Episodes

Nov. 14, 2022

84: Crater Lake National Park

Before we explore Crater Lake National Park, I’d like to share a few pieces of general advice. I hope this series has inspired you to see more of our national parks, so I asked Jim and Will from More Than Just Parks to offer ...
Nov. 7, 2022

83: Bring Back the Civilian Conservation Corps

The Civilian Conservation Corps was founded by Franklin Roosevelt in 1933, and operated for roughly a decade until the program was ended in 1942. In this episode, Jim and Will Pattiz, from More Than Just Parks , explain why t...
Oct. 31, 2022

82: Lake Mead, America's First National Recreational Area

If you're looking to learn about the history of the Lake Mead National Recreational Area and what to expect if you go, this will be an episode you won't want to miss. Ad-free episodes are available on our Apple Premium Channe...
Oct. 25, 2022

A Nightmare Before Halloween, Part 2

…1 campfire… …1 dark forest… …31 bone-chilling stories… …Will YOU survive the night? This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 cr...
Oct. 24, 2022

A Nightmare Before Halloween, Part 1

…1 campfire… …1 dark forest… …31 bone-chilling stories… …Will YOU survive the night? This Halloween season, enter the woods for a unique and truly epic podcast experience! Around the campfire Shane Waters will introduce 31 cr...
Oct. 17, 2022

81: Death Valley National Park

In 1820, the well-known British writer, Sydney Smith, mocked the United States for its lack of culture and sophistication: In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? or goes to an American play? or looks a...
Oct. 15, 2022

Our Team Presents: Rotten To The Core

From the team behind Hometown History, we thought you might enjoy our podcast Rotten to the Core hosted by Josh Waters! (Shane's brother) You can find Rotten to the Core here: https://link.chtbl.com/Rotten
Oct. 10, 2022

80: Grand Canyon National Park

There’s a scene in the show Mad Men that shook me up the first time I saw it. It’s probably not the one you think. In the very first episode, the Draper family picnics along the interstate. The grass is green, the birds are o...
Oct. 3, 2022

79: Redwoods National Park

One of my favorite movies as a kid was The Lorax. When I first saw The Lorax, I had some sense that it was about protecting the environment. But it’s more than a cartoon. It’s a thinly veiled environmental manifesto. I didn’t...
Sept. 26, 2022

78: Yellowstone National Park

Have you ever heard the saying that “Life imitates art”? The person who coined this phrase was Oscar Wilde, the 19th century poet. Some say he was the first modern celebrity. What Wilde meant was simply that art often shows u...
Sept. 19, 2022

77: Yosemite National Park

There’s not much in life you can understand without context. When it comes to the systematic destruction of our planet during the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries, the context is this – for the first 300,000 years of human histo...
Sept. 13, 2022

Welcome to Hometown History

Welcome to the Hometown History Podcast
Sept. 12, 2022

76: National Parks Introduction with More Than Just Parks

In my opinion, the single best online resource for visiting America’s national parks, or even appreciating them from afar, is a site called More Than Just Parks. You can find it at morethanjustparks.com . This site is run by ...
Sept. 5, 2022

75: Levi Coffin: How to Save 2,000 People (Ep 2)

Before we jump back into the story of the Levi and Catharine Coffin, the so-called “President” and first-lady of the Underground Railroad, I thought it’d be helpful to review some of the code words common to the movement. Mos...
Aug. 29, 2022

74: Levi Coffin: How to Save 2,000 People (Ep 1)

Central Region Director of the Indiana State Museum system. Joanna also manages the Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site, which is where we are today. This small brick home has been called the Underground Railroad's "G...
Aug. 23, 2022

73: Andrew Jackson - The Hermitage: Episode 2

If you were with us last episode you’ll recognize the voice of Erin Adams, Director of Education at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, the former home of our 7th President, and current museum dedicated to preserving his life story. ...
Aug. 15, 2022

72: Andrew Jackson - The Hermitage: Episode 1

What’s the first step in becoming the most powerful man in America? For our 7th president, Andrew Jackson, the first step in his journey to prominence began with the purchase of his first slave. I sat down with Erin Adams, Di...
Aug. 8, 2022

71: Parker’s Cross Roads, TN

I’d like to introduce one of my favorite voices among anyone I’ve ever interviewed. Parker's Crossroads, Tennessee is a small town of about 284 people, but it has a big history. This place factored in the life of one of the m...
Aug. 1, 2022

70: Parthenon

When you think of Ancient Greece, what images pop into your head? You probably think of the Olympics and philosophers like Plato and Socrates. You might think of stories like the Odyssey and the Iliad that you were forced to ...
July 25, 2022

69: Sun Studio, Part 3

That’s the voice of Dewey Phillips hosting his radio show called “Red, Hot & Blue,” on WHBQ, a Memphis station. In the 1950s, more than 100,000 people listened to his primetime slot every day. If you couldn’t make out what De...
July 18, 2022

68: Sun Studio, Part 2

In 2015, musical artist Jack White paid $300,000 for a 78-rpm record at auction. The record was of Elvis Presley singing the songs “My Happiness” and “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin.” It was the first record Elvis ever mad...
July 11, 2022

67: Sun Studio, Part 1

You’re hearing the song “Rocket 88,” widely considered to be the first rock and roll song ever recorded. It was recorded here, at Sun Studio, by Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats. The Delta Cats included Ike Turner, just one...
July 4, 2022

66: Fort Negley

In December 1864, Confederate troops were moving toward Nashville with a plan. Union troops had occupied this southern city for the last two years, and Lieutenant General John Bell Hood wanted to take it back. Luckily, the Un...
June 27, 2022

65: Talking in Memphis with Historian Wayne Dowdy

Those are a few lines from a song called “Beale Street Blues.” The most famous performance of that song came from Louis Armstrong, but it was written by a man named W.C. Handy, who called himself the “Father of the Blues.” Be...