With its unspoiled, tranquil shorelines, Fire Island has been an oasis for vacationers for more than 150 years. To the polarizing "master builder" Robert Moses, its coastline was ripe for the construc
Michigan has more lighthouses than any other state, with more than 120 dotting its expansive Great Lakes shoreline. Many of these lighthouses lay claim to haunted happenings. Former keepers like the c
With a bitterly divided nation plunged into the War of 1812, a fiery young Federalist editor named Alexander Hanson risked his life to defend a newspaper that dared express unpopular views. His words
Prohibition came early to Kansas in 1881, driving more than 125 breweries out of business or underground. Refusing to even vote on the 1933 national repeal, the state remained dry until 1948, with liq
Philadelphia's relationship with the underground is as old as the city itself, dating back to when Quaker settlers resided in caves alongside the Delaware River more than three hundred years ago. The
Before the Civil War, North Carolina was divided by the battle over secession. Some state leaders remained loyal to the Union because they saw the potential for compromise with Northern states. Willia
From roughly 1930 to 1960, Miami Beach attracted an exclusive colony of socialites, who mixed with Hollywood celebrities and dignitaries, such as Winston Churchill, as effortlessly as tonic mixes with
Denverites once enjoyed a retail landscape rich with personal touches. Revisit May-D&F's animated holiday windows or the ice skating rink in front of the store. Reminisce about the Christmas chandelie
Early twentieth-century San Diego was growing fast, and the officers sworn to protect the city encountered more than their fair share of wily lawbreakers. From a shootout with a lone gunman in Mission
Hoosier history overflows with bold visionaries, noble heroes and lovable rogues. May Wright Sewall struggled to uplift womankind and unflinchingly called for peace in a world sleepwalking toward conf
Angel Oak is estimated to be more than 400 years old. The story of the live oak begins with the "purchase" of Johns Island from the Cussoe Indians by a representative of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper in 1
Archie Newton stepped off the river steamer in 1880 with a letter of introduction and a secret. Seeking refuge, the young Newton hoped for a new life on the Florida frontier. Samuel McMillan was a mis
Manatee County's history is filled with tales of Native American battles, shipwrecks and the expeditions of Hernando de Soto. It's no surprise that spirits still linger on these sunny shores. Anna Mar
Centuries of violent history have laced Bell County with a potent compound of haunted activity. Spectral conquistadors stand guard over the Treasure of the Golden Bull, hidden in Salado caverns by the
Beginning with its founding in 1772, Ellicott City endured an endless procession of tragic deaths. As a result, this eighteenth-century mill town is packed with restless spirits and unexplained supern
One night in 1874, a murderer crept into a New Braunfels home and killed twelve-year-old Emma Voelcker with an axe. The prime suspect was a family friend named Faust, lodging in the nearby Magnolia Ho
Alabama is a weird and wonderful place with a colorful history steeped in folk tales passed from generation to generation. Mysterious 1989 UFO sightings brought more than 4,000 visitors to the tiny to
The 1903 Group Plan for Cleveland's downtown laid out a vision of Neoclassical splendor, an open civic area filled with grand fountains, graceful sculptures and formal gardens. Like most projects of i
New York's Finger Lakes region is filled with compelling characters, tragic disasters and fascinating mysteries. Famed daredevil Sam Patch, known as the "Yankee Leaper," thrilled audiences at Niagara
The Ogden Gas Affair represented the biggest political scandal of Chicago's first sixty years. Mayor John P. Hopkins and Democratic Party boss Roger Sullivan conspired with ten other insiders to form
When Barbara Barker arrived in Hanover in 1964, she fell in love with the community. That initial infatuation made her one of the South Shore's most well-known, widely read and beloved historians. In
Beverly Snodgrass made a lot of poor choices. Once a prostitute in the old mining town of Butte, she later became a madam running two of the most popular brothels. She fell deeply in love with a crook
Although football may first spring to mind when talking about sports in Alabama, the state has certainly made its mark with the national pastime. Thirteen players with Alabama roots are enshrined in t
Founded in 1844, Laurel Hill Cemetery was one of the first to follow the rural cemetery movement that began with Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These park-like arboretums provided
Cape Cod may be a popular tourist destination, but it has more than its share of strange and unique history. The Pukwudgies were two- to three-foot beings with smooth gray skin, hairy faces and horns.
While World War II raged overseas, the people of midcoast Maine responded with remarkable achievements on the homefront. The shipyard at Bath Iron Works launched a new destroyer every seventeen days.
With more than fourteen thousand eating establishments covering seventy different ethnic cuisines, Houston is a foodie town. But even in a place where eating out is a way of life and restaurants come
Grand Rapids responded to President Abraham Lincoln's call for troops with passionate swiftness. Kent County men fought stubbornly on memorable battlefields like First Bull Run, Stones River and Getty
Whether seen as a common criminal or Robin Hood with a six-shooter, the Missouri outlaw left an indelible mark on American culture. In the nineteenth century, Missouri was known as the "Outlaw State"
Chinese American baby boomers who grew up within the twenty-nine square blocks of San Francisco's Chinatown lived in two worlds. Elders implored the younger generation to retain ties with old China ev
Since Europeans first settled along the banks of Back Creek in the 1740s, southwest Roanoke County's history has been as fluid as the creek itself. The once dense forest with log cabins gave way to th
The southern garden produces delights in all four seasons, from asparagus to tomatoes, apples to collard greens. Make use of the bounty of your garden or farmers' market with new twists on familiar fa
Staten Island has a rich and fascinating cultural legacy that few people outside New York City's greenest borough know about. Chewing gum was invented on the island with the help of Mexican general An
Rochester is synonymous with one of its most famous landmarks, the Mayo Clinic, but there’s so much more to the Med City. It began as a frontier town, struggling to make its mark in a sparsely populat
When President Roosevelt visited Buffalo in November 1940, he found a hardworking city with a large immigrant population manufacturing aircraft for the Allies. Nearby Fort Niagara inducted over 100,00
During the Civil War, only Virginia and Tennessee saw more action than Missouri. Ulysses S. Grant first proved his ability there. Sterling Price, a former governor of Missouri, sided with the Confeder
Along with the Dodgers and Prospect Park, Abraham & Straus was a legendary piece of Brooklyn’s history and identity. From Abraham Abraham’s modest store of 1865, A&S developed into one of America’s la
Kansas’ storied past is filled with fascinating firsts, humorous coincidences and intriguing characters. A man who had survived a murderous proslavery massacre in 1858 hanged his would-be executioner
Eastern Cemetery holds more than 350 years of Portland’s rich history. Within the sacred burial ground rest settlers who struggled with the natives over resources, citizens who had to choose their all
Founded in 1854 as an abolitionist outpost, Lawrence is a seemingly unassuming college town with a long history of hauntings. A ghostly guest never checked out of the Eldridge Hotel’s mysterious room
