Edgefield Advertiser, 20 Aug. 1856 “SINGULAR MARRIAGE.-A young man residing in Bordentown, who was under an engagement of marriage with…
Society Is An Elixir of Bon-Bons: Washington’s Socialite Suicide Problem
I came across this headline while researching an allegedly haunted roof under which socialite Bessie Hillyer died in 1888. The…
Ballerinas On Fire (1861)
Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper, September 28, 1861 Philadelphia’s Continental Theater on Walnut Street was the site of a handful of…
Ghostly Lovers Wedded (1884)
“GHOSTLY LOVERS WEDDED. A Phantom Marriage Feast-Royal Spirit Present. Evening Star, 17 Dec. 1884 A telegram from San…
"Occult Science Course Fails to Locate Brains"
Palmist’s Stolen Brain Hinders Messages from the Beyond
“Stolen Brain Foils Spirits Taken From Skull of Palmist, It Interferes With Messages From Other World. Boston, Mass.-Spirit messages…
Man Drinks Nitro-Glycerin, Explodes While Thawing
San Francisco Call 4 Feb. 1905
"Graveyard Tryst Led To Shooting" (1919)
On June 6, 1919, The Washington Times ran an article with an intriguing headline. I’ve posted articles about people unable…
The Macabre Eccentricities of the Divine Sarah Bernhardt
Public Ledger [TN] 13 Nov. 1873 An 1873 blurb in the Public Ledger about curiosities piqued my interest in actress…
Pickled Infants
Among the more morbid topics that I’ve “collected” from historical newspapers is that of “preserved infants in jars.” After stumbling…
Devil-Baby Born With Tail, Horns & Hooves: Hoodoo in Plato
The Columbus Journal out of Columbus, Nebraska printed a bizarre story on January 28, 1891 concerning the blasphemous birth of…
Undertaker Houlihan’s "Creepy Estate"
The Bee, 5 Feb. 1964 When Edward Thibeault inherited property after neighbor John Houlihan’s death in 1964, me might have…
Reclusive Woman and Cocker Spaniel Buried Together
The Stars & Stripes, 24 Nov. 1954 Some people prefer the company of animals over humans in life and as…
Death By Embalming Fluid
Photo courtesy of Wikipedia One would think that it would be fairly difficult to accidentally drink embalming fluid, but there…
The Morbid Toys of 1906
This is one of my favorite Christmas-related articles from the archives. Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find anything else…
The Ancestry of Santa (With Krampus, Befana, Baboushka, & Other Frightful Friends)
From the Alliance Herald (Nebraska), Dec. 11, 1913: “What is Santa Claus’ age? The jolly, roistering, pot-bellied, ever…
Daring Corpse Attempts Train Escape (1910)
Daily Arizona Silver Belt, 31 Mar. 1910
Yours Thirteenly From The 13 Club
Menus in the shape of coffins, nose-thumbing at superstition, a thirteen-course meal…where do I sign up? From The Herald (Los…
Miss Santa Claus Inhales Gas (1909)
Image from the Harper’s Bazaar (full article linked below) From The Marion Daily Mirror (Marion, OH), Aug. 12, 1909: “‘MISS…
Misc. Tidings of Yore 