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.
Episodes
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
CT had its own Alamo - and it had a Gruesome Ending
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
Wednesday Apr 03, 2024
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 William Ledyard not to surrender the fort, with essentially only farmers under his command, ended with only a handful of fighters not being killed or wounded. This harrowing story is told by the President of the Friends of the Fort Griswold Battlefield State Park Foundation, Hali Keeler.
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
He Murdered for Love - and Hate
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
Wednesday Mar 27, 2024
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 cracked the case. And the person who has the details of this story is the retired longtime editor of the Ridgefield Press newspaper and local historian, Jack Sanders.
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Civil War Draft Dodging, with the Doctor's Help
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
Wednesday Mar 20, 2024
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 War, Peter Vermilyea.
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Will CT Have Enough Open Space in the Future?
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
Wednesday Mar 13, 2024
We live in a state with a lot of open space, correct? Well, while 60% of our land is forested, much of it is privately-owned and potentially subject to development. The state legislature established a goal of setting aside 21% of the state’s land by 2023. We’re at about 16%, and an extension to that target is being developed. Land trusts play a critical role in identifying, securing, and managing open space. With climate change and the impact on biodiversity, CT Land Conservation Council Executive Director Amy Blaymore Paterson says that our past development trends could impact our future lifestyles if more land isn’t conserved fairly soon.
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Noah Webster - Our Forgotten Founding Father
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Wednesday Mar 06, 2024
Connecticut native Noah Webster not only created the first American dictionary, but he made numerous contributions to the field of education, establishing teaching approaches that exist as the norm to this day. His writings on establishing a new U.S. government were studied by the authors of the U.S. Constitution – before they wrote it. He was the father of U.S. copyright law and the founder of New York City’s first daily newspaper. Webster was so prolific, and yet he tends to only be remembered for the dictionary. The Executive Director of the Noah Webster, Jeffrey Mainville, will share the many accomplishments of this forgotten founding father.
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
It's Connecticut's Only Zoo - And What a History it Has
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Wednesday Feb 28, 2024
Connecticut once had five zoos. Now, it just has one accredited facility – Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo. Not only is the history of how the facility began quite interesting, but so it its mission of keeping highly endangered species alive and multiplying in the hope of keeping them from going extinct. The current director, Gregg Dancho, talks about some of his memories during his 40 years at the helm, a time period cited by many observers as being the most positive and consequential in the 100-year-old history of this fabulous zoo.
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Did a CT Man Survive the Titanic by Wearing a Dress?
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
Wednesday Feb 21, 2024
A CT man survived the sinking of the Titanic 110 years ago, but he was accused of getting into a “women and children only” lifeboat by wearing a dress. The problem is, it was a completely fabricated story. Yet, the lie followed William Sloper for the rest of his life, because his father urged him to ignore the controversy. In the absence of a denial, the story stuck. The truth finally emerged, but not in time for Sloper. This intriguing tale will be told by Cathy Nelson, Librarian Emeritus of the Berlin Public Library.
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
When Your Small Plane Pilot Dies in Mid-Flight
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Wednesday Feb 14, 2024
Have you ever wondered what would happen if the pilot of a small plane you were riding in died in mid-flight? On Easter Sunday, 2009, the pilot of a twin-engine plane out of Florida suffered a fatal heart attack, leaving a father, his wife, and two daughters alone in the plane. A CT flight instructor, who was familiar with that type of plane, was contacted to provide cell phone advice to air traffic controller, who relayed it to the pilot to help him land the plane safely. Flight instructor Kari Sorenson and his partner Ashley Harrison share their memories of that fateful day.
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Which of CT's 169 Towns Came First?
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
Wednesday Feb 07, 2024
There are 169 towns in Connecticut, and it would seem like a simple question: which town was the first to be settled? Well, there is still some controversy – nearly 400 years after the fact – as to whether it was Windsor or Wethersfield. The debate falls along the definition of settlement, versus trading post. Either way, some would argue, what about the indigenous people who were here before European settlers? We’ll look at all of this with two representatives of the Windsor Historical Society, Executive Director Doug Shipman and Librarian/Archivist Michelle Tom.
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
20,000 Leagues Under Long Island Sound: PART TWO
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
Wednesday Jan 31, 2024
In this second of a two-part series on the sinking of the S-48 submarine 100 years ago in Long Island Sound, we’ll have the exciting conclusion about the survival efforts made by the 41 crew members trapped 60 feet below the surface of The Sound, off the coast of Fairfield, with icy water and poisonous chlorine gas filling the vessel and no communications system to let others know of their dire circumstances. CT author and local historian Michael Bielawa finishes this incredible story