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Lore

Legends 88: Tell-Tale Heartland

Duration
34m
Broadcast on
14 Sep 2026
Audio Format
other

The American heartland might not be as ancient as New England, but it can hold its own when it comes to dark history and terrifying tales.

Narrated and produced by Aaron Mahnke, with writing by Molly Quinlan Artwick, and research by Jamie Vargas.

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©2026 Aaron Mahnke. All rights reserved.

This episode was sponsored by Progressive. You're listening to this podcast, so I know you've got a curious mind. Here's a helpful fact you might not know. Drivers who switch and save with Progressive save over $900 on average. Pop over to Progressive.com, answer some questions, and you'll get a quick quote with discounts that are easy to come by. In fact, 99% of their auto customers earn at least one discount. Visit Progressive.com and see if you can enjoy a little cashback. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and affiliates. National Average 12L savings of $946 by new customer surveyed who saved with Progressive between June 2024 and May 2025. Potential savings will vary. Cheers to fall savings at Whole Foods Market, home of higher ingredient standards. This Halloween shared chocolates and candies made without that spooky high fructose corn syrup. Throwing a party. Make it easy with a bearish and tilly cake. Ready to cook pizza? No antibiotics ever chicken wings. And sushi made fresh daily. Fall gatherings never tasted better. Save through November 3rd at Whole Foods Market. Names hold a certain amount of power, especially when it comes to the place you live. With just a few syllables, you get a sense of history, culture, people, a whole identity in a few small letters. I live in New England, and even hearing those two words brings up specific images. Old stone walls, clabbered houses, fall colors, and quiet winter nights. New England can mean different things to different people. To some, it means Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod, the Kennedys and Summer Ice Cream. To others, it's Salem and Witches and Stephen King. The perfect setting for Halloween scares. Head west from New England, and you'll get to America's Heartland. The name's simple, but it's evocative. The industry that made America's cars, the coal and iron that built its cities, and the farmers that grow its food. All of them make up the beating hearts of the country. The state of Ohio's name conjures up a specific image as well. It's from a Seneca word, which means great or beautiful river. The name evokes something natural, peaceful, nurturing, and serene. But just like in New England, this bright side of Ohio has a dark counterpart. Ohio grew during a time of great change. Westward expansion, industrial revolution, changes to culture and traditions all left their mark. And in this great upheaval, some people wore their spirits. Got left behind. A lot has changed from what Ohio looked like even 150 years ago. But in the forgotten corners of old buildings and shadowy woodlands, memories remain. And every now and then, they make themselves heard again. I'm Aaron Mankey, and this is Lore Legends.
By 1918, the Majestic Theater had been a lot of things. In 1802, it was built as the first bank in Chillicothe, Ohio. By the 1830s, it had become a Masonic Lodge. From there, it led many lives, serving as stint as an opera house, a vaudeville venue, even as an early movie theater. And now, a morgue. The disease had come from Camp Sherman, an army facility just north of the city. Soldiers coming home from the war in Europe had brought home more than just battle scars and bad memories. Each case started innocently enough—a sore throat, a fever, a headache. But soon, coughs and sniffles would give way to more severe symptoms. Strange odors, teeth and hair that fell out, bleeding from the mouth, the nose, and the ears. And a creeping discoloration turning the face blue. And finally, pneumonia would take over, and as their lungs filled with fluid, victims of the illness that people were calling the Spanish flu would drown in their own beds. Throughout 1918, this new deadly strain of influenza had been cropping up around the world. It was believed to have first appeared somewhere in Kansas shortly after the new year began. But with World War I raging in Europe, all the countries involved were keeping a tight lid on reporting any possible weaknesses. And that included illness. So, the sickness spread unchecked, only gaining a name and a reputation when neutral Spain started to report cases. By the time the plague came to an end, 50 million people had lost their lives. And that fall in Chillicoffee, nearly 2,000 at Camp Sherman, would die. Beyond preventing infection, the people of Chillicoffee had another problem on their hands.

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