Amazing Tales from Off the Beaten Path

When the Devil was Accused of Murder in Connecticut

It remains the only time in U.S. history when a murder defendant pleaded not guilty by reason of demonic possession. The so-called Devil-Made-Me-Do-It Murder Case from 1981 in Brookfield, CT continues to draw attention internationally, mainly due to the incredible backstory that accompanies it. Amazing Tales CT host Mike Allen covered the case as a journalist, and he shares the details that made this such an unforgettable case.

NEW - Connecticut Trivia Tidbits

Connecticut Trivia Tidbits: where was Nathan Hale hanged, what landmark did the last glacier leave behind, how many communities in Fairfield County are named Danbury, and who was Sarah Jane Campbell Pishon (you know of her, but maybe not by that name)? These are just some of the Connecticut Trivia Tidbits that will be featured in this episode – a format that will be repeated occasionally going forward by host Mike Allen.

The Daunting Challenges of Attending Those Quaint One-Room Schoolhouses

One-room schoolhouses. They represented a simpler time in Connecticut’s educational system. But forget about “the three R’s.” There were more fundamental hurdles in the 1700s: no outhouses, poor ventilation and lighting, no insulation, and no drinking well. Additionally, girls had to be careful not to expose their ankles under their skirts, and students had to carry firewood from home, or else. Still, they served us for 200 years; the last one closed in 1967. Hear from the expert on one-room Schoolhouses, Southbury Historical Society Director Melinda Elliott.

Connecticut’s Valley Forge - The Harsh Winter of 1778 at Redding’s Putnam Park

It’s called Connecticut’s Valley Forge – Putnam Park in Redding. 3,000 soldiers supporting the Patriot cause in the Revolutionary War spent the harsh winter of 1778 in Redding, providing defensive protection from the Hudson River to Long Island Sound. Low pay, as well as insufficient food and clothing, led to a mutiny action and desertions, which were met by two gruesome executions, to teach the troops a lesson. CT’s first state park was built as a memorial to this activity. Hear the full story from Redding historian Brent Colley.

How Connecticut Horsemen Helped Win the Revolutionary War

A military unit from Connecticut established an impressive number of “firsts” during the Revolutionary War. The Second Light Dragoons was the very first American unit to undertake a cavalry charge (on horseback). They also started the Pony Express and the infamous Culper Spy Ring around New York City, while providing security for General George Washington throughout the war. If you think fighting with swords and muskets while galloping at 40-miles-an-hour is easy, wait until you hear the story from the current head of the Dragoons – Captain Salvatore Tarantino.

The Woman Who Smashed the Glass Ceiling for Female Governors: Connecticut’s Ella Grasso

She came from a first-generation family, where only broken English was spoken at home, and she had very few friends growing up. Yet, Ella Grasso rose to become one of Connecticut’s most popular Governors – and the first female elected Governor in her own right in U.S. history. Hear her incredible life story – including the challenges of being the first woman in such a high political office, the highlights of her success and how she faced the terminal illness that ended her career – from her administrative assistant during those years in the State Capitol, Jon Purmont.

Hiding in Plain Sight - Connecticut’s Stone Mile Markers

They’re there – if you can find them. Sort of like an Easter egg hunt. Stone mile markers used to be the way that horseback riders and stagecoach operators knew how far they had to go to get to the County seat. At one time, there were 600 such mile markers, all in different shapes and sizes, along CT’s dirt turnpikes. Now, there aren’t so many, and it takes some scouting to find them. Hear Elizabeth Malloy, Executive Director of the Haddam Historical Society, a town which still has 5 stone mile markers, discuss these intriguing relics of a bygone era.

Connecticut’s Fairytale Land: The Last Green Valley

It may be one of Connecticut’s best-kept secrets. There’s a land area in rural eastern CT (and south-central MA) that’s half the size of Grand Canyon National Park, still 85% undeveloped and where you can’t hear anything resembling civilization. It features huge expanses of open space hiking, clean rivers, historic villages and bald eagle nests. This paradise land shows up on nighttime East Coast satellite photos as the only dark spot between D.C. and Boston. It’s the National Heritage Corridor called The Last Green Valley (TLGV), that features huge expanses of open space hiking, clean water, historic villages and bald eagle nests. The history of collaboration and partnership between 35 communities, land trusts, preservationists and other organizations is told by TLGV’s Assistant Director Fran Kefalas and Chief Ranger Bill Reid.

A British Revolutionary War Raid that Bears Remembering

The only invading British solider buried with honors in the United States rests in West Haven, CT. William Campbell has a monument and a parcel of land dedicated to his memory, with the British Union Jack flag flying next to it. The question is: why would he be buried with honors after 3,000 British soldiers had just committed numerous atrocities during the raid on New Haven in 1779? West Haven expert and author Peter Malia is an expert on the question, and he has the answer.

Connecticut’s Cold War Secrets

Underground, reinforced bunkers (built on springs to withstand 2-3 feet shakes from a nuclear blast), an Army death train (removing highly radioactive nuclear fuel rods passing close to a CT college dorm and elementary schools), Nike Hercules nuclear missiles (as powerful as those over Hiroshima) positioned in three CT towns without the residents’ knowledge). These are just a handful of CT’s cold war secrets as documented by engineer John Ramsey that will be discussed in this episode.