Hometown History

Hometown History

Welcome to Hometown History, where the forgotten past comes alive. Our mission? To unearth the hidden gems of history that do not make it into the textbooks. Whether it's a local legend that's been overlooked, a historical event that shaped a small town, or a mysterious occurrence lost in the annals of time, we dig deep to bring you the untold stories that deserve to be heard.

Tune in as we travel back in time, uncovering the history you thought you knew and introducing you to the stories you never knew existed. Let's rewrite history, one hometown at a time.

Recent Episodes

July 6, 2025

168: The Miracle of Hickory: A Hospital in 54 Hours

In the summer of 1944, as a devastating polio outbreak swept across North Carolina, hospitals were overwhelmed and children were dying. But in Hickory, a small city already stretched thin by World War II, something extraordin...
June 23, 2025

167: How America’s Main Streets Are Fighting Back—The Wabash Playbook

Nearly every American town has the same heart-in-crisis story: a once-bustling Main Street hollowed out by big-box stores, sprawl, and online shopping. In this episode, Shane zooms out to look at the nationwide Main Street mo...
June 17, 2025

166: Nursing Through the Ages, Part 3 – The Rise of Modern Nursing

World War trenches, inflatable splints, and airborne operating rooms—this finale races from post-Nightingale training schools to the helicopter pads of today. Host Shane Waters uncovers how pioneers like Mary Seacole , Clara ...
June 11, 2025

165: Nursing Through the Ages, Part 2 – Florence Nightingale and the War on Death

When war-torn wards near the Bosphorus Strait reeked of sewage and despair, Florence Nightingale arrived with 38 nurses, a ledger, and one stubborn oil-lamp. In today’s Hometown History, Shane Waters traces how Nightingale’s ...
May 29, 2025

164: Nursing Through the Ages, Part 1: The Dark Origins of Nursing

Long before starched whites and stethoscopes, nursing grew out of medieval convents, overcrowded workhouses, and disease-ridden wards where desperate women labored with little training and even less respect. In this debut epi...
March 27, 2025

163: The Mysterious Disappearance of the Sodder Children: A Christmas Eve Tragedy

In this episode of Hometown History , we explore the chilling and unsolved mystery of the Sodder children, who vanished on Christmas Eve, 1945, after a fire destroyed their home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. Despite the dev...

Reviews

Fascinating stories!

"I love these wonderful stories of history. Everything Shane does is perfection, and this is no exception. Thank you for your detailed research & for sharing the history behind these locations."

lindy luvs music | Jan. 15, 2023

Made me cry

"There’s a Gus Grissom high school in Buffalo New York, but while I knew how he died, I never knew how he lived. I am glad I wasn’t driving as I usually am when I listen to the podcasts or I would hav…"

Ruth Dempsey | July 13, 2023

Thank you!

"More clean history content for us nerds with children. Thank you for sharing and supporting local history."

batpigmom | Aug. 25, 2023

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