Body Snatcher

This Class Has Been Cancelled

Mary Cunningham who, in the 1870s, with her husband William were in the business of aiding many young Cincinnati medical students in their studies by providing them with cadavers upon which to examine.  They were grave-robbing body snatchers!  Irish born Mary was a fun-loving woman that liked her whiskey and was rough around the edges.

At the time you “see” Mary her beloved husband William, known as the “Ghoul of Cincinnati,” had passed away.  Mary, dubbed as “Alligator Jaws” will enlighten you of the fine arts of body snatching, which was a very lucrative market in Cincinnati during that time.  What else we know of Mary are from the many Cincinnati newspaper articles about body snatching.   Joyce Lovins Browning will tell us about this fascinating story.

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Also joining us tonight at from 7:05-7:30 is Dusty Rhodes who is the Auditor of Hamilton County.   Recently he has spoken up vocally about the dramatic increase in tax-exempt properties–tax abatements–which is shifting the tax burden for such critical services as transportation and education to property owners who don’t get tax breaks.

The value of property owned by governments, nonprofits, and other tax-exempt organizations in Hamilton county climbed to $19.1 billion last year, making up more than a quarter (26.7%) of the total market value of all property in the county.

The tax-exempt share is up from about 16% in 2005 and just 10% in 1991.  The growing number of tax-exempt properties will lead to rate hikes for many non-exempt property owners.  Dusty will join us tonight from 7:05-7:30 to discuss this alarming tax abatement trend

Joyce Lovins Browning- is a native of Ohio growing up in Harrison and Okeana.  She has been performing Living History for over 18 years.  She retired after 20 years as the Naturalist Coordinator from Great Parks of Hamilton County in 2018, and now enjoys working as a part-time Tour Coordinator for Ohio Travel Treasures, sending groups on wonderful bus tour adventures.