Small Town News: Recent Episodes
Small Town News
Welcome to Small Town News, located at the intersection of hardcore journalism and jelly-filled comedy. Each episode we read articles from small town newspapers from around the United States and use them to inspire improv stories. We've got fireworks filled with rattlesnakes. We've got a parade of painfully bad accents. We've got no idea what states border Michigan. But no matter where the story ends, it's all 100% true. Promise. Check our sources. Seriously.
Welcome to Cumming, Georgia, the "Gateway to Leisure Living!" We hope you enjoy our visit to this cool southern town.
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Payette, Idaho! We hope you enjoy our trip to this cool little town!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Circleville, Ohio! We've found our way back to Craig's favorite state to visit this cool little town. We hope you enjoy our visit!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Seymour, Indiana! Home of John Mellencamp, John Cougar Mellencamp, and John Camper Cougenmetal! We hope you enjoy our trip to this delightful small town--the iconic small town that the Cougar was likely thinking about when he wrote "Small Town"! Small Town News--whose headline is it anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Sleepy Eye, Minnesota! We hope you enjoy our visit to this not so sleepy little town.
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Coldwater, Michigan, "a great place to live, work, and play!" We hope you enjoy our first stop of the year!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Just in case you need an escape the Christmas chaos, we've provided this extra porch chat for your enjoyment.
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Scappoose, Oregon! We hope you enjoy our trip!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Shamokin, Pennsylvania! We hope you enjoy our visit to this interesting town.
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Middletown, Delaware, "The Diamond Town of the Diamond State!" We explore an number of interesting facts about this town, including the Big Ball Marathon. We hope you enjoy or visit!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Picayune, Mississippi, "a precious coin in the purse of the South!" This small town is far from trivial. We hope you enjoy!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Wyoming, Rhode Island, our first city with the name of a state and perhaps the smallest town we've visited. We hope you enjoy!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, home of Kona coffee! We hope you enjoy our visit to this amazing small town.
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Brattleboro, Vermont, once home of the "Strolling of the Heifers!" We hope you enjoy!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Galax, Virginia! It's not just plant, it's a place! We hope you enjoy our trip!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Here is a link to the picture and article that inspired this bit of nonsense...
https://unofficialnetworks.com/2021/07/30/bear-spoon-fed-honey/
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Roosevelt, Utah! We hope you enjoy our visit to the cool little town!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
In honor of the Paris Olympic Games, Dr. Jess is taking us to a much closer and smaller Paris. We hope you enjoy our visit Paris, Tennessee!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
This week we travel to Aderbeen, South Dakota! We hope you our visit to this cool little town!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Willcox, Arizona! Willcox is located in southeastern Arizona near the US-Mexico border. This area accounts for 75% to 80% of the wine grapes grown in Arizona. There are several websites dedicated to the vineyards in the region and tasting tours. Willcox has a number of festivals including Rex Allen Days. Rex Allen was born in Willcox and went to enjoy a successful career in film, television, and music. We hope you enjoy our trip to Willcox!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Center, North Dakota, where "The Rest of the World Is Okay but It's Better in Center!" Center is the seat of Oliver County and is home to just under 600 residents. The town's footprint is only .46 square miles. Places of interest nearby include the Cross Ranch State Park, Knife River Indian Village, and Nelson Lake. We hope you enjoy our visit to Center!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Middlefield, Connecticut! Middlefield is located in central Connecticut and has a population of 4,200. The town seal seems to sum up the town up quite well. Designed by long time resident Donald Ginter, the seal is a view of the town as seen through a rifle scope. Lyman Gunsight Co. began in the town in the late 19th century. The crosshairs divide the seal into four quadrants representing different aspects of the town. The seal features saltbox homes, orchards, outdoor activities, and "the old pistol shop." The seal seems fitting for an historic town flanked by Lyman Orchards, Powder Ridge Mountain Park and Resort, Wadsworth Falls, a several other attractions. We hope you enjoy our visit to Middlefield!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Sulphur, Louisiana, the "Pride of Southwest Louisiana!" Sulphur is located in the southwest corner of Louisiana and is named for the sulphur mines that were operated in the area in the 1900s. The town is one of the points of interest along the Creole Nature Trail. We hope you enjoy our visit to Sulphur!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Searcy, Arkansas, "The city where thousands live as millions wish they could!" Searcy is the county seat of White County and is located in central Arkansas. Searcy was located along the path of totality during the recent solar eclipse. The town developed a website for the event including some of the main attractions in the area. The historic Rialto showed "space flicks," the Center on the Square theatre presented a production of "Ghost Hunt," and the town closed the event with a lecture by Astronaut Jerry Linenger. Many of the local restaurants got into the spirit by selling specialty drinks and food like the Lunar Lattes and Eclipse Burgers. If you missed your opportunity to visit the town on this historic occasion, you can always join them for the World Championship Chocolate Gravy Cookoff on May 4th. We hope you enjoy our trip to Searcy!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Tifton, Georgia, "The Friendly City!" Tifton is located in Tift County in southern Georgia. The town and county were named after lumber magnate Henry Harding Tift who established the mill town that ultimately became Tifton. The Georgia Museum of Agriculture is located in the area. It is a 95 acre site consisting of the museum, two 19th century farms, a town and and industrial site. The museum also has the only steam-powered train in regular operation in the state. We hope you enjoy our visit to Tifton!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Chadron, Nebraska! The town is the seat of Dawes County and is located in the northwest corner of the state near the border with South Dakota. A former fur trading post, the town is home to the Museum of the Fur Trade. In addition to the items you would expect to find at a museum of fur trading, they also have an heirloom garden featuring authentic crops grow by Native Americans in the area. Chadron is also the home of the Mari Sandoz High Plains Heritage Center and Chadron State College. We hope you enjoy our trip to Chadron!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Ada, Oklahoma, a "Small Town with Big Opportunity!" Ada is the county seat of Pontotoc County and is the capital of the Chickasaw Nation. Ada was incorporated in 1901 and grew quickly with the arrival of the railroad. Ada is home to the McSwain Theatre. Originally built in 1920 to show silent films and host Vaudeville shows, the theatre was restored in 2009. Blake Shelton, an Ada native, was a regular performer there before moving to Nashville. We hope you enjoy our visit to Ada!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
We're back with a full episode! This week we are in Geneseo, Illinois...or are we in Genesco? If our steadfast leader Dr. Jess tells us it is spelled Genesco, then that's the new name of the town. This delightful small town is about 150 miles west of Chicago, and has been around for close to 200 years. A main stop on the Grand Excursion, the birthplace of Madame X and the site of a super-cool gingerbread contest, Genesco has tons of history and charm. We hope you enjoy our virtual romp through Genesco, and the improv fun we created, inspired by stories found in The Geneseo Republic.
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
We are spending one more week on the back porch. Last week a vase full of water and a cat conspired to sabotage the laptop that houses our data. We will be back next week with a full episode. In the meantime, enjoy this back porch chat.
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Xenia, Ohio, "The City of Hospitality!" Xenia is located about 15 minutes from Dayton and has a population of nearly 26,000. The town was founded in 1803 and is the county seat of Greene County. In 1974 Xenia was hit by an F5 tornado during the 1974 Super Outbreak causing major destruction and displacing 10,000 people. The town was featured in a documentary on NBC and was visited by President Richard Nixon. The staff of The Daily Gazette, our source newspaper, won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting in 1975 in recognition of their coverage of the event. We hope you enjoy our visit to Xenia!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Gaffney, South Carolina, "The Peach Capital of South Carolina!" Gaffney is located in northern SC in the Upcountry in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Originally settled in 1804 by Michael Robert Gaffney, the town has three historic districts, the Peachoid, and is close to many hiking trails and other outdoor activities. The town was once called home by actor Andie McDowell and is the final fake resting place of Francis J. Underwood, the fictional President in the Netflix series House of Cards. We hope you enjoy our visit to Gaffney!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Collingswood, New Jersey, "Festival Capital of South Jersey!" Collingswood was founded in the late 17th century by Quakers and was completely dry until 2015. The town is located about 5 miles east of Philadelphia across the Delaware River. Collingswood hosts an amazing number of festivals and events throughout the year. Festivals include the Book Festival, Crafts and Fine Art Festival, Green Day, May Fair, Pride Pop-Up, and many others. We hope your enjoy our trip to Collingswood!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Crisfield, Maryland, "The Seafood Capital of the World!" Crisfield is Maryland's southernmost town and is located on the Chesapeake Bay. First settled by Europeans in 1663, the town's economic engine has always been seafood. The harvesting and processing of blue crab makes up a large part of the seafood industry in town. Crisfield hosts the Hard Shell Crab Derby, an annual Labor Day weekend festival. 2023's main entertainer was a Neil Diamond impersonator. We hope you enjoy our visit to Crisfield!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Laramie, Wyoming, the "Gem City of the Plains!" Laramie is located in southeastern Wyoming near the Colorado border. The area around Laramie has been inhabited for centuries by Native American tribes and fur traders. The town owes much of its success to its location along the Overland Stage Line and its use as a "Hell-on-Wheels" style town for the Union Pacific Railroad in the late 1860s. Laramie was the quentessential western town boasting a number of brothels and the Bucket of Blood Saloon. We hope you enjoy our trip to Laramie!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Crescent City, California, "The Redwood Gate to the Golden State!" Crescent City is located on the coast in the upper northwestern part of California. Because of the shape of the sea floor in the area, the town is prone to experiencing tsunamis. Most of the tsunami events are small, but the Great Alaskan Earthquake of 1964 produced a wave 20 feet tall causing severe damage to the town and harbor. The town is also adjacent to the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. The park boasts 2,000 year old redwood trees, some of the oldest and tallest redwoods on earth. We hope you enjoy our trip to Crescent City!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to London, Kentucky, home of the World Chicken Festival! London is located in southeastern Kentucky in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. The area provides access to numerous biking and hiking trails in the Daniel Boone National Forest. The town is located near Corbin, the home of the first Kentucky Fried Chicken. The World Chicken Festival is held annually in town to celebrate all things KFC and uses the "world's largest stainless steel skillet" to fry up to 600 chicken quarters at one time. We hope you enjoy our trip to London!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Jasper, Indiana, "The Nation's Wood Capital!" Located in Southwestern Indiana, Jasper is home to several furniture companies including Mastercraft Cabinets and Kimball International. The town is also the location of the Indiana Baseball Hall of Fame and the annual Jasper Strassenfest. The Strassenfest is a four day celebration between Jasper and Pfaffenweiler, Germany, the town's sister city. We hope you enjoy our trip to Jasper!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
It's time to start brining the turkey in preparation for the world champion of eating holidays. The crew has taken a week off from exploring new towns to enjoy a little down time before the big day. In this back porch chat, the guys explore important food topics like what happens to the leftover tortillas after Taco Tuesday? We hope you enjoy!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Chillicothe, Missouri, "The Home of Sliced Bread!" Chillicothe began as a farming community in the early 19th century when European Americans began settling in the region. The town's name is Shawnee for "big town." While Chillicothe has never lived up to it's moniker, it is the home of sliced bread. Otto Rohwedder developed the first bread slicing machine, the Rohwedder Bread Slicer, in 1928, and sold the first one to the Chillicothe Baking Company. They began selling sliced bread to stores in the area and it was an instant hit. By the mid-1930s sliced bread sales exceed that of unsliced bread nationally. We hope you enjoy our visit to Chillicothe!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome back to Waterville, Maine! We visited Waterville three years ago in our episode Hostile Takeover at Hobos Inc. The Doctor decided there was more to mine from this cool little town. Let's see if we can once again keep from "pulling a Hornberger!"
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Eufaula, Alabama! Eufaula is located in southeastern Alabama along the Alabama-Georgia border. The town is situated along the Chattahoochie River and became a major shipping hub in the 1850s for goods bound for the Port of Apalachicola on the Gulf of Mexico. Shipping by river declined swiftly as rail lines were established in the area after the Civil War. Lake Eufaula, a reservoir created when the river was damned in 1963, is now used primarily for recreation and is known as the Big Bass Capital of the World. We hope you enjoy our trip to Eufaula!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Las Animas, Colorado, "The City of Souls!" Las Animas is the county seat of Bent County and is located in southeast Colorado. Las Animas means "the souls" in Spanish. According to one legend, the town is named after a group of conquistadors who died without the last rites sacrament of a priest while exploring the area in the 16th century. The area is home to several important sites including the historic town of Boggsville and the John Martin Reservoir. Bent's Old Fort is also located nearby. The fort is a reconstructed adobe fur trading post. The original fort was built in 1833 and was the only major permanent US settlement on the Santa Fe Trail at the time. The original structure was destroyed in 1849 but was reconstructed as an historic site in 1976. We hope you enjoy our visit to Las Animas!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Vermillion, Nebraska, "The Town AI Created!" If you're a curious listener who takes the time to learn more about our trip locations each week, you will have discovered that Vermillion doesn't actually exist. Last week's town, town tidbits, and articles were predominantly created by ChatGPT. In this episode we explore the power of AI with Dr. Jess. We hope you enjoy!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Vermillion, Nebraska! Vermillion is located in southwest Nebraska about 20 miles north of Kansas. The town originally began as a trading post in the early 1860s. The town grew quickly after the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad in the area in the late 1860s and was incorporated in 1870. Vermillion is located near Harlan County Lake, a reservoir created when the Republican River was dammed to reduce local flooding. The lake provides opportunities for residents and visitors to enjoy recreational activities including fishing, boating, hiking, and camping. We hope you enjoy our trip to Vermillion!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Sidney, Montana, "Montana's Sunrise City!" Sidney Montana is located 10 miles west of the North Dakota border and 100 miles south of Canada on the banks of the Yellowstone River. Founded in 1911, The town's major industries are oil and agriculture including the production of sugar beets. Sugar beets are grown in areas to cold for sugar cane to produce white sugar. Midland Sugar Company constructed a sugar beet refinery in town in 1925. The plant closed in early 2023 after nearly a century in operation. Sidney offers an array of outdoor activities including fishing. Anglers fish for rainbow trout and paddlefish, a large prehistoric species related to sturgeons. Paddlefish can grow up to 87 inches long and weigh up to 200 pounds, although most weight from 10 to 15 pounds. We hope you enjoy our trip to Sidney!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Longboat Key, Florida! Longboat Key is located on a barrier island of the same name off the Gulf Coast of Central Florida in Manatee and Sarasota Counties. Longboat Key along with several other barrier islands separate Sarasota Bay and the Gulf of Mexico. Longboat Key was originally inhabited by the Timucuan and Caloosa tribes. The island was sparsely inhabited until the late 1880s when Thomas Mann and his family became the first permanent residents on the island. The town developed slowly and growth was continually stymied by hurricanes through the 1920s. The town was officially incorporated in 1955 and development surged in the 60s and 70s. Longboat Key has become a popular vacation destination with beautiful beaches, sport fishing, and various other activities available year round. We hope you enjoy our trip to Longboat Key!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Hamburg, Iowa, "The Cornerstone of Iowa!" Hamburg is the most southwestern city in Iowa located on the borders of Nebraska to the west and Missouri to the south. The first settlers to the town thought they were settling in Missouri and only discovered the town was in Iowa when a survey was made when Iowa entered the union in 1846. The town was formally laid out in 1857 and was incorporated in 1867. The town is located at the confluence of the Nishnabotna and Missouri Rivers and was often impacted when the Missouri River floods. After the town flooded in 2019, new levees were constructed to protect the town from future flooding. Hamburg is home to the headquarters for Vogel Popcorn. Vogel claims to produced 52% of the popcorn grown in the US. We hope you enjoy our visit to Hamburg!
Small Town News--whose headline is it, anyway? @SmallTownNewsImprov
Welcome to Yanceyville, North Carolina, "Tradition with Vision!" Yanceyville is located in the Piedmont Triad Region and is the county seat of Caswell County. The town was founded in 1792 and was named Yanceyville when it was incorporated in 1833. With no railway, waterway, or any other defining feature to attract commerce, Yanceyville has struggled to remain a town throughout most of it's existence. It's position as the county seat has been attributed to the town's survival. The town's economy relied largely on the tobacco industry, which has taken a downturn with decreasing demand for the product. The town still holds the Bright Leaf Hoedown annually in September. It is a one day festival featuring live entertainment, food trucks, bounce houses, and more. The festival with be held September 23rd this year. The town also has a number of historical attractions including the Caswell County Courthouse, the Historic Caswell County Jail, and the Old Poteat School one room school house. We hope you enjoy our visit to Yanceyville!
Welcome to Caliente, Nevada, "City of Roses!" The city is located in Lincoln County and is the least populated incorporated city in Nevada. Originally named Calientes, the town was built on land from the Culverwell Ranch in 1901 and was named after the hot springs in the area. A post office was erected late in 1901 and the "s" was dropped from the city's name, leaving it as Caliente. In 1905, the railroad was completed in the area and a depot was erected. After the depot burned in 1921, a two story depot was built in the Spanish mission style. The new two story depot included a restaurant and hotel and had a solid oak interior. The city was intended to be the next big resort town in the region due to it's hot springs and it's proximity to Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Unfortunately that never came to pass. The town's population declined in the late 1940s after the dieselization of the train industry reduced the need for more frequent stops for refueling required for steam engines. The Caliente Train Depot now houses the local government offices and has a small boxcar museum next to the station where you can learn about the city's railroading history. We hope you enjoy our visit to Caliente!
Welcome to Caliente, Nevada, "City of Roses!" The city is located in Lincoln County and is the least populated incorporated city in Nevada. Originally named Calientes, the town was built on land from the Culverwell Ranch in 1901 and was named after the hot springs in the area. A post office was erected late in 1901 and the "s" was dropped from the city's name, leaving it as Caliente. In 1905, the railroad was completed in the area and a depot was erected. After the depot burned in 1921, a two story depot was built in the Spanish mission style. The new two story depot included a restaurant and hotel and had a solid oak interior. The city was intended to be the next big resort town in the region due to it's hot springs and it's proximity to Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. Unfortunately that never came to pass. The town's population declined in the late 1940s after the dieselization of the train industry reduced the need for more frequent stops for refueling required for steam engines. The Caliente Train Depot now houses the local government offices and has a small boxcar museum next to the station where you can learn about the city's railroading history. We hope you enjoy our visit to Caliente!
Welcome to Tazewell, Tennessee! Located in the Cumberland Gap, the town is about 45 minutes north of Knoxville on the northern slope of Wallen Ridge. The Cumberland Gap was once referred to as the "Gateway to the West." It is the only continuous pass in the Cumberland Mountain ridgeline as was used by settlers to travel into the western frontiers of Tennessee and Kentucky. Tazewell was laid out in 1802 or 1803 and was chosen as the county seat of Claiborne County in 1804. The area offers numerous recreational activities including camping, boating, and hiking. We hope you enjoy our visit to Tazewell!
Welcome to Pascagoula, Mississippi, "Mississippi's Flagship City" and home of the craziest squirrel in the South! The town takes it's name from the Native American tribe who inhabited the area when Hernando de Soto explored the area in the 1540s. After Europeans arrived the area changed hands many times between the Spanish, French, and English and was ultimately claimed by the United States as part of the Mississippi Territory in 1812. The town was incorporated in 1892. The town is home to the Old Spanish Fort, the oldest building in the Mississippi Valley. The building was constructed in the 1750s and is now home to a museum celebrating the history of the area. Pascagoula is located on the Gulf Coast and is part of the Mississippi Delta. Residents and visitors can enjoy numerous water activities throughout the year. Jimmy Buffet was born in Pascagoula on Christmas Day in 1946 but moved shortly after (we are sure he would have stayed given the choice). Channing Tatum is also from the Pascagoula area. Perhaps it's most famous resident (according to Keith) is the famous squirrel who went berserk in the famous song by Ray Stevens, The Mississippi Squirrel Revival.We hope you enjoy our visit to Pascagoula!
Welcome to Baxter Springs, Kansas! Baxter Springs is located in the southeastern corner of Kansas on the Oklahoma border. Two mineral springs in the area have attracted people to the area for thousands of years. The site was a stop along the Black Dog Trail, a trail created by the Osage people in the early 1800s to allow easier passage from their winter territory to their summer hunting grounds. After the Indian Removal Act forced the indigenous people west in the 1830s, European American settlers established a trading post in the area that grew into Baxter Springs. Demand for beef drove the town's growth after the Civil War. Texas cattlemen used the town as a way point to take cattle to the markets in Kansas City. Baxter Springs constructed corrals for up to 20,000 head of cattle and is considered to be the first "cow town" in Kansas. We hope you enjoy our visit to Baxter Springs!
Welcome to Kilgore, Texas, "The City of Stars!" Kilgore is located in east Texas and is about 70 miles west of Shreveport, LA. The town was founded in 1872 when the International-Great Northern Railroad constructed a rail line between Palestine and Longview and purchased a parcel of land to establish a new train station and town. Kilgore thrived as a farming community until the Great Depression. The discovery of the East Texas Oil Field turned Kilgore into a boomtown in the early 1930s. At the height of the boom, Kilgore had more then 1,100 oil producing wells within it's city limits. In one acre in the middle of downtown dubbed the "World's Richest Acre," there were 24 wells operating simultaneously. The site is now a public park with 13 oil derricks, a historical marker, and a concrete stage for outdoor performances. We hope you enjoy our trip to this unique little town!
One week just wasn't enough for us to explore Tallulah! We hope you enjoy the second episode dedicated to the little town.
Welcome to Tallulah, Louisiana! Tallulah was founded in 1857 in the Mississippi Valley and is the seat of Madison Parish. The town got it's name in an unusual way. During the construction of the railroad in the area, a widowed plantation owner persuaded the railroad contractor to change the route to run through her plantation. After construction was complete, the widow had nothing more to do with the contractor. In retaliation for being jilted, the contractor named the water stop after an old girlfriend instead of the plantation. The town is is the original home of Delta Airlines, originally named Delta Dusters. The company originated as a cop dusting operation and added passenger operations in 1929. Tallulah has been called home by a number of different notables including civil rights activists, musicians, and professional sports figures. The list also includes the first African-American woman to become a millionaire, Madame C.J. Walker. We hope you enjoy our visit to Tallulah!
Welcome to Smyrna, Delaware, "Always Marching Forward!" Located in northern Delaware on the bank of Duck Creek, Smyrna was first settled in the early 1700s and was originally named Salisbury in 1716. The town grew quickly as a shipping port serving the Duck Creek area. The town was officially renamed Smyrna in 1806. Smyrna's shipping industry shrank during the 19th century and the area turned to agriculture to support the town. The town's current largest employer is a Wal-Mart Distribution Center. Smyrna has been called home by a surprising number of politicians throughout the years including 5 US Congressmen, 1 US Senator, and 4 Governors. We hope you enjoy our visit to Smyrna!
Welcome to Arkadelphia, Arkansas, "The City of Rainbows!" The town is located along the Ouachita River at the edge of the Ouachita Mountains in southern Arkansas. The town was originally named Blakeleytown after it's first settler, but was renamed Arkadelphia in 1839. The town's early industries included a salt works, lumber mill and a trading post that served the surrounding farms. Arkadelphia has been the home of a number of public and private educational institutions including five colleges founded between 1885 and 1895. Ouachita Baptist University and Henderson State University are still located in town. The nearby mountains and river offer a number of recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. We hope you enjoy our visit to "The Delph!"
Happy Independence Day week! It's time to celebrate the unlikely origins of our nation with fireworks displays and hot dog eating contests. As we all know, small towns are the fuel that keep our nation running and the fodder for our podcast. Our episode this week is a compilation of porch chats from various towns over the last year or two. We hope you enjoy!
Welcome to Pell City, Alabama, "Denture Capital of the World!"(according to George). While we could only substantiate the denture capital claim from one post on jalopyjournal.com, we are going with it. Pell City was founded in 1890 by railroad investors and is one of two county seats in St. Claire County. The town nearly disappeared after the Panic of 1893, but was saved when Sumter Cogswell started the Pell City Manufacturing Company in 1902. The textile mill proved to be a boon to the local economy and spurred its growth through much of the twentieth century. The mill closed in 2006 and the property was sold to a firm to dismantle the property. During the dismantling process in 2008, the mill caught fire and burned down. The smokestack remained and was demolished in 2015. During the demolition the smokestack collapsed on the worker and equipment. The worker escaped unharmed and a video of the collapse when viral. You can still find the video with a quick internet search. We hope you enjoy our visit to Pell City!
Welcome to Wailuku, Hawaii! The area was a thriving population center on Maui prior to the unification of the Hawaiian Islands in the late 18th century. The town changed dramatically in the mid 1800s with the arrival of Christian missionaries and new agricultural techniques that helped develop sugar plantations. With the rise of the sugar industry, thousands migrated to Wailuku from all around the world. The town became the main tourist destination on Maui in the early 20th century. Wailuku continued to prosper until the 1960s when a decline in the sugar industry drove families to move to find work. The area took another economic hit with the development of large resorts on Maui that quickly became the new tourist hot spots. In recent years the town has experienced a resurgence in tourism due to it's cultural and historical significance. We hope you enjoy our visit to Wailuku!
Welcome to Harlan, Kentucky, the "Coal Capital on Kentucky!" The town is located in the Appalachain Mountains at the junction of the Clover Fork and Martin's Fork rivers. Harlan sits in the "sweet spot" of coal mining in southeastern Kentucky near the Tennessee border. In the 1800s families moved to Harlan with the promise of work and better living conditions provided by the coal mines in the area. The town flourished and experienced massive growth with the arrival of the railroad in 1913. The good times soon turned sour and the Harlan County War erupted in the early 1930s between coal unions and the coal mines over fair wages, living conditions, and the right to organize unions. The industrial revolution also took it's toll on the coal mining communities of Appalachia. Spurred on by instability in coal prices and ongoing union fighting, may left the area for better paying jobs and living conditions in large cities. This out-migration was known as the Hillbilly Highway and was captured in a song of the same name by Steve Earle in 1986. With the decline and further regulation of the coal mining, Harlan has turned to other economic opportunities including tourism. Harlan has been the subject of many bluegrass songs and is the location of the popular TV series Justified. We hope you enjoy our trip to Harlan!
Welcome to Fairmont, West Virginia, "The Friendly City!" The town was originally incorporated as Middletown in 1820 but was changed it's name to Fairmont in 1843 at the suggestion of William Haymond Jr. because of its beautiful view of the Monongahela River. Fairmont also calls itself the "Pepperoni Capital of the World." The first pepperoni roll was sold at the Country Club Bakery in 1927. It was designed by bakery owner Giuseppe Argiro to be an easy meal for coal miners. The town is the birthplace of gold medal winning gymnast Mary Lou Retton. Retton was the first female gymnast outside of Eastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold medal. We hope you enjoy our trip to Fairmont!
Welcome to Hinsdale, Illinois! The town is a western suburb of Chicago and was founded in 1873. This year is Hindsdale's sesquicentennial and they will be celebrating the milestone all year. The town was originally founded by William Robbins when he purchased the land surrounding a newly planned railroad stop. The new town attracted Chicagoans and tradesmen eager to be a part of the new town. Visitors today can visit the town's historic downtown and enjoy local restaurants and shops. We hope you enjoy our trip to Hinsdale!
Welcome to Rice Lake, Wisconsin, "You'll love our friendly nature!" The town was named in 1870 after nearby Rice Lake. The lake was named for the wild rice that used to grow on it's shores. The area is known for it's trail networks that provide opportunities to sky, hike, bike, and snowmobile. The nearby lake provides opportunities for fishing and other watersports. We hope you enjoy our trip to Rice Lake!
Thanks to some technical difficulties involving fidgeting feet, we won't be posting a full episode this week. We hope you enjoy this porch chat!
Welcome to East Greenwich, Rhode Island! The town was incorporated in 1677 as Greenwich and is the 8th oldest town in the state. The town was originally established to provide farms and house lots to 48 men who fought in King Phillip's War. In 1741 the town split into East and West Greenwich. Located on the western side of the Narragansett Bay, the town established the first Navy in the American colonies in 1772. East Greenwich is home to a number of National Historic Places and several museums including The Varnum Memorial Armory and The New England Wireless and Steam Museum. We hope you enjoy our trip to East Greenwich!
Spring has sprung and we are off tip toeing through the tulips. We will be back with a regular episode next. We hope you enjoy this back porch chat!
Welcome to Virginia City, Nevada, "The Richest Place on Earth!" The town sprang up as a boomtown as a result of the 1859 discovery of the Comstock Lode, the first major silver deposit discovery in the United States. The population of the town hit 25,000 in the 1870s but rapidly declined when the silver production from the mine dwindled. At it's height, the town had three theatres, an opera house, three daily newspapers, and a 100 room international hotel. The town's economy today is largely based around tourism. The town draws more than 2 million visitors per year. We hope you enjoy our visit to Virginia City!
Welcome to Tabernacle, New Jersey, "Gateway to the Pines!" The town is located in central New Jersey in Burlington County. In 1778, John Brainerd built a log church called Tabernacle in the Wilderness in the area to convert local Native Americans to Christianity. The church acted as both a place of worship and a school for the locals until 1856 when a school house was built across the street from the church. A new church, which still stands today, was built in the 1880s. The town was the home of Ann Roberts, known as Indian Ann, who was considered to be the last of the Lenape Tribe living in the area. Ann was known for her skill as a basket weaver. Her baskets can still be found in homes throughout the area. Ann died in 1894 at the age of 90. Although not a resident, a monument stands in Wharton State Forest in honor of Emilio Carranza. Carranza, known as the "Lindbergh of Mexico", died on the return leg of a 1928 goodwill mission to the United States when his plane crashed during thunderstorms in the area. Carranza is still honored annually on the Saturday nearest his death by local residents and representatives from the Mexican consulates in New York and Philadelphia. We hope you enjoy our trip to Tabernacle!
Happy Spring Break! Just like many of you, Small Town News is taking the week off to bask in the sun and refresh. Well, actually it's cold and rainy here and three of our crew are headed for even colder climates. Such is life! To fill the void we've left in your podcast line up, we are leaving an extra long porch chat for your listening pleasure.
Welcome to Shelley, Idaho! The town is located in eastern Idaho on the banks of the Snake River near the Blackfoot Mountains. John Shelley, the town's namesake, moved to the area in 1892. Shelley asked to railroad company to make a special stop to drop the supplies he ordered to build a small store and the railway agreed. The railroad later put a spur in to supply the town which was established in 1904. "The Idaho Spud Day" has been held annually in the town since 1927. The event includes a parade, a spud tug of war with a mashed potato pit, and various other activities. We hope you enjoy our trip to Shelley!
Welcome to Granite Falls, Minnesota! It's "More Than You Imagine!" The town is located near the South Dakota border on the banks of the Minnesota River and is the seat of Yellow Medicine County. In 1872 Henry Hill, founder of Granite Falls, built a grist mill, flour mill, and saw mill and gave free lots to draw settlers to the town. Granite Falls began to thrive and a bridge was built 1876 to replace the ferry to cross the river. The town currently has a population of 2,737. Granite Falls is the hometown of Tanner Aus, a champion ProRodeo bareback rider. Aus is currently ranked 16th in the world and is a major attraction in the town's upcoming Western Fest PRCA Stampede Rodeo to be held in June. The town has been called home by a few other notables including Andrew Volstead, namesake of the Volstead Act of 1920 also known as the Prohibition Act. We hope you enjoy our trip to Granite Falls!
Welcome to Cordova, Alaska, "the crossroads of Alaska!" The town is located in southern Alaska on Orca Inlet. The town was first claimed by Spanish explorers in 1790 and named Puerto Cordova. Spain's claim was short-lived. By 1799, Russia had claimed Alaska, which it then sold to the US in 1867. Cordova retained it's Spanish name when it was reorganized in 1906 (although Peurto was dropped). It was purchased by Michael James Heney to build a terminus for a railroad in the area after high grade copper was discovered nearby. The town was once known as the" Razor Clam Capital of the World." Between 1916 and the last 1950s, the annual harvest reached up to 3.5 million pounds. Harvesting declined in the late 1950s due to overharvesting and a large die-off. The industry was destroyed in 1964 by the Good Friday Earthquake, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in North America and second strongest in the world. The town has never been connected by road to the rest of Alaska, and with the destruction of the railway, is not connected at all by land. The town can only be accessed by boat or plane. We home you enjoy our trip to Cordova!
Welcome to Massena, New York, "Gateway to the Fourth Coast!" Massena is located on the St. Lawrence River along the Canadian border. The town was founded in the early 19th century by French lumberjacks and was named in honor of Andre Massena, a French prince and military leader. The town's early economy relied on dairy farming and two local sulphur springs which attracted visitors who sought out their healing properties. By 1900 the popularity of the springs had faded. In 1902 the Pittsburgh Reduction Company broke ground on an aluminum production facility to take advantage of the electricity available from the recently completed hydroelectric power plant. The plant is the longest continually operating aluminum facility in the world and celebrated its 120 anniversary last year. The town has been called home by a number of notables including actor, Hal Smith. Smith is credited in over 300 film and TV productions, but is best known for his work as Otis Campbell in The Andy Griffith Show.We hope you enjoy our trip to Massena!
Welcome to Orange, Connecticut! Orange is located in New Haven County in southern Connecticut near the Long Island sound. Originally inhabited by the Paugusset and Alogonquin, the area was purchased in 1639 by English colonists and established as the town of Milford. In 1822 the town of Orange split off from Milford to form their own community. Orange was a largely rural town until it began to suburbanize after World War II. Orange is the home of the North American headquarters of Pez candies. The first Pez dispensers did not have the familiar heads we know today. The company began placing heads on the dispensers in 1955 when they began marketing to children. Some of the first characters were Popeye, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Santa Claus. The product was a hit and has featured over 1,500 characters on it's dispensers. We hope you enjoy our trip to Orange!
Welcome to Belle Fourche, South Dakota! Belle Fourche is the seat of Butte County and is located in western South Dakota about 11 miles from the Wyoming border. The town began as a stagecoach stop in the mid 1880s when a stagecoach route was established between Medora, ND and Deadwood, SD. In 1890 a railroad terminal was established in town to facilitate transferring cattle from the area to the packing plants in the Midwest. By 1895 the station became the world's largest livestock shipping point, moving 2,500 cars of cattle per month in the peak season. The town remains one of the most important livestock shipping points. The area became the center of the contiguous United States in 1959 with the admission of Alaska and Hawaii into the Union. A point 20 miles north of town was officially designated as the geographic center of the nation. We hope you enjoy our visit to Belle Fourche!
Welcome to Price, Utah! Price is the seat of Carbon County and is located 120 miles south of Salt Lake City. The town was founded in 1879 and was named after William Price, a LDS Bishop who explored the area a decade before. The town struggled for the first few years until the completion of the railroad in 1883. The town was soon the commercial hub of the area and brought many people from various backgrounds to work in the nearby coal mines. The coal industry and agriculture continue to be important industries in the area. Price is also home to Utah State University Eastern. The university serves about 1,500 students and is located in the middle of town. USU Eastern also has a Prehistoric Museum which houses a number of exhibits including a full skeleton of a Utahraptor. We hope you enjoy our visit to Price!
Welcome to Yardley, Pennsylvania, where "if your business is right for Yardley, we'll make Yardley right for your business!" The town is located on the banks of the Delaware River 30 miles northeast of Philadelphia. The town was settled in 1682 by William Yeardley, a Quaker who emigrated to America with his family in search of religious freedom. The town was originally called Yardleyville, but was shortened to Yardley to avoid confusing to town with the nearby town of Yardville, NJ. The area was the launch site of the crossing of the Delaware River on Christmas Night of 1776 by George Washington and his army. The victory that followed in Trenton, NJ was the first major victory for the Continental Army. The town has been called home by a quite a few notable people, but Aileen Quinn tops the charts for Dr, Jess. Quinn played the title role in the 1982 film Annie. We hope you enjoy our trip to Yardley!
Welcome to Antlers, Oklahoma, "Deer Capital of the World!" Antler is the seat of Pushmataha County in southeast Oklahoma. The town began to develop in the 1880s when a train station was built in the area. The town got it's name it 1887 when a local hunter nailed a set of antlers to a tree at a nearby spring as a challenge to other hunters. Other hunters followed suit, and the railroad named the station Antlers after the landmark. The town is located at the foot of the Kiamichi Mountains and is a popular destination for hunting, fishing and various other outdoor activities. We hope you enjoy our trip to Antlers!
Welcome to Londonderry, New Hampshire, where "Business Is Good, Life Is Better." Established in 1722, the town is located in Rockingham County in southern New Hampshire. The town was named after Londonderry in northern Ireland after a successful petition by local Scots Irish immigrants. Three years before the town was established, the first potato grown in the US was harvested in Londonderry. Linen making was an early industry in Londonderry. Londonderry linen was considered to be the finest linen produced in New England and is reported to have been worn by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson. By the early 1800's apple's became a major crop in the area and are now sold worldwide. The town has been called home by a number of notable people including Ocean Born Mary and James Wilson. Dr. Jess introduces us to these interesting characters in this week's Town Tidbits. We hope you enjoy our trip to Londonderry!
Welcome to Owosso, Michigan, "Home of the Shocker!" Originally inhabited by the Chippewa, the first Europeans moved to the area in 1819. The town was incorporated in 1859 and named after a Chippewa chief named Wasso. The town is located in central Michigan about 90 miles from Detroit and is the largest town in Shiawassee County. The town's motto, "Home of the Shocker," could only be found on the town's Wikipedia page and offers no explanation. It is unlikely to be a reference to the hand gesture or the town's official motto. The Wikipedia entry is more likely to be the work of a Wikipedia vandal. Perhaps the fake motto is a tip of the hat to the Mel Schacher who was born in Owosso. Schacher is the bassist for Grand Funk Railroad, an American rock band from the late 60s and 70s. The town has been the home of a number of other notable people including failed Presidential candidate Thomas Dewey, jazz keyboardist Scott Kinsey, psychologist Leann Birch, and author James Oliver Curwood. We hope you enjoy our trip to Owosso!
Last week you heard how Neil's family got to the cruise and back. This week we discuss the cruise and why, according to George, you should always travel with a turkey bag.
Welcome to Small Town Cruise 1! Neil and his family took a cruise in the Caribbean for the holidays. Getting there and back again was perhaps the most exciting part. Through missed flights, lost luggage, a Christmas Eve Target shopping spree, and help from a superhero taxi driver, enjoy the story on Neil's family's journey there and back again.
Merry Christmas! We waited an extra day to release this episode because it contains a Christmas spoiler. We hope you have a wonderful day today filled with love and laughter. If you do have to visit that one crazy family member and need a few minutes of laughter, pop in your earbuds and escape with a little silliness.
For those of you who actually read these descriptions, our next episode will be held over until Sunday this week. It contains a Christmas spoiler, and we can't have that kind of nonsense! If you do need a little nonsense in the meantime, give this porch chat a listen!
Welcome to Cynthiana, Kentucky! The town was founded 1793 on land owned by Robert Harrison along the banks of the South Licking River. The town's name is a combination of the name's of Harrison's two daughters, Cynthia and Anna. In 1854 the Covington and Lexington Railroad reached town proving greater access to Covington and Cincinnati and promised growth and greater opportunity. Unfortunately most of the downtown was burned 10 years later during the Civil War when a Confederate General set fire to a stable in an attempt to dislodge Union troops. The town rebounded and found success in the early 1900's in whiskey and tobacco. There where more than 30 distilleries producing bourbon whiskey in Harrison County at the time. In 1969 , 3m built a research and production facility in town. Two employees, Arthur Fry and Spencer Silver, developed Post-It Notes at the facility in 1972. The facility still produces the majority of the Post-It Notes worldwide. Robert Kirkman, co-creator of "The Walking Dead" comic book, is from Cynthiana. In the comic book series, Cynthiana is the hometown of Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes. We hope you enjoy our trip to Cynthiana!
Welcome to Wahoo, Nebraska! The town was founded in 1870 by a group of settlers who wanted to create a farming community. The settlers were predominantly Germna, Czech, and Scandinavian. Wahoo is the county seat of Saunders County and has a population of about 4,500. The town is known in popular culture as the home office of the Top Ten List for David Letterman's Late Show. Wahoo's website doesn't provide much information about it's history, but it is definitely proud of its "Five Famous Sons." Check it out to find out about the town's Pulitzer Prize winner, Nobel Prize winner, and more. We hope you enjoy our trip to Wahoo!
Welcome to Cave Creek, Arizona, "Where the Wild West Lives." Located in the Sonoran Desert, the town was settled in 1870 by soldiers from Fort McDowell. In 1873 prospectors found gold in parts of upper Cave Creek and started a 20 year "gold rush" in Cave Creek. As the gold rush subsided, cattle ranching and sheep grazing became popular. As drought and overgrazing took its toll on the west, central Arizona became a popular destination for those suffering from tuberculosis. The Desmount Sanitarium opened in 1920 with 16 small buildings to house patients. The Sanitarium closed in 1929 as the Great Depression gripped the nation. One cabin still remains and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In June of 2009, the town attracted national attention when a card draw was used to break a tie in a local election. The Arizona State Constitution allows a game of chance to be used to break ties. We hope you enjoy of visit to Cave Creek!
Happy Thanksgiving! We are taking the week off from recording to celebrate the holiday with our families. We hope you enjoy this back porch chat from earlier this year.
Welcome to Northfield, Vermont, "Where the Good Life Begins!" Chartered in 1781, the town is located in the heart of Vermont's Green Mountains. Northfield is located 10 miles from the state's capital, Montpelier, and about 3 hours from Boston and Montreal. The town is home to Norwich University, the oldest private military college in the US. The geographic center of Vermont is located in the town and has a marker on the university grounds. The town's economy began with farming and transitioned to various forms of manufacturing through the mid 20th century. The town is home to 6 covered bridges, the second highest concentration of covered bridges in the state. We hope you enjoy our trip to Northfield!
Velkommen til Poulsbo, Washington! Poulsbo is located on Liberty Bay in North Kitsap County west of Seattle. Nicknamed "Little Norway," the town was founded in the 1880s by Norwegian immigrant Jørgen Eliason. Eliason was joined by other Scandinavians who relocated from other Midwestern States because of the areas similarities to their home countries. The downtown is Scandinavian themed and even has a 12 foot tall Norseman statue located in the heart of town. The primary language of the town was Norwegian until World War II, when an influx of workers for the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard tripled the town's population in three years. Poulsbo holds it's annual Viking Fest every May to celebrate it's rich heritage. We hope you enjoy our trip to Poulsbo!
Welcome to Del Mar, California! Del Mar is located in Southern California on the Pacific Ocean and was established as a seaside resort in 1885. The town's name was inspired by the Bayard Taylor poem "The Fight of Paso Del Mar." Located 20 miles from San Diego, the town was a popular retreat for movie stars during Hollywood's golden era. The town is home to the Del Mar Racetrack. Built by the Thoroughbred Club in 1938, the track hosts thoroughbred horse races as well as the San Diego County Fair. Given it's popularity and proximity to San Diego, the town has been called home by a long list of notables including Desi Arnaz, Burt Bacharach, Drew Brees, Tony Hawk, Steve Perry, and Willie Shoemaker. We hope you enjoy our visit to Del Mar!
Have you ever had an avacado pie? We had not, and George was definitely against the idea. Enjoy this special back porch chat dedicated to the wonderous avacado!
Welcome to Chatsworth, Georgia! The town was founded in 1905 as a depot on the Louisville and Nashville Railroad, but became a place of interest in the 1870s when talc was discovered in the area. According to local legend, the town is said to have gotten it's name after a road sign with the word "Chatsworth" fell of a passing train. Someone put the sign on a post and the name stuck. Chatsworth is the seat of Murray County, which is located in the Tennessee border. Located in the Appalachian Mountains, the town is located near the Cohutta Wilderness Area and the Chattahoochee National Forest. We hope you enjoy our visit to Chatsworth!
Welcome to Valier, Montana! Valier is one of the smallest towns we've visited with a population of 509 according to the 2010 census. The town was founded in 1909 along the shores of Lake Frances and a railroad line was constructed at the same time to connect the town to nearby Conrad. The town was a planned development that was designed to support a population of 3,000. Valier is predominantly a farming community, but provides many year-round recreation opportunities such as fishing, swimming, and various other water sports. The town is also close to Rock City. Rocky City has many hoodoo rock formations and provides a nice location for climbing or hiking. We hope you enjoy our visit to Valier!
Instead of visiting a new small town this week, we are visiting the back porch. There are many times we ramble on ad nauseam (surprising I'm sure). This week's episode is a lengthy porch chat predominantly based around food, which is one of our favorite topics. We will be exploring a new town next week. We hope you enjoy our musings about sausage, syrup, McDonalds, and various other food stuffs!
Welcome to Front Royal, Virginia, a town for all seasons! Located in the Shenandoah Valley, the area was sold to the Virginia Colony by the Iroquois in 1744 as part of the Treaty of Lancaster. The town was originally settled as LeHewtown in 1754 and quickly earned the nickname "Helltown" due to the large number of livestock wranglers and boatmen coming into town looking for alcohol. In 1788 the town was officially incorporated as Front Royal. The town is just outside the Shenandoah National Park. The park was established in the 1930s and includes part of the Appalachain Trail, numerous waterfalls, and Skyline Drive. The town is also near the Skyline Caverns and the Luray Caverns. The Luray Caverns are the largest caverns in the Eastern US. Some of the caverns are as much as 10 stories high with massive stone formations. The Shenandoah Valley is also home to numerous wineries including Glen Manor Vineyards located in Front Royal. We hope you enjoy our visit to Front Royal!
Welcome to Portage, Wisconsin, "Where the North Begins!" The town takes is name from the act of carrying a boat between navigable waters. The town sits on a natural portage between the Fox and Wisconsin Rivers. It was first explored by Europeans in the mid 17th century. By the end the 17th century, the area was an important location in the fur trade in the area. The population continued to grow and the government built Fort Winnebago at the Fox River end in 1828. Fort Winnebago was named the county seat in 1851 and was incorporated as Portage in 1854. The area has become a hub for outdoor activities for all seasons. We hope you enjoy our trip to Portage!
Welcome to New Town, North Dakota, the "Heart of Lake Sakakawea!" New Town is located in Montrail County and sits on lands belonging to the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara Nations, also known as the Three Affiliated Tribes, and is part of the federal reservation system. Although the town's population was only 2,764 in the 2020 census, it is the 18th largest city in North Dakota. The town was established in 1950 as the result of the Garrison Dam and Sakakawea Reservoir project that forced the relocation of the residents of a number of small towns in the area. The Garrison Dam was world's largest earth filled dam at the time. The Sakakawea reservoir was the second largest reservoir measuring 200 miles long and 14 miles wide in places. New Town is home to the Three Affiliated Tribes Museum which serves as a heritage center to display and preserve the heritage of the Mandan, Hidatsa, and Arikara people. The town is also a great location for outdoor sports including fishing, boating, water skiing, and hiking. We hope you enjoy our visit to New Town!
This week we take a few minutes to chat with Dr. Jess, our intrepid researcher. If you've ever wondered why someone would put up with us for this long, you won't find a satisfactory answer. You will find out a bit more about the work that goes into providing us with the top notch information we get each week. We hope you enjoy our visit with the ringmaster, Dr. Jess!
Welcome to Madawaska, Maine, the "Heart of St. John Valley!" Madawaska is the northernmost town in Maine and is native to the Micmac people. It was settled by Acadian exiles in the 1785. The Acadians were French settlers who were driven out of Eastern Canada at the conclusion of the French and Indian War. Madawaska is the center of Acadian culture in Maine. The town is located on the Saint John River, and is connected to Edmundston, Canada by the Edmundson-Madawaska Bridge. Because of it's unique origins and location, the majority of residents are bilingual and speak English and French. The town's economy is completely intertwined with it's Canadian counterpart across the river. Twin Rivers Paper Company has production facilities in Edmundston and Madawaska. The mill in Edmundston produces pulp which is shipped to the Madwaska paper making facility through a high pressure pipeline. The town is home to the Acadian Festival every August. The festival celebrates Acadian history and culture. We hope you enjoy or visit to this unique town!
Welcome to Lake Wylie, South Carolina, "Where geography, people, and economic vitality have fashioned Southern lifestyle!" Lake Wylie is located in York County 16 miles South of Charlotte, NC along the North and South Carolina border. When the border was resurveyed in 2012, it was discovered that some of the properties in Lake Wylie were actually located in North Carolina. The area is officially a census-designated place (CDP) instead of a town. The CDP is located on a peninsula along the shore of the Lake Wylie. The lake was formed in 1904 by the Catawba Power Company when it dammed the Catawba River to build a hydroelectric power plant. The lake was originally named Lake Catawba, but was renamed Lake Wylie in 1960 in honor of one of the founders of the Catawba Power Company. The lake has become a popular recreation area for the region. We hope you enjoy our visit to Lake Wylie!
Keith edits all of our recordings, which is a daunting task to say the least. Unfortunately for Keith, he wasn't with us during the recording of this episode. Of course, we couldn't help ourselves, and made it a point to screw with Keith during the entire recording. Keith requested that this porch chat be included with the episode, and we decided to keep it in.
Welcome to Ipswich, Massachusetts, the "Birthplace of American Independence!" The area was part of the Massachusetts Bay Colony that was settled in 1630 by the Puritans. Ipswich was established in an area that the local Native Americans called Agawam. The town is 30 miles North of Boston on the Atlantic coast, and 11 miles South of Newburyport (our Disney Trash Water episode in season 1). Early settlers were predominantly farmers, fishermen, and shipbuilders. In 1684 the governor of the colony, Edmund Andros, imposed a tax on the colonists. The citizens of Ipswich, led by Reverend John Wise, revolted and refused to pay the taxes. The town leaders were arrested and taken to Boston. The tax proved to be unpopular across the colony and was ultimately rescinded. Andros was sent back to England. This uprising led to the town's nickname,"The Birthplace of American Independence." Ipswich is located about 15 miles from Salem, home of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Many of the accused witches were housed in the jail at Ipswich. One resident of Ipswich, Elizabeth How, was hanged for witchcraft in 1692. John Proctor, who was also hanged for witchcraft in Salem, was raised in Ipswich. The oldest part of town has remained substantially intact with more "First Period" houses than any other community in America. The town has four contiguous historic districts in the oldest part of town dating back to the 17th century. Ipswich's history includes stories from nearly every major event in American history, a few ghost stories, and other local legends to sweeten the pot. We hope you enjoy our trip to Ipswich!
Welcome to Decorah, Iowa! Decorah is the seat of Winneshiek County and is located in Northeast Iowa. The town is built on top of a nearly four mile wide crater created by a large meteorite about 470 million years ago. The crater was filled in when an ancient seaway filled the crater with sediment and strange sea creatures that hardened into fossils. One of the creatures is even named for the city, Pentecopterus Decorahensis. The town is located in the Driftless Area, an area in the Midwest that was never covered by ice during the last ice age. Because the area lacks glacial deposits known as drift, the landscape has steep hills, ridges, and river valleys unlike the the remainder of the Midwest and central Plains regions. Decorah was settled by a large number of Norwegians who were instrumental in founding Luther College, a private Lutheran college in town. The town also home to the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, the largest Norwegian Museum in the country. Nordic Fest is held during the last weekend in July each year to celebrate the traditions and culture of Scandinavian cultures. The town is also home to the Seed Savers Exchange and the Decorah Ice Cave, which is apparently extremely dark, cold, and dangerous. We hope you enjoy our trip to Decorah!
Welcome to Seaside, Oregon! The area was originally developed as a summer resort in the 1870s by railroad magnate Ben Holladay. The town was officially incorporated in 1899 as Seaside. It continues to be a popular vacation site and offers all of the normal beach town activities. The area was also the final westward stop of the Lewis and Clark expedition in the early 19th century. In 1806, members of the expedition were tasked with building a salt cairn in the area to replenish their salt supplies. The location of the salt works is now a National Monument and includes a replica of the original salt cairn built by the Lions Club in the mid 1950s. The town has been called home by a number of notables including early sci-fi author E.E. Smith and Native American folklorist, Tsin-is-tum. We hope you enjoy our trip the Seaside!
Welcome to Deming, New Mexico, "An Enterprise Community!" Located 35 miles north of the US-Mexico border, Deming was founded 1881 and was a major hub on the second transcontinental railroad. The Silver Spike was driven in Deming to commemorate the meeting of the Southern Pacific with the Rio Grande, Mexico and Pacific railroads. In recent years, several movies had been filmed in Deming. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Gas Food Lodging,and the Themyscira scenes in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice were all filmed in the area. Most importantly (to Neil anyway), the town is location of The Great American Duck Race. The annual event features duck race, a hot air balloon show, and numerous other events. We hope you enjoy our visit to Deming!
Welcome to Clewiston, Florida, "America's Sweetest Town!" Located on the southern bank of Lake Okeechobee, the area was once used as a fishing camp by the Seminole. The first permanent settlement began around 1920 and quickly became known for its sport fishing. Sugar plantations were established in the area and became the leading industry in Clewiston. The Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST for short, runs through the edge of the town. LOST is 109 mile section of the Florida National Scenic Trail that runs from Miami to Pensacola. The has also been called home by a handful of notable people to include professional fisherman, Roland Martin. Martin is host of the long running TV series Fishing with Roland Martin.We hope you enjoy our trip to Clewiston!
Welcome to Rolla, Missouri, "The Middle of Everywhere!" Rolla was established in 1858 and is the seat of Phelps County. The first house was built in the area in 1842, and the railroad followed about a decade later. The town was the original terminus of the St. Louis-San Fransisco Railway, better known as the Frisco Line. Rolla developed into a transportation and trading center, and has remained one for most of its existence. The town is home to the Missouri University of Science and Technology. The school was founded as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy, and was the first technological learning institute west of the Mississippi. The university has gone through several name changes, ultimately settling on it's current name in 2008. Rolla is also the location of the headquarters of the Mark Twain National Forest. Shannon Miller, the second-most decorated American gymnast, was born in Rolla. Miller was a member of the gold medal-winning Magnificent Seven team at the 1996 Olympics. We hope you enjoy our visit to Rolla!
Welcome to Tell City, Indiana, where you can taste the good life! The town was founded in 1858 by a group of Swiss-German immigrants who wanted to obtain affordable homesteads where the inhabitants could live in harmony. The town was initially named Helvetia, but was soon changed to Tell City to make the name easier to pronounce for English-speaking people. Legendary Swiss hero William Tell was the inspiration for the town's new name. The town is located on the Ohio River and once had a steamboat named after it. Built in 1889, the steamboat "Tell City" carried passengers and freight along the river until is sank in Little Hocking, Ohio in 1917. Only the pilothouse was salvaged, and was converted into a gazebo overlooking the river. It was donated to the Ohio River Museum in 1976 by the owners. Tell City is home to Schweizer Fest, one of Indiana's longest running community festivals. The festival started as a centennial celebration of the founding of the town and was so successful that it has continued as an annual event. The festival will be held from August 10th through the 13th this year. We hope you enjoy our trip to Tell City!
Welcome the Wartburg, Tennessee! The town was founded in the 1840s by George Gerding who planned to establish a series of German colonies in the region. The first settlers named the town after Wartburg Castle in Germany. The town became the county seat of Morgan County in 1870. The county is home to the Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary. The Barkley Marathons, an ultramarathon trail race, was inspired by the failed escape of assassin James Earl Ray from the penitentiary. Ray covered 12 miles in 54.5 hours before he was caught. Wartburg and the surrounding area is popular for it's outdoor activities. Wartburg is the hedquarters for the Obed Wild and Scenic River, Frozen Head State Park, Lone Mountain State Forest, the Catoosa Wildlife Management Area, and the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. We hope you enjoy or trip to Wartburg!
Welcome to Craig, Colorado, the "Elk Hunting Capital of the World!" The town of Craig was incorporated in 1908 and was named for Reverend William Bayard Craig, one of the town's financial backers. Craig became the seat of Moffatt County when it was created out of the western portion of Routt County in 1911. Located in the Yampa Valley, the area was inhabited by Native American tribes until settlers moved into the area in the 1800s. Petroglyphs carved by early tribes can be found on canyon walls throughout the region. Craig is home to the Museum of Northwest Colorado. The museum has one of the largest collections of Old West firearms in the country. The town is also a perfect jumping off point for numerous outdoor activities including hunting, fishing, hiking, biking, horseback riding, rafting, wildlife viewing and gold panning. We hope you enjoy our trip to Craig!
Welcome to Quitman, Texas, which marks our second time around all 50 states! Quitman was originally settled in 1850 and is the county seat of Wood County. The town was named for John A. Quitman who was elected governor of Mississippi that same year. Quitman is the birthplace of Academy Award winning actor Sissy Spacek. In addition to Spacek, the town has also been home to several other interesting characters that Dr. Jess introduces us to in our town tidbits. We hope you enjoy out trip to Quitman!
Welcome to Van Buren, Arkansas, where history abounds! Located on the northern bank of the Arkansas River near the Oklahoma border, the area was originally settled by Europeans in 1818 just before the Arkansas became a territory in 1819. The town quickly became a popular port and trade center. The town was officially named Van Buren in 1831 when the post office was constructed. The town's population more than doubled during the gold rush of 1849. The first District Court of Arkansas was created in 1851 in Van Buren, but was ultimately moved across the river to Fort Smith in 1871. The King Opera House, constructed in the late 19th century, hosted vaudeville acts and performers until 1914 when a fire gutted the structure. The building was remodeled as "moving picture" house and continued as such until it was purchased by the city in 1979. Renovations of the building were completed in 1991 and it has resumed its original purpose as a venue for live performances and other community events. We hope you enjoy our visit to Van Buren!
Welcome to Pratt, Kansas, Gateway to the High Plains! The town was founded in 1884 on a site that was once hunting grounds for the Kiowa tribe. The town is the county seat of Pratt County. Both the town and county were named after Caleb Pratt, a Union officer who was killed during the Civil War. The officer has no known connection to the area. While naming the counties, the State Legislature of Kansas, at a loss for names for the 105 counties, resorted to naming counties after Civil War officers who had no connection to the counties that were named for them. The railroad came to Pratt in 1887 and helped spur growth in the area. There are a number of interesting people who were born in Pratt. We discuss a few in our town tidbits, but "Skunk" Johnson holds a special a special place in town lore. Johnson was an early fur trapper who built a cave near the Ninnescah River as his home. In 1874, a band of Native Americans on an expedition happened upon Johnson and chased him into his cave. Johnson, a skilled marksman, killed several of the band who tried to enter the cave. They tried to smoke him out, but were unsuccessful. The gave up the siege after 15 days. Unfortunately for Johnson, he was compelled to eat a number of skunk carcasses he had in the cave during the seige, earning him the nickname "Skunk." We hope you enjoy our visit to Pratt!
Welcome to Lovelock, Nevada, known as the "Banana Belt" for its mild high desert climate and more than 230 days of sunshine each year. Originally called Big Meadows, the town sprang up at the midpoint of the Humboldt Trail to California. George Lovelock bought the squatters' right for the area in 1866 and town was ultimately names after him. The railroad arrived in 1868 and a lively town grew up around it due to mining and agriculture in the area. Lovelock incorporated in 1917 and became the seat of Pershing County in 1919. The town's economy is based predominantly on agriculture and mining, but tourism continues to grow. There are a number of local festivals including the IDES Poruguese Festival in May and Frontier Days weekend in July. Perhaps the most recognized festival in the area is Burning Man, which is held in the Black Rock Desert in Pershing County each summer. We hope you enjoy our visit to Lovelock!
Welcome to De Ridder, LA, where they dwell in possibilities! Originally named Schovall, De Ridder was renamed in 1903 by Jan de Goeijen to honor his sister-in-law. De Goeijen was a railroad financier who brought the first train line to the town in 1897. By the end of 1898, the town consisted on nearly 300 people, a hotel, a sawmill, and several stores. Timber was the primary industry of the town. In 1904 a large portion of the business section of De Ridder was destroyed by fire. In 1912 the town was chosen as the parish seat of newly created Beauregard Parish. De Ridder then constructed the "Old Beauregard Parish Jail". It was built in the collegiate Gothic Architectural style and is considered one of the most distinctive of its type in the US. The town has been called home by a number of notable people including quite a few professional athletes, several politicians, child actor Rusty Hamer, and country recording artist Chris Cagle. We hope you enjoy your time as "we dwell in the possibilities" in De Ridder!
Welcome to Lewes, Delaware, the first city in the first state! Located in southern Delaware on the Delaware Bay in Sussex County, Lewes was the site of the first European settlement in Delaware. Originally settled by the Dutch in 1631 and named Zwaanendael, the colony was wiped out by the Lenape in 1632. A second attempt was made in 1663 by the Dutch, but the settlement was razed by the by the English in 1664. After one more failed attempt by the Dutch, the English settled the area and established the town that would ultimately become Lewes. The town has become a vacation spot popular with residents of nearby Washington, DC. Lewes is also home to one of nine remaining American lightships. Lightships were used as floating lighthouses in areas that weren't suitable for lighthouse construction. Lewes has been called home by six of Delaware governors, more than any other town in the state. We hope you enjoy our trip to this awesome town! Apologies for our constant slaughtering of the the town name, which should be pronounced the same as Lewis.
Welcome to Mound, Minnesota, the birthplace of Tonka truck! The Village of Mound was settled in 1850s, but wasn't incorporated until 1912. The town derived its name from prehistoric burial mounds thought to be created between 300BC and 100AD. The mounds no longer exist, but were surveyed in 1883. In 1946, Mound Metalcraft was founded in the town and began producing hat, tie, and shoes racks as well as gardening tools. Edward Streater approached the company in 1947 about manufacturing steel toys. The company introduced a small line of trucks made from leftover materials at the New York Toy Fair in 1947 under the name Tonka. The name was derived from the Dakota Sioux word "tanka", which means "big" or "great." The Tonka line was so popular that by 1955 the company had changed its name to Tonka Toys. Mound has also been home to a number of notable people. The Andrews Sisters, a female singing group popular in the 1930s and 1940s, spent summers in the area as children, and actor Kevin Sorbo was born and raised in Mound. Sorbo is well known for his role as Hercules in the 90s TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeyswhich birthed the spinoff series Xena: Warrior Princess. We hope you enjoy our trip to Mound!
Welcome to Highlands, North Carolina! Situated in the Nantahala National Forest, the town's location was determined by the intersection point of lines drawn from Chicago to Savannah and New York to New Orleans in 1875 by Samuel Kelsey and Clinton Hutchinson. They were looking for a location that would serve as a "great trading center and commercial crossroads." Unfortunately the town never lived up to it's founders' hopes. What made the town difficult to access as a trading center, is perhaps it's most appealing quality. Situated in the Nantahala National Forest, the town is close to numerous waterfalls and the Elicott Rock Wilderness. The Elicott Rock Wilderness is the only wilderness that straddles three states, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. Highlands is also within close proximity to numerous hiking trails and several prime trout fishing locations. We hope you enjoy our foray into the the mountains of our home state!
Welcome to California, Missouri, small enough to know you, large enough to serve you!" Located in central Missouri, the town was founded in 1834 and was originally named Boonesborough. The name was changed to California in 1847 because there was already another Boonesborough in the state. The town is home to what is thought to be the oldest continuous fair west of the Mississippi. The Moniteau County Fair began in 1866 and is held the first week in August each year. California is also home to the California Balloon Invitational on the third Saturday in July. The town also hosts a number of other festivals throughout the year. The town has been called home by a few notable people including artist Loran Creech and Nashville pop singer Kassi Ashton. We hope you enjoy our visit to California!
Welcome to Bluffton, South Carolina, the "Heart of the Lowcountry!" The area was first settled by Europeans in the late 1720s to build plantations, but the town was not incorporated until 1852. In the early 1800s, the first homes were built by plantation owners to escape from the unhealthy conditions on the rice and cotton plantations. Situated on a bluff overlooking the May River, the location also provided water access. The town quickly became a stop over for travelers between Savannah and Beaufort. The town thrived until the Civil War. Union troops destroyed much of the town in June of 1863 leaving only two churches and fifteen residences standing. Eighteen antebellum homes and two churches still stand in the town's historic district. The town struggled to recover after the Civil War and did not find its footing again until after the development of nearby vacation destination Hilton Head Island and Sun City. The town now has a thriving historic district and was recognized as a Preserve America community in 2005. The town has now become a tourist destination in its own right. We hope you enjoy our visit to Bluffton!
Welcome to Wasilla, Alaska! In 1917 the US government planned the Alaska Railroad to intersect a wagon road near the mining town of Knik. Settlers bought up land around the new railroad station and Knik began a steady decline. Wasilla Station became the new supply station for the mining an trapping trade in the area. In the 1930s the US government moved 200 farming families from the Upper Midwest to the area to start a farming community. Because of this move, the accents in the area still have some remnants of that regional accent. The town was the start of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from 1973 to 2002, but reduced snow cover caused by a warming climate forced the location to change to Fairbanks. There are a number of notable people who have lived in Wasilla, but former mayor, Governor of Alaska, and vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin is probably the most recognizable. Palin was born in Idaho, but moved to Wasilla in 1972. We hope you enjoy our trip to Wasilla!
Welcome to Hamilton, Montana! The town was founded in the late 1890s by copper king Marcus Daly, in response to nearby Grantsdale's refusal to let him establish his headquarters there. The town has since served as the central tradepost for the surrounding area.
Hamilton was home to the last Kmart in Montana and the entire Mountain Time Zone. Unfortunately the store closed early last month. The once mighty retail chain now only has four stores operating in the continental US (two are in NJ). There are two microbiological research and production facilities located in town. The Rocky Mountain Laboratories have a Level 4 biohazard lab that does research on the highly pathogenic organisms. We hope you enjoy our visit to this unique small town!
Welcome to Frenchtown, New Jersey! Originally occupied by the Lenape Native Americans, they were fully displaced by Europeans by 1750. The town had several names until the 1790s, when it began to be called Frenchtown because many of the settlers were French speaking. The town is located on the banks of the Delaware River on the Hunterdon Plateau. The town is host to three festivals - Wine and Art Day in May, Bastille Day in July, and Riverfest in September. The town has been called home by a number of notables including show jumping competitor Anne Kursinski,; opera singer Lois Hunt, and Eat, Pray, Love author Elizabeth Gilbert. We hope your enjoy our stop in Frenchtown!
Welcome to St. Johnsbury, Vermont, "Gateway to the Northeast Kingdom." The area was originally granted in 1760 and went through several names until 1790 when the current name was adopted. St. Johnsbury is the county seat of Caledonia County and is the largest town in the Northeast Kingdom. The Northeast Kingdom is comprised of Essex, Orleans, and Calendonia counties in Northeast Vermont. A former governor coined the phrase for the area proclaiming that the area was so beautiful it ought to be a kingdom, The Northeast Kingdom. In the mid 19th century, a local inventor, Thaddeus Fairbanks, built the first platform scale, transforming the town into a minor manufacturing center. Fairbanks also founded St. Johnsbury Academy, a private high school. Interestingly, because the town doesn't have it's own public high school, Vermont law requires the town to pay tuition for the grades they do not offer. Most of the area high school students attend the academy at the town's expense. We hope you enjoy our trip to St. Johnsbury!
Welcome to Spearfish, South Dakota! The city was founded in 1876 at the mouth of the Spearfish Canyon during the Black Hills Gold Rush. Originally called Queen City, the town supplied mining camps in the area. In 1887, the Thoen Stone was found in Black Hills. It is inscribed with the year 1834 and is purported to be the last will and testament of Ezra Kind. In 1933, Kind and six others crossed into the Black Hills to look for gold. At the time, laws and treaties forbid whites from entering the area. Kind and his party found gold, but were ultimately killed by Native Americans in the area. The stone is on display in a history museum in Deadwood, SD. In 1938, Joseph Meier brought the Luenen Passion Play to settle in the area and it became the Black Hills Passion Play. The show ran for 69 summer seasons and closed in 2008. One of the main draws to the area is the region's natural beauty. During a visit in 1935, architect Frank Lloyd Wright called the area "unique and unparalleled elsewhere in our country." Spearfish holds the world record for fastest recorded temperature change. On January 22, 1943 the temperature was -4 degrees. The Chinook winds picked up speed, and two minutes later the temperature was 45 degrees. After winds stopped several hours later, the temperature dropped back down to -4 degrees in 27 minutes. The sudden change caused windows to crack and windshields to instantly frost over. We hope you enjoy our trip to Spearfish!
Welcome to Pauls Valley, Oklahoma, not your ordinary small town! The town was named after Smith Paul, who settled in the area in the 1830s and built a large farm house. The town eventually grew up around the homestead. The town is home to the Toy and Action Figure Museum, which becomes a pretty serious topic of conversation for us. The museum was named a "Top 50 Most Authentic American Experience" by Time magazine. Jean Shepard was born in the town in 1933. Shepard was a honky-tonk style country singer and her 1953 album was the first post World War II record by a woman to sell more than a million copies. She was invited to join the Grand Old Opry in 1955 and was a member for more than 60 years. We hope you enjoy our visit in Pauls Valley.
Welcome to Churubusco, Indiana, Turtle City, USA! Named after the location of a battle during the Mexican-American War, the area was originally two towns that bordered each other across a railroad track. In the 1840s, both towns grew large enough to have their own post office, and the Postmaster General required the towns to apply for a joint post office. Because both of the towns original names were already taken by other Indiana towns, they settled on Churubusco with the thought that no other town would have that name. The town hosts the oldest continually held festival in Indiana, Turtle Days. The festival is based around the local legend of the Beast of Busco, also know as Oscar the Turtle. Oscar is said to be a 500 lbs snapping turtle that hides in a local lake. The festival includes a parade, carnival, and turtle races. The town was also home to Warner Brothers Pictures co-founding executive Paul Chase. We hope you enjoy our trip to Busco!
Welcome to Winona, Mississippi, "The Crossroads of North Mississippi." The town was formed in the early 1860s when Colonel OJ Moore agreed to let the railroad and a train station be constructed on his land near the town of Middleton. The railroad and station attracted a substantial amount of business and Winona grew quickly into a busy trading town. By the 1890s, Winona was home to two carriage and wagon factories and a grist mill. The town also produced a large amount of cotton. An article from the same time period praised the towns brass band and capacious public hall. The town never grew much beyond its early beginnings, and currently has a population of just over 5,000. The town was the birthplace of EW Hammons, an American film producer in the 1920s and 30s. He produced more than 220 films starring such greats as Fatty Arbuckle, Buster Keaton, Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, and Shirley Temple. While there are a number of other notable people associated with the town, our favorite is James Michael Tyler, the actor who portrayed Gunther in Friends. We hope you enjoy our visit in Winona!
Welcome to Willimantic, home of the Battle of the Frogs! Willimantic is a census-designated place located in the town of Windham. It was originally incorporated as a city in 1893 and was known as "Thread City" because of its thread mills. The city prospered until after World War II and ultimately foundered in 1985 when American Thread, a major employer in the area, moved to North Carolina, and the city consolidated back into the town in 1983. While there are numerous interesting facts about the town, the Battle of the Frogs is the most intriguing. According to local legend, in 1754 the croaking of thousands of bullfrogs in a nearby pond caused a panic among the citizens who thought the town was under attack. The story spread through the colonies to everyone's amusement. The town embraced the story, even using a bullfrog as it's town seal. The story of "battle" is now a point of pride for the town. Willimantic also holds an annual boom box parade where residents tune there boom box to a specific station in lieu of having a marching band. The town was also home to a number of notable people including serial killer William Bonin, Senator Chris Dodd, and football coach Skip Holtz. We hope you enjoy our journey through Willimantic!
Welcome to Alexander City, Alabama! The town was originally incorporated as Youngsville, but the name was changed shortly after to honor Edward Porter Alexander, a Confederate Civil War hero and president of Savannah and Memphis Railroad. The town name has been unofficially shortened to Alex City by locals, who pronounce it "El-ix City". The town is located on the shores of Lake Martin, which was once the largest man-made lake in the world. Created in the 1920s by the construction of the Martin Dam, the reservoir was intended to provide flood control, hydroelectric power, and a water supply. The lake has also become a popular recreation area for swimming, boating, and fishing. Harper Lee, author of To Kill A Mockingbird, once visited the town to attend the trial of Robert Burns for the murder of Reverend Willie Maxwell. It is an incredibly strange story that ends with Burns shooting Maxwell at a funeral he was attending. The town is also the birthplace of John Saxon, father of our very own Dr. Jess. We hope you enjoy our stay in Alex City!
Welcome to another grab bag episode from recent locations. We are missing George and Dr. Jess today, so there is no telling where we might end up! Enjoy!
Welcome to Big Bear Lake, California, "Southern California's Winter Playground!" Located about 25 miles northeast of San Bernardino, Big Bear Lake has become a popular recreation destination. With a population of just over 5,000, the number of people staying in the area can swell to over 100,000 during many weekends of the year. The area is a popular destination year round destination and as a shooting location for the film industry. The area was used for films including Old Yeller, War Games, Paint Your Wagon, and Better off Deadto name a few. In addition, Heather O'Rourke, the child actress who played Carol Anne in the Poltergeist movie series, lived in the town in the mid-80s. We hope you enjoy our visit to Big Bear Lake!
Welcome to Hopkinton, Rhode Island! The town is the southernmost town along I-95 in Rhode Island. Hopkinton is named after Stephen Hopkins, a signer of the Declaration of Independence, when the town was partitioned from Westerly and incorporated in 1757. Prudence Crandall, schoolteacher and activist, was born in Hopkinton in 1803. Crandall taught the first integrated classroom in the US when she admitted a 20 year old African American female student into her Connecticut boarding school in 1832. Although things did not go well at the time, Mark Twain lobbied the Connecticut Legislature in 1886 and she was awarded a pension and a resolution honoring her was passed. We explore several other notable residents and aspects of Hopkinton in this episode. We hope you enjoy!
Welcome to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, "Idaho's Most Friendly Town." The town is located in Boundary County, ID, and shares its northern border with British Columbia, Canada. When gold was discovered in the East Kootenays in British Columbia in 1863, the surge of prospectors caused Edwin Bonner to establish a ferry where the Wildhorse Trail crossed the Kootenai River in 1864. When the town was officially established in 1893, it retained the name of the original owner of the ferry. Mining and lumber fed the towns early economy. When the valley was drained in the early 1900s, the fertile farmland it created earned the area the nickname "Nile of the North". In 1974, the Kootenai Tribe, the original inhabitants of the area, declared war in the United States and required travelers to pay a toll to use the main highway into town. The money collected was used to care for elderly members of the tribe. Ultimately the US government provided a 10.5 acre land grant to be used as the Kootenai Reservation to settle the dispute. The town was once called home by American spy, Christopher John Boyce, and silent film actress, Claire Du Brey. We hope you enjoy our trip through this neat little town.
Happy New Year! As we wrap up the holiday season, we take a trip back to Thanksgiving in some of our recently visited towns. Enjoy this fun run little run through the holidays.
Merry Christmas! As a special surprise, in this episode we visit a steakhouse in our region that Dr. Jess has always wanted to visit. We hope you enjoy this episode as much as we enjoyed the steakhouse!
Well, Neil failed to keep us reigned in, so here we are with the second episode of our visit to Hillsville. Enjoy!
Welcome to Hillsville, Virginia, home of the infamous Carroll County Courthouse shooting. Located in southwestern Virginia in the Blue Ridge Mountains close to the North Carolina border, the town is the county seat of Carroll County. Hillsville is home to the Hillsville Flea Markets, which are held on Memorial Day weekend and Labor Day weekend. The latter is said to be the largest flea market east of the Mississippi River. The town is also the location of a famous shoot out at the courthouse in 1912. It captured national attention, but was quickly overshadowed by the sinking of the Titanic a month after the incident. In 2012, a play about the tragedy premiered to commemorate the shooting. "Thunder in the Hills", written by Frank Levering, has been performed several more times, but seems to have fallen victim to the pandemic for the last two years. We hope it returns soon so we can have a reason to take a road trip! We hope you enjoy our wanderings on Hillsville!
Welcome to Upper Marlboro, Maryland! The town was established in 1706 and was named Marlborough Town after an ancestor of Winston Churchill, John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough. The town went through a few iterations until it ultimately landed on Upper Marlboro by 1893. The town was originally established as a port town on the western branch of the Patuxent River for tobacco shipments. Unfortunately, the clearing of land to cultivate tobacco caused erosion which ultimately led to sediment blocking the river and making in unnavigable. Without a way to move the tobacco to markets, the tobacco trade declined sharply. The town is also the birthplace of John Carroll, the Catholic Archbishop in America and the founder of Georgetown University. William Beanes, a doctor who was indirectly responsible for the situation that led to the writing of the national anthem, was born in the town. We hope you enjoy our visit to this delightful little town!
Happy Thanksgiving and welcome to our special porch chat episode! With the holidays upon us and a new year just around the corner, it's time to take a few weekends off and clear out some of our old porch chats. As you've come to expect, we don't always stay on task (according to Dr. Jess and Neil, anyway). This episode contains a few porch chats that weren't able to be aired with the accompanying episode. We hope you enjoy our meanderings as you attempt to choke down day two of your Thanksgiving leftovers.
Welcome to Rock Springs, Wyoming! Although it meets our criteria for a small town, it is the fifth most populated city in Wyoming. The town is steeped in wild west history and in coal mining. Robert Leroy Parker, better known as Butch Cassidy, once lived in the town and worked as a butcher's apprentice. Rock Springs was also a pass through point and destination for Outlaw gangs. The town is also known as the Home of 56 Nationalities because of the influx of immigrants to work in the coal mines. Anti-Chinese sentiment among White miners led to the Rock Springs Massacre, one of the worst incidents of anti-immigrant violence in US history. The mining, quarrying, and gas and oil extraction industries remain the backbone of the town. The area also has a number of natural attractions. The nearby Killpecker Sand Dunes are the largest sand dunes in North America and the second largest in the world. We hope you enjoy our trip through Rock Springs!
Welcome to Galesburg, Illinois! The town was first settled in 1836 and established to in order to open a manual labor college, which became Knox College. It was home to the first anti-slavery society in Illinois, which was founded in 1837. The fifth Lincoln-Douglas Debate was held on a temporary platform at Knox College. This series of debates helped establish Lincoln as a national figure in the newly formed Republican Party and helped set him up for an eventual run for the Presidency in 1860. Galesburg was also a stop on the Underground Railroad. Carl Sandburg, notable poet and artist, was born in the town in 1878. Sandburg won three Pulitzer Prizes and is most well known for his poetry which focused predominantly on Chicago. Sandburg also wrote The Rootabaga Stories, a collection of short stories originally written for his daughters that are narrated by the Potato Face Blind Man. Many other notable people have called the town home including artist Dorothea Tanning, President Ronald Reagan, Ferris Wheel inventor George Washington Gale Ferris Jr, and many others. We hope you enjoy our visit to this cool little town.
Our small town tour guide, Dr. Jess, is out of town again, and has left us to our own devices. We will be mining for comedic gold in a veritable sea of unused articles from past episodes. Unfortunately, much like the small town carnival raging outside our window, this may leave you feeling a little bloated, cheated, and concerned for the future of humanity.
Happy Halloween (almost), and welcome to the village of Amityville, New York, home of the infamous Amityville horror. The area was originally settled in 1653. The village of Amityville, which is part of the town of Babylon, was formally incorporated in 1894. The town is most well known as the setting of the book and movie, The Amityville Horror.The house at the center of the story was the scene of a real life murder case in the mid-70s where Ronald DeFeo, Jr. murdered all six members of his family. The movie and book detail the paranormal phenomenon experienced by the Lutz family who moved into the house after the murders. The town is also the birthplace of Alec Baldwin and De La Soul (you'll love our pronunciation of their names). There are also an inordinate number of sportsball players who were born in Amityville. We hope you enjoy our spooky little jaunt through the town of Amityville!
Welcome to Independence, Kansas! ...sort of... We had a request from a listener to feature their town, and were more than happy to oblige. Dr. Jess wasn't able to find a full episode worth of articles through her normal channels for Independence, so she combined the town and a Halloween theme in honor of the town's festival, Neewollah. Neewollah is the oldest and largest festival in Kansas. The festival opened yesterday and runs through October 30th. We will discuss a number of other interesting facts about the town and space monkeys. We hope you enjoy the episode. And if you've got a little time this week, take a trip to Independence, Kansas, and check out Neewollah! We're pretty certain you won't be disappointed.
Well, we couldn't leave well enough alone. Enjoy this second part of our extended trip to Bandon, OR.
Welcome to Bandon, Oregon, the cranberry capital of Oregon! Located on Oregon's Southern Coast at the mouth of the Coquille River,the town is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the area. The area at the mouth of the river was originally inhabited by the Coquille people prior to 1850. The current town was founded by George Bennett in 1873. Cranberry farming was introduced into the area in 1885 by Charles McFarlin when his dreams of finding riches in the California Gold Rush didn't pan out. Cranberries had been cultivated in the area ever since. The area is also the location for Jules Verne science fiction novel, The Begum's Fortune. The fictional town's name is Ville-France. We hope you enjoy our trip to this charming little seaside town!
Welcome to Dinosaurland, Vernal, Utah! Dinosaurland is the nickname given to this part of Utah because of the large number of dinosaur fossils that have been discovered there. Vernal is home to a number of dinosaur related museums and attractions, as well as a large pink cartoon-like dinosaur named Dinah who stands proudly as a welcome sign for the town. Not suprisingly, the areas economy is primarily based on extracting natural resources, such as petroleum, natural gas, phosphate and Gilsonite. The area has also been called home by a number of notables including the famous actor, James Woods. We hope you enjoy our little trip to Dinosaurland!
Welcome to Lihu'e, Hawaii, our 75th small town! Lihu'e is the county seat of Kauai County and the second largest town on the island of Kaua'i. The town was a minor village on the island until the emergence of the sugar industry in the 1800s. Lihu'e became the central city after the construction of a large sugar mill in town. In addition to its importance in the sugar industry, the area is also a favorite spot for the film industry. The area has been used for shots or as a filming location for MASH, Tropic Thunder, Six Days and Seven Nights, South Pacific, and Gilligan's Island* to name a few. The town is also home to the Alekoko Fishpond, a nearly 1,000 year old example of ancient Hawaiian aquaculture. We hope you enjoy all this little slice of heaven has to offer!
Welcome to Batavia, Ohio, the seat of Clermont County. The village's slogan is "Historic Past, Bright Future". The town is situated along the Appalachian Highway, a major east-west highway that connects southern Ohio to the Cincinnati area. There are a number of notable people who've called the area home, including a surprising number of baseball players for a town of 1,600 people. One non-sports standout is Josephine Johnson, the youngest winner of the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. There is also an extensive mine system in the area, including a limestone mine that is still in operation. No, George, there is no gold. Despite that small disappointment, we hope you enjoy our little trip to the Village of Batavia!
Welcome to Baraboo, Wisconsin, otherwise known as "Circus City"! Although I'm sure there are a number of interesting things about the town (including a chicken coop renovated into a house), everything else pales in comparison to it's status as "Circus City." Ringling Brothers Circus was established in Baraboo in 1884. Several other circuses followed suit and also called the town home over the years. Circus World Museum opened its doors in the town in 1959 on land originally owned by Ringling. We hope you enjoy us clowning around is this cool little town!
Welcome to West Lebanon, New Hampshire, an unincorporated area of Lebanon, NH. West Lebanon was the original settlement site for Lebanon in 1761. The area is home to the Valley News, the Lebanon Municipal Airport, and several small tech companies. The area is also home to a couple of shysters we will discuss briefly, but they are completely uninteresting when compared to Phineas Gage. Gage survived having a 3.5 foot long metal rod driven through his brain during a railroad construction accident. Enjoy this story and number of other weird twists and turns in our visit to this cool little town.
Welcome to Sweetwater, Tennessee, home of the Lost Sea! The town was established in the 1850s and was presumably named after the natural springs in the area (not the weird stuff some guy made up). The town is located in the Great Smoky Mountains in Southeastern Tennessee. Sweetwater is home to the Craighead Caverns, an extensive cave system which contains the largest underground lake in the United States. The Lost Sea is the name of the underground lake contained within the caverns. The lake was discovered in 1905 and has become a tourist attraction. Join us for a lively jaunt through this cool little town!
Did you know Big Bird was originally supposed to be on the doomed Challenger Sapce Shuttle mission? Have you ever wondered which Muppet we would want to travel hang out with in space? We didn't think so. Unfortunately Dr. Jess is gone and we've been left unsupervised. Take a listen as we revisit some of our favorite places using articles that were not used in the original episodes.
Welcome to Beatrice, Nebraska, where you can "Stake Your Claim"! The town was founded in 1857 and is the seat of Gage County. Beatrice is home to the Homestead National Historic Park. When the Homestead Act was passed by Congress in 1862, it allowed settlers to claim 160 acres of government land for a small fee. The Act had an incredible impact on the speed of settlement in the West. Join us as we settle down on our 160 acres and take a look around this interesting little town.
Welcome to Carlsbad, New Mexico, the "Pearl on the Pecos"! Founded in 1888 as Eddy, the town was renamed Carlsbad after a famous European spa of the same name after the local mineral springs were commercially developed for medicinal qualities. The town is also home to Carlsbad Caverns National Park. The town has been called home by several notable people including Dan Blocker. Blocker, who played "Hoss" Cartwright in the TV series bonanza, was an elementary school teacher and coach at Eddy Elementary School. We home you enjoy our stop in Carlsbad, despite our fascination with Old Yeller.
The small town so nice, we had to stop twice! We hope you enjoy the continuation of our visit to Ellensburg!
Welcome to Ellensburg, Washington, where "it's a pleasure to host you"! The town was founded in 1871 along the Yakima River in the Kittitas Valley. The town grew rapidly in the 1880s after the Northern Pacific Railway arrived. In 1889, the town made a bid to be the capital of the newly formed state of Washington. The bid was stymied when a major fire destroyed the downtown area on July 4th that year. The town was never able to recover it's footing in the race, and Olympia became the state capital. Ellensburg hosts a number of different festivals including Dachsunds on Parade, which includes a parade, races, pet tricks and a costume contest. We hope you enjoy our first double episode of a town. We will wrap up our visit to Ellensburg with next week's episode.
Welcome to Pottstown, Pennsylvania... and Exton... and Boyertown. The primary source for this week's podcast is the Berks-Mont Newspapers,which covers a number of communities in the area. Each of these towns claims the paper, so we are including them all in this week's podcast. This area has quite a few interesting claims to fame. Which town do you think was selected by director Kevin Smith to be the location for the never filmed sequel to Mallrats,named MallBrats? Was Steve from Blue's Clues born in Pottstown or Boyertown? And lastly, but surely not least, which town was home to Amanda Smith, THE Mrs. Smith from Mrs. Smith's Delicious Homemade Pies, Inc.? These questions and many more no one would ever ask are answered in this week's episode. We hope you enjoy!
Welcome to "The Boat"! Steamboat Springs is an internationally known ski resort destination and has produced more athletes for the Winter Olympics than any other town in North America. The town got its name when early trappers heard the chugging sound made by the natural hot springs in the area and mistook them for a steamboat. We presume these trappers were well into a bottle or two of poop wine when they came across the springs to make a connection that crazy. The town is home to "The James Brown Soul Center of the Universe Bridge", which has an incredible story. We explore that and many other interesting town stories in this week's episode.
Welcome to everywhere! This week Dr. Jess is on sabbatical and we have to fend for ourselves. Instead of actually doing any work, we reach into the grab bag and read unused articles from some of our recent small town expeditions. We hope you enjoy!
Welcome to Dahlonega, Georgia, the site of the second major gold rush in the US. As you can imagine, George quickly becomes a fan of the town. The discovery occurred in 1828, and quickly became a boomtown. The Cherokee had their own gold mines as well, and the government was under pressure to remove the Native Americans so the white settlers good claim the gold. As we discover more often than we'd like, the federal government removed the Cherokee and forced them to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. After the settlers stole the land and gold mines from the Cherokee, the US Government built a branch mint there in 1838 to turn the mined gold into gold coins. The mint closed in 1861. The area is now known more for its wineries than its gold. It is home to numerous vineyards and five wineries and has been recognized as "the Heart of North Georgia Wine Country". Join us for crazy little jaunt through this interesting little town.
Welcome to Clarinda, Iowa, where they "Honor the Past, and Imagine the Future". The town was founded in 1851 and incorporated in 1866. In it's early years, the town was best known as the home of Berry's Seed Company. It was a mail order seed company founded in 1885 in Clarinda. The town has a minor league baseball team, the Clarinda A's. The team has sent several players on to the major leagues, including hall of famer Ozzie Smith. The town has been called home by several other notables including big band leader Glen Miller and 4-H founder Jessie Field Shambaugh. We hope you enjoy our stop in Clarinda!
Welcome to Kennebunk, Maine, "the only town in the world so named". First settled in 1621, the town first flourished as a trading, shipping and shipbuilding port. Originally the town was part of the towns of Wells and Arundel, but was incorporated in 1820 as Kennebunk. The town has become a popular summer tourist destination in modern times, but still retains much of its original charm. The headquarters of Tom's of Maine is located in town along with a number of other manufacturers. There are a number of examples of early architecture in the town including the Wedding Cake House. We hope you enjoy our visit to this charming little town.
Welcome to Wickenburg, Arizona, the Dude Ranch Capital of the World! Wickenburg was founded in 1863 by ranchers and miners. The town went through a number of trials in its first few decades including the Indian Wars, mine closures, drought, and disastrous flooding due to a dam failure in 1890. The town endured and then flourished with the arrival of the railroad in 1895. Although only freight trains runs through Wickenburg now, passenger trains ran through the 1960s. These trains and the newly constructed Route 60 brought travelers to the areas guest ranches, better known as dude ranches. At its height in the 1950s and 1960s, as many as 14 dude ranches operated in the area. While many of the dude ranches have closed, a few still operate in the area. One of the more interesting stories about the town is the Jail Tree. According to legend, from the towns founding until 1890, criminals were chained to the Jail Tree because they had no jail. Many discount the story, but the town has embraced the legend and set up a small tableau including a prisoner chained to the tree. We hope you join us in Wickenburg for a heck of a good time!
Welcome to Wahpeton, North Dakota, home of the Chahinkapa zoo, North Dakota State College, and much more! Wahpeton is located in Southeastern ND along the Bois de Souix River. The first European explorer in the area was Jonathan Carver in 1767. Carver's mission was to find the Northwest Passage, the imagined waterway to the Orient that many explorers of the time believed existed. The area wasn't settled by Europeans until after the Civil War. One of the town's major attractions appears to be the Chahinkapa Zoo, which is home to over 300 animals from 6 continents. The newest animals at the zoo are two white rhinos that arrived in May of 2018. Settle in for a strange ride through a lovely little town!
Welcome to the town of Pilot Mountain, NC, a small town located just outside of Pilot Mountain State Park. It is named for the nearby Pilot Mountain, a geological formation with a big pinnacle and a small pinnacle. The town is also believed to be the inspiration for the fictional town of Mount Pilot in The Andy Griffith Showand Mayberry RFD. The State Park is one of the many stops on the Mountains-to-Sea State Park Trail in NC. The trail runs from the Appalachain Mountains to the coast connecting many of North Carolina's State Parks. Pilot Mountain is actually part of the ancient Sauratown Mountains, not the Appalachain Mountains. We hope you enjoy our trip to Pilot Mountain! It might be a little dicey if you love Andy Griffith!
Welcome to Saint Albans, Vermont! We are visiting the city, not the town which surrounds it. Yep, the city is surrounded by a town of the same name. The area was originally chartered in 1763 but didn't see much growth until after the Revolutionary War. The town was also the site of the Northernmost engagement of the Civil War, known as St. Albans Raid. The city of St. Albans was incorporated in 1902 from a 2 square mile area within the town. We can't find any good reason for it, but it seems to be a common occurrence in Vermont. The area is known for its Maple Syrup production and is one of the many towns on Lake Champlain that have reported sightings of Champ, the lake monster said to live in the lake. We hope you enjoy our little trek through Saint Albans!
Welcome to Schuyler, Nebraska, a Great Place to Live and Grow! The town was originally known as Shell Creek Station and was renamed Schuyler in 1870 after Schuyler Colfax, our 17th Vice-President, Schuyler Colfax. During the same year, the Union Pacific Railroad chose the town as the loading point for cattle driven North from Texas, making Schuyler Nebraska's first "cow town." The resulting boom was short-lived as the loading point moved to the nearby town of Kearney in 1871. The town has never regained its previous notoriety and has been constantly "one-upped" by Kearney at every turn (in our opinion). Somehow former President Gerald Ford, who was born in Omaha, NE, makes his way into this week's podcast. Omaha is about an hour east of Schuyler, although we had no idea of the link at the time. We hope you enjoy your time in Schuyler with President Nixon, Spiro Agnew, and Gerald Ford!
Welcome to Thibodaux, Louisiana, the "Queen City of LaFourche"! First settled in the 18th century by French colonists, the area was acquired by the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. The town was incorporated under the name Thibodauxville in 1830, but was shortened to its current name in 1838. From the early 1800s until after the Civil War, Thibodaux was the trading center for the numerous sugar cane plantations in the region. After the Civil War and the Reconstruction Era, civil unrest caused by sugar cane plantation owners attempting to return to slavery era conditions led to the Thibodaux Massacre where at least 50 African Americans were murdered in the midst of a workers' strike. The town was also the birthplace of "The Bayou Strangler", Ronald Joseph Dominique. Dominique was a serial killer who murdered at least 23 men and boys in Louisiana between 1997 and 2006. While this certainly paints a dark picture of Thibodaux's past, the town has been referenced in a kinder light in songs by a number of popular musicians like Hank Williams, George Striat, and Jimmy Buffett. Join us for a quick trip through this interesting small town on the banks of the Bayou Lafourche!
Welcome to Magnolia, Arkansas, a great place to raise a family! Founded in 1853, Magnolia is located in Southwest, Arkansas and is home to the World's Largest Charcoal Grill, which looks oddly like a missile. The grill is used during the World Championship Steak Cookoff as a part of the Magnolia Blossom Festival. The festival brings more than 40,000 visitors to the area each year. We also discover that Craig has an oddly vast knowledge about mules. We hope you enjoy our little mule ride through Magnolia!
Welcome the Battle Mountain, Nevada, still a hotbed of goldmining in West. Needless to say, George is really excited and incredulous that this is not a much bigger town if they are still mining gold. While the area served as a waypoint for western travel, it gained importance in 1866 when copper ore was discovered and mining began. Gold was discovered in the area in 1912 and the focus eventually shifted primarily to gold mining. Deemed the Armpit of America in 2001 by the Washington Post Sunday Magazine because of its "lack of character and charm, its pathetic assemblage of ghastly buildings and nasty people", it has embraced the title and started and annual "Festival in the Pit" which ultimately turn into a Bluegrass Festival. Who could resist a trip to such a charming little town! We hope you enjoy the visit.
Welcome to Worland, Wyoming, not the home of Richard Dreyfuss! But that's ok, he's kind of insufferable anyway. In the episode we almost completely sidestep this marvelous little town in favor of bashing one of our favorite actors, the incomparable Richard Dreyfuss. We do finally wrap back around to Worland, a small town located on the Big Horn River. The town owes most of its existence to oil and gas drilling and the agriculture in the area. It is also home to the Crown Cork and Seal, whose founder invented the crown style cap for carbonated drinks in 1881. We hope you enjoy this little trek through Worland and the career of Richard Dreyfuss!
Welcome the Rifle, Colorado, where residents embrace their past and shake hands with their future! Founded in 1882, the town is located along Rifle Creek near it's mouth on the Colorado River. The first major industry was cattle and sheep ranching due to the arid conditions in the area. In 1972, Rifle was host to a massive art installation called the Valley Curtain. It was a massive orange curtain stretched across the Rifle Gap. We were not impressed. Take a listen and find out just how unimpressed we were! We hope you enjoy our little trip to Rifle!
Welcome to Castle Dale, Utah, "A Great Place to Live, Work and Play"! Located in Northwestern Utah, Castle Dale is the county seat of Emery County. Initially the town was supposed to be named Castle Vale after the castle-like geological formations in the area, but the post office listed it as Castle Dale, and the name stuck. The town is home to the Pioneer History Museum which highlights pioneer life in the late 1880s. The area is also home to the Museum of the San Rafael Swell. The museum exhibits include dinosaur skeletons, taxidermied animals including a yellow-bellied Marmot, and artifacts from around the area made by an unknown prehistoric culture. There is a lot going on in Castle Dale! We hope you enjoy our exploration of this fascinating little town.
Welcome to Kaunakakai, the largest town on the island of Moloka'i. The town was made famous in the 1930s by the song "The Cockeyed Mayor of Kaunakakai" after a visit by film star Warner Baxter when he got drunk during a party thrown for him. It was sung by a number of artists including Bing Crosby. Luckily we were able to listen to the song to figure out how to say the name of the town. The town is also home to the island's largest port, Hawaii's largest pier, and one of the last royal coconut groves in existence. We hope you enjoy our trip through this paniolo town!
Welcome to Hockessin, DE, a census-designated place! The community is not a town or a city, but is a populated area without an incorporated entity or local government. Unfortunately Keith wasn't here to teach us how to pronounce Hockessin, but we came up with a few doozies ourselves. The area is home to several mushrooms farms that produce white button cap mushrooms. It was also home to a snuff mill until 1954. Thanks to Dr. Jess, we now know the many types of snuff available for consumption. Yuck! Despite the areas lack of legal designation, it has been home to several notable people including boxer Bernard Hopkins, baseball player Tony Graffanino, and world renowned jazz singer and bandleader Cab Calloway. We hope you enjoy our quick stop in Hockessin!
Welcome to Booneville, MS, the City of Hospitality! Located in Northeastern Mississippi, the land was originally purchased from the Chickasaw Tribe and was named after settler Colonel Reuben Holman Boone, a relative of Daniel Boone. The town was incorporated in 1861 and the railroad serving it was completed shortly before the Civil War began that same year. In 1862 several battles were fought in and around Booneville for control of the rail line. Today one of the town's attractions is the Rails & Trails Museum located in the old train depot. Booneville was home to several notables including Asya Branch, Miss USA 2020, and George Allen, a former chairman of the DNC and friend of several Presidents. We hope you enjoy our little trip to M, i, crooked letter, crooked letter, i, crooked letter, crooked letter, i, humpback, humback, i!
Welcome to Niles, MI, the City of Four Flags, where history and nature live! Nestled on the banks of the St. Joseph River, the town was originally the site of the French Fort St. Joseph, which was built in 1697. Over its history the fort was held by France, Great Britian, Spain, and the United States, earning the town the nickname, City of Four Flags. The town itself was founded in 1827 and was an integral part of the Underground Railroad. Niles has a number of interesting historic sites and events including the Niles Renaissance Fair. The town was also called home by a surprising number of notable people including Tommy James of Tommy James and the Shondells, Montgomery Ward the founder of the department store of the same name, and John and Horace Dodge the founders of Dodge. We hope you enjoy your time in this interesting little town!
Welcome to Russellville, Ky, county seat of Logan County. The town had several names in its early existence including Big Boiling Spring, Gasper Butcher's Spring, and Butcher's Station. The town was ultimately named after Revolutionary War hero, General William Russell in 1798. The town was home to a number of interesting people including Philip Alston, an 18th century counterfeiter. Alston was wanted in numerous states for counterfeiting activities but was never caught. Russellville was also home to four Kentucky governors, numerous NBA players, and several other notable people. Join us for a quick romp through Russellville!
Welcome to Greensburg, IN, know for a tree which grows from the top of the courthouse tower, giving the town its nickname, "Tree City". There have been trees growing continually since the first tree was noticed in the 1870s. The town was laid out in 1822 and the post office was opened in 1823. Greensburg had the unfortunate distinction of being a "sundown town" for decades after race riots against African Americans in 1906 and 1907. Sundown towns did not allow people of color within the town limits after sundown, and was a common practice in many states at least through the early 1960s. Greensburg has several notable residents including Gilbert Van Camp, founder of G. C. Van Camp & Son, and Carl Fisher, entrepreneur involved in the development of Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Miami Beach. We hope you enjoy your time in Greensburg!
Welcome to North Tonawanda, NY, the "Home of the Carousel!" At one time, five carousel manufacturers operated in the town, and it is currently home to the Herschell Carousel Factory Museum. Located on the Erie Canal, Tonawanda was also known as "Lumber City", when it served as a lumber transportation and forwarding center. Tonawanda is home to the historic Riviera Theatre and the Dick Block, which is a very unfortunately named office building. The town was also home to Gladys Parker, the creator of the long-running comic strip Mopsy. Parker was one of the few female comics working between the 1930s and the 1950s. There are a number of other minor celebrities who have ties to the town according to wikipedia. Join us for a thorough examination of asbestos edibles in the latest episode of Small Town News.
How does Dr. Jess do it, and, more importantly, why?! Find out in this porch chat where we sit down with Dr. Jess to discuss how she finds our subject towns and what she thinks of our adventures.
Welcome to Homer, Alaska, the "Halibut Fishing Capital of the World"! Located on the shore of Kachemak Bay, the area was first settled when coal was discovered in the area in the 1890s. Homer is the southernmost town on the contiguous Alaska highway system and erected its first traffic light in 2005. The most recognizable feature of the town is the Homer Spit. It is a narrow gravel bar that extends in the bay and has the longest road into ocean waters in the entire world. Notable residents include Christian worship musicianLincoln Brewster, Motel 6 spokesman Tom Bodett, and Jean Keene, the "Eagle Lady of Homer." Keene fed bald eagles on Homer Spit for decades. We hope you enjoy our exploration of this wonderful little town.
Welcome to Gloucester, MA, "The Place to Be in the Summer." Originally founded in 1623, the settlement was abandoned in 1626 when the inhabitants moved to Salem where more fertile soil was found. The area was slowly resettled and was formally incorporated in 1642. The town grew into an important shipbuilding center and fishing port. The city was home to the original Gorton's of Gloucester and its iconic "Gorton's Fisherman." The city was also home to Clarence Birdeye's company, The General Seafood Corporation. Birdseye is considered the founder of the frozen food industry. His inventions were so successful, he sold his company and patents in 1929 for $22 million dollars (that's $300 million in today's dollars). We hope you enjoy your trip to Gloucester!
Welcome to Logan, WV, formerly named Islands of Guyandot, Lawsonsville, Lawnsville, and Aracoma. Originally explored in the 1780s, the city didn't decide on the current final version of its name until 1907. Logan was a hub of the regional coal industry in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but the population began to decline after World War II with the increase of mechanized mining techniques. While Logan was home to a surprising number of notable people, like heavyweight boxing champ Jack Dempsey, there are none more recognizable than Devil Anse Hatfield, the partiarch of the Hatfields during the beginnings of the Hatfield McCoy feud. In a strange twist of fate, the area is littered with attractions bearing the names of both clans like the Hatfield and McCoy Moonshine Distillery, the Hatfield McCoy Trail System, and the Hatfield and McCoy Convention and Visitors Bureau. To learn more about the feud and how the two families feel about each other today, listen to the totally made up stuff we improv about them. Enjoy your time in Logan, and remember to never mess with another man's pig.
Welcome to Orland, CA, the Queen Bee Capital of North America! Future home of the National Honeybee Discovery Center, queen bee production is a major portion of the areas agribusiness. The city is also home to the annual Queen Bee Festival in June and OktoBEEfest in October. Orland was incorporated in 1909, and oddly was named after the Orland Project, an irrigation project completed by the then newly formed US Bureau of Reclamation. Orland was home to Cal Worthington, an automobile salesman, whose "My Dog Spot" ads and other outlandish television ads have been used and copied in numerous movies. We hope you enjoy our little fly by of Orland!
Welcome to 2021 and the second season of Small Town News! We couldn't think of a better way to start the year than with stories that can't really be improved upon, although we try. Join us for a reading of some of the most outlandish "Florida Man" stories Dr. Jess could find with a little improv thrown in on the side.
Join us for a very special holiday episode! We revisit several towns from this year's episodes and discover their Christmas quirks. Thanks for joining us for the wild ride 2020 has been, and we hope you enjoy whatever holidays you choose to celebrate during this most wonderful time of the year!
Welcome to Cloquet, MN! Cloquet was incorporated in 1884 and was originally made up of several small settlements around three sawmills. It is located in Northeastern Minnesota and is partially situated in the Fond du Lac Indian Reservation. While the origins of the name of the town are unknown, one possibility is that the town was named after two brothers, Hippolyte and Jules Cloquet, who were both world renowned physicians in the 19th century. The town is home to the only operating gas station designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Jessica Lange was born in Cloquet, and is arguably its most notable resident. Join us for a pre-holiday trip to Cloquet!
Let’s explore Idaho’s first capital, Lewiston! Founded in 1862 and named after Meriwether Lewis of Lewis and Clark fame, Lewiston became the capital of Idaho Territory. The capital was moved to Boise in 1864 by the legislature along North/South voting lines. Not to be hindered by such a slight, the town leveraged its distinction as the only seaport in Idaho. Located 465 miles inland from the Pacific Ocean, the Port of Lewiston is the most inland seaport on the West Coast. While that seems odd, on second glance, it still is. Join us for a meandering trek through the original capital of Idaho.
Welcome to Ottawa, Kansas! Located on the banks of the Marias des Cygnes River, the town is named after the Ottawa Tribe. In 1864 the Ottawa Tribe donated a large tract of land as part of a treaty to construct Ottawa University to educate Native Americans and other residents. The tribe sold their remaining land in 1867 and moved to Indian Territory in Oklahoma. The town was home to German and Italian POWs during WWII to help solve the labor shortage in the US. Ottawa was home to branch camp that was connected to Fort Riley. Ottawa has been called home by such notables as New England Patriots QB, Steve Grogan, former Presidential candidate, Gary Hart, and astronaut, Steve Hawley. Grab a glass of Tang and join us for a trip to Ottawa.
Welcome to the beautiful city of Aiken, South Carolina, "A Place Like No Other"! Located in western South Carolina, the town was incorporated in 1835 at the terminus of the South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company and named after William Aiken, the railroad's first president. In the late 19th century, Aiken became a wintering spot for wealthy families from the northeast including the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Pinkertons. Because of this influence, the town is home to the Aiken Steeplechase Association and the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum. In 1950, the US Atomic Energy Commission began building the Savannah River Site near Aiken to produce fuel for thermonuclear weapons. At its height, the facility operated five nuclear reactors. While the site no longer produces fuel, it is still in operation. Aiken was home to many minor celebrities including boxer, Jimmy Carter. Yeah, not THE Jimmy Carter, but wouldn’t it be cool if it was the same guy! Join us for a quick trot through Aiken!
Welcome to Bel Air, Maryland! Bel Air was founded in 1780, but its name changed several times until landing upon Bel Air in 1789. While we are sure there are many interesting things about Bel Air, the fact that is was the home of Edwin and John Wilkes Booth, two great American actors, seems to be the crown jewel. John was obviously known for assassinating President Abraham Lincoln. In a strange twist of fate, Edwin, saved Lincoln's son, Robert, from being crushed between and train platform and train in Jersey City, NJ. It's true. The internet said so. That information coupled with the baffling concept of heteropaternal superfecundation was enough to get us going. Take a listen and enjoy some "Good Air."
Sometimes we don't really go anywhere! Keith abandoned us for his family this week, and we decided to be lazy and talk about whatever seemed interesting. We don't think anything else we could write would prepare you for what this becomes. Get ready for Paul Hogan, microwave splatter guards, and human resources!
By the way, Keith is back next week...
Welcome to LaGrande, Oregon, waypoint on the Oregon Trail! The town was founded in 1861 and was named Brownsville after its first permanent settler, Benjamin Brown. Unfortunately they quickly discovered the name was already in use and changed it to LaGrande. Before it was permanently settled by Europeans, the area was a inhabited by various Native American tribes during the summer to hunt, gather food, and graze horses. People are still drawn to the area to enjoy a wide array of outdoor activities. Wikipedia lists several notable residents, but we don't know who any of them are. Maybe we can learn who a few of these people are as we wander our way through LeGrande.
Welcome to Jamestown, ND, the "Pride of the Prairie"! Founded in 1872, Jamestown is North Dakota's 9th largest city with a population of just over 15,000. Jamestown is home to the Frontier Village, a collection of original frontier buildings that were brought to the site and filled with antiques and artifacts. Close to the village, you will find the National Buffalo Museum and the world's largest buffalo monument (which is definitely male if you catch my meaning). Jamestown is also the birthplace of Louis L'Amour, a popular writer of western novels and short stories. The town was also to home to MMA fiighter, Ronda Rousey, during her childhood. Pull up a stump and enjoy a little time learning about the Pride of the Prairie!
Welcome to Pleasantville, NJ, where you can "Feel the Energy!" Located adjacent to Atlantic City, the town was originally incorporated as a borough in 1889 from portions of Egg Harbor Township. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1914. The was called home by many noteable people including Sonora Webster Carver, the first female horse diver. You can read her story in her book, A Girl and Five Brave Horses, or see a fictionalized account of her life in the movie Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken (although she was not a fan of the movie). Take a gamble and join us for a rickshaw race through this energetic town.
Welcome to Waurika, The Parakeet Capital of the World! Unfortunately there is no explanation for the parakeet claim. Waurika was incorporated in 1903. The town's website states that the name means "clear water", while other sources state the name is the anglicized version of the Comanche word for worm eater. Guess which one we like better? The Army Corps of Engineers built the Waurika Dam at Beaver Creek, creating Waurika Lake in 1980. Waurika Lake is now a hot spot for outdoor activities. Waurika was the birthplace of Irene Champlin, who played Dale Arden in 1954-1955 syndicated TV series Flash Gordon. Join us lakeside for psychedelic trip through Waurika!
Welcome to Columbia Falls, Gateway to Glacier National Park! Oddly, Columbia Falls is not located near any falls of any kind. The area serves as a home base to travelers to visit Glacier National Park, the Hungry Horse Dam and Reservoir, and Flathead National Forest. Columbia Falls was called home by the Obscenity and Pornography Complaints Ombudsman for the State of Utah, Paula Houston. While we are not exactly sure what Houston does, that doesn't stop us from trying to work it out! Enjoy this little taste of Montana!
Welcome the Lenoir, NC, "Where the High Country Ends!" Nestled in the Appalachain Mountains and originally settled by the Tucker Family, the area was known as Tucker's Barn beginning in 1765. When the area was incorporated in 1851, it was renamed Lenoir in honor of Revolutionary War general William Lenoir. General Lenoir's restored home, Fort Defiance, is a popular tourist attraction in the town. Lenoir is also part of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail, a trail that marks the marching route of the Patriot militia in the pivotal Kings Mountain campaign of 1780. The area was also a key player in the NC furniture industry beginning in the 1890s, and was the location of Broyhill Furniture's headquarters until 2018. Lenoir is also home to a Google server farm and a number of commercial nurseries. Lenoir has also been called home by many noteable people, including southern gospel bass singer, George Younce (Neil is a big fan!). Join us for today's episode, and get the low down on our home state!
Welcome to Centerville, Iowa. Today, September 26th, would have been the 72nd annual Pancake Day celebration, but it has been postponed until 2021 due to the current pandemic. While that means there won't be any free pancakes, parades, pageants today, we are going anyway! Who could deny themselves a trip to this once booming coal town located near Rathbun Lake, known as "Iowa's Ocean." In the early 20th century, many European immigrants settled in Centerville to work in the coal mines. The town is still home to many Swedish Americans, Italian Americans, Croatian Americans, and Albanian Americans. They even held Croatian Fest from the mid 1980s through the mid 2000s in honor of their Croatian heritage. As the county seat of Appanoose, Centerville boasts a thriving downtown retail area centered around the Courthouse Square Historic District. Centerville was also called home by a surprising number of notable people according to their Wikipedia page. While we won't get any pancakes this year, we hope you still enjoy our weird little romp through Centerville!
Welcome to Royse City, "a friendly touch of Texas!" Located in Northeast Texas 33 miles from Dallas, Royse City was first developed around 1885 by Byrd Royse. Royse was instrumental in getting the MK & T Railroad brought through the city, and reportedly cut a deal with the railroad to have the town named Royse City in exchange for donating the land for the train station. Royse City is primarily a bedroom community, but also has several interesting attractions such as the Old Jail Park in downtown. Royse City was home to Glen Payne, the lead singer of The Cathedral Quartet, and baseball players Gus Ketchum and Taylor Hearn. The most recent excitement in town was the addition of a Buc-ee's, a popular travel center chain, along the highway. While this might not sound too exciting, that means there is now an endless supply of Beaver Nuggets in town! What's a Beaver Nugget? Tune in and find out!
Welcome to Waterville, Maine! Despite its simple name, it is surrounded by places that Keith can't pronounce. It is situated on the Kennebec River and was originally settled by the Canibas tribe of the Abenaki people. It was burned in 1692 during King William's War, and was subsequently abandoned by the tribe. Waterville was incorporated in 1802. Early industries included fishing, lumber, agriculture and boat building. Waterville is also home to Thomas College and Colby College. Notable resident, Heister Richard Hornberger, Jr, wrote the novel, MASH, under the pseudonym Richard Hooker. He sold the rights to the film for just a few hundred dollars... yep. Bad move. Let's see if we can keep from "pulling a Hornberger" in this latest episode.
Welcome to Cheraw, SC, the "Prettiest Town in Dixie!" Located along the Pee Dee River, the area was originally inhabited by the Pee Dee and Cheraw tribes. Wars and disease decimated the population, and by the time of the American Revolution, only a few Native Americans remained in the area. The area was settled by Europeans beginning in the 1740s, and played a role in both the Revolutionary War and Civil War. Cheraw faced economic hardship after the Civil War, but return to prosperity in the early 1900s. Jazz great Dizzy Gillespie was born in Cheraw, as was Cyndi Lauper's husband, David Thornton (which seemed to excite Keith greatly). We hope you'll join us for a quick turn through this quiet little town.
Welcome to Gallipolis, the old French city! Located beside the Ohio River, the border between Ohio and West Virginia, the city was founded in 1790 by 500 French refugees fleeing the French Revolution. The refugees purchased the land from the Scioto Company, a purported land development company registered in Paris. When they arrived in the area, they discovered that the deeds were worthless and the Scioto company never owned the land They ultimately had to purchase the land again from the Ohio Company. In 1928, the Silver Bridge was constructed to connect Gallipolis to Point Pleasant, WV. The bridge was poorly maintained and collapsed during rush hour traffic in 1967, killing 46 people. It was replaced by the Silver Memorial Bridge in 1969. Gallipolis was called home by Bob Evans, founder of the Bob Evans chain of restaurants, and Emma Gatewood, the first woman to through-hike the Appalachain Trail. The city is also home to the Mothman Museum, which is devoted to the local legend of the Mothman. Join us for a leisurely walk through this quaint city.
Welcome to Moses Lake where the only thing that stinks is the water! Named after Chief Moses (who was named that by settlers), a leader of the Sinkiuse tribe, the area was traded to white settlers who blackmailed the chief to give up the land instead of being convicted of a murder he clearly didn't commit. Okay, maybe some other things stink as well. Moses Lake has a sister city, Yonezawa, Japan. The two cities have exchanged students for more than two decades, and a street in Moses Lake has been named in honor of the sister city. Moses Lake has been called home by many notable people including Evil Knievel. Join us for a jaunt through Sulk-stalk-scosum (Chief Moses' real name) and enjoy Keith's attempts at pronouncing Yonezawa!
Welcome to Culpeper, VA, "A Great American Main Street." Named "The Prettiest Town in Virginia" by Architectural Digest, Culpeper is a bedroom community of Northern Virginia and the Washington DC area. The original town was surveyed in 1759 by a young George Washington. Mother's Day was established in honor of one of Culpeper's citizens, Ann Jarvis. If you're wondering what Dr. Jess thinks of Mother's Day, take a listen. You won't be disappointed! Culpeper was involved in both the Revolutionary War and Civil War, as was home to notable figures in both conflagrations. Although significant earthquakes are rare in the region, several buildings in the downtown area were damaged during a quake in August, 2011. Come shake, rattle and roll with us all the way to Bangladesh as we explore the streets and alleys of Culpeper, VA!
Welcome to the "Watermelon Capital of the World"! Incorporated in 1888, Cordele was named after Cordelia Hawkins, the daughter of the the president of SAM railroad. Cordele's early growth was due to the presence of two railroads, the Savannah, Americus & Montgomery line (SAM), and the Georgia Southern and Florida. In 1968, Cordele was gifted a Titan missile, which still stands at the intersection of I-75 and US-280. Cordele was called home by such notables as blues singer, Buster Brown; serial killer, Janie Lou Gibbs; and the writer of No Time for Sergeants, Mac Hyman. Join us to find out how we think the town's name is pronounced.
Welcome to Mitchell, SD, home to the world's only Corn Palace! Incorporated in 1883, the town was named for Milwaukee banker Alexander Mitchell, who seems to have no connection to the town whatsoever. Mitchell is home to such attractions as the world famous Corn Palace and the Dakota Discovery Museum. It was also home to George McGovern, who lost the 1972 Presidential election to our favorite President, Richard Nixon. Sit back and enjoy this leisurely walk through Mitchell, SD.
This is Sparta! Founded in 1839, Sparta is located in Southwest Illinois close to the Illinois-Missouri border, the Mississippi River. With a population of 4,302 according to the 2010 census, Sparta became known as "Magazineland USA" after World War II due to the numerous printing plants that produced most of the mass-market color comic books in the US. Sparta is also home to the Amateur Trapshooting Association. While Gerard Butler has never visited this Sparta, it was home to sports stars John Wittenborn, Darius Jackson, and Earle Gardner. It is also home to the famous Hunter Brothers, who set a flight endurance record in 1930. Sparta!
Welcome to "The Model City", Anniston, AL! Along with Selma, AL, Anniston ranks as one of the top cities by most violent and property crimes in the US according to FBI data, but don't let that deter you! Anniston has a rich history that is worth noting, such as the firebombing of a Freedom Riders bus in 1961, the racially motivated murder of Willie Brewster after a white racist rally, and it was the birthplace of Nannie Doss, an American female serial killer responsible for the murders of four husbands, two children, her sister, her mother, two grandsons, and a mother-in-law. Anniston is also home to the Anniston PCB Superfund Site, where PCBs were produced from 1929 to 1971. In 1969, the plant dumped about 250 pounds of the chemicals into the Snow Creek per day. So grab your bulletproof HAZMAT suit, and join us for a romp through Anniston!
Welcome to Claremont, NH! Settled in 1762, Claremont was named after the country mansion of Thomas Pelham-Holles, Earl of Clare. Claremont is bordered on the west by the Connecticut River, which serves as the boundary between New Hampshire and Vermont. This quaint city is home to the Union Episcopal Church, the oldest surviving church building in New Hampshire. It was also home to the first Roman Catholic church in New Hampshire. Claremont was once home to actress and singer Dorothy Loudon, who won a Tony Award in 1977 for her performance as Miss Hannigan in Annie.
Welcome to Warrensburg, MO, the home of Old Drum! The murder of beloved dog, Old Drum, and subsequent trials gave birth to the phrase "man's best friend". A statue honoring Old Drum stands in front of the Warrensburg Courthouse. The city is also home to the University of Central Missouri and is the birthplace of Kimberly Wyatt, former member of the The Pussycat Dolls.
Welcome to Live Oak, FL, A Caring Community! First named Live Oak Station in the early 1860s, the town was named for the tree under which railroad workers rested and ate lunch during the construction of the Pensacola & Georgia Railroad in the area. Live Oak was officially incorporated in 1878 and grew to be the largest inland and 5th largest city overall in Florida due to the proximity of nearby sulphur springs, whose supposed health benefits were thought to cure everything from arthritis to "female problems". It soon lost its status as southern Florida exploded as a vacation area and the medical miracles of sulphur springs were disproved. While no longer a sulphur springs boom town, Live Oak still offers up many enticing recreational opportunities such as the Suwannee River State Park, the Spirit of Suwannee Music Park & Campground, and Wes Skiles Peacock Springs State Park, just to name a few.
Welcome to Clovis, NM! Clovis began in 1906 when the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway was being constructed in the area and the engineers were told to choose a town site. Originally it was known as Riley's Switch, but was formally named Clovis in 1907. It is thought by some that it was named after "Clovis Culture", the oldest known culture in the United States. The first "Clovis Culture" artifacts were discovered at what became the Blackwater Draw archaeological site in 1929, and the culture was subsequently named after the city it was closest to, not the other way around. The city was actually named by the daughter of a railway official who was studying the first king of the Franks, King Clovis. Clovis is home to Cannon Air Force Base and the Norman and Vi Petty Rock & Roll Museum. The museum is designed to give visitors a glimpse into the Norman Petty Studios, where early rock greats like Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly recorded some of their hits.
Welcome to Lafayette, TN! Named in honor of the Marquis de Lafayette, the town was founded in 1843 as the county seat of the newly formed Macon County. Macon County was the birthplace of JL Turner and Cal Turner, Sr, the owners of JL Turner and Son, Inc. These stores ultimately transformed into what we know as Dollar General. Let's see what kind of fun we can find it Tennessee!
Welcome to New London, CT! A deep water port located at the mouth of the Thames River on Long Island Sound, it is home to the US Coast Guard Academy and tall ship Eagle.It was the base of American naval operations during the American Revolutionary War. New London was raided in September of 1781 by British Troops led by Benedict Arnold and most of the city burned to the ground. It was also called home by the Nobel laureate and Pultizer-Prize winning playwright Eugene O'Neill. Let's see what one of Connecticut's oldest towns has to offer!
Welcome to the City of St. Joseph, MI, the Riviera of the Midwest! Located at the mouth of the St. Joseph River, this growing resort community was once an important point for Amerindian commerce. It was originally named Newburyport after a coastal city in Massachusetts (weird coincidence, huh!), but changed its name to St. Joseph when it was incorporated in 1834. Kick up your feet and find out what this gem on Lake Michigan has to offer!
"Welcome Home!" to the city of London, KY! Known as the cycling capital of Kentucky, this scenic town is also known for its other local attractions, such as the Levi Jackson Wilderness Road State Park, Colonel Sanders Cafe and Museum, Camp Wildcat Civil War Battlefield, and the annual World Chicken Festival. Join us as we explore all that this quaint city has to offer!
Welcome to Newburyport, MA, birthplace of the US Coast Guard (no matter what the Coast Historians Office says)! Settled in 1635 as part of Newberry Plantation, it is located on the southern bank of the Merrimack River where it empties into the Atlantic Ocean. A once bustling port, it was part of the triangular trade system, importing West Indian molasses and exporting rum made in distilleries located around Market Square. Join us as we explore a few local stories in this historic coastal city.
Join us in the lovely hamlet of Stone Ridge, NY. Located in the town of Marbletown, it is a quaint and quiet community in upstate NY where George Washington once spent the night on his way to Kingston, NY.
Join us in Superior, Wisconsin, where they live up to their name! Located at the western tip of Lake Superior, the city offers a growing number of tourist attractions, including the world's only remaining Whaleback, the SS Meteor. This city has many other claims to fame, including being the last port of call for the SS Edmund Fitzgerald before its sinking on November 10, 1975.
Welcome to Main Street, America - Marysville, California! You're sure to enjoy a visit to this early gold rush town named after a survivor of the Donner Party.