Dime Store Adventuures
“Lake Char¬gogg¬a¬gogg¬man¬chaugg¬a¬gogg¬chau¬bun¬a¬gung¬a¬maugg is an institution here in New England, and I sullied it by calling it Lake Chargagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg. Just Pathetic”
This week’s recommendation is Dime Store Adventures, a YouTube channel with a focus on American history and folklore, particularly in and around New England. The channel seems to mainly be a solo venture, though he does sometimes pull in his siblings. Most of the subjects he discusses are local, not in proximity to him, but in the sense that they are relatively unknown outside of their area of origin. This means that most of the stories are completely new to me, and probably will be to you as well, even if you’re familiar with more popular folklore.
The topics of the videos vary, but common themes include visiting cemeteries, finding the locations of minor historic events and investigating old newspaper articles. He also has some sillier videos, such as sip trips, in which he drinks from lakes and ranks their taste. A key thing that sets DSA apart from most other similar channels is that, when possible, he will shoot on-site, which adds to the atmosphere and grounding of a video. Between this and the amount of research that goes into his videos, it is clear that DSA cares about the subjects of his videos, but he still manages to keep them light and engaging, with a goofy sense of humour.
Below are some of my favourite DSA Videos:
- Jack the Rip-Off: A ranking different people dubbed X the Y by newspapers
- “A Wreck is a Wreck”: A video on the history Block Island Wreckers
- The Worst Name For A Haunted Place Ever: A video on the horrid lore of the Dinglehole
- I Visited Montana's Weirdest Roadside Attraction: A video on Pathway Through The Bible, stone depictions of stories from the Bible.
- The Beautiful History of The World's Smallest Church: The history of Rev. Louis West’s Union Church
You can find Dime Store Adventures’ YouTube Channel here.
He also has a Patreon, which you can find here.