Indy Neidell in Conversation

When you hear “Rat Island,” your mind might jump to something grim—but the truth is far more fascinating. Tucked between City Island and Hart Island in the Bronx, this rocky outcrop has quietly witnessed some of the strangest chapters in New York City history. From Revolutionary War espionage to yellow fever quarantines, it’s been a hideout for spies, a prison for the sick, and a retreat for artists and outcasts.In this episode, we uncover the hidden story of Rat Island—New York’s only privately owned island. You’ll learn how a lone seaman lived in isolation for years, why Broadway actors gathered here in the 1930s, and how a Swiss statue wound up watching over the waves. Rat Island may be small, but its legacy is larger than life.

23 Aug 10min

Since 1793, the U.S. Capitol has stood not just as a seat of government, but as a deliberate message. From its Roman-inspired columns to the massive Civil War dome, the Capitol was designed to project power, unity, and divine destiny. Every stone, mural, and chamber told Americans—and the world—that this was more than politics. It was permanence.In this episode, we reveal how the Capitol became America’s greatest piece of architectural propaganda. From fires and war to expansion and survival, discover how this building shaped the nation’s identity while symbolizing its endurance.

21 Aug 17min

Hidden beneath the streets of Fort Worth, Texas, lies the story of America’s only privately-owned subway—a transit system unlike anything else in the nation. Built in 1963 by Leonard’s Department Store, this free underground shuttle carried thousands of shoppers from a 5,000-car riverfront parking lot directly into the store’s basement.In this episode, we uncover how Marvin and Obadiah Leonard turned a bold idea into a reality, why it became a hit with customers and office workers alike, and what ultimately led to its quiet closure in 2002. From golden spikes to abandoned tunnels, this is the forgotten tale of Fort Worth’s Leonard Subway.

16 Aug 15min

Have you ever heard of a town named after a game show? Welcome to Truth or Consequences, New Mexico—a real place with a name that sounds like a dare. But this quirky rebrand wasn’t just for laughs. It was a last-ditch effort to save a dying spa town, and it worked… at least for a while.Originally called Hot Springs, the town was once a desert retreat drawing presidents, movie stars, and thousands of tourists. But by the 1940s, its glory days were fading—until a national game show offered a strange lifeline. When the town agreed to rename itself after Truth or Consequences, it became an instant media sensation. The name stuck, the tourists came back, and the town became a symbol of offbeat Americana.\n\nIn this episode, we dive into the bizarre but true story of how one New Mexico town risked its identity—and became a legend in the process.

14 Aug 10min

In the summer of 2014, a sinkhole in downtown Cedar Rapids cracked open a forgotten chapter of American history. Beneath the city, engineers discovered vast brick-lined chambers—19th-century beer caves once used to store thousands of barrels before refrigeration changed brewing forever.These underground vaults tell the story of immigrant brewers, the rise of Iowa’s beer industry, and how Prohibition sealed away a hidden world. In this episode, we uncover how these caves were built, why they vanished, and what remains today beneath the streets of Cedar Rapids.

9 Aug 13min

What happens when the dead need to travel? In the 19th century, booming cities like London ran out of burial space—and the solution wasn’t underground. It was on the rails. In 1854, the London Necropolis Railway launched a one-way ticket to the afterlife, transporting coffins and mourners to a sprawling cemetery outside the city. But the real transformation began when Abraham Lincoln’s body was placed aboard a 1,600-mile funeral train that changed how the world said goodbye to its leaders.In this episode, we trace the powerful history of funeral trains—from Lincoln’s national procession and Churchill’s code-named “Operation Hope Not” to FDR’s armored railcar and the plexiglass windowed carriage of George H.W. Bush. Along the way, we’ll explore the symbolism, technology, and tragic moments that defined this forgotten tradition. These were more than trains. They were moving monuments to grief, power, and memory.

7 Aug 18min

The Huber Breaker wasn’t just another coal-processing plant—it was a steel giant capable of crushing 7,000 tons of anthracite coal every single day. Built in 1939 as the last great hope for Pennsylvania’s coal industry, it symbolized both the power of American industry and the human cost behind it. This machine didn’t just break coal; it broke the workers and communities who depended on it.In this episode, we uncover the haunting story of the Huber Breaker—its rise as a technological marvel, its decades of harsh labor and exploitation, and its slow collapse into an abandoned hazard. From breaker boys to Blue Coal branding, and from immigrant labor to urban explorers, discover how this towering relic of the coal age shaped—and scarred—Pennsylvania.

2 Aug 12min

In the 1920s, San Pedro’s Point Fermin was a coastal paradise—bungalows perched on ocean bluffs, palm-lined streets, and Red Car trolleys connecting it all. But by 1929, the ground beneath this dream neighborhood began to shift. Cracks split sidewalks, homes tilted toward the sea, and entire streets disappeared in slow motion.Today, this collapsed community is known as Sunken City—a forbidden ruin fenced off from the public, yet still visited by thrill-seekers and graffiti artists. In this episode, we uncover how one of Los Angeles’s most promising neighborhoods crumbled into the Pacific, and what traces remain of the lives once lived there.

31 Juli 15min