Milwaukee Mayhem

Milwaukee Mayhem

Author: Matthew J. Prigge

Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society

Published: 2015-10-05

Total Pages: 207

ISBN-13: 0870207172

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From murder and matchstick men to all-consuming fires, painted women, and Great Lakes disasters--and the wide-eyed public who could not help but gawk at it all--"Milwaukee Mayhem" uncovers the little-remembered and rarely told history of the underbelly of a Midwestern metropolis. "Milwaukee Mayhem" offers a new perspective on Milwaukee's early years, forgoing the major historical signposts found in traditional histories and focusing instead on the strange and brutal tales of mystery, vice, murder, and disaster that were born of the city's transformation from lakeside settlement to American metropolis. Author Matthew J. Prigge presents these stories as they were recounted to the public in the newspapers of the era, using the vivid and often grim language of the times to create an engaging and occasionally chilling narrative of a forgotten Milwaukee. Through his thoughtful introduction, Prigge gives the work context, eschewing assumptions about "simpler times" and highlighting the mayhem that the growth and rise of a city can bring about. These stories are the orphans of Milwaukee's history, too unusual to register in broad historic narratives, too strange to qualify as nostalgia, but nevertheless essential to our understanding of this American city.


Book Synopsis Milwaukee Mayhem by : Matthew J. Prigge

Download or read book Milwaukee Mayhem written by Matthew J. Prigge and published by Wisconsin Historical Society. This book was released on 2015-10-05 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From murder and matchstick men to all-consuming fires, painted women, and Great Lakes disasters--and the wide-eyed public who could not help but gawk at it all--"Milwaukee Mayhem" uncovers the little-remembered and rarely told history of the underbelly of a Midwestern metropolis. "Milwaukee Mayhem" offers a new perspective on Milwaukee's early years, forgoing the major historical signposts found in traditional histories and focusing instead on the strange and brutal tales of mystery, vice, murder, and disaster that were born of the city's transformation from lakeside settlement to American metropolis. Author Matthew J. Prigge presents these stories as they were recounted to the public in the newspapers of the era, using the vivid and often grim language of the times to create an engaging and occasionally chilling narrative of a forgotten Milwaukee. Through his thoughtful introduction, Prigge gives the work context, eschewing assumptions about "simpler times" and highlighting the mayhem that the growth and rise of a city can bring about. These stories are the orphans of Milwaukee's history, too unusual to register in broad historic narratives, too strange to qualify as nostalgia, but nevertheless essential to our understanding of this American city.


Damn the Old Tinderbox!

Damn the Old Tinderbox!

Author: Matthew J. Prigge

Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society

Published: 2019-03-01

Total Pages: 304

ISBN-13: 0870208829

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In the dead of an unassuming January night in 1883, Milwaukee’s Newhall House hotel was set on fire. Two hours later, the building—once among the tallest in the nation—lay in ruins and over seventy people were dead. It was a tragedy that brought global notice to Milwaukee, with daring escapes and rescues and heart-wrenching tales of victims burned to death or killed as they leapt from the burning building. From the great horror emerged an even greater string of mysteries: Who had set the fire and who was to blame for the staggering loss of life? The Newhall’s hard-luck barkeeper? A gentleman arsonist? What of the many other unexplained fires at the hotel? Had the Newhall’s management neglected fire safety to boost their profits? Damn the Old Tinderbox! is the gripping tale of one of the Gilded Age’s forgotten calamities, a fire that remains among the deadliest unsolved arsons in American history, and a significant chapter in both the history of Milwaukee and the Midwest.


Book Synopsis Damn the Old Tinderbox! by : Matthew J. Prigge

Download or read book Damn the Old Tinderbox! written by Matthew J. Prigge and published by Wisconsin Historical Society. This book was released on 2019-03-01 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the dead of an unassuming January night in 1883, Milwaukee’s Newhall House hotel was set on fire. Two hours later, the building—once among the tallest in the nation—lay in ruins and over seventy people were dead. It was a tragedy that brought global notice to Milwaukee, with daring escapes and rescues and heart-wrenching tales of victims burned to death or killed as they leapt from the burning building. From the great horror emerged an even greater string of mysteries: Who had set the fire and who was to blame for the staggering loss of life? The Newhall’s hard-luck barkeeper? A gentleman arsonist? What of the many other unexplained fires at the hotel? Had the Newhall’s management neglected fire safety to boost their profits? Damn the Old Tinderbox! is the gripping tale of one of the Gilded Age’s forgotten calamities, a fire that remains among the deadliest unsolved arsons in American history, and a significant chapter in both the history of Milwaukee and the Midwest.


Fox Cities Murder & Mayhem

Fox Cities Murder & Mayhem

Author: Gavin Schmitt

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2017-11-27

Total Pages: 127

ISBN-13: 1439663785

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Wind through the criminal history of the cities along northeast Wisconsin’s Fox River with the author of Milwaukee Mafia as your guide. The safe and sedate Fox Cities have seen their share of horrible crimes. Coldblooded murder, kidnapping, prostitution, organized crime and other misdeeds shocked and appalled not just the community but the entire state. Murderer Porter Ross tried to commit suicide by eating bedsprings. Wenzel Kabat mutilated and burned a man in order to take over his farm. The Appleton Butcher left dismembered human remains on a playground for children to find. In this volume, crime writer and leading expert on the Milwaukee Mafia Gavin Schmitt turns his magnifying glass on small-town America. Includes photos!


Book Synopsis Fox Cities Murder & Mayhem by : Gavin Schmitt

Download or read book Fox Cities Murder & Mayhem written by Gavin Schmitt and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2017-11-27 with total page 127 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wind through the criminal history of the cities along northeast Wisconsin’s Fox River with the author of Milwaukee Mafia as your guide. The safe and sedate Fox Cities have seen their share of horrible crimes. Coldblooded murder, kidnapping, prostitution, organized crime and other misdeeds shocked and appalled not just the community but the entire state. Murderer Porter Ross tried to commit suicide by eating bedsprings. Wenzel Kabat mutilated and burned a man in order to take over his farm. The Appleton Butcher left dismembered human remains on a playground for children to find. In this volume, crime writer and leading expert on the Milwaukee Mafia Gavin Schmitt turns his magnifying glass on small-town America. Includes photos!


Milwaukee Mafia

Milwaukee Mafia

Author: Gavin Schmitt

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 130

ISBN-13: 0738594431

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The sky was the limit, as the Mafia indulged in running alcohol, extortion, protection rackets, adn skimming from Las Vegas casinos. The Cream City had its crooked lawyers, corrupt cops, and even a mayor on the take. There was the blood of those who dared to stand in the syndicate's way, who were found dead in ditches or as victims of car bombs. While now considered extinct, the Milwaukee Family was once a dominant force in the Midwest.


Book Synopsis Milwaukee Mafia by : Gavin Schmitt

Download or read book Milwaukee Mafia written by Gavin Schmitt and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2012 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The sky was the limit, as the Mafia indulged in running alcohol, extortion, protection rackets, adn skimming from Las Vegas casinos. The Cream City had its crooked lawyers, corrupt cops, and even a mayor on the take. There was the blood of those who dared to stand in the syndicate's way, who were found dead in ditches or as victims of car bombs. While now considered extinct, the Milwaukee Family was once a dominant force in the Midwest.


Great Ships on the Great Lakes

Great Ships on the Great Lakes

Author: Cathy Green

Publisher: Wisconsin Historical Society

Published: 2013-09-23

Total Pages: 145

ISBN-13: 0870205927

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this highly accessible history of ships and shipping on the Great Lakes, upper elementary readers are taken on a rip-roaring journey through the waterways of the upper Midwest. Great Ships on the Great Lakes explores the history of the region’s rivers, lakes, and inland seas—and the people and ships who navigated them. Read along as the first peoples paddle tributaries in birch bark canoes. Follow as European voyageurs pilot rivers and lakes to get beaver pelts back to the eastern market. Watch as settlers build towns and eventually cities on the shores of the Great Lakes. Listen to the stories of sailors, lighthouse keepers, and shipping agents whose livelihoods depended on the dangerous waters of Lake Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Give an ear to their stories of unexpected tragedy and miraculous rescue, and heed their tales of risk and reward on the low seas. Great Ships also tells the story of sea battles and gunships, of the first vessels to travel beyond the Niagara, and of the treacherous storms and cold weather that caused thousands of ships to sink in the Great Lakes. Watch as underwater archaeologists solve the mysteries of Great Lakes shipwrecks today. And learn how the shift from sail to steam forever changed the history of shipping, as schooners made way for steamships and bulk freighters, and sailing became a recreation, not a hazardous way of life. Designed for the upper elementary classroom with emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin, Great Ships on the Great Lakes includes a timeline of events, on-page vocabulary, and a list of resources and places to visit. Over 20 maps highlight the region’s maritime history. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide includes 18 classroom activities, arranged by chapter, including lessons on exploring shipwrecks and learning how glaciers moved across the landscape.


Book Synopsis Great Ships on the Great Lakes by : Cathy Green

Download or read book Great Ships on the Great Lakes written by Cathy Green and published by Wisconsin Historical Society. This book was released on 2013-09-23 with total page 145 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this highly accessible history of ships and shipping on the Great Lakes, upper elementary readers are taken on a rip-roaring journey through the waterways of the upper Midwest. Great Ships on the Great Lakes explores the history of the region’s rivers, lakes, and inland seas—and the people and ships who navigated them. Read along as the first peoples paddle tributaries in birch bark canoes. Follow as European voyageurs pilot rivers and lakes to get beaver pelts back to the eastern market. Watch as settlers build towns and eventually cities on the shores of the Great Lakes. Listen to the stories of sailors, lighthouse keepers, and shipping agents whose livelihoods depended on the dangerous waters of Lake Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie, and Ontario. Give an ear to their stories of unexpected tragedy and miraculous rescue, and heed their tales of risk and reward on the low seas. Great Ships also tells the story of sea battles and gunships, of the first vessels to travel beyond the Niagara, and of the treacherous storms and cold weather that caused thousands of ships to sink in the Great Lakes. Watch as underwater archaeologists solve the mysteries of Great Lakes shipwrecks today. And learn how the shift from sail to steam forever changed the history of shipping, as schooners made way for steamships and bulk freighters, and sailing became a recreation, not a hazardous way of life. Designed for the upper elementary classroom with emphasis on Michigan and Wisconsin, Great Ships on the Great Lakes includes a timeline of events, on-page vocabulary, and a list of resources and places to visit. Over 20 maps highlight the region’s maritime history. The accompanying Teacher’s Guide includes 18 classroom activities, arranged by chapter, including lessons on exploring shipwrecks and learning how glaciers moved across the landscape.


Murder & Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois

Murder & Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois

Author: Kathi Kresol

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2015-11-09

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 1625856601

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The shocking true crimes of Rockford, Illinois, come to light in this fascinating account of a midwestern city’s sordid history of murder and corruption. Rockford, Illinois, rightly prizes its prosperous heritage, built on manufacturing concerns like the Rockford Watch Factory and the Manny Reaper Company. But the town formerly known as Midway also harbors a history of crime and calamity . . . Gunfire broke out in the streets when networks of Prohibition informants decided to go rogue. In 1893, John Hart forced his own sisters to drink poison. Three years later, James French shot down his wife in the street. Over the years, a courthouse collapsed, a factory exploded and trains collided . . . Join local historian Kathi Kresol as she explores Rockford, Illinois’s scandalous past in this gripping book of small-town true crime stories.


Book Synopsis Murder & Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois by : Kathi Kresol

Download or read book Murder & Mayhem in Rockford, Illinois written by Kathi Kresol and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2015-11-09 with total page 132 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The shocking true crimes of Rockford, Illinois, come to light in this fascinating account of a midwestern city’s sordid history of murder and corruption. Rockford, Illinois, rightly prizes its prosperous heritage, built on manufacturing concerns like the Rockford Watch Factory and the Manny Reaper Company. But the town formerly known as Midway also harbors a history of crime and calamity . . . Gunfire broke out in the streets when networks of Prohibition informants decided to go rogue. In 1893, John Hart forced his own sisters to drink poison. Three years later, James French shot down his wife in the street. Over the years, a courthouse collapsed, a factory exploded and trains collided . . . Join local historian Kathi Kresol as she explores Rockford, Illinois’s scandalous past in this gripping book of small-town true crime stories.


Memphis Mayhem

Memphis Mayhem

Author: David A. Less

Publisher: ECW Press

Published: 2020-10-06

Total Pages: 193

ISBN-13: 1773055674

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Memphis gave birth to music that changed the world — Memphis Mayhem is a fascinating history of how music and culture collided to change the state of music forever “David Less has captured the essence of the Memphis music experience on these pages in no uncertain terms. There's truly no place like Memphis and this is the story of why that is. HAVE MERCY!” — Billy F Gibbons, ZZ Top Memphis Mayhem weaves the tale of the racial collision that led to a cultural, sociological, and musical revolution. David Less constructs a fascinating narrative of the city that has produced a startling array of talent, including Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Al Green, Otis Redding, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Justin Timberlake, and so many more. Beginning with the 1870s yellow fever epidemics that created racial imbalance as wealthy whites fled the city, David Less moves from W.C. Handy’s codification of blues in 1909 to the mid-century advent of interracial musical acts like Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the birth of punk, and finally to the growth of a music tourism industry. Memphis Mayhem explores the city’s entire musical ecosystem, which includes studios, high school band instructors, clubs, record companies, family bands, pressing plants, instrument factories, and retail record outlets. Lively and comprehensive, this is a provocative story of finding common ground through music and creating a sound that would change the world.


Book Synopsis Memphis Mayhem by : David A. Less

Download or read book Memphis Mayhem written by David A. Less and published by ECW Press. This book was released on 2020-10-06 with total page 193 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Memphis gave birth to music that changed the world — Memphis Mayhem is a fascinating history of how music and culture collided to change the state of music forever “David Less has captured the essence of the Memphis music experience on these pages in no uncertain terms. There's truly no place like Memphis and this is the story of why that is. HAVE MERCY!” — Billy F Gibbons, ZZ Top Memphis Mayhem weaves the tale of the racial collision that led to a cultural, sociological, and musical revolution. David Less constructs a fascinating narrative of the city that has produced a startling array of talent, including Elvis Presley, B.B. King, Al Green, Otis Redding, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Justin Timberlake, and so many more. Beginning with the 1870s yellow fever epidemics that created racial imbalance as wealthy whites fled the city, David Less moves from W.C. Handy’s codification of blues in 1909 to the mid-century advent of interracial musical acts like Booker T. & the M.G.’s, the birth of punk, and finally to the growth of a music tourism industry. Memphis Mayhem explores the city’s entire musical ecosystem, which includes studios, high school band instructors, clubs, record companies, family bands, pressing plants, instrument factories, and retail record outlets. Lively and comprehensive, this is a provocative story of finding common ground through music and creating a sound that would change the world.


Fatal Identity

Fatal Identity

Author: Gina Barton

Publisher: Badger Books Inc.

Published: 2008-07

Total Pages: 211

ISBN-13: 1932542361

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The dead man who had been dumped near the state line between northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula had no clothing, no head, no hands. Unraveling the identity of the mystery victim and that of his killer took cooperation of dedicated police detectives in several states across the Midwest. This work reveals the heartbreaking and shocking details of this case of friendship, deception, identity theft, and murder.


Book Synopsis Fatal Identity by : Gina Barton

Download or read book Fatal Identity written by Gina Barton and published by Badger Books Inc.. This book was released on 2008-07 with total page 211 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The dead man who had been dumped near the state line between northern Wisconsin and Michigan's Upper Peninsula had no clothing, no head, no hands. Unraveling the identity of the mystery victim and that of his killer took cooperation of dedicated police detectives in several states across the Midwest. This work reveals the heartbreaking and shocking details of this case of friendship, deception, identity theft, and murder.


Historic Milwaukee Crimes: The Vengeful Seamstress, the Absconding Alderman and More

Historic Milwaukee Crimes: The Vengeful Seamstress, the Absconding Alderman and More

Author: Carl Swanson

Publisher: Arcadia Publishing

Published: 2022

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 1467150207

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From the author of Lost Milwaukee comes an exploration of the criminal side of the Cream City. Milwaukee saw its share of violence as it transformed from frontier village to modern metropolis. The city was barely established when an argument over a bridge linking east and west was nearly settled with cannon fire. A local developer killed his estranged wife, severed her head, and burned it in the furnace of the apartment building he built. A wronged woman murdered her lover on a busy downtown street and was found innocent by a sympathetic jury. Another woman lethally poisoned her family and laughed about it in the press. From a robbery in which the bandits got away by stealing a streetcar to the attempted assassination of President Theodore Roosevelt, local historian Carl Swanson uncovers dramatic true stories of villainy and murder from Milwaukee's long-forgotten past.


Book Synopsis Historic Milwaukee Crimes: The Vengeful Seamstress, the Absconding Alderman and More by : Carl Swanson

Download or read book Historic Milwaukee Crimes: The Vengeful Seamstress, the Absconding Alderman and More written by Carl Swanson and published by Arcadia Publishing. This book was released on 2022 with total page 160 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Lost Milwaukee comes an exploration of the criminal side of the Cream City. Milwaukee saw its share of violence as it transformed from frontier village to modern metropolis. The city was barely established when an argument over a bridge linking east and west was nearly settled with cannon fire. A local developer killed his estranged wife, severed her head, and burned it in the furnace of the apartment building he built. A wronged woman murdered her lover on a busy downtown street and was found innocent by a sympathetic jury. Another woman lethally poisoned her family and laughed about it in the press. From a robbery in which the bandits got away by stealing a streetcar to the attempted assassination of President Theodore Roosevelt, local historian Carl Swanson uncovers dramatic true stories of villainy and murder from Milwaukee's long-forgotten past.


Jeffrey Dahmer

Jeffrey Dahmer

Author: Savannah Crawford

Publisher:

Published: 2021-03-08

Total Pages: 120

ISBN-13:

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Some evils are meant to belong to the land of lore: where horrible monsters exist only to bewitch and unsettle the mind. But there are real horrors in this world, and the thing of nightmares can often exist right outside your door. Unfortunately, the only way to extinguish this kind of darkness, is to examine it in the light. For the name Jeffrey Dahmer still exists in the lexicon of American history as an example of pure evil and the proof that monsters truly do exist. Having murdered and dismembered seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991, the legacy of the cannibal next door still fascinates many who seek to understand where such brutality could come from, and how it managed to operate unchecked for so long. In Jeffrey Dahmer: The Milwaukee Cannibal, history takes a discerning eye to the life and behaviors of one of the world's most infamous serial killers. Giving consideration to Jeffrey's upbringing as well as his legacy, this biography offers new ways to consider and condemn the man inside the monster.


Book Synopsis Jeffrey Dahmer by : Savannah Crawford

Download or read book Jeffrey Dahmer written by Savannah Crawford and published by . This book was released on 2021-03-08 with total page 120 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Some evils are meant to belong to the land of lore: where horrible monsters exist only to bewitch and unsettle the mind. But there are real horrors in this world, and the thing of nightmares can often exist right outside your door. Unfortunately, the only way to extinguish this kind of darkness, is to examine it in the light. For the name Jeffrey Dahmer still exists in the lexicon of American history as an example of pure evil and the proof that monsters truly do exist. Having murdered and dismembered seventeen men and boys between 1978 and 1991, the legacy of the cannibal next door still fascinates many who seek to understand where such brutality could come from, and how it managed to operate unchecked for so long. In Jeffrey Dahmer: The Milwaukee Cannibal, history takes a discerning eye to the life and behaviors of one of the world's most infamous serial killers. Giving consideration to Jeffrey's upbringing as well as his legacy, this biography offers new ways to consider and condemn the man inside the monster.