Exploring History

Exploring History Exploring History is my way of uncovering forgotten places, sharing untold stories, and honoring the people who came before us.

It’s about learning together and keeping history alive. William Nolen is an individual driven by a deep curiosity about forgotten history. He has created a platform called "Exploring History" that serves as a space for historians, writers, museums, and historical institutions to share their work and provide valuable historical information. Through this platform, William invites others to join him

on his mission, visiting intriguing historical sites, engaging in conversations with historians and authors, and uncovering forgotten legends. His ultimate goal is to find answers to the questions that have piqued his curiosity and to shed light on the lesser-known aspects of history.

Throwback to one of my favorite moments — when Terri Hicks and I met with Brant Beene, the General Manager of the Histor...
11/01/2025

Throwback to one of my favorite moments — when Terri Hicks and I met with Brant Beene, the General Manager of the Historic Alabama Theatre and Development Director for the Lyric Theatre with Birmingham Landmarks, Inc.

We had the chance to walk through the beautiful Lyric Theatre as we prepared to film one of our earlier Exploring History episodes — and honestly, experiences like this are what it’s all about for me.

Meeting people like Brant, who are dedicated to preserving Birmingham’s cultural heartbeat, reminds me why I love doing this. Every project, every story, and every collaboration like this helps shape what Exploring History has become — not just a series about places, but about the people who keep history alive.

Grateful for moments like these and the folks who make them possible.

Alabama might be known for football and barbecue — but let’s be honest, we’ve got enough ghost stories to keep the South...
10/31/2025

Alabama might be known for football and barbecue — but let’s be honest, we’ve got enough ghost stories to keep the South up at night. 👻

From Old Cahawba, the state’s first capital turned ghost town, to the Drish House in Tuscaloosa (where an angry spirit still flickers phantom lights), this state has more chills than a haunted hayride.

There’s Grancer Harrison, the man who loved to dance so much he asked to be buried in his shoes — and some folks swear they still hear him two-stepping from the grave. 💃

Then there’s Aunt Jenny Johnston, Alabama’s own frontier ghost of vengeance haunting the Bankhead National Forest, and of course, Sloss Furnaces, where history and horror collide. Between molten iron, tragedy, and whispered voices in the dark, it’s no wonder this place makes the “most haunted” lists every year.

Now… whether any of it’s true? I’ll let you decide. 👀
Do you believe in ghosts, or just a good story well told? Let me know in the comments — and Happy Halloween, y’all. 🎃

Before the candy, costumes, and inflatable skeletons took over every front yard, Halloween started as a Celtic ghost par...
10/31/2025

Before the candy, costumes, and inflatable skeletons took over every front yard, Halloween started as a Celtic ghost party called Samhain — where people lit bonfires and wore animal skins to keep the dead (and probably their nosy neighbors) away.🔥👻

Fast forward a few centuries — the Church steps in, rebrands it as “All Hallows’ Eve,” and before you know it, the holiday goes from honoring the dead to handing out fun-sized Snickers.

When it hit America, the Puritans up North weren’t exactly throwing costume parties — but down South, folks were like, “Bonfires? Costumes? Sounds good to us.” Alabama was celebrating long before it was cool.

Oh, and fun fact — in Alabama, it’s technically illegal to dress up as a minister on Halloween. So if you were planning to go as the ghost of your childhood preacher… maybe reconsider.

From ancient rituals to suburban trick-or-treating, Halloween’s been through quite a glow-up. And honestly? I think the Celts would’ve approved of the candy part. 🍬

I love comments like this because they really help me see what you guys enjoy most and what’s connecting. It means a lot...
10/31/2025

I love comments like this because they really help me see what you guys enjoy most and what’s connecting. It means a lot. The best part is—we’re already working on a couple of projects that dive deep into Alabama’s mining history.

The challenge? My brain goes into overdrive trying to figure out how to pull it off… lighting underground, camera setups, gear, safety, audio, you name it. I’m trying to make sure that if we go long-format, it still feels like something you’d be proud to watch—not just another shaky flashlight video.

But man, hearing that people actually want a full-length documentary on it definitely gives me that extra push to make it happen. Appreciate the encouragement more than you know.

10/31/2025

Exploring Alabama’s Hidden Iron Mines | Forgotten History Beneath Birmingham

This weekend I joined my friend Jeff, who’s been exploring old mines for over 50 years, to experience something I’ve never done before — going underground into one of Alabama’s historic iron ore mines. These tunnels date back to the late 1800s and once helped power Birmingham’s rise as an industrial city.

No script. No production. Just raw exploration, quiet history, and the incredible stories that still echo underground.

Would you want to see this turned into a full episode? Let me know in the comments!

Birmingham, Alabama — where iron met fire, and history made sure no one forgot it. 🔥This city was literally built on iro...
10/30/2025

Birmingham, Alabama — where iron met fire, and history made sure no one forgot it. 🔥

This city was literally built on iron ore, coal, and limestone — the ultimate “DIY steel kit.” Founded in 1871 and nicknamed the “Pittsburgh of the South,” Birmingham cranked out steel so fast it basically skipped its awkward teenage years and went straight into an industrial boom.

But history had other plans. By the 1960s, those same streets that once rang with factory whistles became a battleground for freedom. From the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing to Dr. King’s Letter from Birmingham Jail, this city faced the fire again — only this time, it was for justice.

Today, you can still feel that mix of grit and grace. The Sloss Furnaces stand as a monument to the city’s industrial muscle, and the Civil Rights District reminds us what real courage looks like.

Birmingham doesn’t hide its history — it owns it. And that’s why it’s one of my favorite places to explore.

Every time I visit Vulcan Park and Museum, I’m reminded just how blessed we are to have this incredible piece of history...
10/30/2025

Every time I visit Vulcan Park and Museum, I’m reminded just how blessed we are to have this incredible piece of history watching over Birmingham. The view from up there is, without a doubt, the best in the city.

Over the past few years, I’ve had the privilege of getting to know the amazing folks at Vulcan Park and Museum, and it’s truly become one of my favorite collaborations. Their passion for preserving Birmingham’s story runs deep — not just the statue itself, but the people, the grit, and the steel that built the Magic City.

The museum is a real gem. From historic photos and artifacts to exhibits that bring Birmingham’s industrial past to life, it’s the perfect place to experience how this city rose from iron and fire.

And every time I’m there, standing beneath Vulcan’s gaze, I’m reminded of how much history surrounds us — and how grateful I am to play a small part in sharing it.

Between 1918 and 1919, New Orleans lived in fear of a shadowy figure known only as The Axeman — a killer who struck fami...
10/29/2025

Between 1918 and 1919, New Orleans lived in fear of a shadowy figure known only as The Axeman — a killer who struck families as they slept, vanishing into the night and leaving behind only blood and questions.

One of the most brutal attacks happened in Gretna, Louisiana, across the river from New Orleans. The victims were Charles and Rosie Cortimiglia, Italian immigrants who ran a small grocery from their home. In March 1919, the Axeman smashed through their back door, killing their 2-year-old daughter, Mary, and leaving both parents barely alive.

This newspaper diagram — part floor plan, part nightmare — shows how the killer entered, where the family was found, and even where the murder weapon was hidden under the bed. The image is chilling not only for its detail, but for what it reveals about that terrifying era — a time when immigrant families were both victims and suspects, and the line between fact and fear blurred in the gaslight.

What makes it even more unsettling? Just a few years earlier, Birmingham, Alabama, was shaken by a series of eerily similar axe murders — same method, same nighttime attacks, same silence afterward.

Coincidence… or the same hand at work?

If you want to dive deeper into this chilling mystery — and the eerie connection between the Axeman of New Orleans and the Birmingham Axe Murders — check out the full episode on Exploring History:
🎥 https://youtu.be/lmS5lIsHnO4

10/29/2025

The Baldone family tragedy still echoes through Birmingham’s history.
A Sicilian immigrant family — attacked in their own home.

The wife, struck in the head.
The husband, Charles Baldone, found barely alive.
Their daughter injured…
and their little boy, running through his family’s blood.

The Baldones weren’t outsiders — they were a respected Birmingham family, their name living on through Butch Baldone’s tailor shop, founded in 1935.

This wasn’t just another crime — it was part of one of Birmingham’s darkest chapters: The Axe Murders.
🩸

This clip comes from our full episode “The Birmingham Axe Murders.”
🎥 Watch the full story here → https://youtu.be/lmS5lIsHnO4

What do you think really happened that night?
Let’s talk theories below. 👇

Long before Montgomery became known as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, it was once the center of another ch...
10/28/2025

Long before Montgomery became known as the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement, it was once the center of another chapter in American history — one that’s far harder to face.

In the mid-1800s, Montgomery’s slave markets stood at Court Square, right where the city’s downtown now bustles with traffic and business. Enslaved men, women, and children were auctioned alongside land and livestock — their “value” publicly listed by age, skill, and complexion. In the 1850s, a strong field hand might sell for $1,500, while skilled artisans could fetch twice that.

By 1859, the city had seven auctioneers and four slave depots. It’s unsettling to think that where people now gather for coffee or city meetings, human beings once stood in chains, waiting to be sold.

Montgomery’s story didn’t end there — it transformed. The same streets that once witnessed slavery later became the backdrop for marches, bus boycotts, and a movement that reshaped America.

History isn’t always comfortable, but it’s necessary to remember where we’ve been to understand how far we’ve come.

While exploring Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains, I came across a grave that stopped me in my tracks — the grave of Rus...
10/28/2025

While exploring Cades Cove in the Smoky Mountains, I came across a grave that stopped me in my tracks — the grave of Russell Gregory.

Born in 1795, Russell was a North Carolina native and one of the early settlers who helped shape Cades Cove. The mountain that towers over the valley — Gregory Bald — still carries his name. But what really caught my attention wasn’t just the name… it was the story.

During the Civil War, Russell tried to stay neutral. His own son had joined the Confederacy, and he just wanted to keep his community out of the chaos. But neutrality doesn’t last long when the war finds you. Confederate raiders kept hitting the cove, stealing cattle and supplies, and Russell finally had enough. He gathered a few of the remaining men — most well past fighting age — and ambushed the raiders near Abrams Creek. They won, and for a moment, the cove was safe.

Two weeks later, that peace came to a brutal end. Confederate soldiers returned — led by his own son — and Russell Gregory was murdered in December 1864, right outside his cabin. His headstone still bears the chilling inscription: “Murdered by North Carolina Rebels.”

Today, hikers make their way up Gregory Bald to see the flame azaleas bloom every summer, few realizing the mountain’s namesake died defending the same valley they now admire.

It’s strange — how the quietest places can hold the loudest echoes of the past.

World War II didn’t just change the world — it rewired Alabama too. 💥Before the war, the state was still crawling out of...
10/27/2025

World War II didn’t just change the world — it rewired Alabama too. 💥

Before the war, the state was still crawling out of the Great Depression. Then came a boom that turned cotton fields into airfields, small towns into shipyards, and quiet roads into convoys. Nearly 300,000 Alabamians put on uniforms, and even more went to work building the things that kept those uniforms moving — ships, planes, and mountains of munitions.

Mobile went from a sleepy port to a city bursting at the seams (and traffic jams), Huntsville traded cotton for chemicals and rockets, and women who’d been teaching school for $800 a year were suddenly welding ships for $3,600 — talk about a pay raise.

Meanwhile, the “Tuskegee Airmen” took to the skies, proving that skill, courage, and grit had nothing to do with skin color — and everything to do with heart.

By the time the war ended, Alabama wasn’t just a different place… it was a modern one. The seeds of the Civil Rights Movement were already stirring, the GI Bill was reshaping opportunity, and that little airfield in Montgomery? It would eventually help launch us to the stars. 🚀

So next time you drive past a base, factory, or old airfield — remember: Alabama didn’t just play a small part in World War II… we helped write a big chapter of it.

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