"He now belongs to the ages" 

The Lincoln Assassination

(90 Minutes)

This presentation is the result of many years of research and travel. My journey has taken me to Washington D.C. to photograph and document the site of the assassination and Lincoln's death - Ford’s Theater and the Peterson House. Also, I've visited Mary Surratt’s Boarding House and her Tavern where the conspirators met.  Then, walking in the footsteps of the assassin I was able to photograph the sites of his escape - the Samuel Mudd House, The Pine Thicket; the site where Booth and and co-conspirator David Herold hid out in the days after the assassination, and finally the site of the Garrett House and Barn where Federal Troops cornered and killed Booth. The result is a fascinating multimedia presentation of one of the worst tragedies in the history of the United States!

Anything Goes - America During the Jazz Age

"The Roaring 20s"

(60 Minutes)

The lecture is a one-hour slide presentation that is an entertaining overview of the 1920's, showcasing world events, political events, prohibition, organized crime as well as the style, fashion, and trends of the Jazz Age.

   The 1920's were really the first decade of the 20th Century. During this decade many of the conventions of the Victorian Era were left behind as a new modernism emerged. "It was a time of conservatism; it was a time of great social change. From the world of fashion to the world to politics, forces clashed to produce the most explosive decade of the century.

   In music, the three sounds were jazz, jazz, and jazz. The Jazz Age came about with artist like Bessie Smith and Duke Ellington. Youth ruled everything from the young styles of dress to the latest celebrities. If it was young, it was the thing.

No Irish Need Apply 

A History of the Irish in Boston

(90 Minutes)

This presentation covers Irish migration history in Boston: from 17th-century indentured servants to 1718 Scot-Irish arrivals, pre-famine Catholic immigrants' challenges and anti-Irish sentiment, including events like Pope's Day and Ursuline Convent burning. It also explores post-famine immigration, settlement, work, assimilation, and Irish influence in Boston politics, featuring figures like James Michael Curley and Honey Fitz Kennedy.

The History of  Emancipation

&

Juneteenth

(60 Minutes)

The History of  Emancipation & Juneteenth is an exciting and engaging slide presentation which will touch on the following topics: the abolitionist movement, the election of Abraham Lincoln, Freemont’s Emancipation, Hunter’s Emancipation, and the General Benjamin Butler’s orders on “Contraband of War.” The Emancipation Proclamation itself; the timing of it, the politics of it and who was actually freed by it. The gradual emancipation of slaves by Federal Troops as they conquered the different Confederate states, the end of the war and the movement of troops into Texas and the famous issuing of General Order No. 3 on June 19th, 1865 at Galveston Texas. And, finally how Juneteenth went from a local Galveston celebration to a national holiday.

Unsolved America

The Northeast

(60 Minutes)

This presentation delves into prominent unsolved mysteries in Northeastern United States. Topics include the mysterious death of Dr. William Dean in New Hampshire with theories involving his wife, friend, or German spies; the disappearance of French aviators Nungesser and Coli attempting a non-stop flight to NYC in 1927; Vermont's Bennington Triangle where 10 vanished since 1949, prompting speculations of serial killers, alien abductions, or interdimensional portals; Fall River's 1832 armor-clad skeleton and Leatherman's enigmatic identity in Connecticut and New York; Judge Joseph Crater's 1930 disappearance in NYC, with recent revelations in 2005 raising new possibilities.

1620: The First Year

(60 Minutes)

In 1620, the Pilgrims faced adversity.  They came to these shores seeking religious freedom and found an untamed inhospitable wilderness fraught with innumerable dangers.  They struggled with disease and death and survived through the grace of God and with the help of the "People of the Dawn" - the Wampanoag Nation.

Onslaught

The Wessagusset Incident

(60 Minutes)

This presentation chronicles the arrival of the pilgrims at Plymouth and the beginnings of their colony as well as the little-known arrival of “Weston’s Men” a group that began a colony in what is now the town of Weymouth, then known as Wessagusset.  The talk will examine the interaction with the natives by the two English groups and look at the factors that led to the bloodletting of 1623 and then a blow-by-blow description of the attack at Wessagusset, followed by a discussion on the far-reaching after effects.

The Haunted History of New England

(60 Minutes)

The Haunted History of New England presentation melds historical fact together with legend and myth to produce an interesting, fascinating and sometimes shocking new look at events that really happened and the stories of haunting that followed them.

The topics addressed in this presentation will be Mercy Brown "The Vampire" of Exeter Rhode Island, the cursed Freetown State Forest in Massachusetts, The horrors of  the Lizzie Borden House in Fall River Massachusetts, a haunted forest in the wilds of Connecticut, the ghostly happenings at Mount Washington Hotel in New Hampshire, and evidence of ghosts at the John Alden House in Duxbury Massachusetts.

"Massachusetts' Paranormal Past"

 The Haunted History of Massachusetts

(60 Minutes)

Like its predecessor, "The Haunted History of New England," a talk I have given throughout New England for the past 15 years, my new presentation, "Massachusetts' Paranormal Past," will delve into actual historical events, explore how they unfolded, and investigate the paranormal occurrences that followed.

The topics that will be discussed are: The Curse of Giles Corey, Salem, The Haunted Hoosac Tunnel, Florida & Adams, The Ghost of the Eunice Williams Bridge, Greenfield, The Spectres at the Ancient Burial Ground, Plymouth.

 The Notch

The History of Crawford Notch & Environs

 (60 Minutes)

This presentation chronicles the fascinating history of a wondrous and beautiful location in New Hampshire - Crawford Notch! The talk will touch on the discovery of the Notch as a major connection between the coast and the interior, the early pioneering days,  the Age of the Grand Hotel, the amazing engineering feat of building a railroad through the Notch and the great lumber industry of the North Country.

“Elusive Foothold”

San Miguel de Gualdape

(60 Minutes)

San Miguel de Gualdape was the first attempted European colony in what would become the continental United States. First established in September of 1526 at Winyah Bay, on the coast of present-day South Carolina, for a month and then moved to the mouth of the Sapelo River in present-day McIntosh County, Georgia. There, the colony lasted for two months before it was overwhelmed by disease, hunger, a slave uprising, and a Native American population that responded in a hostile manner to the invading colonizers, whose earlier scouts had enslaved hundreds of Native Americans and taken them to Santo Domingo. Of the 600 would-be settlers who set out, only about 150 lived to leave.

Through the use of period maps, artists depictions, photographs and satellite shots, the tragic story of this failed colony San Miguel de Gualdape will be dynamically recounted!

The Andersonville Tragedy

(90 Minutes)

This presentation is brought to life by the use of period photographs and illustrations, as well as modern photographs and video taken by myself at Andersonville.

The focus of the presentation will be on the staggering overcrowding of the prison and sickening conditions.  Highlighted areas will be lack of proper food, no prison provided shelter, the contaminated and noxious sanitary system, the abysmal medical care and the Medieval punishments doled out to prisoner for transgressions.

"Interminable"

The Construction of The Hoosac Tunnel

(60 Minutes)

When The Hoosac Tunnel was chartered in 1851, it was expected to take about four and a half years and 2 million dollars to finish. Geologists said that there would be no major obstacles, no water problems, and no weak earth. None of this turned out to be true. In the end it took 23 years, 195 lives and an estimated cost of between 17 and 21 million dollars.

Through the use of primary sources, maps and period photographs the story of the seemingly never-ending behemoth of a project - The Hoosac Tunnel is recounted is this vivid one hour talk.

"Together They Lived and Together They Died"  

The Tragic Story of Bonnie and Clyde

(90 Minutes)

This presentation, which is part travelogue and part history will chronicle the story of Bonnie and Clyde, separating the reality from the myth! For years the public has been fascinated with the story of this Dust-bowl Romeo and Juliet. However, much of what we know is mainly from the 1967 movie "Bonnie and Clyde" and more recently a highly fictionalized made for T.V. Movie shown on A&E & the History Channel. Much myth, conjecture and outright lies have grown up about the two Texas bandits but when one delves into the true story of the two lovers a much more interesting and human story emerges; much better than Hollywood was able to depict. This presentation will tell that story through the use of period photographs and movies plus modern photographs and video shot by myself. I have traveled through the states of Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri on the trail of Bonnie and Clyde, photographing a making video of the sites of their homes, murders, robberies, shoot-outs and hide-outs.

"Viva l'Anarchia" 

The Sacco-Vanzetti Case

(90 Minutes) 

This presentation chronicles the saga the two Italian anarchists. The story begins with the robberies in Bridgewater and Braintree Massachusetts and then turns to the famous trial at Dedham and the following six years of attempts to get a new trial. Next, the worldwide protests and demonstrations will be discussed and then, finally, the last days of Sacco and Vanzetti will be highlighted with a vivid description of their sentencing and execution.

 "Viva l'anarchia" contains period photographs of all the major players in the case, the locations of the robberies, the courthouse, the massive demonstrations, Charlestown State Prison and the funeral procession down Hanover Street in Boston. Many of these photographs are rare and are not published anywhere. There are also many photographs of locations as they appear today.

Mass Murder 

Massachusetts' Most Infamous Murder Cases

 (60 Minutes)

This talk is an entertaining and fascinating look at some of Massachusetts' most infamous historical murder cases, both solved and unsolved. Audiences that like mystery, suspense and a little blood and gore will love this lecture. It is fully illustrated with photographs and artwork culled from archival, microfilm and literary sources. Many of the murder sites and historical locations have been photographed in order to give the audience a sense of the modern day context of the crimes.