Plodding Through The Presidents

• The Death and Balls of William Henry Harrison

  We look into the giant victory balls that kept on rolling during William Henry Harrison’s 1840 presidential campaign. Then we welcome Jerry Landry of the Presidencies of the United States podcast to talk about Harrison’s rise to fame and the most likely explanation for his death just one month into his presidency. Find out more at plodpod.com and send your local lore to [email protected]. Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch—including our William Henry Harrison: For A Good Time Not A Long Time shirt—at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Tecumseh's Curse

  We dig into the eerie presidential death cycle known as Tecumseh’s Curse or the Zero-Year Curse. Tracing the origins of the legend to Native American revenge, planetary alignment, and even Satan, we look at the facts and fantasies behind this pattern—and how it had a real-life impact on the presidency. Find out more at plodpod.com and send your local lore to [email protected]. Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Sarah Shelton Henry and the Scotchtown Basement

  We dig into the truth and lore about the mysterious life and death of Sarah Shelton Henry, Patrick Henry’s wife—a woman who suffered from mental illness and was confined in the basement of their home in Beaverdam, Virginia. This local lore was suggested by our listener Klayr. An essential source in putting this episode together was the book "In Sickness and in Health: The Marriage of Patrick Henry and Sarah Shelton" by Mark Couvillon. Find out more at plodpod.com and send your local lore to [email protected]. Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Unbusting the Cherry Tree Myth

  We welcome James Bish and Dr. Richard Gardiner to talk about why they strongly believe the story of George Washington and his father’s cherry tree is not a myth—and that the real myth is that the story has been firmly debunked.  James Bish is the author of I Can't Tell A Lie: Parson Weems and the Truth about George Washington's Cherry Tree, Prayer at Valley Forge, and Other Anecdotes Bish and Gardiner cowrote a fascinating paper backing up their claims: An Analysis of the Scholarly Consensus Regarding George Washington and the Cherry Tree “Myth.” Find out more at plodpod.com Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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• Parson Weems & The Cherry Tree

  In the first part of our deep dive into one of the greatest myths in American history, we explore Mason Locke Weems—the complex character behind the story of young George Washington taking a hatchet to his father's favorite cherry tree. Who was this book-peddling parson, and how did this story become so popular and so debunked? You'll definitely want to hear our next episode, too, where we talk with two men seeking to turn everything you know about this myth on its head. Find out more at plodpod.com Join our Patreon community at https://www.patreon.com/ploddingthroughthepresidents Check out our merch at https://www.teepublic.com/stores/plodding-through-the-presidents?ref_id=24294 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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