Ohio Mysteries

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. On a cold winter night in December 1876, a passenger train thundered across the Ashtabula River in northeastern Ohio—never reaching the other side. In an instant, the bridge collapsed, sending railcars plunging into the icy ravine below. Fire erupted, screams echoed through the darkness, and one of the deadliest train disasters in American history unfolded. In this episode, we revisit the Ashtabula Train Disaster, an event that claimed more than 90 lives and shocked a rapidly industrializing nation. Through survivor accounts, newspaper reports, and historical analysis, we explore what went wrong—from flawed bridge design and ignored warnings to the chaotic rescue efforts that followed. But this story is more than a tragedy. The Ashtabula disaster sparked national outrage, exposed dangerous corners cut in the age of rail expansion, and ultimately led to sweeping reforms in engineering standards and public safety. Join us as we uncover the human stories, the haunting aftermath, and the lasting legacy of the night the bridge gave way. Correspondence, recipies, questions, complaints and overall feedback about what hot dogs are made of: [email protected] Check out our Facebook page!: ⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558042082494¬if_id=1717202186351620¬if_t=page_user_activity&ref=notif⁠⁠ Please check other podcast episodes like this at: ⁠⁠https://www.ohiomysteries.com/⁠⁠ Dan hosts a Youtube Channel called: Ohio History and Haunts where he explores historical and dark places around Ohio: ⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5x1eJjHhfyV8fomkaVzsA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

An Ohio Mysteries/Akron Beacon Journal crossover In 1978, Akron school teacher Leslie Ann Barker attended a matchmaking event at the popular Reds discotheque in Akron, Ohio. But three hours after leaving the bar, she was found in her burning car, a few blocks from home. ⁠ Ohio Mysteries: http://www.ohiomysteries.com⁠⁠ Akron Beacon Journal: http://www.beaconjournal.com⁠ Jaun Sanchez- luzdeluna Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. In the quiet heart of Richland County, something vicious once stalked the streets. Ohio Mad Dog Killers dives deep into one of Mansfield’s most disturbing true-crime chapters—an era marked by fear, violence, and a nickname that still sends chills through Ohio history. Correspondence, recipies, questions, complaints and overall feedback about what hot dogs are made of: [email protected] Check out our Facebook page!: ⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558042082494¬if_id=1717202186351620¬if_t=page_user_activity&ref=notif⁠ Please check other podcast episodes like this at: ⁠https://www.ohiomysteries.com/⁠ Dan hosts a Youtube Channel called: Ohio History and Haunts where he explores historical and dark places around Ohio: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5x1eJjHhfyV8fomkaVzsA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hello and welcome to another episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads. Founded in 1898 on 240 acres of farmland donated to the state, Massillon State Hospital opened its doors under the name Eastern Ohio Mental Asylum. Its first patients came from 21 Ohio counties.  At its peak in the 1950s, the hospital housed more than 3,100 patients and employed roughly 365 staff — part of what many regarded as one of “the most beautiful institutions in the world.”  But as treatments and mental-health policies evolved, the massive institution began to shrink. By the mid-1970s many patients were transferred out, and over decades the facility gradually shifted identities — eventually becoming Heartland Behavioral Health Center.  The origins: how farmland donated by early settlers became a state asylum. Lives within the walls: personal stories, struggles, and survival in a sprawling mental-health institution. The rise and fall: how peak expansion gave way to decline, changing mental-health philosophies, and shifting societal attitudes. What remains today: the buildings, the memories, the legacy — and the efforts to preserve or repurpose pieces of its history. Join us on a journey through time, memory, and healing. If you’re curious about mental-health history, local heritage, or the echoes of institutions long gone — this podcast is for you. Correspondence, recipies, questions, complaints and overall feedback about what hot dogs are made of: [email protected] Check out our Facebook page!: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558042082494¬if_id=1717202186351620¬if_t=page_user_activity&ref=notif⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please check other podcast episodes like this at: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.ohiomysteries.com/⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Dan hosts a Youtube Channel called: Ohio History and Haunts where he explores historical and dark places around Ohio: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCj5x1eJjHhfyV8fomkaVzsA⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jane Vangilder was a mother of five and wife of an abusive husband when she walked away from her West Virginia home in 1945 and wound up at a wartime factory in Plymouth, Ohio. A few months later, mail from her children bounced back undeliverable, starting a 75-year-old search for the missing woman. Thanks to a police officer from Shelby, Ohio, there is renewed interest in finding an answer. ⁠ www.ohiomysteries.com⁠f⁠[email protected]⁠⁠ www.patreon.com/ohiomysteries⁠⁠ www.twitter.com/mysteriesohio⁠⁠ www.facebook.com/ohiomysteries⁠ Music: You Create Your Own World, by Mitchel Madak. ⁠https://www.facebook.com/MitchelGMadak⁠ Additional music: Audionautix- The Great Unknown, and The Great Phospher- Daniel Birch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices