January is a cold month in the Midwest, especially in Wisconsin. The temperatures routinely hover around the freezing point, and often dip much further below that for days on end. Snow often falls thick, covering the landscape in an unending blanket of white. Still, people adapt. While they inevitably complain about the weather, they acclimate […]
16-year-old Augusta Bartz was murdered in 1892. Even though her killer, Herman Boek, shotgunned her in the middle of road in broad daylight, he later claimed that although he had intended to commit murder, he had shot Augusta by accident. Come and learn the strange and tragic story this week at the table. https://media.blubrry.com/kitchentablehistorian/api.spreaker.com/v2/episodes/19874151/download.mp3Podcast: Play
Episode 32: The Accidentally Deliberate Murder of Augusta Bartz Read More »
In 1933, William Kelly made a horrific decision. He would spend a lifetime haunted by the memories of things he could never undo. Sources “Iowan Uses Hammer to Slay Son, 2.” The Des Moines Tribune, 7/31/1933″ “Romance of T.C. Campus Ended by Double Murder.” The Courier, 8/1/1933 “Injuries Fatal to Mrs. Kelly.” The Des
Episode 30: Haunted – The Kelly Family Murders Read More »
Hauntings are a hallmark of the Halloween season. A common horror fiction theme is having an unsuspecting individual or family move into a new home. Sometimes these are places where some kind of violent act – generally a suicide or murder – took place. The personalities involved with that event remain there as spirits, trapped
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When Iowa policemen arrested a robbery suspect in 1947, they thought they had just apprehended the thief responsible for numerous area break-ins. They didn’t suspect that they had just caught a notorious and uncommon criminal. Sources ‘Widely-Sought Criminal Nabbed.’ The Democrat and Leader, 3/9/1947 p. 1 ‘Burglar, Wanted By the FBI For Jailbreak and
Episode 26: An Uncommon Criminal Read More »
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.
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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? https://media.blubrry.com/kitchentablehistorian/content.blubrry.com/kitchentablehistorian/Yegge_Final.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Episode 15: Rising From the Flames Read More »
It was the Spring of 1972, and a group of young men in Davenport, Iowa were hosting a very unusual woman as their guest. This isn’t to say that she was rude and untoward; quite the contrary. A southern-born woman who had called Chicago her home for several years, their guest was very polite and
In the late 1960’s, a fraternity in Davenport, Iowa moved into a comfortable new chapter home. Before long, they discovered that a spectral visitor also came with the property. How would you handle this uninvited guest? Sources: Sheridan, Joe. Irene Hughes – Psychic Investigator. Quad City Times, 5/15/1977 Steiger, Brad. Psychic Safaris. Quad City
Episode 8: Uninvited Guests Read More »
Floods are a dangerous fact of life in the Midwest. So many of those who live here have experienced horrific flooding over the years, bonding them together through shared memories and similar circumstances. One such event happened in 1958, when a terrible flash flood claimed the lives of 19 people. Sources “9 Dead,
Episode 6: And the Rain Fell, And the Water Rose…. Read More »
