Family Plot

There is a lot in this show. Arthur discusses some of Dad's health problems in his corner leading to discussions about movies he's been watching with Dad, including most recently Big Fish. (It's arguably Tim Burton's best movie) then we get into talking about the celebration that is Jineteenth which leads us to discussing how Abraham Lincoln wound up in the Wrestling Hall of Fame as the inventor of the choke slam and how a guy with a variety store sold souvenir fake confederate bills that helped crash the southern economy. After that we talk about Juneteenth, how it was the celebration of the moment that General George Granger and the Union troops arrived in Galveston on June 19th, 1865; the most remote part of America at that point and announced among other things General Order number 3 which told the people of color in Galveston that they were free. That they had been free since the Emancipation Proclamation. It became a celebrated holiday in Texas and from there grew out to the rest of the country where it was made a national holiday in 2021. . And we cover it all in this episode.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

This week, we step away from doom, gloom and reminders of the fact that we are currently under an authoritarian administration thaat does not value human life and only serves to protect the billionaire class to talk about a magical event that happens every February in the tiny city of Montpelier, Vermont. It seems that, since 2002 when people in Montpelier on Valentine's day morning, they find their town covered in hearts, celebrating love, community and kindness. More than one person has served the role of the Phantom, like the Dread Pirate Roberts, it's a title that gets passed on from time to time. We cover the history of the tiny capital of Montpelier, the history of the Valentine Phantom and how even during a blizzard and the height of the pandemic, the Montpelier Valentine Phantom (or Bandit) was able to cover the town in hearts. So join us for this feel good episode of the Family Plot Podcast!(PS - The 'Secret Santa' from Independence Missouri was Larry Stewart, a Lees Summit Businessman who passed away in 2007)Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

Man this week is a powerful episode. Arthur talks dating, mental health, and art and we share our reasons for supporting the families of Renee Good and Alex Pretti and why we support #AbolishIce and #FreeMinnesota. Then we dig into the story of teenager Grace Darling and how she, with a little help from her father, rowed out in a tiny rowboat (specifically a coble) to help 8 people who had survived a shipwreck in the Farne Islands! She was made into a hero by the London press but she never saw the point, after all she had only done what she did to help people who needed helping. And once again, our episode ties into the modern day as Alex Pretti lost his life just trying to help someone, a risk that Grace ran as well. Check out the episode in this 19th century heroism and 21st century heroism have a lot in common episode of the Family Plot Podcast! Plus the return of Edward October as the guide on our Elevator of History!Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

Wow do we have an episode for you! First we are joined by Courtney from Book of the Dead Podcast who is an amazing podcaster with an amazing show! We also take a moment to comment on the murder of Renee Good and while we don't do a deep dive because it is political, we do make it clear that a) it was, in fact, a murder and b) we make it clear that it wasn't right and we are here for those listeners who may be lost, hurt or confused in these dark times. Then we dig into the Yuba County 5, a California cold case that ranks right up there with the Dyatlov Pass Incident for being unsolvable Maybe higher because a slab avalance seems the likely solution to that mystery...but there is no easy answer to the Yuba County 5. Why would five men drive miles out of their way into the Plumas County forest? Why would they get out of a car that had half a tank of gas, was mechanically sound, and not stuck. Why would they hike 19 miles to a forest service trailer where at least three men died along the way? Why was a fifth man discovered dead in a forest service trailer with several weeks growth of beard? Why did he die from exposure and malnutrition when the trailer had both food and heat? Why did he have another man's shoes with him what happened to the one man who was never found and who's gold watch was also found in the trailer? We ask all these questions but there aren't really any answers in this mysterious, historical, true crime deep dive into a cold case from all the way back in 1978. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.

Our annual year-in-review show where we cover things past, things present and things future. We discuss the year as a whole, what we've learned and how we managed to cope as well as discovering the fact that we are all about Found Family and we enjoy our listeners who reach out to ask if they can join us for dinner! A feel good end of year wrap up with thanks to a lot of good people.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/family-plot--4670465/support.