The Kitchen Table Historian
The world was breathing a little easier at the end of 1945. For the past several years, the Second World War had raged across the globe. Towns and cities had been razed throughout the Pacific and across Europe. Millions had lost their lives during the course of the conflict. Now, the war was finally over.... Continue Reading →
August 30, 1945, was a day like any other in DeWitt, Iowa. That is, until the explosions started. What happened that fateful afternoon, and what is its connection to the modern day?
We love getting presents in the mail. But what happens when something so ordinary turns deadly? One unfortunate farm family in 1922 Wisconsin found out first hand when they received a deadly delivery. Sources Mystery Still Shrouds Chilton Death. The Sheboygan Press, 11/25/1922 Poison Candy is Blamed For Woman's Death. The Daily News and The... Continue Reading →
Getting mail is a strange thing. On one hand, we hate it. We hate getting junk mail, and who looks forward to getting bills every month? There's the electric bill, the water bill, the rent payment, medical expenses, and on, and on, and on. The mail seems to bring us a never-ending torrent of credit... Continue Reading →
Lt. Naomi Kathleen Cheney looked at the solider standing guard at Gate No. 3 of the Technical School, AAF (Army Air Forces) Training Command. She had just transferred to Sioux Falls, South Dakota after receiving her officer's commission a few months earlier. It was early October 1943, and World War II was raging across Europe... Continue Reading →
In 1943, Lt. Naomi Cheney came to Sioux Falls, South Dakota to serve her country during World War II. Instead, her unsolved murder became the oldest in Sioux Falls history when she took her last walk home. Sources Body of Brunette Lieutenant Found Near Viaduct Here. Argus-Leader, 10/6/1943 Death Probe Goes Slowly in WAC Case.... Continue Reading →
In 1898, Judge John Dillon was rich and successful. But when his wife and daughter were about to travel to Europe, eerie premonitions of impending disaster would change his life forever. Sources Downer, Harry E. A History of Davenport and Scott County, Iowa. Volume II. Chicago; S.J. Clarke Publishing Company, 1910. Asheville Citizen-Times.... Continue Reading →
John F. Dillon stood, inspecting the monument in front of him. Fall had already taken a firm hold on the region, the kaleidoscope of orange and red leaves providing a beautiful backdrop for the granite obelisk. Forty feet from base to tip, it was exactly what Dillon had paid for. Now, looking at it again,... Continue Reading →
People love stories of buried treasure, but that’s not the only thing that people bury. A group of North Dakota workmen discovered this in 1915 when they uncovered buried secrets no one was ever meant to find. Sources Larson, Troy. The Strange Tale of the Midnight Rider: Serial Killer Eugene Butler. www.ghostsofnorthdakota.com, 6/23/2017 Larson,... Continue Reading →