Episodes
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Michael Zittle: The Wizard of South Mountain
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Monday Oct 23, 2023
Our team has happily welcomed "spooky season" and this week we're bringing you a tale of old about the story of Michael Zittle – the Wizard of South Mountain. If you enjoy this type of content, you'll also want to tune in next week for another Halloween-inspired episode, an in-depth feature on the Maryland Witch Trials.
Much of what we know of Michael Zittle and the lore of South Mountain comes from Madeline Vinton Dahlgren, a 19th-century author, tavern keeper, anti-suffragist, and owner of the still-operational South Mountain Inn. New research, writing, and dramatic reading by your host, Nicholas Redding.
As the chill of autumn arrives and we approach All Hallows Eve, we'll indulge in this haunted history and talk of wizards, spells, and sorcery...
Monday Oct 25, 2021
[SPOOKTACULAR] Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween with Lisa Morton
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Monday Oct 25, 2021
Some holidays are so ingrained into our lives, it’s hard to imagine the time before they existed – but Halloween wasn’t always the holiday we know today. On this year’s PreserveCast Spooktacular we’re talking with Lisa Morton. Morton recently published Trick or Treat: A History of Halloween, a comprehensive history of one of America’s favorite holidays.
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Our Historical Obsession with the Unexplained with Colin Dickey
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
Tuesday Sep 08, 2020
In a world where rational, scientific explanations are more available than ever, belief in the unprovable and irrational – in fringe – is on the rise: from Atlantis to aliens, from Flat Earth to the Loch Ness monster, the list goes on.
Enter Colin Dickey, Cultural Historian and Tour Guide of the Weird.
With the same curiosity and insight that made Ghostland a hit with readers and critics, Colin looks at what all fringe beliefs have in common, explaining that today's Illuminati is yesterday's Flat Earth: the attempt to find meaning in a world stripped of wonder.
On this week’s PreserveCast things are about to get weird as we enter The Unidentified: Mythical Monsters, Alien Encounters, and Our Obsession with the Unexplained.
Monday Jun 08, 2020
Monday Jun 08, 2020
When you think of pirates – you may think of far-off warm islands and tropical beaches or perhaps your mind goes to modern-day piracy off the dangerous horn of Africa – but you probably don’t think of the brackish waters of the Chesapeake Bay off the coast of Maryland and Virginia.
But, today’s guest, Dr. Jamie Goodall, has spent years studying that very story – and has recently published a compelling account of piracy on these now quiet waters.
Let’s set sail for Chesapeake Bay – but keep a clear eye because these waters be dangerous!
Monday Oct 07, 2019
Monday Oct 07, 2019
As preservationists, we here at PreserveCast are usually concerned with the physical history: what we can know from the cold hard facts in front of us.
But seeing as how it’s October and Halloween is around the corner, we thought we’d talk a little about haunted history.
Author Colin Dickey joined host Nick Redding to talk about the history of ghost stories and share what we can learn from the places that scare us.
If you've ever wondered why American horror stories typically feature an old Victorian mansion or forgotten roadside motel...this episode is for you!
Friday Oct 26, 2018
Friday Oct 26, 2018
If you work in historic preservation long enough, inevitably the question comes up, "Do you believe in ghosts?" For today’s guest, Mindie Burgoyne, she’s made a career of telling those stories as a travel writer, blogger, author, and most famously, a tour operator.
Her focus is traveling within the context of a story to the mystical places that stir the mind and spirit. Her tour company has three subsidiaries: Chesapeake Ghost Walks, a cluster of ten regional ghost walks on the Eastern Shore of Maryland; Thin Places Mystical Tours, which hosts annual tours and travel services to sacred, off-the-beaten path destinations in Ireland; and Travel Hag Adventures, "a travel club for girlfriends."
In this episode, Nick and Mindie discuss how she began hosting ghost tours both domestically and abroad. You will learn: a creative approach to marketing history and preservation to non-preservationists; how to maintain historic integrity while sharing local lore and ghost stories, how to combat negative perceptions of the paranormal within the field of preservation, the difference between educating and conjuring, and if Mindie actually believes in ghosts herself.
So leave the light on or risked getting spooked on this year's PreserveCast Spooktacular.
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Monday Oct 09, 2017
Monday Oct 09, 2017
As preservationists, we here at PreserveCast are usually concerned with the physical history; what we can know from the cold hard facts. But seeing as how it’s October and Halloween is around the corner, we thought we’d talk a little about haunted history. Author Colin Dickey joined me to talk about the history of ghost stories and share what we can learn from the places that scare us. The conversation ranges all the way from Silicon Valley to Richmond Virginia on this, the first ever PreserveCast Spooktacular!
Listen here: https://www.preservecast.org/2017/10/09/colin-dickey-ghostland-and-the-preservecast-spooktacular/