Hey, American Hauntings listeners, it's Troy. I wanted to introduce you to something a little

different that's dropping into our feed this week, a brand new show called American Dread,

which was created by my friend Adam White. Adam has been a part of American Hauntings for many

years and has been a guide for our haunted tours in Decatur, Illinois, for at least a

decade and a half. American dread reveals the true stories of tragedy and terror from the dark side

of the American heartland. It's a podcast for the history and true crime obsessed, the outside-the-box

thinkers who know that the most

disturbing history is the history that gets buried, covered up, and forgotten, which is where

American dread comes in. To uncover the truth, confront the lies, and tell the stories that some people don't want told.

We'll be revealing a few more episodes of American Dread in the next few weeks, so I hope you

enjoy them and that you'll let us know what you think. Thanks for listening.

Every city, every neighborhood wears a mask.

By daylight, it might seem ordinarily safe, familiar streets, friendly faces, the rhythm of daily life.

But when the sun goes down, that mask can slip. And what hides underneath

is something far darker. Today's story takes us to Decatur, Illinois, a place I know well. For some,

it's the kind of Midwest city that feels like home. For others, it's a city where shadows run deeper than most relies.

Factories hum, old brick buildings stand in silence.

In the quiet back streets, history has a way of clinging like a chill you can't shake.

Now, there's something about Halloween that already plays with the human mind.

The air is cooler. The days are shorter. We trade warm sunlight for flickering porch lights

and jack-o-lanterns grins that never quite feel friendly.

It's a night when people expect to be startled, but only in good fun.

...