Trout Brook Tales

Exploring people, places and events throughout West Hartford's rich history.

Trout Brook Tales is a history podcast hosted by Chuck Coursey, with 15 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Chuck Coursey hosts Trout Brook Tales, a history show with 15 episodes published.

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  Episode #17

  Episode 17: The Wells Fargo Armored Services Robbery of September 12, 1983

  Sep 7, 202647 minS1

  On September 12, 1983, guard Victor Gerena walked out of the Wells Fargo Armored Services depot in West Hartford with over $7 million in cash - the largest cash robbery in American history at the time. Joining host Chuck Coursey to unpack it is the Hartford Courant's Edmund Mahoney, who knows this case better than anyone else . The heist was tied to Los Macheteros, a clandestine group fighting for Puerto Rican independence, and Gerena vanished that same day — spending longer on the FBI's Ten Most Wanted list than any fugitive in history. The money's never been recovered, and Gerena never resurfaced.

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  Episode #16

  Episode 16: Fairview Cemetery

  Jul 30, 202642 minS1

  Join TBT Podcast host Chuck Coursey and West Hartford Town Historian Mary Donohue, who shares her extensive research on Fairview Cemetery. Together they explore the 71-acre "lawn plan" landscape and the notable figures buried there—from Nobel laureate Dr. John Franklin Enders to Governor Robert Hurley and aviation pioneer Frederick Rentschler.

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  Episode #15

  Episode 15: West Hartford & The Civil War

  May 17, 20261 hourS1

  When President Lincoln called for volunteers in April 1861, West Hartford answered. In this episode, host Chuck Coursey is joined by Town Historian Mary Donohue and CCSU History Professor Matt Warshauer to explore how this small Connecticut community was shaped by the Civil War - from its first enlistee to the monument that still stands today.

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  Episode #14

  Episode 14: Rooted in Verse: The James Wallace Pine Family Legacy in West Hartford

  Mar 29, 202639 minS1

  James Wallace Pine - laborer, lay preacher, Civil War organizer, and published poet - lived a life that defied the narrow margins history often assigned to Black men in nineteenth-century New England. Join Brett Freiburger, Local History Librarian at the West Hartford Public Library and Trout Brook Tales host Chuck Coursey as they explore the Pine Family and learn about one family's quiet story of loss, resilience, creative spirit, and deep roots in a place that doesn't always remember them.

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  Episode #13

  Episode 13: The Life & Legacy of Bristow with Dr. Booker DeVaughn

  Feb 22, 202655 min

  In this episode of Trout Brook Tales, we sit down with Dr. Booker DeVaughn for a powerful conversation about Bristow, a remarkable figure in West Hartford's history. Born in Africa in 1731, Bristow was enslaved by the Hooker family before purchasing his freedom in 1775 and becoming a respected agricultural expert and community member. Dr. DeVaughn has dedicated over four decades to bringing Bristow's story to life, a commitment that led to the 2005 naming of Bristow Middle School.

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