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Showing posts from February, 2023

Fitch Bits: Leather Man

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This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post. We share them weekly and you can get in on the fun by liking us at Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg and following us at Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg ! Now onto the odd story! Fitch Bits: Leather Man Okay, so this might actually become a full post but, DID YOU KNOW that a man clad in rough, stiff leather used to walk a constant 365 mile circuit through western Connecticut and eastern New York? Dubbed Leather Man, he was first spotted in 1857, walking between the Hudson and Connecticut rivers. He walked about ten miles a day and never stopped. It didn't matter how hot the summer sun was or how cold the winter, he walked all day, every day, completing his circuit every single year. The leather he wore was handmade and barely fit for a human. He rarely spoke a word and never accepted any invitations for a place to sleep at night. He simply found a cave or built a shelter when it was

Fitch Bits: The Dover Demon

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    This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post. We share them weekly and you can get in on the fun by liking us at  Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg  and following us at  Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg ! Now onto the odd story! Fitch Bits: The Dover Demon DID YOU KNOW that the Dover Demon might just be a real deal, living cryptid? Back on April 21,1977, William Bartlett, 17 at the time, claimed to see the creature in Dover, Massachusetts. That very same night, 15 year old John Baxter was allegedly frightened by the very same creature on Miller Hill Rd. That sounds like teenagers with overactive imaginations, but here's the thing: neither of the boys knew each other or spoke to each other. They were both asked to draw the creature individually and that's the kicker! They both drew the same exact thing and you can see the pictures for yourself right here! That sounds crazy, but what do you think it was? Let us know in the

Fitch Bits: The Hartford, Vermont Railroad Disaster

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This post was originally shared as a Facebook and Instagram "DID YOU KNOW" post. We share them weekly and you can get in on the fun by liking us at Facebook.com/TheNewSlightlyOddFitchburg and following us at Instagram.com/SlightlyOddFitchburg ! Now onto the sad story! The Hartford, Vermont Railroad Disaster DID YOU KNOW that Hartford, Vermont is home to one of the country's worst railroad disasters in history? It happened in the winter of 1887 and claimed the lives of 37 passengers. A further 50 people were injured in the accident. Just like a few days ago, Vermont was in the middle of an arctic blast that froze the White River solid,  below the Woodstock bridge in -18 degree cold. The Montreal Express, out of Boston, was over an hour behind schedule. Ordered to make up for lost time, the engineer hit the bridge at a higher than usual speed. The rear passenger car hit a break in the track and that was all it took. It went over the bridge and took two additional cars wit