

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we are joined by author RC Durkee. She has written the acclaimed book, Rum Run, an entertaining dive into the wild tales of Rum Running on Lake Erie. RC talks about how Rum Running got started, the wild chases, stolen liquor, the enormous of money to be made. the…

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Light Hearted Lite #25 – Elanie Bruton, lightkeeper’s daughter at Sheringham Point, BC 30:11

5M ago30:11

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Jim and Evelyn Bruton, courtesy of Elanie Bruton.This is an edited version of a conversation with a lighthouse keeper’s daughter in British Columbia, Canada, first heard in episode 104 of Light Hearted. Jim Bruton was born in Wales in 1926, but his family relocated to British Columbia in Canada when he was just one year old. He started working in t…

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Episode Rewind: 140 - Mob Mentality: Mercer County, 1872 37:09

5M ago37:09

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In 1872, a mob broke into the Mercer County jail and whisked away three men suspected of raping and killing 13-year-old Mary Arabelle Secaur. Two of the suspects were lynched, the third was spared. But a couple of years later, one of the mob's leaders made a deathbed confession that he had killed little Mary and led the hanging of two innocent men.…

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Light Hearted 322 – Greg Goldstein talks about his grandfather, Keeper Frank Schubert of Coney Island, NY 48:24

6M ago48:24

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Frank Schubert - a native of Staten Island - spent 43 years as a keeper and caretaker at Coney Island Light Station in New York. When he passed away in 2003, he was the last person who had served as a keeper under the old U. S. Lighthouse Service. He originally joined the Lighthouse Service as a seaman on the tender Tulip in 1937. Coney Island Ligh…

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OM Backroads Ep:84. OuterMost Uncle. A fascinating Cold War deep dive into a mysterious disappearance half a world away 43:33

6M ago43:33

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Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In tonight's episode we are joined by photographer Marcy as she discusses her adventure to find out more about the mysterious disappearance of her uncle, Ohio native, William Scales, who was working for the government contractor, RCA, as a missile tracker in 1958. William and a frien…

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Light Hearted Lite 24 – Ian Duff, Scottish lighthouse keeper 30:36

6M ago30:36

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This is an edited version of an interview that first appeared in episode 79 in September 2020. Ian Duff worked as a keeper at 13 Scottish lighthouses between 1976 and 1992. He spent about five years at Skerryvore, a remote station off the west coast of Scotland. He also spent about five years at Duncansby Head Light Station at the most northeasterl…

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UNRESOLVED Ep 24: Mel Wiley 26:45

6M ago26:45

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In July of 1985, Mel Wiley - the chief of police in Medina County's Hinckley Township - vanished and was never seen again. Forty years later, the leading theory is that he simply walked away from his life after staging a disappearance worthy of a detective novel. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices…

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Ep 315: Harry "Pete" Pierpont 24:32

6M ago24:32

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John Dillinger learned the craft of bank robbing from another Indiana man, Harry "Pete" Pierpont - who would go on to kill an Ohio sheriff in order to free Dillinger from a Lima jail, thereby signing his own death warrant.www.ohiomysteries.comfeedback@ohiomysteries.comwww.patreon.com/ohiomysterieswww.twitter.com/mysteriesohiowww.facebook.com/ohiomy…

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Light Hearted ep 321: Nancy Beye, David Smith, and Varoujan Karentz – Beavertail, RI 58:46

6M ago58:46

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With foreign trade blossoming from Newport, Rhode Island, local merchants petitioned for a lighthouse at Beavertail Point at the southern tip of Conanicut Island in the town of Jamestown, and a 69-foot-tall wooden tower was first lighted in 1749. It was the third light station in the American colonies. The 45-foot square granite lighthouse that sta…