Episodes

In this episode, Jennie and Dianne are joined by Annalisa Heppner, Cemetery Director of North Burial Ground in Providence, Rhode Island. North Burial Ground was officially recognized as a burial ground in 1700 and is the largest municipal cemetery in the region at around 110 acres and with more tha…

Join Jennie and Dianne as they delve into the intriguing world of Fisk metallic burial cases, also known as Fisk coffins. Unearth the remarkable story of Almond Dunbar Fisk, the visionary behind the cast iron coffin, whose innovation forever changed the way we lay our loved ones to rest. From first…

A Google search for Martha's Chapel Cemetery will lead you down a reportedly haunted road where any number of ghostly spirits and demons are said to roam unsettling the living who pass through this desolate corner of Eastern Texas. But what happens when a cemetery’s main attraction is only about it…

Children in many parts of the U.S. gathered their supplies and donned their backpacks, as they headed back to school. Many more will be doing so in the next coming weeks both here in the U.S. and around the world as summer comes to its official end. This inspired us to share the stories of some tea…

On the western side of Paris, France, not far from the Eiffel Tower, is Cimetière de Passy, a small cemetery where a simple mausoleum whose doors are topped by an owl sits among its fellow graves in a most unassuming manner. Yet the story of the man who rests inside this mausoleum is one straight f…

Jennie and Dianne are joined this week by a favorite returning guest, Dr. Sharon Pajka, to discuss her new book being released on August 21st, The Souls Close to Edgar Allan Poe: Graves of his Family, Friends and Foes. In her book Sharon helps readers to visit the graves of the people with whom he …

Jennie and Dianne are joined by first time guest Dr. Joy Giguere to learn how American burial grounds changed from merely Ordinary Extraordinary places of interment, to rural landscapes meant to appear natural and ease the burden of grief, to the streamlined lawn cemeteries we often see today. Dr. …

"Be kind, be kind because kindness may always help out someone who is suffering." These words of advice were written from a mother to her daughters when she feared that her time on earth was growing short, that mother was Mary "Queen" Mellen Palmer. She was mother to three daughters whom she adored…

The New York Times called him "the foremost citizen of Colorado." William H. Spurgeon said he was "the soldier, the builder of an empire, the philanthropist, the friend of the people, whose life was a blessing." At his funeral in 1909 Colorado College president William Slocum told more than 3,000 m…

This week on the Ordinary Extraordinary Cemetery podcast...Nestled in the Bitterroot Valley beneath St. Mary’s Peak, a mountain in the northern portion of the Rocky Mountain range that runs through the state of Montana, is a small, simple churchyard where rests the body of Father Antonio Ravalli al…

Jennie and Dianne are joined by Rick Hendricks, PhD to learn about a series of fascinating witch trials that took place not in New England, but in the border town Abiquiu, New Mexico beginning in 1756 and spanning over the course of ten years ending in 1766.  Governor Tomás Vélez Cachupin had a pla…

In this episode Jennie and Dianne continue their exploration of Colorado cemeteries that will be visited by members of the Association for Gravestone Studies during their week-long conference in Denver, Colorado. First they take members to the tranquil grounds of Evergreen and Fairview Cemeteries i…

This week Jennie and Dianne prepare to welcome members of the Association for Gravestone Studies to colorful Colorado for the annual AGS summer conference. This will be the first time the conference has been hosted in the state of Colorado. The conference will take place June 20-25th, 2023 and memb…

Jennie and Dianne are joined this week by returning guest, author and historian Pamela McColl, as they unravel the life and death of Ellen Clapsaddle, the remarkable American illustrator and commercial artist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries whose postcards have become highly collectable i…

"I want to play a real man in all my films, and I define manhood simply: men should be tough, fair and courageous, never petty, never looking for a fight, but never backing down from one either." - John Wayne Jennie and Dianne are joined by Drifter and Gypsie of the Rebel at Large Adventure Podcas…

In this episode Jennie and Dianne journey through the intertwining worlds of music, storytelling, history, and cemeteries. This week the ladies are joined by musicians Patrick Dyer Wolf and Avi Vinocur from folk rock band Goodnight, Texas. Together they explore the connection between music and stor…

Jennie and Dianne conclude their series on fraternal organizations in this episode, where they explore a distinctively American fraternity formed with the purpose of assisting veterans of the Union army after the American Civil War. Known as the Grand Army of the Republic, or simply G.A.R., it serv…

Join Jennie and Dianne as they dive into the origins of the Knights of Pythias, a fraternal organization founded on the values of Friendship, Charity, and Benevolence. Discover how the story of Damon and Pythias inspired Justus H. Rathbone to create this organization and how it became the first fra…

Fraternal organizations have a long and rich history throughout the world and especially in America. This week Jennie and Dianne begin a new series of episodes dedicated to the many fraternal organizations whose symbols often grace headstones and who even have cemeteries of their own. In this episo…

Jennie and Dianne are joined this week by special guest, author and historian Doris McCraw, who wrote the book "Under the Stone: Early Women Doctors in Evergreen Cemetery". They discuss the pioneering women doctors from the 1800s who made an impact on the field of medicine despite facing incredible…

This week Jennie and Dianne stray from the cemetery to explore the gruesome and shocking details of the Burke and Hare murders that gripped Scotland in 1828. These two notorious murderers are responsible for one of the most infamous killing sprees in history. Learn about how they lured their victi…

With Easter just a few days away, Jennie and Dianne dive deep into the mysterious and controversial subject of the Shroud of Turin. This ancient piece of cloth is believed by many to be the burial shroud of Jesus Christ himself, but its authenticity has been the subject of much debate and scientifi…

Jennie and Dianne celebrate the last week of Women's History Month by revisiting some past interviews with women who have researched the Ordinary Extraordinary women of the past who fascinated them. Join them as they chat with authors Jan MacKell Collins and Sharon Pajka about soiled doves, marvelo…

In this episode, Jennie and Dianne celebrate Women's History Month as they explore the lives and legacies of two women who helped to tame the Wild West.  First we'll meet Margaret Tobin Brown, more famously known today as Molly Brown. She was a socialite and philanthropist known for her courage and…