Astonishing Legends

In tonight's dead letter, our listener’s family trades a rented place for an old Victorian villa tucked into the quiet border country between England and Wales. The previous owner had loved the house for more than half a century, and the neighbors were quick to say she'd have approved of the new arrivals. But the littlest member of the family keeps mentioning an old woman with white hair. We’ll get into faceless figures, formidable women who hold a home together, and an old plaque that quietly says exactly what this whole story is about. REFERENCE LINKS William Morris's Bed and the Kelmscott Manor Poem — Society of Antiquaries of London Lucy M. Boston, the Green Knowe Books, and Memory in a House — Britannica The Manor at Hemingford Grey (the real Green Knowe) Folklore of the Stiperstones and the Devil's Chair The Devil's Chair: The Story Behind the Shropshire Landmark — Shropshire Star The White Lady of Ludlow Castle (Marion de la Bruyère) — Shropshire Star The Phantom Funeral of Ratlinghope and Shropshire Ghost Stories — The History Press Shropshire Folklore, Wild Edric, and the Long Mynd Black Dog — Shropshire Star We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 2 June 2026

In tonight's dead letter, we head into Grafton, West Virginia — a small railroad town built on a B&O junction, Civil War supply lines, and two national cemeteries. The house at the center of this story sat right in the middle of all that history. When a listener named Jonathan moved in with his family as a kid, it was, as he puts it, just off — and the footsteps upstairs were the easy part. Small things kept stacking up, the kind you could maybe almost explain away one at a time but never all together. Decades later he's still working through what happened in that house, and what stayed there.REFERENCE LINKS Grafton, West Virginia — e-WV Encyclopedia B&O Railroad Historical Marker in Grafton Grafton Civil War Supply Depot Historical Marker Grafton National Cemetery — National Cemetery Administration Thornsbury Bailey Brown — First Union Soldier Killed in the Civil War International Mother's Day Shrine Anna Jarvis, Founder of Mother's Day The Grafton Monster — e-WV Encyclopedia The Grafton Monster Festival The Grafton Monster in Fallout 76 George Washington's Surveying of Grafton — City of Grafton Ruth Ann Musick, West Virginia Folklorist The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales Astonishing Legends Ep 85: The Bell Witch Part 1 Astonishing Legends Archived Episodes — The Bell Witch Series The Enfield Poltergeist (1977) The Smurl Haunting (West Pittston, PA) Skinwalkers at the Pentagon — Lacatski, Kelleher, Knapp Hypnopompic Hallucinations — Sleep Foundation The Old Hag Phenomenon and Sleep Paralysis The Blemmyes — Headless Men with Faces in Their Chests West Virginia Paranormal Investigations Paper Moon (1973) We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 26 May 2026

In January 1956, rush-hour drivers crossing Pittsburgh’s icy Homestead High Level Bridge watched a nightmare descend from the sky: a silent B-25 bomber gliding just feet above the roadway with both engines dead. Veteran Air Force pilot Major William Dotson pulled off a flawless emergency landing on the freezing Monongahela River, saving all six men from the crash itself. But within minutes, two crew members vanished into the current, and the bomber sank beneath only 25 feet of water… never to be seen again. How does an entire military aircraft disappear in shallow water, in front of hundreds of witnesses, and stay missing for nearly seventy years?Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 23 May 2026

Scott and Forrest present a preview of a new podcast called Hidden History with Dr. Harini Bhat!Dr. Harini Bhat is a clinical pharmacist and storyteller obsessed with the moments in history that still can't be fully explained. Every week she investigates real events that defy easy explanation. Mass hysterias. Vanished civilizations. Medical oddities. Strange signals. Unexplained phenomena that keep repeating across centuries, as if history is trying to tell us something. Hidden History doesn't dismiss ancient events as myth or superstition. It treats them as open case files, shaped by the limits of knowledge, technology, and record-keeping. Because the unknown isn't a failure of explanation. It's a constant in human experience, one that evolves, repeats, and sometimes deepens the more we learn. New episodes drop every Monday. Follow now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or watch on YouTube @hiddenhistorypod. Listen here: https://play.megaphone.fm/65qgwrg-sq-mmvg7tpqgfa

Transcribed - Published: 21 May 2026

In tonight's dead letter, listener Andrew writes in from a quiet little back house in Monterey Park, California — a place that during the early pandemic felt even quieter than usual. He's a self-described skeptic, he disabled the motion sensor on his own bathroom light because it kept tripping on him, or so he thought. But on the worst night of his life, something happened in that house he still can't quite explain. Scott and Forrest also share a few of their own recent stories — alarm clocks, flickering nightlights, dying batteries that turned out to be just dying batteries — about what's mundane and what isn't when grief is fresh.REFERENCE LINKS History of Monterey Park — Official City Website The Tongva (Gabrielino) People — Wikipedia Monterey Park, California — Wikipedia Hello From Heaven by Bill and Judy Guggenheim The ADC Project — After-Death Communication Research Astonishing Legends Ep 101: ARCapalooza! Part 2 Richard Hatem's Paranormal Bookshelf — Official Site Anomaly: Paranormal Podcast by Paul Gledhill The Monroe Institute — Founded by Robert Monroe Black Mirror: "White Christmas" — Wikipedia We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 20 May 2026

In 1994, Gloria Ramirez, a 31-year-old mother of two dying from cancer, arrived at a Riverside ER with strange odors, an oily sheen on her skin, and crystalline particles in her blood — then doctors and nurses around her began collapsing, vomiting, burning, and struggling to breathe. The ER was evacuated and HAZMAT suits came out. Gloria died in the chaos, and the official explanation still leaves troubling questions. Behind the nickname “The Toxic Lady” is a human being whose final night remains one of the most haunting medical mysteries of our time.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 10 May 2026

In tonight's dead letter, we're across the harbor from Boston, in the densely layered city of Chelsea, Massachusetts. Our listener grew up in a building that began its life as a 19th-century clinic, served as a surgery, and ended its years as a hospice before becoming a multi-generational family home. But the house already had a few residents. Different presences on every floor, each with their own habits and rules. What's harder to explain is the room someone worked very hard to make sure no one would ever find. REFERENCE LINKS Great Chelsea Fire of 1908 — Wikipedia Chelsea Conflagration 1973: The Biggest Fire You've Never Heard Of — Fire Rescue 1 Chelsea on Fire: 1908 —Chelsea conflagration: The biggest fire you’ve never heard of GBH/WGBH Boston Domovoy: Slavic Household Spirit — Wikipedia Domovoy: The Guardian Spirit of the Home and the Family — Slavic Lore Domovoy — Britannica Modern Spolia: Harvesting Building Materials from Demolition Sites — ArchDaily Electronic Voice Phenomenon — Wikipedia Ghosts in the Machine: The Truth About EVP — Homespun Haints Sensing What Others Cannot: Anomalous Experiences and Autism — Psychology Today Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions Experience Increased Levels of Anomalous Perception — PLOS ONE / PMC Is There a Connection Between Autism and the Paranormal? — Association of Paranormal Study We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 5 May 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, a peaceful retreat at a friend's historic property in the country yields a brush with something that defies explanation. The old homes in these rural communities are steeped in generations of human memory, and sometimes, those overlaid paths from the past seem to bleed right through the present day. We unpack an incredibly vivid, solid sighting that leaves us questioning the true nature of time, space, and the boundaries of our own backyards.REFERENCE LINKS The Finger Lakes Region History of the Amish and Mennonite Schism Spolia in Architecture Belhurst Castle and the Lady in White Al Jaffee and the Mad Magazine Fold-In We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 29 April 2026

A retired Air Force major general walks out of his Albuquerque home in 2026 and vanishes with a revolver. But William Neil McCaslind wasn’t just anyone. He once commanded the Air Force Research Laboratory and carried deep knowledge of America’s most advanced defense systems. His disappearance soon becomes part of a much darker pattern online. From Los Alamos to NASA JPL to Caltech, nuclear scientists and defense experts seem to have been erased from the grid. Is someone quietly removing high-value scientific minds from the board? Are brilliant people cracking under unbearable pressure? Or could this be a pattern of our own design?Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 26 April 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, listener Jeannette shares a deeply atmospheric story from a bike commute across one of the most famous bridges in the world. Enveloped in the freezing, thick San Francisco fog, what starts as a quiet ride she’s done a million times turns into an inexplicable encounter with a solitary figure standing near the edge. After a strangely profound exchange of words, she looks back to find the massive walkway entirely empty. She is convinced that he couldn’t have had time to have taken his life in that brief moment. It opens up a conversation about crisis apparitions, liminal spaces, and the heavy emotional toll anchored to such a monumental location.REFERENCE LINKS SFGate: Japanese Taxi Drivers Claim Ghost Passengers Hail Cabs at Site of 2011 Tsunami: https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Japanese-taxi-drivers-claim-ghost-passengers-6806980.phpGolden Gate Bridge Suicide Deterrent Net Project: https://www.goldengate.org/district/district-projects/suicide-deterrent-net/Bridge Rail Foundation: http://www.bridgerail.net/"Unsolved Mysteries"- Tsunami Spirits: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt11107472/KCRW Unfictional Podcast: https://www.kcrw.com/shows/unfictional/latestGhosts of the Tsunami by Richard Lloyd Parry: https://bookshop.org/p/books/ghosts-of-the-tsunami-death-and-life-in-japan-s-disaster-zone-richard-lloyd-parry/4c115c39e1094566?ean=9781250192813&next=tWe're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 21 April 2026

What if the infamous Lead Masks Case wasn’t a one-off tragedy, but the final step in a years-long chain of dangerous experiments? In part 2, we pull back from the image of two dead electronics technicians on Vintém Hill to uncover a much bigger world of underground spiritist circles, secret ham radio messages, strange explosions near the beach, homemade electrical devices, and an earlier death that seems to mirror the case almost exactly. As the pattern widens, the story becomes far darker and more unsettling: not just a mystery about what happened that night in 1966, but whether the clues that could have explained everything were ruined by the investigation itself.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 19 April 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, we’ll take you through the brutalist monuments and ancient layers of Sofia, Bulgaria looking for what may have been the scene of a localized timeslip. After giving up the search for a playground that made a pronounced childhood impression, our listener Vili, stumbles right into a beautifully preserved version of it. We’ll discuss the folklore of missing time, and how our own memories might just be powerful enough to physically manifest things we wish to recover that don’t exist anymore.REFERENCE LINKS National Palace of Culture (NDK) in Sofia Samodiva - Bulgarian Woodland Spirits The Moberly–Jourdain Incident (Versailles Time Slip) Ed Debevic's Retro Diner Alpine Gardens (Alpinarium) The Ghosts of Versailles Part 1 (Astonishing Legends) We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 14 April 2026

In one of Brazil’s strangest unsolved mysteries, two electronics technicians travel to Niterói in 1966, buy matching raincoats, hike up a remote hill with cash, water, towels, and a handwritten set of bizarre instructions, then turn up dead days later lying side by side on palm leaves, wearing homemade lead eye masks and showing no clear cause of death. What follows is a case that spirals far beyond a simple true-crime puzzle, with every answer leading to a bigger question: were these men victims of a bizarre accident, participants in something occult, or did they believe they were about to witness something not of this world?Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 12 April 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, we hear from a librarian who works the desk at a fairly new building down in the Southeast. But the ground it sits on has a much heavier history: the library was built right over the exact footprint of four demolished hospitals, with the old medical cornerstones still cemented into the walkway outside. When a freshly upgraded security system triggers overnight and catches something moving in the dark, the staff is forced to wonder if the property's busy past is finally bleeding into the present.REFERENCE LINKSThe Bray Road Beast Documentary on Prime Video A Haunting at the Hoyt Library on Prime Video Small Town Monsters Official Website ER70 EVP Recorder on the App Store Waverly Hills Sanatorium We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 8 April 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, we hear a story from a listener who along with her husband encountered something bizarre hovering low near their land down in the southernmost part of the Australian mainland. They struggle to understand what they’re looking at and how it could even exist. Somehow it seems to control the outcome of their day in ways that they can’t quite remember. The guys branch out to explore similar phenomena throughout the episode, touching on the famous Frederick Valentich disappearance over the nearby Bass Strait, the mechanics of space-time warp bubbles, and the strange nature of screen memories.NOTE: File needed a revision so this is the 2nd posting to replace the first deleted one.REFERENCE LINKS Wilsons Promontory National Park Astonishing Legends: The Disappearance of Frederic Valentich Part 1 Astonishing Legends: Abduction at Devil's Den (Terry Lovelace) Astonishing Legends: Devil’s Den the Reckoning Part 1 Remote Viewing (TransDimensional Mapping) the Calvine UFO Part 1We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 1 April 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, we hear a story from a listener who along with her husband encountered something bizarre hovering low near their land down in the southernmost part of the Australian mainland. They struggle to understand what they’re looking at and how it could even exist. Somehow it seems to control the outcome of their day in ways that they can’t quite remember. The guys branch out to explore similar phenomena throughout the episode, touching on the famous Frederick Valentich disappearance over the nearby Bass Strait, the mechanics of space-time warp bubbles, and the strange nature of screen memories.REFERENCE LINKS Wilsons Promontory National Park Astonishing Legends: The Disappearance of Frederic Valentich Part 1 Astonishing Legends: Abduction at Devil's Den (Terry Lovelace) Astonishing Legends: Devil’s Den the Reckoning Part 1 Remote Viewing (TransDimensional Mapping) the Calvine UFO Part 1We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 31 March 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, a routine room cleaning following a patient's passing turns into a puzzling technological glitch. A sensor alarm designed to protect patients from hurting themselves keeps going off. The solution to silencing the machine isn't found in a manual, but in a centuries-old tradition regarding the departure of the human soul.REFERENCE LINKSAppalachian Superstitions About Death The Custom of the Soul Window (Seelenfenster)  (Requires translation)Why Do Nurses Hear Phantom Call Bells? We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Transcribed - Published: 24 March 2026

In the lonely New Mexico desert, police discover an abandoned Volkswagen Beetle containing a 12-string guitar, a wallet, clothes, and a box of unsold records. Things a working musician would never willingly leave behind. The car belongs to Jim Sullivan, a talented singer-songwriter who had just made a strange call to his wife saying he’d been pulled over and that she “wouldn’t believe” what happened, before promising to call again from Nashville. He never did. What makes the story unforgettable is that those unsold records were his album called U.F.O., filled with songs about driving into the desert, leaving his life behind, and encountering something in the sky. In this episode, we dive into the eerie disappearance of a man who may have unknowingly written the soundtrack to his own vanishing.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 22 March 2026

In tonight’s Dead Letter, Forrest and Scott read a submission from Stacey, which delves into the "Uncanny Valley" phenomenon in a true-life scenario. In a coastal town already known for its dark past and unusual coastal events, a silent, out-of-place stranger pays an unexpected visit to a college apartment. Sometimes the most chilling stories are those where the door remains locked and whatever was on the other side…is still out there somewhere.REFERENCE LINKSHistory of Bellingham, Washington The Salish Sea Severed Feet Phenomenon Kenneth Bianchi and Western Washington University The Uncanny Valley in Psychology We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 17 March 2026

Tonight, Forrest and I are sitting down with Jeremiah Byron for an exclusive live video interview about the unprecedented, real-time flap of Bigfoot sightings currently moving through Northeast Ohio. This special broadcast is completely private and only available to Astonishing Legends Patreon members and Bigfoot Society Supercast subscribers. Grab your drinks and join us in the chat tonight at 9:30 PM Eastern, 8:30 PM Central, and 6:30 PM Pacific for all the breaking updates!

Transcribed - Published: 15 March 2026

In tonight’s dead letter from listener Amanda, the boundary between an adorable trusted holiday icon and nocturnal terror is tested in the deep woods near the Allegheny National Forest. A massive silhouette of something that shouldn’t exist peering over the hood of a car sparks a lifelong mystery. Amanda may have been a child when she saw this, but her mom and grandmother were both also eyewitnesses.References and Links: The History of Warren, Pennsylvania The Folklore of the Celtic Púca Flemish Giant Rabbits: Facts and Size The Psychology of Childhood Memory and TraumaWe're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 10 March 2026

This episode dives into one of the strangest modern consciousness experiments ever proposed. Starting with cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman’s provocative idea that reality may function like a computer desktop interface — an evolutionary illusion designed for survival rather than truth. We’ll explore a bizarre experiment popularized by Danny Goler in which participants under the influence of DMT have claimed that lasers can help random patterns resolve into stable, angular symbols under the right conditions — as if making the hidden code behind reality visible. Are these visions simply the brain’s hyper-connected visual cortex generating patterns, or could they represent the possibility that our everyday reality may be a carefully rendered illusion?Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 8 March 2026

In tonight’s dead letter… we travel back to 2010 to a hotel in the heart of Camden in the UK. Two brothers looking to soak up some local punk history find themselves sharing a room with something entirely unexpected. Sometimes the most mundane late-night activities—like eating pizza and watching TV—are the perfect backdrop for the impossible to slip through.Reference Links: Historical Hauntings of North London Camden's historyWe're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 3 March 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, we dive into a bizarre encounter that proves the unexplained doesn't always wait for a dark and stormy night on boot hill. Sometimes just an ordinary walk home from a university class can transform into an unforgettable and unsettling experience. Could a seemingly mundane moment on a city sidewalk be the cover for a highly advanced technological test, or is it something far more supernatural? Join us as we explore the invisible boundaries of our own minds and discuss what happens when an unseen force aggressively demands to cross them.Göbekli Tepe - Britannica Noveto Systems 'SoundBeaming' - AP News Havana Syndrome - Wikipedia Nina Kulagina - Wikipedia Weird or What? with William Shatner: Mind Control (Season 3, Episode 10) - IMDbWe're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Transcribed - Published: 25 February 2026

In the final chapter of our Scole series, the story stops looking like a séance and starts feeling like science fiction. What began with classic Spiritualist phenomena — messages from the dead and movement in the dark—escalates into self-developing film, unexplained voices on sealed recorders, and a crystal device built for two-way contact. Then a black-eyed, Grey-like figure appears on video, and the entities claim to be inter-dimensional beings and time travelers. With ominous warnings and a sudden end to the experiment, we’re left with the question: did they prove life after death… or open something they couldn’t control?Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 22 February 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, a routine hike along a converted railroad bed transforms into a standoff with the inexplicable for Patron and Listener Zed. Standing in an open clearing along the path is a solitary, towering object that seems to possibly be a tree, but for some reason it’s hard to tell. When Zed and his hiking partner attempt to rationalize the sight, they are met not with answers, but with a wave of paralyzing dread and the distinct impression that the object is aware of them.Reference Links Wadhams to Avoca Trail | Michigan Trails The Van Meter Monster - Astonishing Legends Mantis Men - Astonishing Legends Indrid Cold (The Smiling Man) - Cryptid Wiki Communion (1989) - IMDbWe're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Transcribed - Published: 17 February 2026

This week, we return to the pitch-black depths of the Scole Experiment, where a sealed room in rural Norfolk became the testing ground for an impossible claim: that voices from beyond could speak through a crude, powerless device that shouldn’t have worked at all. What began as a strange experiment in energy and communication quickly drew the attention of the Society for Psychical Research — seasoned skeptics, scientists, and even magicians determined to expose any trickery. Instead, they found themselves confronting an event that challenged physics, belief, and their own assumptions. Was this the realization of a long-dreamed-of “spirit phone,” or a masterclass in deception?Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 15 February 2026

In tonight’s dead letter… we explore the unsettling possibility that our children are not the blank slates conventional psychology suggests. Listener, Tim, recounts the evening his toddler, Mason, claimed he "wasn't always" his kid before describing a past life that ended in a tragic house fire. It is a quiet reflection on the "old soul" phenomenon and whether our children bring a bit of luggage with them when they enter this world.Reference Links The University of Virginia: Division of Perceptual Studies The Work of Dr. Ian Stevenson Monarch Butterfly Migration and Genetics - National Geographic Altered States (1980) - IMDB Defending Your Life (1991) - IMDBPLAINTEXTThe University of Virginia: Division of Perceptual Studies: https://med.virginia.edu/perceptual-studies/The Work of Dr. Ian Stevenson: https://a.co/d/0fMu7zrxMonarch Butterfly Migration and Genetics - National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/facts/monarch-butterfly/Altered States (1980) - IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0080360/Defending Your Life (1991) - IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101694/We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 10 February 2026

In a quiet Norfolk village, in the early 1990s, a seventeenth-century farmhouse became the setting for one of the most controversial paranormal investigations ever conducted. In the cellar of Street Farmhouse in Scole, a small group known as the Scole Experimental Group claimed they weren’t just contacting spirits — they were working with them. Over five years, under strict controls, they reported blue lights with apparent intelligence, physical phenomena, voices broadcast through powerless devices, and even photographic images appearing on sealed film, all allegedly guided by a collective of discarnate scientists calling themselves “The Team of Many Minds.” This episode kicks off a three-part deep dive into the Scole Experiment, beginning with the Norfolk Protocol and the impossible technology said to be designed from beyond the grave. Bibliography Books & Reports Foy, Robin P. Witnessing the Impossible: The Diary of the Scole Experiment. Diss: Campion Books, 2008. Keen, Montague, Arthur Ellison, and David Fontana. "The Scole Report: An Account of an Investigation into the Genuineness of a Range of Physical Phenomena Associated with a Mediumistic Group in Norfolk, England." Proceedings of the Society for Psychical Research 58, no. 220 (November 1999): 147–455. Solomon, Grant, and Jane Solomon. The Scole Experiment: Scientific Evidence for Life After Death. Diss: Campion Books, 1999 (Updated 2006). Multimedia Drasin, Dan. "SCOLE: THE AFTERLIFE EXPERIMENT." YouTube video of Original Documentary. Uploaded by Dan Drasin.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 8 February 2026

In tonight’s dead letter… Scott and Forrest explore the intersection of the safety of the suburbs and the primeval woods of the greater Akron area. Long before "Ohio" became modern slang for the weird, it was already earning that reputation through sightings of glowing red eyes that radiated their own light, but if you listen to Astonishing Legends, you already know that. Michael’s account details a terrifying standoff where when he was only 5 years old, he and his sister found themselves locked in the sanctuary of a childhood bedroom with something peering at them from outside. Reference Links Small Town Monsters Village of Mogador - Official History Minerva Monster - Encyclopedia Arctica The Ohio Valley UFO Flap of 1973 Mogador, Ohio - Wikipedia We're looking for more stories! Send your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 3 February 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, a simple move to a quiet farmhouse turns into a bit of an accidental science experiment between two roommates who didn't want to sound "crazy" to each other. They both lived with the same unsettling experiences for months in total silence until a conversation on their final day changed everything. It’s a fascinating look at how our surroundings—and even the very ground beneath us—might be playing tricks on our senses, either organically or spiritually. Reference Links Recommended Reading & Resources Ancient Aliens: The Alien Frequency (Season 12, Episode 8) The Maltese Falcon (1941) - IMDB Dead Mountain by Donnie Eichar NASA Technical Reports: Human Response to Vibration Vic Tandy: The Ghost in the MachineGeographic Landmarks Ggantija Temples, Gozo Hal Saflieni Hypogeum Tarxien Temples Gozo IslandSend your Dead Letter to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com!

Transcribed - Published: 27 January 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, listener Chris and his wife venture to the highest point east of the Rockies for a night of stargazing under the Milky Way. While lying on the summit of Black Elk Peak, Chris decides to put out a silent, mental invitation to the universe to see if anything might respond. The atmosphere shifts dramatically during their descent, leading to an incident in the dark woods that leaves the couple questioning the nature of the "entities" Chris had called upon. Scott and Forrest discuss the spiritual history of this sacred Lakota location and whether Chris unintentionally followed a protocol that opened a door to the unexplained. Reference Links Black Elk Speaks: The Complete Edition BFRO - Bigfoot Legends UFO Reality by Jenny Randalls In the Spirit of Crazy Horse by Peter Matthiessen CE5 Protocols The Oz Factor Thunderheart (1992 Film) The Age of Disclosure

Transcribed - Published: 20 January 2026

This week, we revisit one of the most compelling and unsettling UFO cases on record: the Shag Harbor Incident. Often called Canada’s Roswell, but with one crucial difference — the government openly admitted it didn’t know what happened. On October 4, 1967, airline crews, fishermen, and first responders all witnessed a strange craft descend into the waters off Nova Scotia, leaving behind no wreckage, no survivors, but a thick, sulfur-smelling foam that defied explanation. Every aircraft was accounted for, and the Royal Canadian Air Force officially classified the event as a “UFO Report,” not a meteor or misidentified plane. But the mystery deepens when decades of research uncover a buried military history tied to underwater encounters and secret NATO exercises. With fresh context from our recent USO investigation, and groundbreaking research by eyewitness and investigator Chris Styles, this episode explores the possibility that Shag Harbor wasn’t just a crash, but a coordinated recovery involving technology not of this world.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 18 January 2026

In tonight’s dead letter… listener Kevin, an overnight security officer at the time, faces an unsettling experience in the silent, abandoned wing of a psychiatric hospital. He encounters an entity that isn't misty or formless, but a shimmering, blue-lit figure. The encounter takes a turn when the presence seems to pause, acknowledge him, and continue its inexplicable journey. This is not your typical haunting.Episode References & Further Reading: Waverly Hills Sanatorium: Official Site: Waverly Hills Sanatorium Wikipedia: Waverly Hills Sanatorium - Wikipedia Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: Official Site: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum Wikipedia: Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum - Wikipedia Kecksburg UFO Incident: Wikipedia: Kecksburg UFO incident - WikipediaThe Backrooms: Know Your Meme: Know Your Memes: The Back Rooms Corpse Candles: Wikipedia: Corpse road - Wikipedia Will-o'-the-wisps: Wikipedia: Will-o'-the-wisp - WikipediaFata Morgana (Mirage): Wikipedia: Fata Morgana - Wikipedia Wikipedia (General Mirages): Mirage - Wikipedia "Skinwalkers at the Pentagon" by George Knapp and Colm Kelleher: Amazon Link: George Knapp & Colm Kelleher: Skinwalkers at the Pentagon (Amazon) Astonishing Legends EpisodeSynesthesia: Wikipedia: Synesthesia - Wikipedia Jim Harold's Campfire Podcast: Official Site: Jim Harold's Campfire Color Symbolism in Esotericism (regarding light colors): Wikipedia: Color symbolism - Wikipedia

Transcribed - Published: 13 January 2026

Humans have always scanned the skies for the unknown, from Galileo’s first telescopic observations to modern instruments peering 13 billion years into the past, always assuming that if contact ever came, it would come from space. Yet while we obsess over the heavens, we largely ignore the vast, uncharted world covering 71% of our own planet. The deep ocean, less mapped than Mars, and hostile to human exploration, has long inspired reports from sailors of strange lights and massive, fast-moving shapes beneath the waters. Today, advanced sensors, radar, and military testimony describe objects that plunge from the sky into the sea without impact, maneuver underwater at extreme speeds, and defy conventional explanation. Known as Unidentified Submerged Objects (USOs), or “Fast Movers,” these verified encounters challenge our assumptions, raising an unsettling possibility: while we search the cosmos for visitors, something unknown may have been here all along.Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 12 January 2026

In tonight’s dead letter, we head to Athens, Ohio, home of the Astonishing Legends Merch headquarters — Athens is a town steeped in history and according to some accounts, one of the most haunted places in America. When an anthropology student moves into an apartment inside a renovated church, mysterious knocks soon give way to the sighting of a bizarre, tiny entity that refuses to leave. This one is outside the paranormal box, and with the benefit of history, it would appear that whatever was there…refuses to leave.LINKS:The Athens Lunatic Asylum https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Athens_Lunatic_AsylumThe Ridges - Ohio University History & Architecture https://www.ohio.edu/ridgesArticles detailing the tragic story of Margaret Schilling and the stain she left behind, which Scott and Forrest discussed in detail. https://2020.soulofathens.com/lore-of-appalachia/stain.html https://factschology.com/mmm-podcast-articles/lost-lady-athens-asylum-ohioWilson Hall & Room 428: Information on the infamous "sealed" dorm room that the university supposedly closed off due to paranormal activity. https://shopathensohio.com/blog/wilson-hall-and-room-428/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ohiouniversity/comments/11ntl8b/haunted_wilson_hall_room_428_ohio_university/The Athens Pentagram Theory: A look at the theory mentioned by Scott regarding the five cemeteries that supposedly form a pentagram around the city (with Wilson Hall at the center). https://www.athensnews.com/news/pentagram-theory-conjures-up-haunted-athens/article_f0c189c8-728e-11ee-bf6c-dbb66e699980.htmlThe Koons Spirit Room: Context on the historical spiritualism connection near Athens (Mt. Nebo) that Scott brought up. https://www.americanhauntingsink.com/koonsKirkbride Buildings History https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirkbride_Plan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Story_Kirkbride

Transcribed - Published: 6 January 2026

SPECIAL PRESENTATION: They Knew Too Much about Flying Saucers “The Saucers don’t interest me anymore. When Barker asked is that because you found out they were too ordinary to be interesting? Or because what you discovered about them is too painful for you to think about?”—They Knew Too Much About Flying Saucers by Gray Barker Listen: https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/ Support RHPB on Patreon here! https://patreon.com/RichardHatem?utm_medium=unknown&utm_source=join_link&utm_campaign=creatorshare_creator&utm_content=copyLink  Get RHPB merch here! https://richardhatem-shop.fourthwall.com/? 

Transcribed - Published: 29 December 2025

With Scott and Forrest on hiatus, join hosts Ed Voccola (Rick and Morty, Bless The Harts) and Chris Cullari (Blumhouse, The Aviary) for a wild trip through the world of what scares them in this special presentation of the Astonishing Legends Network's hit show Scared All The Time! In this episode (chosen by the fans!) the boys go sicko mode and come down with a case of necrotizing fasciitis...better known as flesh-eating bacteria. They cover the symptoms, the consequences, and what it takes to survive one of the deadliest diseases known to man. Plus: sepsis survivor stories! Don't love every word they say? Ok, weirdo. Here's some "chapters" to find what you DO love: 00:00:00 - Intro 00:01:27 - Housekeeping 00:06:49 - We’re Talking Flesh-Eating Bacteria 00:10:04 - Cabin Fever 00:16:04 - Nico gets Necrotic 00:20:00 - Necrotizing Fasciitis 00:29:31 - Tranq 00:32:49 - The History of Flesh-Eating Diseases 00:41:32 - What Happens to the Infected 00:44:50 - FEB Survivor Stories 00:49:22 - The Case of the Red Leg 00:59:37 - Gross-ish Part 1 Starts 01:00:28 - Gross-ish Part 1 Ends 01:05:45 - Gross-ish Part 2 Starts 01:11:31 - Gross-ish Part 2 Ends 01:16:33 - Elenor Follow-Up 01:22:10 - Sepsis 01:25:00 - Sepsis Survivor Stories 01:28:15 - The Fear Tier NOTE: Ads out of our control may affect chapter timing. Visit this episode’s show notes for links and references. And the show notes for every episode can now be found on our website. Want even more out of SATT? Now you can SUPPORT THE SHOW and get NEW SATT CONTENT EVERY WEEK for as little as 5 BONES — which includes our bonus video show New Fear Unlocked — by joining SATT PREMIUM.

Transcribed - Published: 16 December 2025

SPECIAL PRESENTATION of The Midnight Library for Astonishing Legends Listeners - From Miranda Merrick: Welcome, Spooky Lovely! We have a fabulous evening planned for you in Highgate Cemetery! There will be gruesome finds, battling vampire hunters, rattled bones, and wandering ghosts- all shared with you by your rumored witch host! So, breathe deep, the gathering gloom, and pick out your spot in The Reading Room! We're so happy to see you! Special Thanks to Sounds Like an Earful Music Supply for the amazing music AND sound design.

Transcribed - Published: 10 December 2025

SPECIAL CROSSOVER PRESENTATION of Richard Hatem’s Paranormal Bookshelf "The Ghost of 29 Megacycles" - S1:E5 "At first, he couldn't believe what was happening. A shape was beginning to form. He could clearly see the head and face of a man. O'Neill was gripped in fear. 'My God who are you?' Bill said. He was more than surprised when the figure answered: 'They call me, Doc Nick'." – from The Ghost of 29 Megacycles by John G. Fuller. Close your eyes and picture this: it's the winter of 1984. Karma Chameleon is on the radio, Ronald Reagan just announced his candidacy for a second presidential term, and a young Richard was returning home late on a Saturday night when his brother, John, caught him in the hallway and made him listen to the scariest thing they'd ever heard. In this episode, Richard explores The Ghost of 29 Megacycles by John G. Fuller. This book chronicles the development and use of the Spiricom device, an invention claiming to facilitate two-way communication between the living and the dead. As Richard immerses himself in the pages of The Ghost of 29 Megacycles, which he found in 1997, he can’t help but see himself reflected in the pages. You see, he was holed up in the Heathman Hotel in Portland, Oregon, working on The Mothman Prophecies. Through Meek's unwavering belief in the impossible, Richard finds inspiration to embrace his own sense of limitless belief, propelling him to finish the screenplay and truly bet on himself. Join Richard as he uncovers the mysteries of the Spiricom and reflects on the power of belief, in both yourself…and the paranormal.  Subscribe now wherever you listen to podcasts for the next episode. Learn more about the stories, books, music, and more featured in this episode at https://www.richardhatemsparanormalbookshelf.com/ 

Transcribed - Published: 23 November 2025

Astonishing Legends and the Astonishing Dead Letter Office are on pause.

Transcribed - Published: 2 November 2025

In tonight’s dead letter… Luke recounts a spooky camping trip with his brother and father where they found themselves surrounded by something both canine and ethereal. Despite being experienced outdoorsmen, they’re unable to defend themselves against whatever is encircling their campsite as the leader of this pack of animals stares intently at them, and has no reaction to shots fired in self-defense. LINKS: The Tule River Indian Tribe https://tulerivertribe-nsn.gov/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tule_River_Indian_Tribe_of_the_Tule_River_Reservation Black Dog https://www.thebarkingbugle.co.uk/the-black-dog-of-east-anglia/ The Barghest https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barghest The Hellhound https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellhound The Black Shuck https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Shuck Original Reddit Post https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/55mhg6/surrounded_by_translucent_coyotes/ The KLF 3AM Eternal https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3_a.m._Eternal MOVIE REFERENCES: Jacob’s Ladder https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacob's_Ladder_(1990_film) BOOK REFERENCES: Wild Talents: By Charles Fort https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Talents_(book) The Silver Bridge (Collapse/Mothman Connection) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Bridge PODCAST EPISODES: Let’s Not Meet https://letsnotmeetpodcast.com/ https://crypticcountypodcasts.com/ Radiolab: You Are Here https://www.radiolab.org/podcast/110165-you-are-here Astonishing Legends: Are We Ever Alone? https://open.spotify.com/episode/3nLvVgPmouZsTAnuxepPMo?si=7eb6d9be9f9b4c14 Astonishing Legends: The Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0aPODiXAQaJwg5GePi7039?si=78bc91b6c0e14a3a OUR SPONSOR: Rula patients typically pay $15 per session when using insurance. Connect with quality therapists and mental health experts who specialize in you at https://www.rula.com/dlo #rulapod Send YOUR story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Transcribed - Published: 21 October 2025

In 1988, the Knowles family’s journey across Australia’s remote Nullarbor Plain turned into a nightmare, when in the pre-dawn hours of January 20th, they encountered a glowing, egg-shaped object that chased their car along the Eyre Highway. They claimed the light emitted a high-pitched hum, filled the car with a gray mist, and lifted the vehicle off the road before dropping it, blowing out a tire. Fleeing in terror, they found the car dented and covered in black dust. A police officer confirmed their distress, and a truck driver reported seeing strange lights in the same area. What attacked the Knowles family that night? This week, we take a look. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 19 October 2025

In tonight’s dead letter… Veronica takes a ghost tour of an old jail in Charleston, South Carolina and has an intense encounter with a spirit there. She's able to describe this man in detail and later discovers the spirit is that of William Marcus, who was hanged at the jail for the murder of his wife. The experience was terrifying and shaped Veronica's path in understanding and protecting herself from many more unseen things she has crossed paths with in her life since then. The photo of William Marcus is from Charleston News and Courier (published as The News and Courier.) - August 4, 1906 - page 8.  LINKS: Facebook video where the video tour of the jail with the guide can be found, at 4:30 the image of William Marcus can be seen. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=198368942110180&rdid=DOvyBA9NGT8WMtSY Stella Maris Catholic Church https://stellamarischurch.org/ American Ghost Walks (Tour Company) https://www.americanghostwalks.com/ ASTONISHING LEGENDS EPISODES MENTIONED: The Siren Call of Hungry Ghosts Part 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/0R1h6Lw9GoAnMupP82zSrm?si=7f96f93019ef4976 The Vertical Plane Part 1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/69ynhhVF8UrVzI1OI4Rsoy?si=d266bf2f5e064ca2 Send YOUR story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com 

Transcribed - Published: 14 October 2025

In the cemetery of Christ Church Parish Church in Barbados stands a half-buried stone crypt infamous for its early 19th-century mystery. Between 1807 and 1812, several heavy, lead-lined coffins were placed inside, but each time the vault was reopened, the caskets were found disturbed — despite the massive stone door being sealed tight with no sign of entry. Governor Lord Combermere investigated in 1819, sealing the vault with his stamp, and spreading sand to catch footprints, but when it was opened again, the coffins had once more been thrown into chaos with the seals unbroken and the sand untouched. The bodies were removed soon after, and the vault sealed again, its mystery still unsolved. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 12 October 2025

In tonight’s dead letter, listener Trevor recounts a bizarre encounter while looking out the window one night. He saw a strange, bald, meditating figure with long pointed ears in his friend’s backyard. The figure then opened its eyes, grinned at him with pointed teeth, and hopped away into the woods. Trevor’s evening began with taking the psychedelic drug mescaline, but he has some experience with it, and has never experienced something interactive like this. Trevor is plain about the fact that he had been under the influence earlier in the evening, and maybe that’s the reason for what he saw, but he does also wonder if the drug lifted a veil to reveal a real being, especially when he connected his story to an older episode of Astonishing Legends where a listener encountered something very similar, while awake and completely sober. LINKS: Astonishing Legends - “Your True Halloween Stories, Part 3” with Mallory’s Storyhttps://open.spotify.com/episode/5q6pnT9fOeVof8hNIndYYi?si=3e6b159e281c4ba9 DMT: The Spirit Moleculehttps://www.simonandschuster.com/books/DMT-The-Spirit-Molecule/Rick-Strassman/9780892819270 Terence McKenna analysis on the Podcast: Midnight, On Earth https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ogRYNa6kWF6CKyUIkcnUl?si=23uwRaoCRNuXnrTqhSXw5A https://www.organism.earth/library/document/what-ive-learned-from-psychedelics Dr. Steve G. Jones - Astral Projection Hypnosishttps://stevegjones.com/buy/hypnosis-mp3s/astral-projection-platinum-mp3/ Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Transcribed - Published: 7 October 2025

In tonight’s dead letter… a listener shares their chilling encounters with "Die Fratzen," demonic faces that surfaced after a period of indulgence and self-disgust. These weren't just fleeting nightmares; they manifested as waking visions and doppelgangers, leading to a quest for spiritual help. The writer grapples with the possibility of mental health issues versus a genuine spiritual battle and how these experiences mirror those of Anneliese Michel, whom we covered a few years ago on Astonishing Legends. Links: Astonishing Legends: The Devil and Annaliese Michel P1 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5ZiRkT1ZfIyMBsUBAs1RDK?si=d044978fbf484d63 P2 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5k6UzW5Yku23D55QbcKGhl?si=cb39009d744f4dbd P3 https://open.spotify.com/episode/3NHYwTl94InnHYREWpE044?si=bc43d397273d4176 Astonishing Legends: Sarah and the Spider Woman https://open.spotify.com/episode/38UXYglzND21RcSLQiTk1M?si=4e6f381273b34557 Unsolved Mysteries: Don Decker https://unsolved.com/gallery/don-decker/ Paranormal Witness: Don Decker https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2090999/ Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Transcribed - Published: 30 September 2025

Across England, legends tell of “screaming skulls,” which are human remains said to bring disaster if moved from their resting place. In Dorset, a skull defies removal with deadly consequences; in Derbyshire, “Dickie” halted a railway project; in Yorkshire, Anne’s head demanded to stay within her beloved home; and in Manchester, one cast into a moat unleashed a storm. Whether relics of Celtic head-worship, tools of folk medicine, or grim mementos of an age steeped in mortality, the stories agree on one rule: disturb the skulls at your peril. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Transcribed - Published: 27 September 2025

In tonight’s Dead Letter, you’ll hear a bizarre tale from rural Ohio, one of our favorite strange states, involving a creature known only as the "Lock Looker." This cryptid, with its orangutan-like build, glowing orange eyes, and famous movie scream, lurks near a dam and has been sighted by both the storyteller and their father. It may have been around a while. Join Scott and Forrest as they briefly debate the pronunciation of Orangutan and also delve into this multi-generational mystery. LINKS: Shelby County Parks (Home of Lockington Reserve)https://shelbycopark.org/lockington-reserve University of Zurich - Orangutan Callshttps://www.iea.uzh.ch/en/research/orangutannetwork/orangutancallrepertoires.html The actual one we played: https://www.iea.uzh.ch/dam/jcr:00000000-7c6e-90e4-ffff-ffff84c61003/Ref_Crying_and_Screaming_Jeri.mp3 R2-D2 Sound Design https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=So0nmciiFJg Lyle Blackburnhttp://www.lyleblackburn.com/ Send your stories into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com

Transcribed - Published: 23 September 2025

News from Scott and Forrest

Transcribed - Published: 20 September 2025