Amazing Tales from Off and On Connecticut‘s Beaten Path

PART 1: 20,000 Leagues Under Long Island Sound

Many people have no idea that the S-48 submarine sank in Long Island Sound off the coast of Fairfield back in 1921, with 41 crewmen onboard. This first of a two-part series takes us through a detailed accounting of the first hours of what the crew encountered over a 12-hour period, based on statements from the survivors. It is an absolutely spellbinding story of bravery and ingenuity as one challenge after another met these men on a relatively routine sea trial mission that went horribly wrong. Join local history expert and author Michael Bielawa for this unforgettable story.

This CT Ghost Story has Plenty of Credible Witnesses

It’s one of the most documented cases of supernatural activity in world history – the so-called “Lindley Street Poltergeist.” In a house in Bridgeport in the 1970s, the three residents were tormented by floating refrigerators, knives and crucifixes flying through mid-air, and a talking cat. More than a dozen police officers and firefighters reported seeing and hearing these incidents. When newspapers reported it, thousands of spectators gathered nightly, causing traffic jams. The Catholic Church became involved as did the infamous ghost hunter couple Ed and Lorraine Warren. Hear this remarkably unsettling story from the Assistant Archivist at the Bridgeport History Center, Jaime Pettit.

The U.N. was Supposed to be in Greenwich

The United Nations headquarters was originally supposed to be in Greenwich, CT. The search committee decision to build a Vatican-like city was announced in 1946. It would have consumed the entire northern half of the town and displaced a thousand residents. The ensuing community battle over the project designed to stop future world wars involved the heavyweight Republican Rockefeller and Bush families as well as a huge local opposition NIMBY campaign, with unusual “stunt advertising” to influence voters. We’ll hear from Greenwich Time newspaper reporter Robert Marchant, whose paper was at the center of the saga.

A Founding Father’s Son Jailed in CT

When Ben Franklin’s son, William Franklin, was born out of wedlock, he had to endure the taunts of his young peers for his illegitimacy. Through his famous father’s connections, though, he rose to become the last Royal Governor of New Jersey before the Revolutionary War ushered in a new government. William helped his father with the famous kite flying experiment to attract lightening, to study electricity. But, when the revolution came, they took opposing sides, and it would end with William in jail in horrendous conditions in CT. We’ll hear the story from Jessica Jenkins, the Executive Director of the Litchfield Historical Society, the town where the prison was located.

The Mystery Behind the Eerie Moodus Noises

The sound has been described as eerie, dreadful, and fearful. It’s been heard for at least a few centuries, and perhaps longer. The so-called “Moodus noises” have come to define the small village in East Haddam where the sounds come from. The legends that have grown around these noises have a fascinating background, which we’ll examine more closely with a Professor of Folklore at the University of Massachusetts, Stephen Gencarella.

The Strongest Man in the World

Elmer Bitgood, a farmer from eastern Voluntown, was said to be the strongest man in the world. With his 20-inch biceps, he was said to have lifted 2,000 pounds and drank 10 gallons of milk at lunchtime to wash down his several dozen pounds of hamburger. He received challenges from the other strongest men in the world for contests, but the humble gentle giant turned them down. We’ll hear all about his legendary exploits from the Vice President of the Voluntown Historical Society, Karen Britt.

Could You Move a 5,000-Man, Foreign-Speaking Army Across Colonial CT?

When we talk about Rochambeau’s French army marching across CT on its way to Virginia during the Revolutionary War, have you ever stopped to think what that was really like – the complexities, the logistics, the massive coordination, the hurdles to overcome? The movement of 5,000 men, 4,000 animals, and tons of food, ammunition, and supplies on wagons on muddy dirt paths and across rivers was an incredible undertaking. We’ll hear the inside scoop from the chief consultant to the National Parks Service for the Rochambeau Trail, Dr. Robert Selig.

CT’s History Starts with The Mayflower

Connecticut has a direct connection to The Mayflower, which landed in Plymouth, Massachusetts more than 400 years ago. Some of the Pilgrims on that ship would establish the first British settlement in CT. The real story behind the Mayflower voyage is not well known – it wasn’t just for religious freedom, as is commonly taught in schools. The stories behind the very difficult two-month voyage, the miracle that saved the Bush and Roosevelt political dynasties, the Plymouth Plantation, the Mayflower Compact, how Native Americans saved the Pilgrims, and the truth of the first Thanksgiving are all told by Jack McLaughlin, an Interpreter for the Mayflower II Museum boat in Plymouth.

She May Have Been CT’s Most Famous Resident

Katharine Hepburn may have been CT’s most famous resident. She still holds the record for the most Oscars for acting, with four. Her career survived the so-called “poison box office letter” and her feisty on-screen persona competed with her romantic engagements with Howard Hughes and Spencer Tracy for attention. Her years in this state, as a born-and-bred CT native, include a harrowing escape during the Hurricane of ’38. The story is mesmerizing, as told by the Coordinator of Old Saybrook’s Katharine Hepburn Museum, Elise Maragliano

The Most Important Man in CT History

He’s arguably the most important man in Connecticut history – John Winthrop, Jr. One of the state’s earliest Governors, in the 1600s, he secured the first Royal Charter that legitimized CT as a new colony, provided extensive autonomy, and gave the settlers huge land holdings out west. He also founded Saybrook and New London, while introducing modern concepts for industrial ventures and financing social movements. Winthrop’s story is told by perhaps the leading researcher in the field, CT State Historian Emeritus Dr. Walt Woodward.