November 22, 2018 • 9 mins
Today's tour of the Cabinet will introduce you to two people who weren't about to back down from a commitment, no matter how high the odds were stacked against them.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:03):
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales are
right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.
Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. As the conflict between
(00:28):
the North and the South boiled during the mid nineteenth century,
Southern slaves did all they could to flee their captors
and rebuild their lives up north. Many ended up in Canada,
while others settled in states like New York, Connecticut, and
New Jersey. It was in New Jersey, in the town
of Quentin, to be exact, where John Barry lived. John
(00:49):
was a bit of a loner, living by himself in
the Quentin Woods, away from the rest of the community,
which had scattered itself into clusters of homes all over
the area, tiny individual neighborhoods that mostly kept to themselves.
He was a spiritual man too, a Methodist, and he
had a divine revelation to bring everyone closer. They had
(01:11):
come so far and risk so much, and John Barry
believed that the only way they would survive the war
raging in the South was together. They needed a meeting place,
a symbol of unity, faith, and strength. In short, they
needed a church. John erected a log cabin in the
Quentin Woods, as well as a small cemetery next door.
(01:33):
He called his new house of worship Barry's Chapel, and
it seemed that his hard work didn't go unnoticed. Barry's
Chapel became such a hit with the community that African
American Methodists flocked from all over to hear John lead
them in prayer and song. As the war progressed, Barry's
Chapel became a popular stop on the underground railroad. The
Quentin Woods provided substantial cover as former slaves made their
(01:57):
way north to other territories. But there were some other
individuals who weren't thrilled about Barry's Chapel nor the services
it provided to the community. White men, members of what
would eventually become the Ku Klux Klan began harassing the
members of Berry's Chapel on a regular basis. You might
(02:17):
not know this today, but long after the Civil War ended,
New Jersey became home to a very active branch of
the k k k. In fact, a meeting held in
nineteen twenty three once garnered a crowd of twelve thousand
members who surrounded another church in order to tell the
congregation that they weren't welcome there. Town historians still regard
(02:37):
the clan as the chief harassers of Barry's Chapel during
the nineteen twenties. They broke up meetings and harassed members
until another church opened up not too far away. Berry's
congregation moved en massed to the other church almost immediately,
and the original chapel fell into disrepair, eventually burning down.
(02:58):
That's not how the locals with though. Ask them and
they'll tell you what really happened to Barry's Chapel. According
to people who lived in Quentin their entire lives, the
church never made it to the twentieth century. It didn't
even make it to the eighteen seventies. Someone had wanted
to send a message and they burned the church to
ash one night. No one had been inside at the time,
(03:21):
and the members got to work building a new chapel.
It was bigger, better, and able to fit more worshipers inside.
But grudges die hard, and so it is bigotry, and
not long after its completion, another fire was started. It's
not known whether the second fire was set by the
same person who had burned down the first What we
do know is that the church was full that night
(03:44):
as they worshiped in their pews, John reading from his
Bible at the altar. Every single member of the buried
chapel congregation perished. The church went up in flames, and
John Barry was taken along with it. He was buried
deep in the woods, and a rave no one can
find today. The stone marking his final resting place has
(04:05):
long disappeared. What hasn't disappeared, though, is Barry or his church.
If you venture out into Quentin Woods on most nights,
you might see it ablaze in the dark as the
fire consumes its wooden frame and surrounding the smoldering chapel. Well.
The people who live in Quentin today swear they've witnessed
(04:26):
John Barry and his congregation singing and dancing around the
burning church. Wait long enough, and you might also hear
the sound of scraping metal and people screaming. John Barry
built his church hoping it would bring people together, and
it did. The work he did to unite his community
was nothing short of a miracle. His congregation knew the
(04:49):
value of what he'd done, and they stood by him
through the worst event even according to the story in death,
(05:10):
Theodore Roosevelt is remembered today as an icon of strength,
and for good reason. He was a cowboy, a hunter,
and a soldier before he ever stepped foot in the
White House. But not everyone knows the truth behind the
bull moose is tough demeanor. Growing up, Teddy was sick
a lot. He battled asthma for most of his childhood
(05:33):
and woke up many nights suffering from severe breathing problems,
a feeling he compared to being smothered to death. As
he got older, joining his father on hikes and camping trips,
the attacks lessened. Teddy realized the secret to beating his
asthma was in physically strengthening his body. He took up
boxing and studied biology. Hunting became a beloved pastime, especially
(05:56):
on his ranches in North Dakota. His resilient carried him
through college, where he studied naval history and strategy. Even
as he worked his way up through the New York
State Assembly, governor's office, vice presidency, and then finally the
White House. Teddy had grand plans for his presidency, and
(06:17):
one of those plans included an unprecedented third term in office.
It was the fall of nineteen twelve in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
when he left his hotel to deliver one of the
last speeches of his grueling campaign. He'd been on the
road for weeks, shaking hands and talking before crowds of hundreds,
even thousands of voters at a time, his voice had
(06:37):
all but disappeared, but Teddy pressed on. There were bigger
issues at stake, and by this time Teddy was known
for speaking softly. Clad in his thick army overcoat, he
stepped into a waiting car ready to whisk him off
to the auditorium. Inside his breast pocket, Teddy had placed
his folded up speech, about fifty pages in total, and
(06:59):
his metal eyeglasses case. The crowd cheered when they saw him,
and Theodore Roosevelt, not one to disappoint his adoring constituents,
stood to wave back at them. He never saw John Shrink.
The out of work bar keep raised the Colt forty
five to his chest. The shot rang out, and Shrank
was quickly tackled and arrested by Roosevelt's bodyguards. There would
(07:22):
be assassin claimed that the ghost of William McKinley had
visited him in a dream one night and told him
to avenge McKinley's assassination by killing President Roosevelt. Teddy pale
but calm, touched his fingers to his lips. If the
bullet had pierced his lung, he would have blood coming
out of his mouth. When his fingers came back clean,
(07:43):
he instructed the driver to get him to the auditorium
right away. Once they're three doctors examined the severity of
the President's wounds. The bullet had, in fact pierced his
skin and lodged itself in the right side of his chest.
It had been slowed, though, by the thick wad of
pay for and the metal case in his pocket, so
much so that the damage was only superficial. Teddy pressed on,
(08:07):
determined to deliver this important speech. He sent one of
his bodyguards out on stage to explain to the audience
what had happened. Some of them, though, didn't buy it.
One man shouted in all too familiar refrain. Fake Teddy
took to the stage, the blood stained shirt on display
for all to see. He held up the speech with
(08:29):
the whole going straight through, all fifty pages, and just
like that, the crowd fell silent. He spoke for an
hour and a half before finally heading to the hospital.
Doctors were unable to remove the bullet, but Teddy lived
on with it inside his chest for the rest of
his life. His valiant efforts didn't win him any points
(08:49):
with the voters, though. One month later, Woodrow Wilson won
the election and became the President of the United States.
But Teddy wasn't phazed by the attempt on his life.
He'd been expecting something like that to happen for a while.
When asked how he was able to remain so calm
and deliver his entire speech even after being shot in
(09:10):
the chest, this was his reply, in the very unlikely
event of the wound being mortal, I wish to die
with my boots on. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided
tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on
Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting
(09:32):
Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me
Aaron Manky in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make
another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast,
book series, and television show, and you can learn all
about it over at the World of lore dot com,
and until next time, stay curious.
Our world is full of the unexplainable, and if history
is an open book, all of these amazing tales are
right there on display, just waiting for us to explore.
Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. As the conflict between
(00:28):
the North and the South boiled during the mid nineteenth century,
Southern slaves did all they could to flee their captors
and rebuild their lives up north. Many ended up in Canada,
while others settled in states like New York, Connecticut, and
New Jersey. It was in New Jersey, in the town
of Quentin, to be exact, where John Barry lived. John
(00:49):
was a bit of a loner, living by himself in
the Quentin Woods, away from the rest of the community,
which had scattered itself into clusters of homes all over
the area, tiny individual neighborhoods that mostly kept to themselves.
He was a spiritual man too, a Methodist, and he
had a divine revelation to bring everyone closer. They had
(01:11):
come so far and risk so much, and John Barry
believed that the only way they would survive the war
raging in the South was together. They needed a meeting place,
a symbol of unity, faith, and strength. In short, they
needed a church. John erected a log cabin in the
Quentin Woods, as well as a small cemetery next door.
(01:33):
He called his new house of worship Barry's Chapel, and
it seemed that his hard work didn't go unnoticed. Barry's
Chapel became such a hit with the community that African
American Methodists flocked from all over to hear John lead
them in prayer and song. As the war progressed, Barry's
Chapel became a popular stop on the underground railroad. The
Quentin Woods provided substantial cover as former slaves made their
(01:57):
way north to other territories. But there were some other
individuals who weren't thrilled about Barry's Chapel nor the services
it provided to the community. White men, members of what
would eventually become the Ku Klux Klan began harassing the
members of Berry's Chapel on a regular basis. You might
(02:17):
not know this today, but long after the Civil War ended,
New Jersey became home to a very active branch of
the k k k. In fact, a meeting held in
nineteen twenty three once garnered a crowd of twelve thousand
members who surrounded another church in order to tell the
congregation that they weren't welcome there. Town historians still regard
(02:37):
the clan as the chief harassers of Barry's Chapel during
the nineteen twenties. They broke up meetings and harassed members
until another church opened up not too far away. Berry's
congregation moved en massed to the other church almost immediately,
and the original chapel fell into disrepair, eventually burning down.
(02:58):
That's not how the locals with though. Ask them and
they'll tell you what really happened to Barry's Chapel. According
to people who lived in Quentin their entire lives, the
church never made it to the twentieth century. It didn't
even make it to the eighteen seventies. Someone had wanted
to send a message and they burned the church to
ash one night. No one had been inside at the time,
(03:21):
and the members got to work building a new chapel.
It was bigger, better, and able to fit more worshipers inside.
But grudges die hard, and so it is bigotry, and
not long after its completion, another fire was started. It's
not known whether the second fire was set by the
same person who had burned down the first What we
do know is that the church was full that night
(03:44):
as they worshiped in their pews, John reading from his
Bible at the altar. Every single member of the buried
chapel congregation perished. The church went up in flames, and
John Barry was taken along with it. He was buried
deep in the woods, and a rave no one can
find today. The stone marking his final resting place has
(04:05):
long disappeared. What hasn't disappeared, though, is Barry or his church.
If you venture out into Quentin Woods on most nights,
you might see it ablaze in the dark as the
fire consumes its wooden frame and surrounding the smoldering chapel. Well.
The people who live in Quentin today swear they've witnessed
(04:26):
John Barry and his congregation singing and dancing around the
burning church. Wait long enough, and you might also hear
the sound of scraping metal and people screaming. John Barry
built his church hoping it would bring people together, and
it did. The work he did to unite his community
was nothing short of a miracle. His congregation knew the
(04:49):
value of what he'd done, and they stood by him
through the worst event even according to the story in death,
(05:10):
Theodore Roosevelt is remembered today as an icon of strength,
and for good reason. He was a cowboy, a hunter,
and a soldier before he ever stepped foot in the
White House. But not everyone knows the truth behind the
bull moose is tough demeanor. Growing up, Teddy was sick
a lot. He battled asthma for most of his childhood
(05:33):
and woke up many nights suffering from severe breathing problems,
a feeling he compared to being smothered to death. As
he got older, joining his father on hikes and camping trips,
the attacks lessened. Teddy realized the secret to beating his
asthma was in physically strengthening his body. He took up
boxing and studied biology. Hunting became a beloved pastime, especially
(05:56):
on his ranches in North Dakota. His resilient carried him
through college, where he studied naval history and strategy. Even
as he worked his way up through the New York
State Assembly, governor's office, vice presidency, and then finally the
White House. Teddy had grand plans for his presidency, and
(06:17):
one of those plans included an unprecedented third term in office.
It was the fall of nineteen twelve in Milwaukee, Wisconsin,
when he left his hotel to deliver one of the
last speeches of his grueling campaign. He'd been on the
road for weeks, shaking hands and talking before crowds of hundreds,
even thousands of voters at a time, his voice had
(06:37):
all but disappeared, but Teddy pressed on. There were bigger
issues at stake, and by this time Teddy was known
for speaking softly. Clad in his thick army overcoat, he
stepped into a waiting car ready to whisk him off
to the auditorium. Inside his breast pocket, Teddy had placed
his folded up speech, about fifty pages in total, and
(06:59):
his metal eyeglasses case. The crowd cheered when they saw him,
and Theodore Roosevelt, not one to disappoint his adoring constituents,
stood to wave back at them. He never saw John Shrink.
The out of work bar keep raised the Colt forty
five to his chest. The shot rang out, and Shrank
was quickly tackled and arrested by Roosevelt's bodyguards. There would
(07:22):
be assassin claimed that the ghost of William McKinley had
visited him in a dream one night and told him
to avenge McKinley's assassination by killing President Roosevelt. Teddy pale
but calm, touched his fingers to his lips. If the
bullet had pierced his lung, he would have blood coming
out of his mouth. When his fingers came back clean,
(07:43):
he instructed the driver to get him to the auditorium
right away. Once they're three doctors examined the severity of
the President's wounds. The bullet had, in fact pierced his
skin and lodged itself in the right side of his chest.
It had been slowed, though, by the thick wad of
pay for and the metal case in his pocket, so
much so that the damage was only superficial. Teddy pressed on,
(08:07):
determined to deliver this important speech. He sent one of
his bodyguards out on stage to explain to the audience
what had happened. Some of them, though, didn't buy it.
One man shouted in all too familiar refrain. Fake Teddy
took to the stage, the blood stained shirt on display
for all to see. He held up the speech with
(08:29):
the whole going straight through, all fifty pages, and just
like that, the crowd fell silent. He spoke for an
hour and a half before finally heading to the hospital.
Doctors were unable to remove the bullet, but Teddy lived
on with it inside his chest for the rest of
his life. His valiant efforts didn't win him any points
(08:49):
with the voters, though. One month later, Woodrow Wilson won
the election and became the President of the United States.
But Teddy wasn't phazed by the attempt on his life.
He'd been expecting something like that to happen for a while.
When asked how he was able to remain so calm
and deliver his entire speech even after being shot in
(09:10):
the chest, this was his reply, in the very unlikely
event of the wound being mortal, I wish to die
with my boots on. I hope you've enjoyed today's guided
tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe for free on
Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the show by visiting
(09:32):
Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was created by me
Aaron Manky in partnership with How Stuff Works. I make
another award winning show called Lore, which is a podcast,
book series, and television show, and you can learn all
about it over at the World of lore dot com,
and until next time, stay curious.
Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities News
Host
Aaron Mahnke
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