Pilgrimages are a universal phenomenon, from China’s bustling Tai Shan to the ancient Jewish treks to Jerusalem. But why? What is it about a grueling penitent march to an isolated temple that has become a prerequisite for a civilization of any size, whether Chicen Itza in the Mayan Empire or the holy sites of Mecca?

To explore this is today’s guest, Kathryn Hurlock, author of “Holy Places: How Pilgrimages Changed the World.” We also look at whether pilgrimages have become too easy in the 21st century. Has jetting off to Mecca or Rome for a quick indulgence turned them into spiritual tourism, a la Disneyland?

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Years before Jamestown planters made New World farming profitable by growing tobacco, and years before their countrymen up north in Plymouth Colony managed to overcome their starvation conditions and acclimate to New England’s growing conditions, there was an English settlement in Bermuda that was wealthier, larger, and more prosperous. It was established in 1612 on an island less than one square mile but grew to the heart of the Atlantic economy. Bermuda, once home to more settlers than Virginia or Massachusetts, became England’s first profitable plantation, pioneering tobacco cultivation and the use of enslaved Africans—practices that later spread to the mainland.

In this episode, historian and archaeologist Michael Jarvis joins us to uncover the hidden history of Bermuda and its pivotal role in reshaping our understanding of colonial America. Jarvis, dubbed "Chainsaw Mike" by his students, has spent 14 years excavating Smith’s Island, clearing away endless brush, and unearthing one of the first English settlements in the New World. From supplying Jamestown with food to influencing early colonial economics, Jarvis argues Bermuda is a missing cornerstone of America’s origin story, far more than the historical footnote it’s often been relegated to.

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The origins of the Hatfield-McCoy conflict (between the Hatfield family of West Virginia, led by William Anderson "Devil Anse" Hatfield, and the McCoy family of Kentucky, led by Randolph "Old Randall" McCoy) begins with a dispute over a pig. From here, it escalated from minor disagreements to violent encounters that spanned decades, nearly sparking a war between the two states.

Today’s guest is Jennifer Bennie, host of the Walk With History podcast. We look at the historical context of the feud, its escalation from minor disputes to violent encounters, and its significance in American folklore.

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