I’ve also learned a bit about some of the more interesting characters in Connecticut history, including The Old Leather Man, Hanna Cranna and the Jewett City Vampires, to name a few.

Along those lines, I recently came across the story of Gustave Whitehead, with whom some of you history buffs may already be familiar, especially since there’s a significant amount of evidence that he was the first to achieve motorized flight in 1901, two full years before the Wright Brothers took wing at Kitty Hawk, South Carolina.

So why isn’t Whitehead’s name plastered in all the history books, you ask? Good question.

courtesy of gustavewhitehead.org

Here’s his official biography.

Here’s the greatly abridged version — Whitehead (originally Weisskopf) was a German immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1895, and then to Connecticut in 1900. He was a mechanic by trade but an inventor by heart, and spent countless hours, days and weeks pursuing his lifelong dream of flight. (While a boy, he even tried to launch himself off the roof of his house with a pair of wings his grandmother had sewn for him.) He was constantly tinkering with gliders, engines and aircraft prototypes.

On August 14, 1901, Whitehead took an aircraft made of canvas, pine and bamboo he called “No. 21″ to Tunxis Hill on the Fairfield-Bridgeport border, and supposedly made a half-mile flight in front of numerous witnesses, followed by three other successful flights that day. His exploits were chronicled in the New York Herald,  Boston Transcript and other publications of the time.

Making modifications from this success, on Jan. 17, 1902 at Lordship Manor — again, two full years before the Wrights’ efforts at Kittyhawk — Whitehead took to the sky again, this time in “No. 22,” a plane that was powered by a kerosene-burning engine. One of his flights, which was purported to be seven (!)  miles, was detailed in Scientific American and Aeronautic World.

Unfortunately for Whitehead, as great as he was at engineering, he was that poor in recording his efforts. He never had any of his flights timed or measured, nor did he ever have any of his planes photographed while in the air. Everything was based on eyewitness accounts, and although there were plenty of objective people who reported his successes, there were even more who scoffed at the idea that a simple mechanic — especially a German immigrant, no less! — could have achieved such an amazing feat. Like many inventors, the disorganized Whitehead only thought of his work and had no head for business or self-promotion, so when the better-documented (and more American) Wrights came along, ol’ Gustave found himself on the outside of history looking in. (For the record, people were also skeptical of the Wrights at first, but they were able to persevere and eventually gain “official” recognition.)

Sadly for Whitehead, even though his engine designs were widely used at the beginning of the aviation era, he never really profited — again, his immigrant background and lack of business sense made him an easy target, and he was taken advantage of repeatedly. He died of a heart attack at age 52, broke, and was buried in a pauper’s grave. His story only came to light years later, and his work has finally gained some acceptance. In 1874, a museum dedicated to his exploits was opened in his hometown of Leutershausen, Germany.

For more about Whitehead, Wikipedia has a nice overview. To read more about the controversy between him and Wrights, this is a good place to start.

[March 10, 2010] A dolphin that had run aground and died was discovered in a tidal creek of Long Island Sound near Norwalk …

Source: WTNH 8

[March 9, 2010] A 120-year-old bronze statue that had been stolen from an historic Norwich cemetery was recovered by police — parts of it anyway, as it has been cut up into numerous pieces …

Source: New London Day

Known as The Pettibone Tavern for almost two centuries, it recently became Abigail’s Grille & Bar after the previous owners had to sell the property following a fire in 2008. (This wasn’t the only fire to the tavern — according to its history, it was also burned to the ground by Native Americans in 1800, and rebuilt afterward.) Originally constructed for Jonathon Pettibone Jr., it was a key stop along the Boston-to-Albany Turnpike as well as a meeting spot for discussing strategy and plans for the Revolution — George Washington, Ethan Allen and John Adams are just a few of the notables who have supposedly stayed at the tavern. Over the decades, it has alternated between being a local watering hole and a private residence.

As you might imagine, such a landmark structure has gained quite an interesting history. The most famous tale surrounds Mrs. Abigail Pettibone, who according to the stories, was the wife of a whaling captain who was gone for long stretches, during which time Abigail supposedly sought comfort in the arms of another man. One time, so the story goes, Capt. Pettibone unexpectedly came home early, caught his wife and her lover and immediately dispatched them with an axe. (Another Connecticut woodchipper murder?) They say if you look closely at what is supposed to be a portait of young Abigail with her mother that hangs in the tavern, you can see her likeness was once cut from the canvas.

As such, it is speculated that Abigail’s ghost still roams the tavern. Her spectral figure has been repeatedly seen by patrons and employees over the years; others claim that on occasion you will feel a chill as you pass the ladies’ room on the second floor. Based on other experiences, some think that the spirit possibly haunting the restaurant may be that of a young child.

According to various sources, the tavern is an alleged hotbed of paranormal activity: In addition to apparitions being seen, candles and fireplaces have relit themselves, wine bottles pop out of racks, furniture moves of its own volition and disembodied voices have been heard calling employee’s names.

Quite a few paranormal groups have investigated the tavern, including the renowned T.A.P.S. team (aka “The Ghost Hunters”), who found absolutely nothing during their visit, even going so far as to prove that the acclaimed portrait of Abigail is actually of someone else. The team also recorded high electromagnetic fields in parts of the tavern, which may explain the odd feelings and experiences so many have had there.

Abigail, a lost Pettibone child or just imagination run wild? A question that has been debated over many a mug of ale, and will continue to be.

Our Damned Experience: We stopped by Abigail’s in October 2009 to snap a quick picture or two, but unfortunately, were not able to stay too long. We didn’t even get to go in and have a drink, so it’s safe to say we didn’t see anything unusual.

Next time, we’re going for the full experience — dinner, drinks and maybe a proper visit with Abigail.

If You Go: Abigail’s Grille & Bar is open to the public seven days a week, serving lunch and dinner daily and brunch on Sunday. It’s been in the same spot for the past 230 years, first happily serving patrons along the Boston to Albany Turnpike and now taking care of those visitors along Route 202 and Hartford Road in Simsbury.

We don’t know if you’ll see any ghosts, but there are certainly plenty of spirits to be found here!

[March 6, 2010] New Haven police are searching for a one-eyed man who broke into a home while was dressed as a woman …

Source: NBC 30

[March 5, 2010] A recent e-mail making the rounds claiming that mountain lions are here in the Northeast — this with a picture of three cats on a red truck — has been debunked as a photo from Colorado …

Source: Hartford Courant

First off — and I’m very excited to see this — Bat Boy: The Musical will be at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven, running from March 5 to 14.

If you’ve been (ironically) living in a cave, and aren’t familiar with Bat Boy –

Ripped from the headlines of The Weekly World News, BAT BOY: THE MUSICAL is a classic love story with a serious bite. This delicious twist on the modern day musical comedy tells the amazing story of a strange boy with pointy ears, his struggle to find a place in a world that shuns him, and the love that can create both miracles and madness.

Tickets are $10; $5 for SCSU students and seniors.

I know you all might find it really hard to believe, but in my youth, I was quite a fan of The Weekly World News and of course, Bat Boy. I mean, as someone who’s always been interested in the wild and weird, how could I not be drawn to a weekly paper that somehow managed to come up with weekly stories — and lots of photos! — concerning Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, UFOs, Atlantis, Elvis, aliens and all sorts of freaks from around the globe? It was like crack!

Or is that crackpot? Ahh, the things I soaked my young impressionable mind in …

Anyway, the other event coming up in the next week or so is an event sponsored by Atlas Obscura, a group I had never heard about until my brother-in-law Greg told me about it. But I like their  slogan — “A Compendium of the World’s Wonders, Curiosities and Esoterica.” Right up our alley, right? Unfortunately, they only have one entry in their Connecticut section, and that’s about Holy Land USA.

The good news is that on March 20, they are celebrating an event they’re calling Obscura Day, which will feature organized events all around the globe to celebrate the wondrous and curious. In Connecticut, the event is a visit to the stone ruins of Gungywamp complex in Groton, and they’re trying to time the event on the vernal equinox so that the sun will illuminate one of the hidden chambers — sounds cool!

At the moment, the event is open and apparently, it’s free of charge. Maybe we’ll see you out there!

[March 4, 2010] A Hartford man stole a 32-inch flatscreen TV from the Hartford Marriott and carried it a mile before being apprehended by police …

Source: Hartford Courant

[March 4, 2010] A Stamford woman was injured when a tire unexpectedly came off a Volkswagen Jetta and struck her as she was crossing the street …

Source: Connecticut Post

[March 4, 2010] Stonington police are on the lookout for a red-tailed hawk that has attacked at least five people, including a woman, who had to be hospitalized for facial lacerations …

Source: Hartford Courant