Broadcast from the Belfry
An archive of curious tales across cultures.
New episodes @ 12am every Thursday.
Episodes
63 episodes
24. Where Have All the Folk Songs Gone?
We decided to stray in a different direction to talk about something quintessentially American. You've heard of country, Americana, and indie music, but what were their roots? Like cuisine, fine and modern arts, poetry, and fiction, we use musi...
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Season 2
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Episode 24
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49:08
23. Calling All Mothmen
Everyone knows the story of Mothman in West Virginia, but what about all the other strange things that went after he came? What about his rise to stardom as a queer icon? And what about all the erotic cryptid fiction he has since inspired? Have...
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Season 2
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Episode 23
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56:08
22. All Aliens Beware (Pew Pew)
Have you ever wondered why UFOs seem to be such an American "thing"? What was our obsession with alien action movies in the 90s? And what about when the government admitted that UFOs were real back in 2017? We take a look back to one of the ear...
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Season 2
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Episode 22
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58:42
21. That Tully Monster (Things Have Changed)
If you saw the skeleton of some extinct creature, what do you think it'd look like? Hear us out... how would you compare a kangaroo, platypus, or komodo dragon's skeleton to the living, breathing thing? This week's episode dives right in to the...
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Season 2
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Episode 21
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46:51
20. Give 'Em Hell, Roland Doe
This week we're talking all things "Exorcist" - from the story of Roland Doe (aka Robbie Mannheim), to the ways that the publication and following movie adaptation undeniably changed horror as entertainment, pop culture, and society as we know ...
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Season 2
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Episode 20
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44:31
19. I Make Doll Houses, Not Tragedies
She made tiny crime scenes and biiiig waves in forensic science. Tune in to meet Francis Glessner Lee, the mother of forensics and ultimate Queen who turned doll houses into much, much more. Created and co-hosted by Georgia Abram...
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Season 2
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Episode 19
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34:23
18. Don't You Know Who Eliot Ness Thinks He Is
Decapitations, dismemberment, and Depression-era despair - this episode has it all! Tune in to hear the twisted tale of the Mad Butcher of Kingsbury Run, where the only thing more elusive than the killer is Eliot Ness's sanity.Created...
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Season 2
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Episode 18
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56:13
17. Can't Fight Against the Foot
Sometimes, you wonder where human evolution will take us. Are we to return to monke? Will we all become crab? When we ask where we'll go, we must look back at where we've been. Which direction did our hominid ancestors go? Perhaps........ Bigfo...
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Season 2
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Episode 17
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55:59
16. Molasses Will Never Hurt You
What do you get when you cross anarchy, World War I, xenophobia, capitalism, and the slave trade? That's right: the Great Molasses Flood of 1919! Watch out, Boston - no one is safe in this perfect storm of 20th century ideals. Cr...
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Season 2
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Episode 16
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1:08:23
15. A Boy Brushed Red Living in New Orleans
YIKES. It would have sucked to be an Italian grocer in New Orleans in 1918 and 1919. Do you believe the Axe Man was a singular person? Would you have jazzed it out in March 1919? Do you think Pepitone's widow killed the real Axe Man?C...
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Season 2
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Episode 15
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49:24
14. Of All the Shirtwaist Factories in the World
Many girls experience a phase during their preteen years called the "Shirtwaist Factory Fire Era." Georgia did not experience this phase, so it's up to Hannah to give her the deets. Fire safety is feminist, and don't you forget it.Cre...
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Season 2
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Episode 14
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43:05
13. Lincoln Park Cemetery is So Two Years Ago
People were buried under Lincoln Park in the 1800s? They were still finding bodies that hadn't been reinterred in the early 1900s?? They were STILL finding bodies in 1998??? What is going on?!?! Tune in this week to find out.Created a...
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Season 2
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Episode 13
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1:00:13
12. Spiritualism Business
"Is anyone here with us?" That's one of the main questions we ask this week as we ramble into the void. We're talking spiritualism. We're talking feminism. We're talking ouija boards. We're talking Winchester Mystery Mansion. And many other thi...
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Season 2
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Episode 12
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59:40
11. I Didn't Say I Was Powerful... I Said I Was Harry Houdini
You may be familiar with Harry Houdini's "magic" tricks and his tenure as the world's greatest escape artist, but did you know he was a staunch anti-spiritualist? Or, well... maybe you knew that. But what about the first thing? There's a lot to...
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Season 2
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Episode 11
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59:01
10. Baby, You're A Murder Hotel
Apologies for the inconsistent audio here - I had a lot of issues. Besides that, get ready for truth bombs about the 1893 Chicago World's Fair (the Columbian Exposition) and the real loser behind the sensationalized myth that is H.H...
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Season 2
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Episode 10
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1:22:52
9. There's No Hodags in Alaska
You may be wondering, "Gosh Hannah, you sure do talk about a lot of things that aren't the Hodag in this episode!" And you would be right. Who knew that there was so much historical context to this beloved cryptid? Listen in to learn about Paul...
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Season 2
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Episode 9
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1:15:42
8. Edison's Lawyer Made Us Change the Name of This Episode So We Wouldn't Get Sued
Buckle your seatbelts because are we talking you on a wild ride this episode! If you thought you knew about Edison inventing motion pictures, does Georgia sure have news for you. Tune in for this super juicy 19th century gossip.Create...
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Season 2
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Episode 8
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59:55
7. The Patron Saint of Emos and Goths
We're asking the real questions this week, folx: did Poe have a time machine? Also, what were the circumstances that led to his death? And what the hell is a "Poe Toaster?" Tune in to hear the answers and much, much more! Created...
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Season 2
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Episode 7
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1:20:03
6. It's Not A Rendezvous, It's A Donner Party
How much do you know about what really happened out on the California Trail? Well... Tune in to find out! Created and co-hosted by Georgia Abrams and Hannah Rucinski.Sound design by Shannon Webster.Inspired by your mom's ...
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Season 2
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Episode 6
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1:07:29
5. This Ain't A Scene, It's the LaLaurie Mansion
Everyone knows about the cursed LaLaurie Mansion, but what about the dark history beyond Nicholas Cage and the reported hauntings? And who was Madame Delphine LaLaurie? Tune in as we uncover some historical truths. Created and co...
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Season 2
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Episode 5
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54:46
4. The Mormon Things That No One Ever Knows
You really wouldn't believe what the deal is with the Mormons. Hannah takes Georgia through an abbreviated history of the Latter Day Saints movement, both of them trying hard to understand from an anthropological lens.Created and co-h...
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Season 2
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Episode 4
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57:26
3. Waking Up To Yellow Fever
You've lived through a global pandemic, but have you ever lived through an epidemic? Dr. Benjamin Rush sure did, not 20 years after he penned his name down on the Declaration of Independence. Did he have some quirky ideas on how to heal people ...
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Season 2
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Episode 3
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52:21
2. I Never Told You What the Harpe Bros Do For A Living
It's time for the second epiosde of our second and we're talking about two brothers who didn't deserve any second chances. There are also two of us. There's a 2 thing here somewhere... Anyway, join us for a small dose of what life was like in t...
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Season 2
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Episode 2
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47:24
1. There is a Hell Believe Me I've Seen It. There is a Roanoke Let's Keep it a Secret
Aaaaaand we're back! Welcome to our season of American folk tales, true crime, cryptids, and other stories. In this episode, Georgia and Hannah play a little New Year's catch-up, then dive right into the history of the Lost Colony of Roanoke an...
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Season 2
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Episode 1
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1:01:14
A Little Less Sixteen Candles, A Little More Pseudoarchaeology (Bonus!)
Happy Pre-Season 2! Tune in to this very special episode as we are joined by friend-of-the-show Jordan to discuss all things pseudoarchaeology in all of its racist, fake news un-glory. And please head over to
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Season 2
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1:33:53