We’re obsessed with the paranormal and with weird or forgotten history. Follow us as we deep dive into stories about ghosts, UFOs, exorcisms, obscure New York City and world history, and more!
Continuing my deep dive into nostalgia and the paranormal! Does the way we feel about paranormal investigation tools change their efficacy? How do our emotions (especially nostalgia) interact with the paranormal? Highlights include: My continuing fascination with whether the ghosts of living people can haunt us Looking at nostalgic paranormal investigation tools through the lens of Amanda D. Paulson's Paranormal Emotive Touchpoint theory Support the New Blood Kickstarter! Please spread the word and—if you're able to—back the project to help bring two new queer paranormal shows into the world! Check out newblood.tv for more info. Shownotes and written version of this episode at buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at lore surrounding the legendary Panasonic RR-DR60. How did the late 1990s audio recorder become a device that now sells for $4,000-5,000 USD on eBay? What makes the DR60 so special? Highlights include: plenty o' nostalgia (and skepticism) a digression about hard drives (everyone's favorite) some arguments in favor of using older gear to investigate the paranormal Check out the shownotes for sources and a written version of the episode.
A wild ride through nostalgia about instant photography, the pitfalls of both analog and digital photography, the weirdly zeitgeisty history of the Polaroid Corporation, and the search for images we can "trust." Highlights include: My attempts to doctor Polaroid photos Spirit photography Computational photography Check out the shownotes for sources and a written version of the episode.
A deep dive into nostalgia, liminality, and the paranormal. Are we interested in the paranormal because we feel nostalgic? Could that be why so much paranormal investigation gear is inspired by 1980s and 1990s tech? Highlights include: Could a state of feeling deep nostalgia help with spirit communication? Radio Shack memories Internet aesthetics Attempts to find meaning in a chaotic world Check out the shownotes for sources and a written version of the episode.
In 1897, a series of mysterious airships were sighted all around the United States. This is a look at the flap in general, with a particular focus on some of the North Texas UFO sightings. Highlights include: The Dallas-Fort Worth area as a "window area" with heighted strange activity A glimpse into how Victorian-era people responded to UFOs Lots of bearded aliens Check out the shownotes for sources and a written version.
A look at the Aurora, Texas, UFO crash, one of many sightings during the mystery airship flap of 1897. Highlights include: airships! urban legends and uncertain truths Jacques Vallée Check out buriedsecretspodcast.com for the shownotes.
Do you ever read a book so interesting that you gotta tell everyone about it? I recently read Consorting with Spirits: Your Guide to Working with Invisible Allies by Jason Miller and was struck by how much great information and advice it contained for paranormal investigators. Though the book is ostensibly geared toward magickal practitioners, it might actually be the most helpful ghost hunting book that I've read so far. So here are the insights and nuggets of wisdom that I found most illuminating from a paranormal investigation perspective. This episode will be focused on advice about how to stop doubting paranormal experiences, ways to think critically about encounters with spirits, how to be braver and take risks, and other cool insights. Highlights include: the perception/projection ratio a digression about neurodivergence how to be less afraid of the paranormal an exercise to look past the veil Sign up for my newsletter!
I've been told that if I were in a horror movie, I would die first. But can I help it if I'm curious, chaotic, and solitary? Anyway, here's a look at some solo paranormal investigations I did around Halloween 2021 in two North Carolina state parks: Eno River State Park in Durham and William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh. Highlights include: - phantom footsteps - a breath on my neck while I was alone - an abandoned house in the woods - a solo Estes session in an environment where I was being told fairly clearly that I wasn't wanted Sign up for my newsletter!
A look at a place full of cemeteries, ruins, and ghosts of the past. Also actual ghosts. Those too. Eno River State Park, in Durham, North Carolina, is said to have its fair share of hauntings. I dive into the history of the park, especially the area around the Cabelands Cemetery, which is supposed to be one of the most haunted areas of the park. Plus, I dug up some of the paranormal experiences people have reported in the area. Highlights include: - Some grim parts of the area's history - A demonstration of my superb math skills - Hidden cemeteries Content note: this episode contains a lot of discussion of colonialism and chattel slavery. Sign up for my newsletter!
What if, after you died, a close friend of yours made a bust commemorating you, spending years trying to make the piece of art capture your very essence? What if some of your ashes were put into said statue, which was then displayed in a prominent public area? Might you haunt that statue? Well, that's what happened to Jason Miller, Scranton native and the actor who played Father Karras in *The Exorcist*. And Scranton residents have claimed that things have gotten weird. That's just one of the many strange stories I explore in this episode about some of the most interesting haunted sites in Scranton, PA. Highlights include: - A grand masonic temple with many ghost stories - A haunted trolley car (!!) - A gruesome murder P.S. This episode has nothing to do with Scranton's lost Luna Park, but I covered the park earlier in the series and I wanted to draw its old gate so here you go anyway. Sign up for my newsletter pls: https://www.buriedsecretspodcast.com/newsletter/
Stories of a haunted museum, a former hotel, a historic home, and a pub in Scranton, PA. Plus a couple cool urban legends about a stone couch and a lady in black. Highlights include: - a nun psychopomp - a child who followed a ghost into the basement - a ghost that sneaks up on people in a storage closet - a mannequin that moves on its own
I tell the story of a weird paranormal experience I had during a recent trip to Scranton, PA. Highlights include: - my first sleep paralysis experience - a strange roadside creek - my thoughts about Scranton
Some thoughts about mylar balloons, what they represent in the paranormal, and what else they might mean in terms of our world and our future. Highlights include: - mylar balloons' history in the paranormal and position as garbage - the idea of being haunted by trash - the power of imagination - some solarpunk reading recs
A look at what urban legends, especially the Goatman's Bridge urban legends, do in society, including urban legends as "folk news." Plus, some possible debunkings of some of the Old Alton Bridge phenomena. Content note: This episode contains discussions of white supremacist hate groups. Highlights include: • Reflections on the legends on the bridge • Debunkings and hoaxers • A haunted house that operates near the bridge Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
An attempt to trace the current tales of the Goatman's Bridge to their source: a 2008 YouTube video that contained seemingly new information about the urban legend, including some information that linked the story to the Mothman legends. Highlights include: • Thoughts about how the internet transforms and changes urban legends • A little digital gumshoeing • Some Mothman easter eggs Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
Satanic Rituals at the Bridge: A look at the urban legends claiming that cultish activity has occurred at Texas' famously haunted Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman's Bridge. Content note: This episode contains discussions of urban legends about animal abuse, as well as white supremacist hate groups. Highlights include: • Some possible debunkings • A creepy abandoned house • Rumors of rituals in the woods • A look at one of the Buzzfeed Unsolved claims Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
A deep dive into strangeness associated with the Goatman's Bridge, featuring weird stories that I found on forums and comment sections, including a devil sighting, a ghost driver, lights turning red, terrifying laughter, Bigfoot-type phenomena, and more. Highlights include: A ghostly driver redirecting a car to a cemetery Disembodied voices Will-o'-the-wisps Glowing eyes Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
North Texas has four different Goatman legends, including the Old Alton Bridge Goatman. Here's a look at those stories, as well as other urban legends about goatmen around the world. As I continue my series on the Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman's Bridge, I take a little detour to look at different goatmen throughout history. What similarities are there between the Old Alton Bridge and others? Why are there so many Goatman stories? Highlights include: • Satyrs • Pan • The Pope Lick Monster • Vanishing hitchhikers Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
A look at one legend behind the Goatman's Bridge, the period of history that inspired it, and a suspicious recent death at the bridge. Highlights include: The Texas Troubles Attempts to bury history Mass hysteria and bloodthirsty vigilantes Some creepypasta-style urban legends Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
Update: Looks like there was a technical glitch when I initially published this episode. It should be fixed now, but let me know if not! One of the most famous urban legends about the Goatman's Bridge (aka the Old Alton Bridge) has roots in a hidden, unpleasant part of the county's history. This episode looks at the legend of the Goatman and the history underpinning the story. CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussions of racially motivated murders and white supremacist hate groups. Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
In December 2021, I visited the Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman's Bridge. Here's what it's like to visit the famously haunted bridge, as well as the history of the bridge itself. CONTENT NOTE: I talk about gun use in this episode (not about people getting shot, but about people shooting guns near the bridge because they're bored.) If you don't want to hear about that, then skip this episode. You should be fine to pick back up on the series in the next episode. (Also, worth nothing that I recorded this before some of this week's gun violence.) I know this episode is on the shorter side, but that's because some long ones are coming up. (I couldn't get the topics to split evenly, go figure.) Highlights include: • Lots of mud • Some bridge trivia • Some . . . interesting . . . reviews of the bridge that I found
The Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman's Bridge, is a famously haunted site in north Texas. It has been featured in Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghost Adventures, and the urban legends about the bridge are well-known in the paranormal world. But in my research, I've discovered that everything may not be as it seems at the Old Alton Bridge . . . Highlights include: • a Reddit troll who makes some wild claims about the bridge • what it was like growing up in north Texas • a look at trickster elements of the paranormal Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to the Secret Library, map of Haunted NYC, Solo Estes Session Kit, and more: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast
I talk about some of the strangeness and patterns that have emerged during my own randonauting trips. Plus, I tell the story of some freaky fire-related synchronicities that have happened since last week. Highlights include: • Ominous warnings from Randonautica • Lots of owl lawn decorations! • Three fires I've encountered since recording the last episode Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get cool stuff: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast
I finally talk about some of the weird stuff that has happened to me at the Hell Gate since releasing my episodes about the Hell Gate in 2020. Also, nominally, this episode is part of my series on randonauting, so I of course talk about the ways that Randonautica has led me back to the Hell Gate, as well as the concepts of memetics and the despair meme. Don't know what the despair meme is? It's a randonauting thing, and I explain it. But in general, we're not talking about internet memes here; instead, I'm looking at memes as anything that spreads information, behavior, styles, symbols, practices, and ideas. (The example that makes sense to me is: If someone is humming a tune, and another person gets that stuck in their head, the tune is a meme that was spread from one person to another.) So at one point in the episode, I do have to ask the question: is it possible that a supernatural force or entity is transmitting a meme to me when I visit a certain part of the Hell Gate? Does that have anything to do with the widely reported despair meme that has come up among randonauts? I have no answers, but do have fun exploring the questions. Highlights include: • An attempt at explaining memetics • A possible initiation experience • Ghost-transmitted memes? Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get cool stuff: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast
A look at the connection between strange synchronicities and Randonautica. Plus, I explore some unusual synchronicities that happened to me while just talking and thinking about randonauting. Can Randonautica cause synchronicities when you aren't even actively using the app? I'm not sure, but I'm ready to speculate wildly. Highlights include: • Stumbling across a piece of art called “Synchronicity” • Conspiracy thinking • A higher-than-average number of references to 80s music Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get cool stuff: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast
Escaping the Probability Tunnel Using Randonautica: A deep dive into how to randonaut, or go on mysterious, synchronistic adventures using the Randonautica app. Highlights include: • Psychic self-defense • Ideas behind how the app works • Weird owl stories • Probability Tunnels Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get cool stuff: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast
A how-to guide on how to use a modified version of the Estes Method in solo paranormal investigations. I walk through how to set up your own Solo Estes Method kit, how to use it, cheap or free alternatives to buying new gear, and more. Highlights include: • Some weird audio from a 1979 spirit communication • A look at some ghost hunters who developed a technique very similar to the Estes Method • A quick history of the Estes Method Subscribe on Patreon to get the Solo Estes Method Kit (pre-recorded questions) that I made: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast Check out the shownotes for sources and more.
Wrapping up this series on the history and hauntings of Fordham University, I look at some additional theories behind why Fordham University's Rose Hill campus seems to be so haunted. Highlights include: • My recent trip to Fordham's campus • Some less pleasant elements of Fordham's past • Stone tape theory and residual hauntings Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A spin through some theories behind why hauntings and strangeness occurs. In this instance, I'm looking at the concepts of ley lines, window areas, and liminal spaces, and seeing whether any of them could be in play in the hauntings of Fordham University. Highlights include: A quick examination of incomprehensible aeromagnetic maps A weird internet aesthetic Former trails that ran through the area Ley line weirdness Note: Sorry about the radiator noise on this one. I did my best to reduce it, but it ended up sounding a lot louder on the recording than it did in real life. Maybe just pretend it's a poltergeist or something. Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at different theories behind hauntings and the paranormal, with an eye to why Fordham University's Bronx campus might be so haunted. This episode focuses on the spread of urban legends and theories behind urban legends. Highlights include: • Comparisons with hauntings at Vassar, Columbia, and NYU • Thoughts about urban legends and why they spread • Interesting books I've read while working on this series • Psychogeography and hauntology Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A strange story about a doomed dynasty of rams that once lived on Fordham University's campus, and the urban legends that grew up around them. Highlights include: • Kidnapped rams • A house built for the ram by Grace Kelly's father • Gruesome office decor Donate to bail funds to get people out of dangerous NYC jails: https://linktr.ee/covidbailoutnyc https://linktr.ee/emergency_release_fund Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
Ghosts emerging from paintings, an entity made from smoke, and bathroom electronics going haywire are just a few of the weird stories I dug up for this episode. This is a look at some of Fordham University's "less haunted" haunted buildings, including a theater, administration building, and classroom building. Plus a look at some of Fordham's other campuses (including one defunct one.) Highlights include: • An urban legend about George Washington's headquarters • Phantom cigar smoke • Stories from the Lincoln Center campus • A look at a supposedly haunted women's college that had an ill-fated merger with Fordham Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
Creepy ghost children, a man disappearing into walls, priests blessing haunted dorms, and more, about in these haunted dorms at Fordham University in the Bronx, NY. This episode is a look at some of Fordham University's "less haunted" dorms: meet the ghosts of Loschert Hall, O'Hare Hall, Martyrs' Court, and Loyola Hall. Highlights include: • Thoughts about hauntings based on recent deaths • Some debunking attempts • Sleep paralysis • A dorm built on the former site of a cemetery Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at my own paranormal experiences living in Fordham University's former medical school building. My time in Finlay Hall was uneasy, permeated by the feeling that I was always being watched. Though there were reasonable explanations for why I may have felt that way, I don't think that's all that was afoot. I tell the stories of an uneasy possible encounter with an entity in the laundry room in the basement (near where cadavers were once kept), a mysterious bell that seemed to ring throughout the building, and an unusual, regularly occurring gibbering sound that only my roommate and I seemed to be able to hear. Highlights include: • Conspiracy theories and the paranormal • A primal scream • My attempts to debunk my own experiences • A bizarre experimental college Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
Chilling urban legends and ghost stories from people who lived in an old medical school building, which featured a morgue and a large operating theater. From 1905-1921, Fordham University had a medical school. After its short, troubled existence, the medical school was mostly forgotten. One of the few reminders of the school is Finlay Hall, the old medical school building that was converted into a dorm in the 1980s. Since students have begun living there, haunting stories have emerged: some people claim to see ghostly students looking down on them during the night, as if they're a cadaver being dissected. Others wake to being choked by cold hands. This episode looks at the stories and seeks to sort out urban legend from credible paranormal experiences, and to corroborate or debunk popular stories. Highlights include: • Carl Jung giving lectures at the medical school • Cadavers being kept in the basement • Secret tunnels Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at some stories of ghost priests in an old library and classroom building. Plus, something strange that supposedly happened in the cemetery while The Exorcist was being filmed nearby. Highlights include: • A 1980s ghost priest who apparently knew computer programming • A cemetery (and human remains) that was relocated twice • Phantom voices heard by security guards • Lightning striking a cemetery Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
After a scene in The Exorcist was filmed in Hughes Hall, a former dorm at Fordham University, urban legends began to spring up about the building being haunted. Rumors of "cultish" graffiti, tales of a young boy's ghost, stories of a mysterious black dog, and more weird urban legends circulated about the building. This episode seeks to tease out why some of these legends may have grown up around the building, which began as the old prep school, was turned into a dorm as a "stopgap" measure that lasted for decades, and has since been completely gutted and turned back into an academic building. Plus, a look at some of the weird connections that The Exorcist had to Fordham. Highlights include: • The Fordham University professor who was an influence on The Exorcist • What it was like to be one of the last people to live in Hughes Hall (spoiler: it was bad) • The ghost of a prep school student • Satanic Panic-type urban legends Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
Forgotten human remains, a lingering entity monitored by a ghostly priest, mysteriously vanishing objects, strange sounds, and more abound at Fordham University's most haunted dorm. Here's a deep dive into ghost stories from Queen's Court, looking at both the reported stories as well as the connections between tales of weirdness. Highlights include: • A second, forgotten burial ground on Fordham's Campus • My own paranormal experience • The entity that supposedly is trapped at the end of the hall of a dorm • A ghostly priest who banishes and traps a strange entity • Poltergeist activity Got a Fordham haunting to report? Send it to buriedsecretspodcast@gmail.com. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at one of the most concentrated areas of hauntings in all of New York City: Fordham University in the Bronx. Ghostly priests, secret tunnels, a black dog, poltergeist activity, multiple burial grounds, students living in an old morgue, and more, abound at Fordham University. The school's campus in the Bronx is about half a mile wide, but it's packed with weirdness. This series about Fordham University's hauntings begins with a look at Queen's Court, the university's oldest dorm. Queen's Court was built in 1845, was once a seminary, and has a number of ghost stories and urban legends attached to it. Highlights include: • A groundskeeper ghost who still does his rounds • The ghost of a 19th century seminarian • A digression about Stone Tape Theory • A theory about why Fordham's ghost stories weren't really talked about until the 1970s • A conceited archbishop • Edgar Allan Poe For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at some supposed ghosts and creepy cemeteries in Beacon, NY, as well as some haunting aspects of the area's recent history. A feeling of uneasiness permeates the beautiful town of Beacon, NY. It's a city of industrial ruins, cemeteries (including a terrifying abandoned one), and the memories of a sanatorium for the ultra wealthy and an old asylum for mentally ill criminals. Deep woods surround the city, and mountains loom, adding to a sense of natural beauty, or, possibly, of claustrophobia and a feeling of being watched. Highlights include: • A figure that my wife saw in my footage from an abandoned cemetery • Supposed cemetery hauntings • Zelda Fitzgerald's stay in a sanatorium in Beacon For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com. Bail fund to get vulnerable people out of Rikers Island: https://emergencyreleasefund.com/More information about what's happening on Rikers Island: https://theintercept.com/2021/09/16/rikers-jail-crisis-de-blasio-reforms/
A look at the haunting stories surrounding the mysterious ruins of a castle in the middle of the Hudson River. About 50 miles away from Manhattan, the ruins of a castle lie on a small island in the Hudson River. Travelers pass the ruins on the train, and the only clue to the history of the destroyed castle are the words "Bannerman's Island Arsenal," emblazoned on the side of the structure. The island, and the area, has a long history of hauntings, from its pre-colonial times, to the superstitions of Dutch sailors and stories of a legendary goblin king. Highlights include: • A ghost ship • A poem about the goblin king • An amateur architect • Exploding steamships • Old-timey sailor hazing For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at Mount Beacon, a mountain named for its role in the Revolutionary War, which once housed a hotel and tourist attractions, and now is a beautiful, ruin-filled place to hike. The town of Beacon lies about an hour and a half from Manhattan by commuter train. The area, which once brimmed with factories, is now a quiet, small town, full of crumbling ruins of its past, spooky cemeteries, and deep woods. This episode focused on Mount Beacon: its history, the reminders it holds of the past, and a experiment to test out a solo version of the Estes method, a popular paranormal investigation technique, on the mountain's peak. Highlights include: • The remains of a mountaintop train, hotel, and casino • Wild speculation about some Estes session results • Some of Beacon's history Note: the Estes session contains some brief expletives. For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
A look at the elements of high strangeness in the 1893 story of a strange, acrobatic ghost in Woodside, Queens. This episode delves into the Snake Woods and Rattlesnake Spring, the now-vanished wilderness of the New York City neighborhood of Woodside, and looks at the odd parts of the news reports of a ghostly figure. Though it's possible that the entity was just an unhomed person wandering the dangerous, snake-infested woods, there are enough unusual elements in the story to bear looking at from a perspective of high strangeness. Highlights include: • Bigfoot • Women in White • Creepy reptiles For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
In 1893, a strange entity dressed all in white appeared in a forest in Woodside, Queens. The entity that was seen in the 19th century didn't seem to communicate verbally, though he made strange, chilling sounds. He was able to move on all fours as quickly as an ordinary person could run, and had a penchant for acrobatic stunts like handsprings. It is unclear what happened to this entity, but more than 100 years later, other stories about ghosts in the Woodside seem to be centered in the same area. . . . Highlights include: • A UFO sighting • Ghost hoaxes in Victorian Australia • A creepy ghost of a 19th century child For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
When a series of dangerous paranormal events plagues a home, famed psychical researcher and author Hereward Carrington is called in to investigate Astoria's "Gold and Ghost" house. In 1934, a 30-year-old man and his 80-year-old housekeeper supposedly experienced a series of paranormal events at their home in Astoria, NY. One of their tenants was strangled (non-fatally) in bed, the housekeeper and her German Shepherd were thrown to the ground hard enough to break limbs, and the man was visited in the night by a shadow person-type ghost who told him that there was gold buried underneath his basement. The story just gets weirder from there, and even famed researcher Hereward Carrington wasn't able to untangle the details. To this day, questions remain about this story full of strange contradictions and puzzling details. Highlights include: • An abandoned secret passageway • Psychics confirming a ghost's claim • A stumped paranormal investigator • A mysterious mannikin • Buried treasure For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com. Stop the Astoria NRG Power Plant: https://publicpower.nyc/stopnrgplant
A look at some 19th century tales of haunted houses in Astoria and Long Island City, NY. Highlights include: • A ghost spider • Debunkings • A runaway horse • A digression about The Great Gatsby For the shownotes and sources, visit buriedsecretspodcast.com.
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