Randal Charlton, son of the man responsible for building a 1950s replica of the famed Pilgrim ship, tells the fascinating story of how it came to be donated to Plimoth Plantation, his reaction to its recent reconstruction at Mystic Seaport and the real meaning of the Mayflower Compact.

Recorded History podcast

Mayflower II and Mystic Seaport

Amateur historian and Niantic resident Tom Schuch, a native New Londoner, takes us on a mind-bending spin through some of southeastern Connecticut’s hidden history, including local sites found in the Green Book, the listing of places where African Americans were likely to be served during an era of Jim Crow laws and discrimination between the 1930s and 1960s. He also talks about the black educator Ichabod Pease, the story of Civil War-era firebrand John Brown and a local connection to famed writer and orator W.E.B. Dubois.

"The Green Book,” New London-style

Bishop Benjamin Watts, the pastor of Shiloh Baptist Church in New London, tells us the fascinating story of one of the region’s most prominent African-American cultural, social and religious organizations that started in people’s homes and now has grown to about 1,000 members.

Shiloh’s 125th anniversary

Laura Natusch, executive director of New London Landmarks, talks about the group’s recent purchase of a historic home as well as its efforts to keep two buildings on Bank Street from being torn down.

Saving landmarks, preserving history

Evan Nickles, former owner of Mystic Emporium, and Dan Curland, proprietor of Mystic Disc, talk about the three days of peace and love that defined a generation. Each of them still has vivid memories of attending the famed concert that featured Jimi Hendrix, Santana and Janis Joplin.

Woodstock, 50 years on

Stonington Historical Society’s outgoing president Elizabeth Wood tells about plans for the Old Lighthouse Museum, discusses the group’s role in saving old houses and remembers a blacklisted "Citizen Kane" actress’s final days in Lords Point.

Artifacts and lighthouses in Stonington

Joseph McGill Jr., a veteran Civil War re-enactor and former employee of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in Charleston, S.C., has made it his life’s mission to sleep in every slave dwelling known throughout the United States. We caught up to him in New London as he appeared in the fifth annual Juneteenth Celebration June 6-8, commemorating the announcement in 1865 that the Civil War had ended and all slaves were now free.

Sleeping in slave quarters

Michael Dreimiller, a member of the Thames Base Ball Club in New London, reviews the history of the game in southeastern Connecticut and how aficionados are reviving 19th-century rules.

A home run for vintage baseball

Historians Jim Streeter and Tom Althuis talk about the heroine of both the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812, along with other interesting characters, including three presidents, who spent time in her Groton home. The City of Groton is trying to sell the 1782 house, and many history buffs want it turned into a museum.

Mother Bailey and her legendary mansion

Trinity Missionary Church in New London is honoring five people as part of a Black History program Feb. 24, and we are able to gather four of them: attorney Lonnie Braxton, funeral home owner Lester Gee, prison ministry leader Winston Taylor and local businessman Bill Cornish. We also talk about the fifth honoree, longtime United Way Food Center employee Sara Louis Chaney.

Unsung heroes of New London history

Built originally in 1868, the Ocean House in Watch Hill attracts thousands of visitors every year for its upscale dining not far from Taylor Swift’s beachside residence. Now a new hardcover book by Ocean House events manager Lauren DiStefano tells its story.

Watch Hill and the world-famous Ocean House resort

Dirk Langeveld tells the story of millionaire Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, the most infamous draft dodger of the Great War and one of America’s first airplane pilots (he trained under the Wright Brothers), who made a daring escape from U.S. custody and used fake identities to flee from Canada to Germany, where he survived two kidnapping attempts only to return to the United States in ignominy just before WWII.

Local author tells 'Artful Dodger' story from WWI

 Mystic Seaport historian Fred Calabretta takes us on a high-seas adventure as he delves into the fascinating world of 19th-century whaling, particularly the largely untold story of black whalers in New London.     

Tales of the Whaling City

Mystic native Jade Huguenin and historian Martin Smith talk about their new book, “Postcard History: Mystic” as well as plans for an Aug. 18 panel discussion about Groton and Mystic history.

Postcard memories of Mystic

Author Ken Kesey talks about his new book, “A Pictorial Journal of Ocean Beach Park,” recalling the New London beach’s early days as a fun spot for the wealthy, along with its evolution into a honky-tonk area and then, after the Hurricane of 1938, its transformation into a public park.

Memories of Ocean Beach

A monthly podcast exploring historical happenings in southeastern Connecticut.

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Recorded History podcast

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