Few Rhode Islanders remember the day a German submarine suddenly surfaced in Newport Harbor, or the escape of a bear, tiger and panther from a circus train on the Stonington Railroad. Still fewer may have heard about the World War II fighter plane that crash-landed in the middle of a secret listening post for intercepting enemy radio signals, tucked away on a farm in Scituate. Forgotten Tales digs deep into Rhode Island's history and unearths little-known stories and folklore that span three centuries. Read about the undertaker who dug his own grave, midnight gold diggers using magical diagrams, Smithfield's 'suicide bridge' and a pet elephant with a unique Achilles heel. Jim Ignasher delivers a strong dose of local color in this fascinating anecdotal history of the Ocean State.
Jim Ignasher has been interested in history since his youth, but it is only in recent years that he has begun to write about it. He enjoys searching for long-forgotten stories that other authors may have overlooked, thus hoping to give his readers a new perspective on local history. He is active with the Historical Society of Smithfield, which operates and maintains the historic Smith-Appleby House Museum, and he occasionally gives talks on Smithfield's history. He is also a member of the New England Antiquities Research Association and Historic New England. Jim also writes a monthly local history column for Your Smithfield Magazine, and in May 2010, he received an award from the Rhode Island Press Association for an article he wrote titled "Rescued from the Attic of Our Lives," which appeared in the magazine's November 2009 edition. This is his fourth book and his third with The History Press.