The Smell From Room 14: A School's Quietly Erased Secret

The Smell From Room 14: A School's Quietly Erased Secret

A child's navy blazer, brass buttons untarnished and a sewn name inside, was dragged from a snowbank forty feet down Ellswick Road in 2009 - found in front of a long-closed prep school that had been vacant since 1998. A reporter spent nearly two years tracing that impossible garment to a sealed dorm room, a persistent odor in the summer of 1981, and a set of records someone deliberately erased - so what was the truth they tried to bury?

In this episode, we follow how a single blazer led a journalist into school archives, alumni recollections, and a missing month of paperwork to reconstruct what happened in Room 14; can the memories of former students and a partly-obscured archive entry reveal why August 1981 was quietly removed from the record?

Person: Judith Adams Date: February 6, 2009 Location: Ellswick Road outside Ashburn Preparatory Academy Event: Unusual persistent smell reported in July 1981 in Room 14, Pembrook Hall Record action: Archive withdrawal dated September 4, 1981 with partially obscured name

- The blazer was dragged forty feet across the asphalt by a snowplow blade at 6:20 AM. - The blazer's interior lining was sewn with the name "JUDITH ADAMS." - Ashburn Preparatory Academy had been vacant since 1998. - The steam heating system at Ashburn was shut down during summer months in 1981, despite reports blaming radiators for the smell. - Archive intake records show an August 1981 file reduced to one page and withdrawn from the regional depository on September 4, 1981.

To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

© 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved. This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: [email protected].