Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut‘s Beaten Path

May 22 2024 108

Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut‘s Beaten Path Podcast artwork

Noted story teller and former journalist Mike Allen interviews special guests and then produces amazing tales about people, places and events from Connecticut history. His style and enthusiasm make history relatable, interesting, fun and informative. You certainly don‘t have to be from Connecticut to enjoy these stories -- you just need to find history interesting and to love a good story. New episodes are published every Thursday. Theme music (Musical Interlewd 1, intro; Musical Interlewd 2, outro) by Christopher Cech. Podcast logo design by Ashley Cech. Logo photo by Yvonne Cech. This podcast is a production of True North Associates, LLC.

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Connecticut's Hanging of Witches in the 1600s

May 22 2024 20 mins

The Salem Witch Trials occurred in the 1690s. It was decades earlier that CT’s witchcraft frenzy occurred. Nearly a dozen women and men were hanged for witchcraft, until young CT Colony Governor John Winthrop used his political expertise to get the state to end executions entirely. This dark chapter in CT history is told by the State Historian Emeritus, Walt Woodward.

How One Ancient Dirt Path Paved the Future for Western CT

May 15 2024 22 mins

The successful development of western Connecticut, following the arrival of European settlers, can largely be attributed to a single dirt path, that was nearly lost to history. The 350-year-old Old Woodbury Path ran from the 1600s settlement of Woodbury to the bustling port of Derby, known at that time as the “new Boston” due to its importance as a trading hub. As development e

Who Put the Ivory in Ivoryton?

May 08 2024 20 mins

From piano keys to combs, buttons, and other various other items, the smooth, glassy touch and feel of ivory was a highly regarded commodity in high demand. And 90% of the ivory products made throughout the world were made in two communities in the lower Connecticut River Valley for many decades. The Village of Ivoryton owes its name to the industry. Opposition to harvesting endang

A CT Man's Top-Secret Project: "PO Box 1142"

May 01 2024 22 mins

During WW II, there was a top-secret project known as “Post Office Box 1142.” A Connecticut man played a major role in the operation, which focused on prisoners of war – both Americans held overseas as well as influential German and Italian prisoners who were kept at Fort Hunt in Virginia. A number of James Bond-like gadgets were made at Fort Hunt and shipped clandestinely to

Who Really Killed Seymour's First Selectman?

Apr 24 2024 23 mins

It was nearly 100 years ago when the shooting death of Seymour First Selectman Ray Gilliard occurred in his Town Hall office. He called the telephone operator, said he had been shot, described his assailants, and asked for police and a doctor to be dispatched. Then, the line went dead. The outcome of the investigation shocked virtually everybody in town. Telling the story is Naugat

CT Gave Birth to the Very First Robot

Apr 17 2024 21 mins

Connecticut is the home of many inventions. One that's of particular interest is the first robot. The first industrial robot ever placed on a production line was built in Danbury and spearheaded by the holder of the patent (George Devol, of Wilton) and the marketing mastermind who found the markets and promoted the invention (Joseph Engelberger, of Newtown). Engelberger, known as �

One of CT's Biggest Disasters - the L'Ambiance Building Collapse

Apr 10 2024 21 mins

Today, we often hear of building collapses, with workers or members of the public trapped underneath debris. One of the first such incidents to capture the public’s attention was the collapse of the L’Ambiance apartment building while it was under construction in Bridgeport in 1987. Tons of concrete slab floors were being hoisted into place, while workers tended to their tasks

CT had its own Alamo - and it had a Gruesome Ending

Apr 03 2024 20 mins

Some call it, Connecticut’s Alamo. The Battle of Groton Heights was a massacre by any measure, with 1,600 British soldiers greatly outnumbering 165 Patriot soldiers in one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War. The British were led by Benedict Arnold, who had only recently switched allegiances and who was born less than 10 miles from the battle. The decision by Colonel Wil

He Murdered for Love - and Hate

Mar 27 2024 21 mins

This 100-year-old western CT murder case was a difficult one to solve. There was no body in home where murder victim George Hultz lived that had burned to the ground. The motive was elusive. And the perpetrator who was eventually identified was quite good at deflecting suspicion. Yet, the man who would rise from Sergeant to Commissioner of the CT State Police, John Kelly, finally c

Civil War Draft Dodging, with the Doctor's Help

Mar 20 2024 20 mins

When we speak about draft dodgers, we normally mean the potential recruits, who are trying to stay out of the military. In the case of Dr. Josiah Beckwith, he was a CT doctor examining recruits for the Civil War, and more than 90% of them got medical deferments, meaning they didn’t have to serve. The intriguing back story is told by the author of Litchfield County and the Civil W