The final two episodes of the Dark La Crosse Stories podcast will air over the next two weeks, and will retell the story of a recluse from the city’s past, and the rumors that surrounded her.
The episodes detail a hunt for the truth about Mary Ann Parker, a resident of La Crosse who died at the age of 83 in 1901 — an event which magnified the curiosity the community had for her life.
Parker was dubbed by papers after her death as a “celebrated recluse,” a strange woman who had been holed up in her house at the corner of 8th and State Streets ever since her husband died. That’s why it was surprising when the woman no one really knew left nearly all of her money to the community, including a home that she donated to a local church and still stands at 117 Eighth St. N.
But there’s much more to the story.
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This two-part story, “A Celebrated Recluse,” will air in two separate episodes on Tuesdays, Sept. 21 and Sept. 28.
It’s a story entangled in rumors, scandal, family secrets, poison and sensationalism, that also dissects the media’s role in the murkiness of Parker’s life and the historical blindspots their reports left for the archival record.
Jenny DeRocher, associate librarian at the La Crosse Public Library Archives who helped uncover Parker’s story, said it was one “one of the most frustrating research projects” she had worked on.
The La Crosse Tribune has partnered with the La Crosse Public Library to produce what will be 50 total podcast and video productions retelling some of the most sordid stories of the city’s past. These final two episodes will conclude this installment of the Dark La Crosse Stories series — for now.
“After more than eight years of researching, writing, planning, performing, producing and sharing the walking tours, trolley tours, stage productions and now this collaborative video series with the La Crosse Tribune, we’re going to take a break from creating new content,” said Scott Brouwer, archivist with the La Crosse Public Library.
“We do, however, still have plenty of stories to tell and we find new ones all the time while researching other things,” Brouwer said, “so our current plan is to continue the Dark La Crosse Stories series with new episodes at some point in the future.”
“I have really enjoyed putting the work into finding and telling these stories to the community,” said senior archivist Anita Taylor Doering.
“Personally, I find joy in discovering new stories and following the leads to their conclusion, but it is even more rewarding to engage with others who appreciate learning of these events,” she said. “For while there is often scandal and tragedy, these incidents often wound up being the catalyst that improved the safety and lives of the people of La Crosse.”
You can listen and watch to the final episodes at LaCrosseTribune.com, at the La Crosse Tribune YouTube page, as well as on some podcast streaming services.