Episode 28: A Doctor Claimed the Springs Could Cure in This Lost Missouri Town
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
Release Date: 12/21/2018
Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
In the United States, the war against women took a particularly dark and secretive turn in the early 1900s—around the start of World War I. Under a government-sponsored “social hygiene” campaign, to protect newly recruited soldiers, tens of thousands of women were arrested on “suspicion” of having a venereal disease. Have you ever heard of the American Plan?
info_outline Episode 33: This Influential Female Author and Anthropologist Blazed a Trail for WomenHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
This trailblazer became the most successful and significant black woman writer of the first half of the 20th century. In the 1970s, during the second wave of feminism, Alice Walker helped revive interest in this pioneer’s writings, bringing them back to public attention. Have you ever heard of Zora Neale Hurston?
info_outline Episode 32: This Strange Civil Disturbance Changed How Americans Study MedicineHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
In the US, doctors are held in high esteem. But that wasn’t always the case. There was time when the medical field was riddled with controversy and public scrutiny. Tensions between the world of medicine and society reached a boiling point in New York City during April of 1788, when resurrection, the common practice of grave robbing, came under scrutiny. Have you ever heard of the New York Doctors Riot?
info_outline Episode 31: Before Modern Medicine, These Female Healers Cured What AiledHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
In the days before modern medicine, the sick, injured, and expecting often relied on community healers to perform the services of doctors and midwives. Women largely fulfilled these roles. They passed down the gifts of folk healing and soul healing through the generations. Have you ever heard of the Ozarks' Granny Women?
info_outline Episode 30: The Mysterious Life and Supposed Murder of Vincent van GoghHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
Vincent van Gogh's expressive paintings hide an aching heart that longed for love and normalcy, the relentless bout of “fits” he suffered, and the mental anguish of a tormented soul. Although many chapters of his life have already been examined under a contemporary light, it’s the ending, with still untold secrets, that could change history. Have you ever heard of the mysteries surrounding Vincent van Gogh?
info_outline Episode 29: All You've Needed to Know and Then Some Since 1818Historium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
Throughout history there have been countless methods for forecasting the weather. In 1818, David Young, a poet and astronomer from Morristown, New Jersey, launched a publication that would help take the guesswork out of this tricky task...and more. Have you ever heard of the Farmers’ Almanac?
info_outline Episode 28: A Doctor Claimed the Springs Could Cure in This Lost Missouri TownHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
Greene County, Missouri was once home to many bustling communities that slowly withered away. One town had quite an intriguing story. There it was said the springs could cure; that a bit of heaven had fallen to earth. A respected doctor even banked his future on the town’s healing waters. Have you ever heard of the lost town of Bethesda?
info_outline Episode 27: The Flying Santas Who Airdrop Christmas Cheer to America’s Lighthouse KeepersHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
In the 1920s, one aviation pioneer launched a thank-you project for the families that keep coastal ships safe. He propelled a goodwill tradition that’s lasted longer than he ever imagined. One that has lasted to this day… Have you ever heard of the Flying Santas? Credit: I’d like to give a huge thanks to the Friends of Flying Santa for their dedication and generosity in keeping this good-will tradition alive. If you’d like to donate to this wonderful cause, please visit their website at . This story on Narratively. Sources: ; Tague, Brian, Friends of Flying Santa; Retrieved November...
info_outline Episode 26: This Double-Crossing General Deceived America and Walked AwayHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
After the Revolutionary War, at a pivotal moment when Washington and Spain were fighting for control of North America, one American war hero deflected from honor and signed a secret allegiance with Spain. President Theodore Roosevelt even said, "In all our history, there is no more despicable character.” Have you ever heard of James Wilkinson?
info_outline Bonus Episode: A Thanksgiving Ghost StoryHistorium Unearthia: Unearthing History's Lost and Untold Stories
For years, on Thanksgiving, one former railroad worker from Pennsylvania told his family a chilling tale. Well, they thought it was a tale—a grandiose and macabre account almost certainly rooted in fiction. Yet, as the story traveled through generations, the family would discover that some ghosts lead to the truth. This is a Thanksgiving ghost story…
info_outlineGreene County, Missouri was once home to many bustling communities that slowly withered away. One town had quite an intriguing story. There it was said the springs could cure; that a bit of heaven had fallen to earth. A respected doctor even banked his future on the town’s medicinal wonders. Have you ever heard of the lost town of Bethesda?
Credit:
A huge thanks to author and local Greene County historian Shirley Gilmore who wrote a little book called Bethesda: Lost City in 1970, when she was a senior in high school and as part of a Girl Scout project. The book is in the reference section of the Springfield-Greene County Library in Springfield, Missouri. I also grateful for the historical insight of John Sellars, the Executive Director of the History Museum on the Square, dedicated to revitalizing and preserving the history of the Springfield, Missouri community.
Sources:
Bethesda: Lost City; Gilmore, Shirley; Girl Scout Troop #15 (Springfield, Missouri); August 12, 1970.
A Directory of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets Past and Present of Greene County, Missouri; Moser, Arthur Paul; Springfield-Greene County Library; Retrieved December 2018.
Robberson Township, Ebeneezer, Hackney, Bethesda, Glidewell; Greene County 1904; Missouri Publishing Co.
Glen M. “Heinie” Siegel; Obituary; Newsok.com; January 10, 2001.
The Lost Town of Bethesda and More on Springfield's Cryptid History; Urban Cryptids; December 14, 2012.
The Mysterious Goat Man; Urban Cryptids; May 19, 2013.