Amazing Tales from Off the Beaten Path

Charles Island - Buried Treasure, Curses, and Ghosts

They say some of Captain Kidd’s loot is buried there. But, watch out for the curse. At low tide, a magical sandbar appears allowing you to walk to Charles Island from shore. When the tide returns though, you're trapped. Did the curse burn the island's resort? Or kill a number of swimmers near the sandbar?

The Civil War Was Also Fought in the North

The Civil War wasn't just fought in the south. People in the north disagreed about the sense of fighting our countrymen in the south. Why not let them have slaves and maintain the Union? The other side: because slavery is wrong. When one argument got out of control, the Battle of Charcoal Run occurred.

The Devastating Floods of 1955

It’s considered southern New England's worst natural disaster. Three storms - hurricanes and tropical storms; two in one week and the third two months later. Some communities were flooded twice. Mind-boggling flood waters. 80 deaths, thousands injured, billions in damage (in 1955 dollars) in CT, MA, and RI.

When Christianity Met Native Americans

The Moravian sect is the oldest Protestant religion. They sent missionaries in the 1700s to convert Native Americans to Christianity. Over 15 years, they converted several dozen. In fact, their main preacher was so revered that Native Americans buried him on their land, an honor.

The First Gold Strike East of the Mississippi

Minerals and gemstones. Highly profitable rock formations have been unearthed across CT. It's where the first gold strike occurred east of the Mississippi River. Iron deposits led to the first cannon balls. One mine supplied the granite for the Statue of Liberty, Grand Central Station, and the Brooklyn Bridge.

Putting a Stop to Grave Robbing

Grave robbing is rare today. It was common in the 1800s. Stealing valuables buried with the dead occurred. So did the removal of recently-buried corpses - used by medical institutions to learn more about the human body. One notorious case involved Yale University. Finally, the practice had to be outlawed.

The First Mass Murder in the U.S.

Mass murders are common today. In the 1700s, they were unheard of in Colonial America. Until the case of Barnett Davenport. He brutally murdered 5 people in a farmhouse. As grisly as the murders were, so was the manner in which capital punishment was carried out in those days.

The Hubble Telescope: Uncovering the Secrets of the Universe

When the Hubble space telescope first sent back photos, NASA called it the single most important contribution to outer space knowledge since Galileo. It was the first telescope sent beyond the “waviness” of Earth’s atmosphere, giving crystal clear views. Building it was a monumental challenge.

The Greatness of Marian Anderson

International opera superstar Marian Anderson. Best remembered for singing on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial. She had been barred from singing in 1939 at Constitution Hall because she was Black. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt made sure Anderson would be heard.

The Odd Border Notch Between Connecticut and Massachusetts

The border between Massachusetts and Connecticut is straight. The King of England declared that in a charter issued in 1642. So where did the notch in the border come from, which juts into Connecticut? There's 160-years' worth of disputes about this one-square-mile of territory.