Astonishing Legends

In 1921, a five-masted schooner emerged from the mists off North Carolina's treacherous coast - a floating tomb devoid of life. Eleven souls had vanished without a trace, leaving behind an eerie tableau of abandonment. Tonight we delve into this chilling mystery and attempt to unravel a web of bizarre clues: inexplicably damaged equipment, missing shoreboats, and whispers of aberrant crew behavior from passing ships. Was it a bloodthirsty mutiny? Ruthless pirates? A clandestine rum-running operation gone awry? Or perhaps something far more sinister lurking in the depths of human nature - or beyond? The Carroll A. Deering is a haunting mystery, reminding us that some secrets of the sea may never be fully uncovered, leaving our imaginations to run wild with unsettling possibilities. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Tonight we dive into a chilling tale from a former member of the 75th Ranger Regiment, who had mysterious encounters with a face-pressing entity in their deployment tent. This story shows how paranormal experiences can affect even seasoned soldiers. The Astonishing Dead Letter Office - Where Your Stories Die to be Told

In this episode, Scott and Forrest share a captivating story from a listener named Meagan about her family's experience with a friendly spirit named Martin. Since the late sixties, Meagan's family has lived with Martin, known for lighthearted antics like slamming doors. In fact, Meagan may not have even been born had Martin not stepped in when her mom was younger. Join them in the vault for this listener story about living with a ghost and the strange events that come along with that. The Astonishing Dead Letter Office - Where Your Stories Die to be Told

On the night of July 10, 1969, John Reichart was fishing near Greer Island on the shores of Lake Worth, about ten miles from Fort Worth, Texas, while his wife Linda sat in their car reading a book.  Moments after John finally hooked a large catfish, he heard his wife screaming in terror and turned to see something moving around on top of the car. As he raced to help, this thing was now on the ground and next to the passenger window, appearing to try to get at Linda. John instinctively lunged at this creature, shoving it away from the car while getting a good look at it. He described it as massive and standing on two legs, horns on its head, covered with white hair and what seemed like shiny fish scales; some kind of human-animal hybrid he said was "half man, half goat." The Reicharts weren't the only witnesses to this scary scuffle as two other couples parked nearby also saw the entire horrifying incident. Almost forty people claimed to have seen the same beast the next night, with sightings continuing for months afterward, generating news coverage and a police investigation. Our friend, author, musician, and intrepid cryptid hunter, Lyle Blackburn, once again deftly and comprehensively investigates one of the strangest and most disturbing creature encounters in Texas and U.S. history in his latest book, Lake Worth Monster: The True Story of the Greer Island Goatman. Please join us as we welcome Lyle to discuss the particulars of a brute so bizarre it makes a plain old Bigfoot seem ordinary by comparison.   Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In this episode, Scott and Forrest tackle a creepy listener story about Black Eyed Kids that took place during the height of the pandemic. The story follows a woman who encounters a strange boy in a red hoodie in the dark, leading to some serious bad luck afterward. Join us as we break down this unsettling encounter and its impact on the storyteller’s life. The Astonishing Dead Letter Office - Where Your Stories Die to be Told

Welcome to the premiere episode of the Astonishing Dead Letter Office, a new weekly show from the creators of Astonishing Legends. For over a decade, you’ve been sending in your strange and unexplainable experiences. In this first episode, "It Depends Who's Looking," we explore a chilling haunted house story from Jeff, former manager of the still popular Instagram account Harlow and Sage. Jeff and his wife encounter escalating paranormal activity in their new home, from mysterious noises to ghostly apparitions. The Astonishing Dead Letter Office - Where Your Stories Die to be Told

Once more unto the breach of Halloween, dear friends, once more, as we drift dreamily into some of our listeners’ most eerie encounters!  We begin tonight’s fearsome festivities with an account from Kamal, who discovered some ghostly confirmation in “Grandma’s Photo Album.”  Listener Holly and her nephew are visited both day and night by a little girl they could consider “Our Imaginary Friend.”  Next, while on deployment in East Africa with the Army National Guard, Zac and his fellow soldiers make “Contact in the Desert” with an otherworldly being.  While giving a tour at the historic and haunted Belleview-Biltmore Hotel in Florida, Joseph gets spectrally tackled, giving him the “Groundskeeper Willies.”  Damon’s story shows that even when you unwittingly stare into the void, “The Void Stares Back.” And finally, when listener Alison is supernaturally harassed and goaded to “Wake up, Ali!” she learns that we thankfully have champions in the spiritual warfare between good and evil.  Please join us for our spooky season tradition, where the most astonishing thing is our listeners and their actual experiences.   Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In part 2 of our series on The Entity, we delve deeper into the story of The Entity and the horrific experiences of Doris Bither. We’ll explore previously undisclosed details of her life and the paranormal phenomena witnessed in her home by a large team of researchers from UCLA, as told by the only person in the world who’s been in touch with Bither’s family, Javier Ortega. We’ll examine the aftermath of the haunting, its profound effects on the Bither family, and the challenges they faced long after the initial investigation concluded. Going beyond the well-known narrative, we’ll explore Doris's later years and the enduring psychological impact on her family. Astonishing Legends has always strived to be the ‘Podcast of Record’ on the topics we cover, and this one is no different. Join us as we unravel the untold continuation of The Entity Haunting, seeking not just the truth of what happened but a deeper understanding of how the investigation into it may have done more harm than good. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Astonishing Legends finally tackles the infamous Entity haunting case from the 1970s, featuring an exclusive interview with researcher Xavier Ortega from GhostTheory.com. This is the story of Doris Bither, a single mother in Culver City, California, who was repeatedly assaulted by spectral entities in her home. Ortega shares new information from his interviews with Bither’s sons, providing unprecedented insight into the family’s experiences. For the first time, it’s revealed that the paranormal activity began after Bither attempted to communicate with entities through Ouija board seances. Listeners will hear about strange phenomena witnessed by multiple observers, including apparitions, unexplained noises, and physical attacks. Scott, Forrest, and Xavier will share details of spectral assaults in Part 1 of this series that most folks haven’t heard about. This is a deep dive into one of the most disturbing paranormal cases in American history, with new revelations that have never before been shared publicly. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

A special announcement regarding Hurricane Helene. https://reddit.com/r/asheville https://www.bpr.org/bpr-news/2024-09-28/list-ways-to-donate-and-help-flood-victims-in-western-north-carolina-after-hurricane-helene https://umcmission.org/ United Way link updated from link in the announcement: https://www.unitedway.org/hurricane-helene#

In our conclusion to our two-part series on American Bloodfalls, we dive deeper into the mysterious phenomenon that baffled witnesses across 19th-century America. Our special guest, Tom Maxwell, guides us through more perplexing incidents of blood and meat raining from the sky, from the famous Kentucky Meat Shower of 1876 to the final recorded event in 1902. We examine the scientific analyses of the time, which often identified the fallen material as animal tissue yet failed to propose any reasonable theories about its origins. Tom helps us navigate the theories proposed over the years and why they fall short when confronted with eyewitness accounts and the scale of events. We’ll discuss connections to biblical accounts and consider how these events might reflect their time's cultural and spiritual climate. Then, of course, we’ll get to the theories, even though the mundane ones have been tough to identify with this legend. But yes, portals and UFOs will probably make the scene. Tom helps us grapple with how these occurrences challenge humanity’s modern, materialist worldview and why meat showers and bloodfalls seem to have ceased by the early 20th century. Even after all of this time, they continue to defy explanation. However, that won’t stop us from trying to figure it out. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Bloodfalls and meat showers - phenomena that sound more like biblical plagues than historical events. Yet, reports of these bizarre occurrences peppered the American landscape for over a century. From Alabama to Massachusetts, Tennessee to California, eyewitnesses sometimes described small red clouds followed by downpours of blood, flesh, and viscera. Some were subjected to the red rain on entirely cloudless days. While many saw divine judgment, skeptics suspected elaborate hoaxes. Scientists proposed numerous theories ranging from vomiting vultures to atmospheric anomalies, while newspapers spread the stories far and wide. But what really happened during these grisly events? Were they connected or separate phenomena with similar descriptions? And why did they seem to stop abruptly at the turn of the 20th century? Join us as we delve into this bloody chapter of American history with our special guest, Tom Maxwell, former frontman of the Squirrel Nut Zippers and bloodfall expert, for Part 1 of this 2-part series. Together, we'll examine not just what fell from the sky, but what these incidents reveal about 19th-century America - its people, its science, and its struggle to make sense of a rapidly changing world. From the fringes of meteorology to the depths of human nature, this is the strange, gruesome, and utterly captivating story of America's reign of blood and meat. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Richard & Susan drop in with some important upcoming dates and announcements about all things RHPB, including a couple of SPECIAL UPCOMING EPISODES you’ll want to know about right away… Enjoy!

The authorities may have finally learned of the man on the moor's identity, yet, as they say, this only raised many more questions than his real name answered.  As police questioned his family, his neighbors, service providers, and even an ex-girlfriend, a picture of a pretty peculiar man emerged.  "Neil Dovestone" went by the name David Lytton.  However, even his legal name was perhaps a privacy screen to hide his emotions and past behind, as his given name was David Keith Lautenberg.  Described as a kind and conscientious man, Lytton also led a very ascetic and minimalist lifestyle, adding to the mystery of his mindset.  Those who knew him in England, even his partner at the time, Maureen Toogood, had no idea he had quietly moved to Pakistan after abruptly cutting off contact to live there for several years.  Even with more pieces to the puzzle now in place, there's still no clue as to what led him to where he chose to end everything and why.  Was it solely his doing, or was someone else involved?  What seems likely is that his body was staged postmortem so it would be found in a more peaceful pose.  Although you may think this story is "Case Closed," the official status from the UK courts is that it's still an "Open Conclusion."  Join us once again for Part 2 as we learn more about a man whose life was as much of an enigma as his death. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

On Friday, December 11, 2015, at 9:04 a.m., a man started a train journey at Ealing Broadway Station in west London, England.  At 9:50 a.m., he arrived at Euston station to book an over two-hour trip to Manchester.  The next day, at 10:47 a.m., his body was discovered by a cyclist close to the Chew Track near Saddleworth Moor in the Peak District National Park.  The man was 6 feet 1 inch tall, white, of slim build, and had receding grey hair and blue eyes and determined to be between 60 and 70 years of age.  However, this description was the only identifying factor initially discovered about him.  He had no ID, wallet, phone, or keys, nothing to tell who this man was.  He was dressed nicely but inappropriately for a hike in such inclement weather.  The only item found on his person was a container of Pakistani origin labeled for thyroid medication but which now contained strychnine.  This was the poison that led to his death.  The cyclist also found the man in an odd position; his arms crossed over his chest and next to the trail as if peacefully napping.  This was another puzzling clue, as victims of strychnine poisoning are usually writhing in agony before their horrible demise.  The pathology technicians who examined the body gave the unfortunate stranger the name of "Neil Dovestone" after the Dovestone reservoir near his resting place.  So, who was "Neil Dovestone," and why did he travel such a long distance to this particular spot for a careless hike, or was it for a darker purpose?  Who removed his identifying items, and did he take his own life or fall victim to murder?  Join us for part one of our investigation into The Body on the Moor. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

In Part Two of The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill, we compare and contrast story elements of the too-close encounter taken from what the couple remembered about the night of the abduction, Betty’s lucid dreams, and regression hypnotherapy.  We also have the pleasure of interviewing researcher and author Kathleen Marden, Betty Hill’s niece, who was present for the contemporary testimony and witness to the physical evidence at the time.  Kathleen has dedicated decades to meticulously investigating her aunt and uncle’s case and the UFO phenomenon in general.  She has held various positions within the Mutual UFO Network from 1991 to 2023, such as Director of Field Investigator Training and Founder/Director of MUFON’s Experiencer Resource Team.  Kathleen was awarded MUFON’s “Researcher of the Year” trophy in 2012.  Join us for a fascinating conversation where we separate fact from fiction and the conscious from the subconscious regarding one of history’s most famous “Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind.” Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

On the night of September 19, 1961, around 10:30 p.m., Betty and Barney Hill drove back to their home in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, after a vacation in Niagara Falls and Montreal.  As they passed the town of Lancaster along U.S. Route 3, Betty saw a bright light in the sky just below the Moon that she initially thought was a falling star, except this light was moving upward and erratically, growing larger and more brilliant.  The Hills pulled over for a closer look through binoculars.  Betty said she saw an oddly shaped craft with multicolored lights that flashed as it traveled across the face of the Moon.  Barney saw what he first reasoned was a commercial jetliner, but when the craft silently descended rapidly in their direction without turning, he realized it was not a plane.  They resumed driving as the object continued its quick descent toward their car until it hovered above the highway about 80 to 100 feet off the ground, causing Barney to stop in the middle of the road.  Using the binoculars again, Barney could now see what he described as eight to eleven humanoid beings staring at him through one of the craft's windows.  Then they all turned away from the window except for one that continued to glare and seemingly sent a telepathic message to Barney, commanding him to "stay where you are and keep looking."  After making further observations about the craft and its occupants, whom Barney described as "somehow not human," the only thing the Hills could recall next from that moment was hearing a buzzing sound, then continuing on their drive.  The Hills arrived home in the early morning the following day, and somehow, the trip took about two hours longer than it should have.  Initially feeling at ease upon arrival, Betty and Barney would soon be troubled by puzzling evidence and unexplainable feelings and urges.  Their watches were permanently stopped.  Betty's dress was ripped around the zipper and lining and dusted with traces of a pinkish powder.  The leather strap for the binoculars was torn, and the tops of the toes of Barney's shoes were scuffed as if he was dragged.  He also developed inexplicable growths.  They felt compelled to take long showers to remove any contamination without fully knowing what had happened to them.  They noticed concentric circular marks on the trunk of their car that had strange magnetic properties.  All of these baffling clues were traces of the extraordinarily terrifying and traumatic experience they endured that night, which scarred them for years, pieced together from their conscious memories, hypnotic regression sessions, and Betty's vividly recurring dreams.  Taken all together, the story of Betty and Barney Hill became one of the most classic and seminal in ufology and is considered the first widely publicized case of alien abduction in the United States. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Scott and Forrest are joined by Chris Cullari and Ed Voccola, the hosts of Scared All The Time, for a live show at Monster Fest 2. Featuring live listener stories and EVP’s collected live on site from the Sallie House DR60! Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode. And check out more from our hit network show Scared All The Time!

On June 29, 1988, around 2:30 a.m., Christopher "Chris" Davis drove home after working the night shift at his local McDonald's. Driving along Browntown Road, which cuts through the dense woods of Scape Ore Swamp in South Carolina, Chris hears the pop of a flat tire on his car. As he finishes installing the spare, he notices something large and dark coming out of the trees, moving towards him about 30 yards away and swinging its arms. In an interview with The Item newspaper, Chris described seeing this humanoid creature with glowing red eyes close up, saying it was "green, wetlike, about seven feet tall and had three fingers... a red-eyed devil." Terrified, Davis ran to the driver's door and jumped in. Once inside, this bipedal beast was now right outside his window, where he could see it from the neck down. It then jumped up onto the roof of his car, where he could see its "rough-looking, black-fingernailed hands, sticking down from the windshield." The cryptid deeply grunts as Chris peels out, attempting to escape. As he estimated he was driving about 35-40 mph, this thing had caught up to the car and jumped onto the roof again, banging and clawing at it. The creature finally fell off as he swerved frantically, racing home. This encounter would become the best-known report of this impossible monster emerging from Scape Ore Swamp, but it was not the first, nor would it be the last.  At least one verified account tells of a sighting occurring two years prior, and a handful of police reports describe run-ins that happened in the years following Davis's experience. Chris Davis never called it the "Lizard Man," but residents had already labeled some previously seen brute by that description. And when a local reporter printed the nickname, the moniker stuck in the broader public's imagination. Sheriff Liston Truesdale was the one person who vetted all the claims, took reports from witnesses, and investigated their stories. And we're fortunate and grateful to have on our show tonight the one person who spent time interviewing Sheriff Truesdale, questioned locals, visited locations, and wrote a book about it all, our friend and noted cryptozoology researcher and author Lyle Blackburn. Lyle's 2013 book, Lizard Man: The True Story of the Bishopville Monster, is the phenomenon's most comprehensive and detailed history. As the sightings and questions continue, perhaps the most puzzling and troubling thing is whether everyone sees the same being and whether it is reptilian, more Bigfoot-like, or some other horror altogether. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.

Those who have visited Hawaii have experienced its natural beauty, soothing lifestyle, and the charm and friendliness of the inhabitants. However, only a select few may have encountered what the locals know and revere – the supernatural entities and legends that are still active and enduring. Some, like seeing "Madame Pele," can invigorate awe and wonder, while others can be terrifying. One of the latter and seemingly more prevalent is encountering the Night Marchers. They usually appear as a column of warriors floating above the ground along a predetermined path, weapons or torches in hand. Many report only hearing their presence in the form of unexplainable beating drums or the ghostly blowing of a conch shell. And just seeing them, it's said, ensures a disappearance or violent death to the witness if the proper respect isn't paid in their presence. But what is their origin story, and what do they want? Are they soldiers defeated by King Kamehameha I advancing towards a counterattack or seeking revenge? Or are they keepers and enforcers of ancient Hawaiian cultural laws and mores? To help us explore these questions and relay some of his personal experiences, tonight's guest is Kamuela "Kamu" Kaneshiro. As a native Hawaiian, content creator, and podcaster for 20 years, Kamu has extensive knowledge of the lore and heritage of his homeland. His royal lineage might even protect him from these fearsome spectral guardians. Join us for a fascinating discussion as we warily watch for the Night Marchers of Hawaii. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.