Traverse City State Hospital Michigan 2023

I have talked about this place before, but I really love the old Traverse City Hospital in Michigan, which has been reporposed.

"House of Abraham" by Stephen Berry

 

"House of Abraham" by Stephen Berry came out a decade and a half ago, and I am almost embarrassed to say that it has taken me this long to get around to reading it.  This is a great book, and a must read for anyone interested in Abe and his relationship to the very complicated Todd family.

I have spent a lot of time reading up on the Lincolns and Todds, and I have visited many of the sites associated with them (heck, most of the Todds are buried a short distance from my home)....  but this book really showed me some new aspects to the relationship.

I am very familiar with (and fascinated by) the relationship of Mary and Abe to brother in law (and Confederate General) Benjamin Hardin Helm, but the family's relationship to some of the other siblings and their spouses is also complex.  The fact that almost all of them had some sort of connection not just to Lincoln, but also to the CSA really makes this story interesting.

Berry does a great job of introducing the family members, and talking about their places in the Todd family, in the Civil War, and in history in general.  He tells about their interactions and he lets you know what happened to them after the Civil War.  His writing is easy to follow and has a very nice flow.

There were siblings of Mary Lincoln at the inauguration of Jefferson Davis.  Others served in the Confederate army.  One brother dies while serving the in CSA at Shiloh (I have visited the spot) and one sibling put in charge of Yankee prisoners gets into trouble for abusing them, including a corpse.

I took notes while reading it, and this is definatley a volume on the Lincolns/Todds that will always be on my shelf.

Postcard: "Winter Scene" Lincoln's Birthplace Memorial

 This old postcard shows one of my favorite sites in Kentucky.  It is undated.

Robinettes Apple Haus and Winery Grand Rapids Michigan 2023

 I always get excited about a trip to Robinette's when I am in Grand Rapids!

The Cottage Farm Stand and Baking Co Owensboro Kentucky 2023

Check out the Cottage Farm Stand and Baking Co in Owensboro!

Meriwether Lewis Death Site Tennessee 2023

On a recent trip on the Natchez Trace parkway, we stopped to see the death and burial site of Meriwether Lewis.

"The Haunted Natchez Trace" by Bud Steed

After our trip on the Natchez Trace Parkway, I found a copy of Bud Steed's "The Haunted Natchez Trace".  Its definitely got me in the mood to do another, longer trip on the Trace.

Steed has done his homework, and he gives a lot of good info about history that has happened along the path.  Each section gives you some general info, some of it ghoulish.  Then, he gives some information about legends and hauntings.

Of course a lot of the sites are just creepy.  There are land pirate crime scenes, places destroyed during the Civil War, unknown Confederate soldier grave sites, and gators!

He covers a lot of ground, starting in Natchez Mississippi and making his way north towards Nashville.  He lets you know about some interesting towns along the Trace too, and ones that are a short drive away, but still worth your time to visit.

He covers the death of Meriwether Lewis nicely too, possibly the most well known and strange event to have occurred on the Natchez Trace.

The book is to the point and informative, making it an easy and enjoyable read.

 

Sebree Kentucky 2023

Just a nice little drive through Sebree Kentucky.

Adams Tennessee School House and Bell Witch Legend 2023

 

Here is a brief video about the Adams Tennessee Schoolhouse, which houses their wonderful community museum AND Moss's Restaurant. 

It is funny to me, how often you visit an area for one thing, like a legendary cave, then you find another amazing site too.

I mean it sincerely when I say that some of the best meals I have ever had have been at Moss's.  Go to Adams to explore the Bell Witch Legend, but make sure you go by the schoolhouse for the museum and great food.

Postcard: Planters Exclusive Burley Floor Hopkinsville Kentucky

 Found this cool old postcard showing Planters Exclusive Burley Floor in Hopkinsville.  The postcard is unused, but very old.

"On Bended Knees" By Bill Cunningham

 While in Adams Tennessee, I picked up a copy of Bill Cunningham's "On Bended Knees:  The True Story of the Night Rider Tobacco War in Kentucky and Tennessee" while at the wonderful community museum in the old school.

First, I will say honestly that this book was one of the most enjoyable reads I have had recently.  It is well written about an area close to where I grew up (I am familiar with just about every community mentioned in the book).  Also, I grew up around tobacco farming.  Some of my earliest memories are of following my dad and other family members around the tobacco barn and fields.

Bill Cunningham sort of makes the book a story about Dr. David Amoss, the leader of a group of tobacco farmers who unite to refuse to sell their tobacco in an effort to get better prices for their leaves.  Amoss' rival- Buck Duke who has created a tobacco buying monopoly.

The author does clarify that the wealthy Duke, with business dealings worldwide, probably barely knew about Amoss and his efforts with the farmers, but the farmers were very aware of Duke.

I almost hate to make the comparison, but the book brought the TV series "Breaking Bad" to my mind, in a weird sort of way.  You might not be as sympathetic towards the main character by the end of the book as you were to him at the beginning.

Anyway, Amoss organizes his farmers into a military like unit- and, taking some notes from the KKK, they wear masks and commit some violent crimes to influence those who refuse to cooperate with them.  Of course, they wear masks during these crimes.  Some of the crimes are on a very big scale too.

Bill Cunningham's story telling is exciting and detailed, but never boring.  The book has a great flow.

Not to give anything away, but there is an ironic twist in the relationship to Duke and Amoss at the end of the book

I really enjoyed this one and I give "On Bended Knees" my highest possible recommendation.

Legendary Bell Witch Cave Adams Tennessee 2023

If you have been to this blog before, you know that I have gone on and on about Bell Witch Cave (and the Bell Witch legend) in Adams Tennessee.  I love this place, and enjoy researching the history and folklore.

I was there recently and took a lot of photos in the cave (they don't allow video) and I pieced together a little presentation.

"Something Wicked! The Bell Witch Phenomenon" and "Season of the Critters" by Dewey Edwards

I mentioned that we recently went back and visited Adams Tennessee, a MUST see destination for legend trippers.  I have posted videos and other info from that trip and I have talked about the Bell Witch legend a lot on this blog.

We stopped by the wonderful Moss's Restaurant at the old schoolhouse (one of the best restaurants on the planet) and they had a nice little selection of local books.  I picked up these two by Dewey Edwards, and I thought they were both worth a mention here.

"Season of the Critters" is an easy to read but packed 200 plus pages mostly about cryptids in this area of Tennessee and Kentucky.  Think the Land Between the Lakes area, Adams Tennessee, and the surrounding area.  This was a book begging to be written as a lot of strangeness is in this location.

Edwards covers the all star "weird" stories in this region (covering not just cryptids but also aliens, true crime and ghosts) with mentions of the legendary Bell Witch, Kelly Green Men, Mantell Incident, and others....  BUT, he also gets into some lesser known legends.

The author gives space to the credible and fascinating Martin Groves too, who has written a couple of books himself about Dogmen in the LBL area, including his own experiences.

Oh, Edwards also gets a hoaxer to tell the truth about his involvement in one chapter!

In "Something Wicked!  The Bell Witch Phenomenon" he gives a nice retelling of the Bell Witch story.  It is hard to find much new about the Bell Witch, but Edwards does offer an easy to understand telling of the legend.  He tells some interesting ghost stories that still happen in the area.  He also sets the stage nicely for the attitudes of the region, and natural things that may have influenced the family at that time (the family would have been exposed to Brown Mountain Lights and the New Madrid earthquakes).  This would be a perfect introductory book for someone just getting into reading up on the Bell Witch.

Both books have a nice, DIY self published feel, which I am really starting to appreciate.  Edwards comes off as a friendly, knowledgeable fellow with a ton of research and information under his belt.  His coverage and writing is easy to understand and follow.
 

Saint Alphonsus Cemetery St Joseph Kentucky 2023

We visited Saint Alphonsus Cemetery in St. Joseph Kentucky.

The Executive Inn Owensboro Kentucky

A pal recently gave me a couple of things he found in storage.

The top photo is of an old postcard I have, showing the cool, and massively huge Executive Inn which used to be an icon in Owensboro.  They knocked it over in 2008.

The next few photos are of a flyer advertising the old hotel.

The bottom picture is of a luggage tag.  I was so thrilled that he found the brochure and tag and gave them to me.

As a fan of the old spot, any little collectibles like this are treasured.

 

Towne Square Mall Owensboro looking back 2023

Earlier this year I stopped by the Owensboro Towne Square Mall as it looked like the end was near for the place.  I got a some video and hoped to get back again, but it simply did not happen.  It looks like the mall as we knew it from 1978-2023 is no more.  They are going to redo it and make it something different as far as I can tell....  So, here is a little video with some pictures I have taken over the last decade of the place.

Historic Chillicothe Ohio 2023

We FINALLY made it to Chillicothe Ohio!  This is a great town FULL of history.  I feel a little late to the party.

Hopewell Culture National Historical Park Chillicothe Ohio 2023

We had a great visit at the Hopewell Culture National Historical Park in Chillicothe Ohio!

"The Frontiersmen" by Allan W. Eckert

So, after going to see the mind blowing "Tecumseh!" outdoor play in Chillicothe, I went out and found a great old copy of the source material- Allan W. Eckert's "The Frontiersmen".

This is a classic that has floated around since the 50s and I am almost embarrassed to say that I FINALLY got around to discovering this one....  It might be my new favorite book.

It is about 600 pages but it flows nicely, and you really get in to it.  Plus, having grown up in Kentucky, and lived a chunk of my life in northern Ohio, I know just about every spot mentioned in the book well.

The author is open about the book being historic fiction, as he notes his sources and all.  Some critics have been critical- calling this book more fiction than historic.  That might be a fair argument, but this is still a great starting point to learn about the old frontier, conflicts with the Native Americans, etc.

 

 

Circleville Ohio 2023

AND....  we recently drove around the very pumpkin loving town of Circleville Ohio!

"Unsolved Murders and Disappearances in Northeast Ohio" by Jane Ann Turzillo

I received "Unsolved Murders and Disappearances in Northeast Ohio" by Jane Ann Turzillo as a present recently.  As I have mentioned here before, I spent nearly a decade in Cleveland, and I have spend many hours reading about that northern town's history.  It still fascinates me, and I especially appreciated this new volume to my collection of books about the area.

This could almost be a John Bellamy book....  and it has a similar feel to Bellamy's Cleveland true crime volumes, but the writing style is different.  Still, its look, feel and subject matter will earn this one a spot on my bookshelf right next his Cleveland Crime and disaster series.

Some of the stories were a bit familiar to me, but several weren't.  Turzillo's writing style is more to the point than some true crime authors, making these stories easier to read at times, in my opinion.  I definitely plan on picking up more of her work.
 

Waverly Ohio July 2023

 

Here is a quick trip through Waverly Ohio!

Tecumseh Outdoor Drama Backstage Tour Chillicothe Ohio 2023

I FINALLY got around to seeing the Tecumseh Outdoor Drama in Chillicothe recently.  It is SPECTACULAR!  Seriously, I have been to a lot of plays, and this one was just over the top amazing.

We bought the VIP ticket, which included some extras AND we were entitled to a backstage tour with some of the cast and crew.  Obviously filming during the play is not allowed, but they were fine with me filming the backstage tour.....

We were told that there are 31 actors in the play, many playing multiple parts.  The "stage" is really all around you, as there is often action going on to the left and right of the stage.  AND, there is a pond behind the stage, then another area behind the stage.  Two artificial mountains are on both sides of the stage....  So the battle scenes in particular can be epic.

I should note that I picked up the source material for the play- the late Allan W. Eckertt's "The Frontiersman".  It is possibly the most interesting book I have ever read....  and that is saying something.

Kentucky and a lot of areas in southern and central Ohio are mentioned in the book and I am familiar with all of the spots.  The author wrote it as historic fiction and it has just a really nice flow to it.

Anyway, we arrived at the Sugarloaf Mountain Theatre around 4, when they opened up.  We walked around a bit, got our tickets, did the backstage tour, and had BBQ sandwiches at their concession area.  The play started at 8, and lasted a couple of hours.  After the play, about 8-9 actors came out for photos and autographs.  I absolutely wanted to get the actors autographs on my program and they were all very sweet.  Most asked where we were from and thanked us for coming out.  Kids were all over the actors and you could tell they will remember this experience forever.