She was a model student at the Ohio State University. She was an athlete, cheerleader, beloved friend, neighbor and wife, and the top saleswoman at the Hobart Electric Manufacturing Company. By all accounts she was brilliant and charming, and on February 19, 1926, they found Frances Nesbitt murdered in her bathtub in Troy, Ohio.
Nesbitt’s grisly end and the subsequent national obsession with her murder in small town Ohio is just one story guests will experience Saturday at the Ohio History Connection’s “History After Hours: Monsters, Mysteries and Mayhem.” History After Hours is an over-21 event OHC introduced just this year, with the inaugural event selling out in the spring. “Monsters, Mysteries and Mayhem” seeks to educate guests on the dark side of Ohio.
“People have always had an interest in the supernatural and there’s a growing interest in true crime,” said Jamison Pack, OHC spokesperson, in an email. “Also, many people don’t know about the creepier side of natural history. By combining these topics with our staff’s expertise we get to help people discover the untold stories of Ohio history.”
Guests will not only learn about the Nesbitt murder, they can also explore a “nutshell” crime scene and try to identify her killer. Some of the other topics “Monsters, Mysteries and Mayhem” will cover include Civil War medicine, flesh-eating beetles, historic lock picking, 19th century embalming, and some of the most infamous criminals Ohio has ever produced.
“It’s not a topic we typically showcase in the museum,” said Jamison. “It’s an interesting way to discover history that you might not see or hear about.”
And of course, there will be a cash bar with Ohio beer, wine, and a cocktail mysteriously called the “Enchanted Apple.” It’s a night of mayhem, after all.
For more information, visit ohiohistory.org.