Weird Island

This week, we’ll meet Ida Lewis, the fearless lighthouse keeper of Newport, Rhode Island, who became a national hero for her daring rescues at sea.

Weird Island is back! In the first episode in over a year and a half, we’ll uncover the story of a gym for women in 1880s Providence, begun by feminist philosopher, lecturer and writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman.

Oscar seemed like an ordinary kitten when he was adopted by Steere House Nursing and Rehabilitation center in Providence, RI. But the staff and residents at Steere House quickly suspected Oscar had a unique ability. He seemed to be able to predict when someone was going to die. Heads up, this episode is more speculative than usual. And it includes a lot of talk of death. Keep that in mind while listening.

Hey all! I’m taking a tiny pause on new episodes for a little while to work on some other things that inspire me. I’ll be back before you know it! And, in the meantime, I still have a couple of episodes to drop. So, I hope you’ll stick around. If you’re looking for something new to listen to while I’m taking a breather, I wanted to share some of the podcasts that I've been loving recently. Some local (see list 1!) and some that are just incredible podcasts I think will be up your alley. I have 100% forgotten some (Spotify history needs to go back farther!), so I’ll keep adding! (Mostly) Local Stories: Crimetown (If you haven’t already listened to this one, this is a MUST) Mosaic (amazing) The Memory Palace (One of my ALL TIME favorite writers. Not every episode is local, but you’ll stumble across many that are) New England Legends The Bowery Boys (New York, but lots of historical crossover) Not local, but I think you love them: Heavyweight (This is my favorite podcast of all time.) Sidedoor Unexplainable Not Past It Nice Try (highly recommend the episode on bidets) HISTORY This Week Ologies Lore Meet your Heroes

While researching RI mills, I came across this one little snippet about the Ashton Mill in Cumberland, and had to know more: “Owens-Corning Fiberglas Company bought the mill... They operated in the mill until 1983. They made tire cord, drapery, and beta cloth for spacesuits for the Apollo Moon missions.”