Visiting a UM Site...Who Has? - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

radar1979 · 03-17-2009, 05:24 PM

This a broadening of another thread I saw. Thought it might make for an interesting thread.

How many of us (you) have ever been to a site where part of a UM segment was filmed? And if you have, where was it and what was it like?

Most of us have talked about cases that we may have played a small role in or stories that took place near us, in our state or county, so this should not be too much of a leap. Perhaps you were like me and didn't realize you had been to a UM site until later on. OR, maybe you gave in to curiosity and actualy went out in search of a nearby...or not-so-nearby...location where one of our beloved stories came to life.

Just to be fair, I'll tell mine and then the reast is up to you:

Marietta Ohio: Georgia Rudolph's past life.
Air Date: 2/14/90.
SUBJECT: Reencarnation.

I live about 80 miles south of Marietta and visited the town at least 4 times in my line of work before I ever realized it had been a major part of an Unsolved Mystery.

Nearly all of the locations used in the original story are still there and look just like they did in 1989. The steamship BECKY THATCHER is still permenantly docked there though it is decaying away. The church and brick streets shown in the story jump right out at you and the hill from where the panorama of the town was shot is easy to get to.

Like many towns Marietta has it's "Historic District" in the old downtown area and modern ammenities on the outskirts. The town is very open, you can walk nearly everywhere...down to the very edge of the Ohio River, across an abondoned railroad bridge that is now used for cycling, and down any bricklined alley you choose.

The town is FAR from dead and is a great place to visit and spend a few hours.

MegtheEgg86 · 03-21-2009, 03:48 PM

I thought this was an interesting question. Here are the ones I've been to. Mostly, they're ones I live close to or my husband has worked near:

Blair Adams (Crosswood Blvd, Knoxville, TN)
Rhonda Hinson (Mineral Springs Mtn Rd, Valdese, NC)
William Bradford Bishop (Elkmont Parking Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC)
Kevin Hughes (Sixteenth Ave, Nashville, TN)
ATV Murders (Roberts Mill Rd and vicinity, Signal Mountain, TN)
Kurt Sova (Harvard Ave, Cleveland, OH)

I've been on the street where the law office was where Cindy Anderson disappeared in Toledo, OH, and I've been to Effingham, IL where the killers' car was left, bullethole and all, in the John Martin case. Of course I've been to many of the cities and towns where cases occured, but not to the actual sites themselves.

crystaldawn · 03-21-2009, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MegtheEgg86

and I've been to Effingham, IL where the killers' car was left, bullethole and all, in the John Martin case.

Me too, many times, as I only live 45 minutes from there.

Was just there last night in fact. Actually RS mispronounced the name which I found humorous.

MegtheEgg86 · 03-21-2009, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crystaldawn

Me too, many times, as I only live 45 minutes from there.

Was just there last night in fact. Actually RS mispronounced the name which I found humorous.

My husband worked in Decatur for a while, so I came to know Central Illinois pretty well. I've definitely been guilty of mispronunciation as well.....boy, did everyone laugh when I said "Monticello" like it was Jefferson's estate.

hovaslash · 03-23-2009, 07:34 AM

My hometown Long Beach NY
Site of Chaim Weiss case know that area very well-did not see the filming unfortunately.
BTW it is also the site where Amy Fischer was released from jail and received a police escort home in 1999-I was lucky enough to have seen that!

Mastermind · 03-27-2009, 05:11 PM

Been to Roswell a bunch of times.

Lot's of banks and financial institutions there?

Those aliens must know how to make money!

Lived in Queens, NY so I know the Son of Sam murder route very well.

supersally1974 · 03-27-2009, 08:31 PM

The closest I would be to a site featured on UM is a 40 minute subway ride to the Verdun area in Montreal. It's the case of Clifford Edward Sherwood. The oldest missing children's case in Canada ...

kamy · 03-27-2009, 11:28 PM

I've been to the field where Roxanne Jeeves and her son where murdered. Back in the 80s there was road and some house but now it's an overgrown field. Pretty creepy.

I've driven through a few towns that were featured, but that's as close as I've come.

MissFit29 · 03-28-2009, 12:30 AM

I drive by the office building with the parking ramp where John Grundhofer was abducted by the incompetent fat man about 4 times a week. I've also been in the vicinity of the shopping centers where the armored car heists took place in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis. Otherwise, nothing.

radar1979 · 04-06-2009, 02:02 PM

Very cool, seems that many of us have given this a try.

I too have been to/through/and generally all-around Pt. Pleasant WV as well, but so many times that it often slips my mind that it too was eventually a featured story. Pt. Pleasant WV and Marietta OH are very similar location with equally long histories dating back to the mid 1700s and the early indian skirmishes.

Pt. Pleasant is a nice enough town to pass through and perhaps stop for a quick walk, however, it is not as open and free as Marietta...at lease that is how I feel it. Tourism has taken a mouch more firm grip here and some of the "pleasantness" has worn away in recent years.

Curiously enough, the UM piece never memtioned that fact that the town has had an indian curse hanging over it since 1775.

The bridge shown in the piece is a heavily traveld trucking route leading into...and out of...Ohio and is certainly easy enough to find, cross, and then re-cross. I have not attempted to locate the factory on the Ohio side of the river. It's mentioning in the feature was the first I heard of it being connected with the events covered in the piece.

Again, very cool folks...keep'em coming if you got'em.

Sean P McCracken

browneyes106 · 04-09-2009, 12:49 AM

The only one have been to was the St. James Hotel in Cimarron, NM. I took a day tour of the hotel. I hope to stay there someday.

VikingsGal · 04-10-2009, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissFit29

I drive by the office building with the parking ramp where John Grundhofer was abducted by the incompetent fat man about 4 times a week. I've also been in the vicinity of the shopping centers where the armored car heists took place in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis. Otherwise, nothing.

Me too, MissFit29, I drive by that bank all the time. I have been to Bear Head State Park where the two dogs wondered off but one was found later.

I want to go to New Mexico to see that spiral staircase, though.

The town where the girl almost froze to death...can't remember the town right now but I do remember watching and thinking that I had been there. Can't believe she got out of the car!

I have been boating on Lake Superior but I chose not to take Larry Race with me. I took a drunk person with no lifejacket and a loaded gun instead as I thought that would increase chance at staying safe.

ms_bates · 04-10-2009, 08:35 PM

I live just down the road from the Toys R Us where Gilbert Ortiz worked, I've gone there many times. (ok, so it isn't the most infamous location in UM history!

)

Did UM ever do a segment on the Winchester Mystery House? I can't remember. But I've been there.

I grew up (and still reside) in Bay Area, California. I think several UM stories took place here, so it is possible I have been to some and just don't know it.

I live in the city where Omar the arsonist was, maybe I could find some of the locations from that segment. Hmm...

atomicfizz · 04-10-2009, 10:10 PM

I used to work in the strip mall where they filmed part of a bank robbery segment. An armored car at the bank across the parking lot was robbed. That's all I've got.

Oh yeah, and I have been by the parking lot the MissFit and VikingsGal have, where Grundhoffer was kidnapped from.

browneyes106 · 04-14-2009, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by VikingsGal

Me too, MissFit29, I drive by that bank all the time. I have been to Bear Head State Park where the two dogs wondered off but one was found later.

I want to go to New Mexico to see that spiral staircase, though.

The town where the girl almost froze to death...can't remember the town right now but I do remember watching and thinking that I had been there. Can't believe she got out of the car!

I have been boating on Lake Superior but I chose not to take Larry Race with me. I took a drunk person with no lifejacket and a loaded gun instead as I thought that would increase chance at staying safe.

I totally forgot that about that one. I have been to the Loretto Chapel a couple of times.

03-17-2009, 05:24 PM	#1
radar1979 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 22, 2004 Location: St. Albans W.V. Posts: 68	Visiting a UM Site...Who Has? This a broadening of another thread I saw. Thought it might make for an interesting thread. How many of us (you) have ever been to a site where part of a UM segment was filmed? And if you have, where was it and what was it like? Most of us have talked about cases that we may have played a small role in or stories that took place near us, in our state or county, so this should not be too much of a leap. Perhaps you were like me and didn't realize you had been to a UM site until later on. OR, maybe you gave in to curiosity and actualy went out in search of a nearby...or not-so-nearby...location where one of our beloved stories came to life. Just to be fair, I'll tell mine and then the reast is up to you: Marietta Ohio: Georgia Rudolph's past life. Air Date: 2/14/90. SUBJECT: Reencarnation. I live about 80 miles south of Marietta and visited the town at least 4 times in my line of work before I ever realized it had been a major part of an Unsolved Mystery. Nearly all of the locations used in the original story are still there and look just like they did in 1989. The steamship BECKY THATCHER is still permenantly docked there though it is decaying away. The church and brick streets shown in the story jump right out at you and the hill from where the panorama of the town was shot is easy to get to. Like many towns Marietta has it's "Historic District" in the old downtown area and modern ammenities on the outskirts. The town is very open, you can walk nearly everywhere...down to the very edge of the Ohio River, across an abondoned railroad bridge that is now used for cycling, and down any bricklined alley you choose. The town is FAR from dead and is a great place to visit and spend a few hours.

03-21-2009, 03:48 PM	#2
MegtheEgg86 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Jun 19, 2008 Location: The Volunteer State Posts: 5,156	I thought this was an interesting question. Here are the ones I've been to. Mostly, they're ones I live close to or my husband has worked near: Blair Adams (Crosswood Blvd, Knoxville, TN) Rhonda Hinson (Mineral Springs Mtn Rd, Valdese, NC) William Bradford Bishop (Elkmont Parking Area, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, TN/NC) Kevin Hughes (Sixteenth Ave, Nashville, TN) ATV Murders (Roberts Mill Rd and vicinity, Signal Mountain, TN) Kurt Sova (Harvard Ave, Cleveland, OH) I've been on the street where the law office was where Cindy Anderson disappeared in Toledo, OH, and I've been to Effingham, IL where the killers' car was left, bullethole and all, in the John Martin case. Of course I've been to many of the cities and towns where cases occured, but not to the actual sites themselves.
	__________________ "Why is she lying?, it makes me wonder. What is she hiding?, it makes me wonder." Go Vols!

03-27-2009, 08:31 PM	#7
supersally1974 Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Apr 16, 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 204	The closest I would be to a site featured on UM is a 40 minute subway ride to the Verdun area in Montreal. It's the case of Clifford Edward Sherwood. The oldest missing children's case in Canada ...
	__________________ On January 10, 2008, Maila Nurmi, better known as the legendary 1950’s Los Angeles B-movie horror hostess “Vampira”, passed away in her sleep at the age of 86. Said to be the inspiration for the Morticia Addams character in “The Addams Family”, Vampira was the original “glamour ghoul” and the iconic star of Ed Wood’s “Plan 9 from Outer Space”.

04-06-2009, 02:02 PM	#10
radar1979 Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Feb 22, 2004 Location: St. Albans W.V. Posts: 68	Very cool Very cool, seems that many of us have given this a try. I too have been to/through/and generally all-around Pt. Pleasant WV as well, but so many times that it often slips my mind that it too was eventually a featured story. Pt. Pleasant WV and Marietta OH are very similar location with equally long histories dating back to the mid 1700s and the early indian skirmishes. Pt. Pleasant is a nice enough town to pass through and perhaps stop for a quick walk, however, it is not as open and free as Marietta...at lease that is how I feel it. Tourism has taken a mouch more firm grip here and some of the "pleasantness" has worn away in recent years. Curiously enough, the UM piece never memtioned that fact that the town has had an indian curse hanging over it since 1775. The bridge shown in the piece is a heavily traveld trucking route leading into...and out of...Ohio and is certainly easy enough to find, cross, and then re-cross. I have not attempted to locate the factory on the Ohio side of the river. It's mentioning in the feature was the first I heard of it being connected with the events covered in the piece. Again, very cool folks...keep'em coming if you got'em. Sean P McCracken

03-23-2009, 07:34 AM	#5
hovaslash Member Occasional Poster Join Date: Apr 10, 2006 Location: ma Posts: 87	My hometown Long Beach NY Site of Chaim Weiss case know that area very well-did not see the filming unfortunately. BTW it is also the site where Amy Fischer was released from jail and received a police escort home in 1999-I was lucky enough to have seen that!

03-27-2009, 05:11 PM	#6
Mastermind Member Senior Member Join Date: Jul 16, 2008 Posts: 1,843	Been to Roswell a bunch of times. Lot's of banks and financial institutions there? Those aliens must know how to make money! Lived in Queens, NY so I know the Son of Sam murder route very well.

03-27-2009, 11:28 PM	#8
kamy UM Fanatic Forum Regular Join Date: Apr 25, 2007 Location: Texas Posts: 625	I've been to the field where Roxanne Jeeves and her son where murdered. Back in the 80s there was road and some house but now it's an overgrown field. Pretty creepy. I've driven through a few towns that were featured, but that's as close as I've come.

03-28-2009, 12:30 AM	#9
MissFit29 Member Forum Regular Join Date: Mar 09, 2009 Location: Minnesota Posts: 526	I drive by the office building with the parking ramp where John Grundhofer was abducted by the incompetent fat man about 4 times a week. I've also been in the vicinity of the shopping centers where the armored car heists took place in the southern suburbs of Minneapolis. Otherwise, nothing.

04-09-2009, 12:49 AM	#11
browneyes106 Member Forum Veteran Join Date: Apr 01, 2008 Posts: 6,094	The only one have been to was the St. James Hotel in Cimarron, NM. I took a day tour of the hotel. I hope to stay there someday.

04-10-2009, 08:35 PM	#13
ms_bates Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jul 14, 2008 Location: Bay Area, California Posts: 134	I live just down the road from the Toys R Us where Gilbert Ortiz worked, I've gone there many times. (ok, so it isn't the most infamous location in UM history! ) Did UM ever do a segment on the Winchester Mystery House? I can't remember. But I've been there. I grew up (and still reside) in Bay Area, California. I think several UM stories took place here, so it is possible I have been to some and just don't know it. I live in the city where Omar the arsonist was, maybe I could find some of the locations from that segment. Hmm...

04-10-2009, 10:10 PM	#14
atomicfizz Member Frequent Poster Join Date: Jun 07, 2008 Location: Minneapolis Posts: 310	I used to work in the strip mall where they filmed part of a bank robbery segment. An armored car at the bank across the parking lot was robbed. That's all I've got. Oh yeah, and I have been by the parking lot the MissFit and VikingsGal have, where Grundhoffer was kidnapped from.