Episodes

  • OM Backroads: Ep. 104. Rosario Borgio's dark reign of the black hand society in Akron, Ohio
    Mar 23 2026
    Hello Ohio Mysteries Backroads listeners. In this episode we step into the shadowy underworld of early 20th-century Akron, where whispers of extortion, secret societies, and coded threats gripped immigrant communities in fear. In this gripping episode, we uncover the story of Rosario Borgio—a name tied to the chilling rise of the Black Hand in Northeast Ohio and spurned the rise of organized crime. Borgio was a ruthless killer and brutal enforcer who sought to wage war against law enforcement. His rise to power left a wave of death and violence in his wake. Borgio even offered a bounty on any policeman that was killed in the line of duty. This episode dives into the broader impact of Black Hand activity across Ohio, examining how fear spread through tight-knit immigrant neighborhoods and how law enforcement struggled to combat a secretive and deeply rooted network. Join us as we peel back the layers of crime, culture, and consequence in a story that feels ripped from the pages of a gangster novel—but is all too real. 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
    Show more Show less
    15 mins
  • OM Backroads: Ep. 103 Ghosts of Franklin Castle, Part 2: Ohio’s Most Haunted House. Our conversation with William Krejci
    Mar 16 2026
    In part 2 of this episode, we explore the long-debated mysteries surrounding Cleveland’s most infamous mansion — Franklin Castle. Often called the most haunted house in Ohio, the towering stone castle on Franklin Boulevard has been surrounded by chilling legends for decades: secret passageways, mysterious deaths, and stories of restless spirits. But how much of the legend is actually true? Joining us is historian and author William G. Krejci, whose extensive research into the castle and the family who built it has helped separate fact from folklore. Krejci has spent years digging through historical records to uncover the real story behind the home built by German immigrant Hannes Tiedemann in the late 1800s. Together we discuss the origins of the castle’s haunted reputation, the tragedies that struck the Tiedemann family, how rumors and media sensationalism shaped the modern legend, and what the historical record actually reveals about life inside the mansion. Is Franklin Castle truly one of America’s most haunted houses—or is its dark reputation the product of a century of mythmaking? Join us as we uncover the history, mystery, and truth behind one of Cleveland’s most fascinating landmarks. 🏰👻 https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Franklin-Castle-America/dp/146713743X Check out Williams famous tours: https://strangenspooky.com http://www.williamgkrejci.com https://thefranklincastle.com 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
    Show more Show less
    54 mins
  • OM Backroads: Ep. 102 Ghosts of Franklin Castle, Part 1: Ohio’s Most Haunted House. Our conversation with William Krejci
    Mar 9 2026
    In this episode, we explore the long-debated mysteries surrounding Cleveland’s most infamous mansion — Franklin Castle. Often called the most haunted house in Ohio, the towering stone castle on Franklin Boulevard has been surrounded by chilling legends for decades: secret passageways, mysterious deaths, and stories of restless spirits. But how much of the legend is actually true? Joining us is historian and author William G. Krejci, whose extensive research into the castle and the family who built it has helped separate fact from folklore. Krejci has spent years digging through historical records to uncover the real story behind the home built by German immigrant Hannes Tiedemann in the late 1800s. Together we discuss the origins of the castle’s haunted reputation, the tragedies that struck the Tiedemann family, how rumors and media sensationalism shaped the modern legend, and what the historical record actually reveals about life inside the mansion. Is Franklin Castle truly one of America’s most haunted houses—or is its dark reputation the product of a century of mythmaking? Join us as we uncover the history, mystery, and truth behind one of Cleveland’s most fascinating landmarks. 🏰👻 https://www.amazon.com/Haunted-Franklin-Castle-America/dp/146713743X Check out Williams famous tours: https://strangenspooky.com http://www.williamgkrejci.com https://thefranklincastle.com 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
    Show more Show less
    54 mins
  • (3/3) Elusive Justice: The story of Ricky Beard and Mary Leonard. Part 3 - Theories
    Feb 27 2026
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    47 mins
  • Ohio Mysteries Akron Beacon Journal Rewind Episode: Beard and Leonard 2
    Feb 25 2026
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    36 mins
  • OM Backroads: Ep. 101.Frozen Horizons: Cycling Across the Great Lakes in Winter
    Feb 22 2026
    What does it take to bike across frozen landscapes most people are snuggled around their fireplaces sipping hot chocolate? In this episode of the podcast, we follow the extraordinary story of one adventurer who set out to ride a bicycle across all five frozen waters of the Great Lakes—a challenge that pushes the limits of endurance, weather, timing, and courage. As winter tightens its grip on the Midwest and Canada, our guest Eric shares how a bold idea turned into a multi-lake expedition spanning Lake Erie, Lake Ontario, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, and Lake Superior. From carefully tracking ice conditions and brutal wind chills to navigating shifting pressure cracks and whiteout storms, the journey was anything but predictable. Each lake presented its own personality: some deceptively calm, others wild, vast, and unforgiving. In this episode, we dive into: How the rider prepared for extreme cold cycling and survival on open ice The science behind when (and if) the lakes freeze solid enough to cross Close calls, mechanical failures, and the mental battle of riding across miles of frozen horizon The unique beauty of winter on the lakes that few people ever witness It’s a story about determination, risk, and the deep connection people in the Great Lakes region have with these massive bodies of water—especially in winter. Whether you’re an outdoor enthusiast, a cycling fan, or simply fascinated by unusual adventures, this episode brings you along for a ride across one of North America’s most ambitious cold-weather challenges. Eric's cold weather adventures: https://www.youtube.com/@BuckeyeMTB 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
    Show more Show less
    43 mins
  • Ohio Mysteries Rewind Episode with the Akron Beacon Journal- Beard and Leonard
    Feb 22 2026
    Rewind Episode Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    50 mins
  • OM Backroads: Ep. 100. Thomas Midgley: The Ohio Inventor Who Almost Ended the World
    Feb 16 2026
    In this episode of Ohio Mysteries Backroads, we explore the complicated legacy of one of Ohio’s most consequential — and controversial — inventors: Thomas Midgley Jr.. Born in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania but raised and educated in Ohio, Midgley graduated from Cornell University before launching a career that would change the modern world. Working with Charles Kettering at Dayton Research Laboratoriesin Dayton, Midgley helped solve one of the automobile industry’s biggest problems — engine knock — by introducing tetraethyl lead into gasoline. The result? The rise of “leaded gasoline,” a breakthrough that powered the rapid expansion of the automotive age. But the consequences would prove devastating. Millions were exposed to toxic lead emissions, with public health impacts that echoed for generations. Midgley didn’t stop there. He later helped develop chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), marketed under the brand name Freon, which were hailed as safe, non-toxic refrigerants. Decades later, scientists would discover that CFCs were destroying Earth’s protective ozone layer — leading to global environmental crisis and the landmark Montreal Protocol. In this episode, we ask: Were these catastrophic outcomes foreseeable? What responsibility do inventors bear for the unintended consequences of their creations? And how should Ohio remember a man whose innovations both fueled progress and harmed the planet? Join us as we trace Midgley’s journey through Ohio’s industrial boom, the laboratories of Dayton, and into one of the most cautionary tales in scientific history — right here on Ohio Mysteries Backroads. 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
    Show more Show less
    32 mins