HGB Ep. 642 - Zener Cards, the CIA and Psychic Phenomenon

Moment in Oddity - 1986 Concept Car (Suggested by: Michael Rogers)

So many of us watched The Jetsons cartoon back in the day as kids. The idea of flying cars was something we thought would already be happening in our current times. There was an interesting concept car that was debueded by Oldsmobile in partnership with the design firm Italdesign at the 1986 Turin Motor Show. This one-of-a-kind Oldsmobile Incas was the brain-child of Giorgetto Giugiaro (jor-JET-toh jew-JAHR-oh), an Italian automotive designer who was named Car Designer of the Century in 1999. Car consumers who wanted more of an aircraft cockpit type feel, would have been very excited about the Oldsmobile Incas concept car. Instead of having a conventional round steering wheel, this car featured a two-handled aircraft styled yoke. Everything that you would normally find on a traditional dashboard were located on the yoke handlebars. There were multiple buttons and dials found on the yoke for things like the climate control, radio, automatic transmission, windshield wipers, horn, lighting, and cruise control. The only exception to the button ladened design, were the turn signals, which were found on a traditional stalk sticking out from the left side of the yoke. To enhance the cockpit feel, the vehicle also sported gull wind/scissor hybrid doors. In addition to the Incas' unique steering yoke and doors, the vehicle also was equipped with a quad-turbocharged engine and all-wheel driving specs.  Although this concept car was not made for mass production, its fighter-jet style canopy, gull wing doors, and aircraft style steering wheel certainly made it odd.  

Zener Cards, the CIA and Psychic Phenomenon

Anyone who has followed and listened to History Goes Bump for any amount of time knows that we consider ourselves open-minded skeptics when it comes to paranormal activity. Particularly the kind of activity connected to psychics. When science gets involved in the paranormal, it lends it some credibility. Parapsychology became a part of college curriculum and at that same time, scientists and government agencies also started paying attention to psychic phenomenon. Intelligence organizations even tried to use it to spy on other countries. On this episode, we are going to look at one of the main tools used to test psi abilities - Zener Cards - and wind our way through the history of parapsychology and some of the famous names connected to this and operations like Project Stargate. 

Years of researching stories and then conducting our own investigations has left us both leaning more towards believers than skeptics. But when it came to psychic phenomenon, I had been pretty hardcore skeptic. Then I met Kelly and a few of you listeners who have abilities and then even experienced my own bits of synchronicity and premonitions and sensitivities, and I really had to reevaluate what I thought about psychic phenomenon. And I have become a true believer that there really is something to this sixth sense. And just like how having the government talking about UFOs and UAPs and aliens has made it "okay" to believe that we humans are not alone in this universe, its the government's admissions about research into psychic phenomenon that has made that something that is more openly talked about as well. The term MKULTRA just rolls off people's tongues today like they are talking about a typical historical event. Delving into the human brain and mind has been an important thing to not only our intelligence services, but the intelligence servies of many countries. I picked up this book that looked really interesting to me and it blew my mind to read about the history of research and testing of psychic abilities. That book was written by Annie Jacobsen and is titled "Phenomena: The Secret History of the U.S. Government's Investigations Into Extrasensory Perception and Psychokinesis." Jacobsen isn't just any author. She's a Pulitzer Prize nominated author. She isn't considered a quack and she comes at the topic just like we come at paranormal activity, with an open-minded skepticism. This episode was inspired by this book and our own personal experiences. We want to begin with talking about Zener cards because these are a symbol of the legitimacy that the scientific community and the government have given to psychic phenomenon.

Karl E. Zener was born in 1903 and considered a visionary in the field of extra-sensory perception or ESP. His higher learner began at the University of Chicago and ended with a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1924. He was a fellow with the United States National Research Council at the University of Berlin for a year after that and then he taught as a professor at Princeton University for a year. 

And then everything changed when he took up what would be a lifelong post with Duke University. It was here that he met J.B. Rhine and the two became colleagues in the pursuit of studying ESP. J.B. Rhine had been born in 1895 and came to this place through a different process. While Zener was classically educated in psychology, Rhine had studied botany and received his PhD in that in 1925. He had a stint as a Marine for a bit before that. Rhine had studied at the University of Chicago and author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle had come through on a tour and given a lecture at the university in 1922. Rhine and his wife had attended and were mesmerized as Doyle talked about the scientific proof of communication with the dead. Rhine later wrote, "This mere possibility was the most exhilarating thought I had had in years." Rhine held onto this fascination and studied for a year at Harvard under Professor William McDougall for a year. When McDougall left to go to Duke University in 1927, Rhine followed him so that he could work under him. And thus was born parapsychology. 

So Rhine and Zener started working together and devising ways to test ESP. Early tests used a standard deck of cards, but then the men decided to design their own set of cards, which Rhine dubbed Zener cards in honor of his colleague. These were a deck of 25 cards with five sets of just five symbols. The cards had an abstract blue pattern on the back and the symbols were printed on the front in black on a white background. These shapes were a circle, a cross or plus sign, three wavy lines, a square and a five-pointed star.

These Zener cards are still used today for testing and Annie Jacobsen mentions them often in her book. How these experiments were conducted is that the researcher would shuffle the deck and pick one card, then observe the card for a minute, ask the psychic what symbol was on the card and then record the answer. While these early tests in the 1930s were just done in a standard room, in the 1950s, a Faraday cage was used. This takes us to Hammond Castle in Gloucester, Massachusetts. This is a medieval-style seaside castle built by Jack Hammond. Hammond was a well-respected inventor (he invented the radio-controlled torpedo) and very rich man who was a member of the Round Table Foundation. This foundation was funded by Joyce Borden - yes of the dairy family - Alice Astor and Marcella du Pont and started by Dr. Andrija Puharich. The purpose of the foundation was to explore ESP. Puharich had been a medical doctor who was always fascinated with mind-to-mind communication. His goal was to merge medicine and mysticism and eventually he would get really into mushrooms and how they could expand the mind. Puharich wrote, " Watch long trails of birds in migration, the unerring return of the homing pigeon, the struggle of the fish going upstrem to spawn, the orderly movement of armies of ants, the pecuniary nature of the bee. The answer to these many questions, I am convinced, lie in the nature of the nervous system. A sensitivity to forces, some of which we already know, and most of which are unknown. I have wondered at the clairvoyance of the mind that can break loose from the shackles of conformity and 'facts' and can give us the philosophy of Plato, the universe of Newton, the spirit of Christ, and the psychological insight of Henry Thoreau, Walt Whitman, William James and Kalil Gibran. The deep study of this problem is my life's work." When Puharich and Hammond started working together, they decided to build a Faraday cage in Hammond Castle to conduct their experiments. Hammond knew about this kind of cage because he had been good friends with Nikola Tesla.

Tesla had told Hammond that he thought ESP traveled on extremely low frequency (ELF) waves. To give you an idea of what these are, they are generated by thunder and lightning storms. A Faraday cage shields anyone inside of it from all electro-magnetic waves except ELF waves. The thought was that the cage would enhance psychic abilities. 

The cage they built was from floor to ceiling, made entirely of metal and it was lined with copper mesh. Hammond Castle today has recreated this cage and has artifacts from the experiments conducted there. Their first experiments were with an Irish psychic named Eileen Garrett, whom may be familiar to some of you listeners as she frequently worked with Hans Holzer. At the end of their experiments, Hammond concluded that ESP was not transmitted over electromagnetic frequencies, since Garrett could still communicate with the science team telepathically while she was in the cage. Basically, Garrett proved to be the real deal and ELF waves should be the focus. (Troy Taylor excerpt) The experiments with Zener cards conducted by these two men and by Rhine and Zener were very successful, with one Duke divinity graduate student named Hubert Pearce making 25 consecutive correct guesses, which was a full run of the Zener deck. (pg. 199 Putnam) But over time these experiments were discredited because people pointed out that cards were used by magicians for playing tricks and could be manipulated and that shuffling cards was a poor way of getting a random distribution of symbols. Scientists claimed that what Rhine was doing wasn't science and that he was just a scientist who deeply believed in some quasi-science and that he had a bias. It's always interesting how bias is accused of only going one way. Surely scientists who give ESP no chance are biased in their beliefs as well. The stats for Zener cards goes something like this: Probability predicts these test results for a test of 25 questions with five possible answers if chance is operating: 79.3% of people will get between 3 and 7 correct, 10.9% will get 8 or more correct, one person in 73,700 will get 15 or more correct, one person in 5.16 billion will get 20 or more correct, and one person in 298 quadrillion will get all 25 correct. 

Regardless of what other scientists thought, an entity that was very interested in the results that Rhine, Zener and Puharich got, was the United States Department of Defense. Jacobsen saw declassified documents that revealed that the Army started working with Rhine's Duke University Parapsychology Laboratory in 1952. They weren't as interested in how these abilities worked as they were in how to enhance and control the psi abilities. 

These early studies with the military were with dogs and then homing pigeons and finally cats. Meanwhile, Dr. Puharich was giving briefings at the Pentagon to the Advisory Group on Psychological Warfare and Unconventional Warfare. During the Cold War, our military and intelligence services had discovered that the Soviet Union was working heavily with psychic phenomenon. They were trying to find ways to not only counter whatever the Soviets were doing, but to also wage their own psychic war.  To enhance ESP, the CIA was looking to find hallucinogenic mushrooms and the code name for this was MKULTRA Subproject 58. When Puharich became disillusioned with the military and CIA and went to his Round Table Foundation work, the FBI began spying on him. Puharich would later come back to the CIA for a government research contract when he happened upon an Israeli paratrooper who demonstrated some amazing psychic abilities, Uri Geller. Uri Geller is a conundrum. He was able to bend spoons and start stopped watches with his mind, read the contents of sealed envelopes, see things while blindfolded and control the thoughts of others. These are all tricks that are performed by mentalists and magicians. Why wouldn't Geller just claim to be someone like Houdini? Why was he persistent in claiming he had psi abilities? Was it because he was the real deal? For me, I had always thought Geller was just a very charismatic mentalist. But after discovering in Jacobsen's book how much Geller was used by the military and intelligence services and what he was able to do for them, I found myself wondering if Geller really had some abilities. Geller came onto the scientific scene when Parapsychologists Hal Puthoff and Russell Targ studied him at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI). This testing was spurred by Puharich going to the CIA and telling them about Geller. The CIA wanted him tested thoroughly and the SRI is who they trusted to do the testing. The CIA was also trying to distant themselves from Puharich. This went all the way to the top. The decision to do the testing was made by CIA director Richard Helms.

SRI was founded in 1946 to do research and development for commercial businesses and government agencies. They did a ton of stuff that had nothing to do with psi research, like developing technicolor, robots and even inkjet printing. In 1972, Puthoff and Targ were interested in investigating remote viewing and they not only worked with Geller,  but also a writer/artist named Ingo Swann and military intelligence officer Joseph McMoneagle. The US intelligence community funded their research until the mid-1980s.

Uri Geller was born in Tel Aviv in 1946 and his abilities first appeared when he was seven, according to his mother. His father gave him a watch and it immediately stopped working when he put it on. His parents replaced it a little later and this watch to, stopped working when he put it on. As a teenager, he was sent away to boarding school and it was there that he started bending spoons and keys. He befriended a man who was a martial arts instructor and showed him his abilities. This man taught him martial arts and one day Uri said to him, "Yoav, I can read your mind and I know you are an Israeli spy." The man was shocked that a 14-year-old had blown his cover. Geller joined the military with the hope of working for Mossad one day himself. He was injured during the Six-Day War and was reassigned to a government run youth camp where he entertained the kids with his telepathy. Through this, he got his first paid performance at one of the kid's schools. Then he was off and running in night clubs. When people asked how he did his tricks, he always maintained that they were real. Legal scholar Amnon Rubinstein met Geller shortly after hosting a show on psychics. He was very skeptical of the ability and Geller asked him to pick a number between 1 and 100,000. Rubinstein chose a number and said it aloud. Geller opened his palm and there written in black ink was the very number Rubinstein had said. He believed that Geller had put the number in his mind. Rubinstein started testing Geller in his home and he became a true believer. He said, "He could somehow plant a thought right in our mind. To me, this is so much more significant than spoon bending. This is a single phenomenon that casts doubt on many of the foundations of our rational world." Puharich had tested Geller for a few weeks before bringing him to America and declassified documents reveal that Puharich told the CIA that he and an Israeli officer had witnessed Geller "breaking a gold ring held in another person's clenched fist; concentrating on a pair of bimetal-type thermometers, and selectively making the temperature rise 6 to 8 degrees Fahrenheit on one or the other instrument; starting broken clocks and watches solely by concentration; moving the hands of a watch forward or backward without any physical contact with the watch and telepathy with 90% accuracy in telepathy tests where Dr. Puharich would think of a 3-digit number."  

In 1972, Geller arrived at SRI and he would join forces with Ingo-Swann in testing. The results were dubbed the Swann-Geller Phenomenon and started twenty years of classified government research into ESP and psychokinesis. Geller was tested with dice  and had statistically significant results. Each of eight times he was asked what number was facing up on the dice in a box, he got the right answer. He did the same thing with objects placed in film canisters and got all twelve without error.

(pg. 147) CIA officer Kit Green seemed to believe in Geller's ability.  Other scientists involved in the experiments claimed that they were conducted in a slipshod way and not held to proper scientific standards. But again, we are talking parapsychology, which is really hard to prove scientifically. We commend them for trying at least. And one of the things they say a lot is that the parapsychologists were biased because they believed in paranormal stuff, but the same could be said the other way. The scientists were biased to not believe. 

Ingo Swann was skilled at psychokinesis and Puthoff and Targ brought him to a magnetometer to see if he could make the readouts change. The readouts did show fluctuations, but the man who built the machine said that the results were in no way unexpected outside of normal parameters. Swann would coin the term "remote viewing" and he first demonstrated it at the American Society for Psychical Research in New York doing ceiling tray tests. These were high up in the room and so Swann would have to leave his body to see what was in the tray. And he would do just that, over and over, drawing what he saw in the trays. 

Swann started remote viewing using coordinates, meaning that he would be given a set of coordinates and tell the researchers what was there. (pg.155) Pat Price was another man with psychic abilities brought in to try remote viewing. He was a former police officer in Burbank, California and had been a Scientologist. He would become a main figure in the CIA's psychic research and was probably their best and most accurate psychic. Price also tried the coordinates thing and Puthoff gave him the coordinates that Swann had been working with. (Pg. 157)

This remote viewing project by the CIA was called "Project Stargate. It ran for two decades before being shut down in 1995. A statistician named Dr. Jessica Utts evaluated the declassified data and concluded that the subjects scored roughly 5% to 15% above chance. Which isn't nothing. The CIA concluded that the data defied randomness, but because it was inconsistent and unreliable, psychic powers wouldn't be of much use to military intelligence operations. 

The project did have a big success that is not easily explained away. In 1976, a young administrative assistant named Rosemary Smith was recruited by the project director Dale Graff. She was able to psychically locate a lost Soviet spy plane. (pg. 212) 

Rhine and other scientists weren't ever able to explain ESP and other forms of psychic phenomenon. That continues today, but that doesn't mean that these effects and abilities are not happening. All of this research and these experiments definitely proved that something unexplainable was and is happening. Is this paranormal? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 641 - Haunted Turkiye

This Month in History - Federal Trial of Susan B. Anthony

In the month of June, on the 18th, in 1873, Susan B. Anthony was sentenced to pay $100 and court costs, following her conviction for illegally casting her vote in the November, 1872 Presidential election. The election was held in Rochester, NY, and Anthony along with 14 other women successfully registered and subsequently cast their ballots. She was arrested two weeks later after a federal supervisor filed charges against her. She was arrested by a U.S. Deputy Marshal on a warrant accusing her of voting without having the lawful right to vote. The federal trial took place at the Ontario County Courthouse in Canandaigua, NY. During her trial, federal Judge Ward Hunt strictly directed the jury to return a guilty verdict without allowing the jury to deliberate. Anthony had argued that the newly ratified Fourteenth Amendment's "privileges or immunities" clause granted all citizens, including women the right to vote. After her sentencing, Anthony famously declared, "I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty". Judge Hunt deliberately never took Susan B. Anthony into custody, thus denying her the ability to appeal her case to the Supreme Court. 

Haunted Turkiye (Turkeyay)

The country of Turkiye is a fascinating place as it has such strong connections to many different religions. This is a truly spiritual place with many of the early Christian churches being founded here. All seven of the churches from Revelation were located in Turkiye. Fascinating and mystical places like Gobekli Tepi are here. There are abandoned cities, some of them underground. And there are plenty of legends and ghost stories. Join us for the history and hauntings of Turkiye.

I went on a Mediterranean cruise in 2014 and there was a stop in Turkiye, which I figured would be my least favorite and it turned out to be almost my favorite. The Acropolis in Athens beat it out, but just barely. That really surprised me. I visited the ancient ruins of Ephesus and Mary's House, where tradition holds that the Apostle John brought Jesus' mother to live out the rest of her days. Then I visited the Turkish market where I fell in love with the rugs and glass lights they made there and ended up splurging on a rug. Turkiye has a vast history. Türkiye is often called the "cradle of civilization." There were ancient civilizations like the Anatolians, but even before that were hunter-gatherers who built Gobekli Tepe - at least according to many historians, but please, nobody knows who built these structures. They date back almost 12,000 years. Empires rose up here and fell like Hattians, Hittites, Phrygians, Lydians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantine, Seljuks and the Ottomans. Key moments include Alexander the Great conquering the region and integrating it into the Greek Empire. Emperor Constantine would take the region for Rome and he founded Constantinople in 330 AD that is today Istanbul. Suleiman the Magnificent would rule the Ottoman Empire and expand it across three continents, making it a superpower. That empire would crash during World War I and today, Turkiye is a secular republic, although it does seem to have been moving towards Islamic Authoritarianism in the last few years. So many cultures have come through here, so it isn't surprising that there are strong spiritual connections and ghost stories. Muslims, of course, believe in the Jinn. There are different classes of Jinn. One of these, the Arabs call gul (gool), the Persians call it gul-i biyaban (gool-ee bee-yah-bahn) and the Turkish people call it gulyabani (goo-lee-ah-bahn-ee). This is a demonic figure that lurks in graveyards consuming the dead and shape-shifting. They like to deceive and then eat travelers. Some texts describe the creature as "the manifestation of fear in darkness." I'm sure we don't need to point out that gul became ghoul in the West. The Gulyabani is often depicted as an obstacle or an enemy  that hinders the soul’s spiritual journey. What does this thing look like? It is pale skinned with prominent bones and a terrifying face that has a threatening expression. And it has sharp teeth.

Kayakoy (KAH yah koy)

(Kelly) Kayakoy is a mysterious abandoned village near the town of Fethiye (fee thigh), which is a beautiful port city. Early settlers here included skilled oracles and seers. There are these monumental tombs carved directly into the soft limestone in the 4th century BC. The tombs were carved high above the ground because there was a belief that winged creatures guided the dead in the afterlife and so the tombs needed to be high above the ground to bring the spirits closer to the heavens. 

Kayakoy was known as Livissi, which was a Greek Orthodox town that flourished during the late Ottoman period and grew to a population of 6,000. There were 500 stonehouses in the village, as well as two churches, schools, artisan workshops and several chapels. In the 20th century, there was unrest with the Greco Turkish War that lasted from 1919 to 1922. A treaty at the end forced a population exchange between Greece and Türkiye. When the Greeks left, the Muslims were supposed to move into the homes, but they chose not to. The land started to take back the village and today, the ghost town is an open air museum. Tourists have reported seeing shadow figures on occasion. Legend holds that the Muslims decided not to live in the village because they believed the hills were infested with the ghosts of the Greek inhabitants who were massacred or died in forced labor camps. 

Cemil Molla Mansion (Jeh-meel Moh-lah)

Cemil Molla (Jeh-meel Moh-lah) Mansion is in Kuzguncuk (KOOZ-goon-jook) and is a beautiful example of 19th century Ottoman architecture. This was built by the Minister of Justice at the time, Uryanizade (oo-ryah-nee-ZAH-deh) Cemil Molla (Jeh-meel Moh-lah) Effendi, and was completed in 1886. The mansion was built from wood and Cemil Molla worked as both architect and foreman on the house. The ceilings were embellished with gold leaves and the bedroom windows had stained glass. The dining rooms had private cigar and smoking rooms. And, of course, it had a beautiful white marble Turkish bath. People who saw it, jokingly called it the eighth wonder of the world. It even had an underfloor heating system. And even more amazing, Cemil Molla pioneered a first for the area by bringing in a diesel engine generator so he could have electricity and central heating. This was the first house in the region to have a telephone as well. Cemil Molla died in 1941 and his family had to sell the White Castellated Mansion. MESA Holding purchased the mansion in 1986 and it was restored in 2004. 

(Kelly) There were stories that the mansion was cursed and one family that lived in it had accidents and disasters that left them no choice but to sell the property. Another family also suffered bad luck with a father and son having their relationship sour and their business started doing poorly and it only got better when they left the mansion. The renovations in 2004 took longer than expected because workers started to experience paranormal things that scared them enough to put down their tools and flee the mansion. They claimed to have objects go missing, to hear mysterious sounds and to see full-bodied apparitions.

Ciragan Palace 

Ciragan Palace (see ruh guhn) was constructed in the 19th century during the Ottoman Empire for Sultan Abdulaziz. Before the palace was here, this was the Kazancıoğlu (kah-ZAHN-juh-oh-loo) Gardens, which was an imperial garden. Sultan Murad gifted the land to his daughter in the early 1600s and the first imperial structure was built. Several decades later Sultan Ahmed III was ruling the empire and his daughter's husband was Grand Vizier Ibrahim Pasha. He built the next structure here for his wife and he called it Çırağan (see ruh guhn) Yalısı. Ciragan (see ruh guhn) means torch or emitting light, which was reflective of the torch-lit tulip festivals of that time. These were hosted in the palace gardens. The Sultan was invited often to visit the mansion and he would bring his Imperial Harem with him. Sultan Mahmud II ruled from 1808 to 1839 and ordered the building of the first large palace on the grounds after the other mansion was demolished. This was built in the Classical style out of wood. The Sultan died before it was completed. His son completed the construction and he lived occasionally in the palace, but eventually had it demolished to build an even grander palace. But like his father, he didn't live to see the completion, so his brother Sultan Abdulaziz finished it in 1871. This palace was a masterpiece with doors regarded as exquisite works of art, made from wood and mother-of-pearl. French Empress Eugenie visited in 1869 after the Sultan visited her in 1867. There were rumors that the two might be in love. Sultan Abdulaziz liked animals, especially tigers and lions and he added "deer-house" and "lion-house" to the property. A French sculptor made custom bronze and marble statues and vases. A fire in 1910 damaged the palace. The basic shell of the palace was rebuilt in 1987 and turned into the present day hotel, which opened in 1991. The facade was preserved to appear much as its original form. 

(Kelly) What brings this location to our list are the strange and dark circumstances around the death of Sultan Abdulaziz. No one can agree if it was suicide or an assassination. The Sultan had been discovered on June 4, 1876 in a pool of blood on a chaise with his wrists slashed. 

The Sultan had been a strong ruler and there were members of the court that sought to have him removed. Two of them were the reformist grand vizier Midhat Pasha and the Chief of Staff Huseyin Avni Pasha, and they led a coup against the Sultan a few days before his death. They put the Sultan under guard and replaced him with his nephew, whom they believed they could control. The morning of June 4th, the Sultan prayed and then asked for a pair of scissors so he could trim his beard. His mother, the Queen Mother, sent her embroidery scissors to him. He was found nearly dead later. Now, if he had just been found with slit wrists, we might go with the unaliving himself, but there was something else that had happened here. He had one side of his beard torn, his teeth broken, and a dark bruise marked his chest. Helped was delayed to make sure the Sultan passed. The body was concealed in curtains that had been torn down and wrapped around it and then doctors were found who would declare the death by suicide. The Queen Mother never believed her son committed suicide and the Sultan's daughter claimed she witnessed her father's murder. It is said that a confession claimed, "Fahri Bey...held back his arms. Haji Mehmet and Algerian Mustafa sat on their knees. And I cut his veins in his left arm as deep as I could with a pocketknife. I pierced his right arm in several places with the knife." 

(Kelly) The Sultan was most certainly assassinated and that is why he may be haunting the hotel. Guests claim to see his full-bodied spirit walking the halls. The lights turn on and off by themselves and doors open by themselves. Disembodied footsteps are heard as well.

Derinkuyu (deh-rin-KOO-yoo)

Derinkuyu is an underground city in Cappadocia (ka·puh·dow·shuh) carved into the soft volcanic rock that has 18 levels of tunnels. The bulk of the city is thought to have been built by the Phrygians, who were skilled Iron-age architects. People chose to live in underground areas here for safety and this particular city had 20,000 residents who thrived. They grew food, made wine and raised cattle and children. These were great spots for protection because doors between each of the eighteen levels were blocked with half-ton circular boulders that were only moveable from the inside. The city was accidentally rediscovered in 1963 when a local resident renovating his basement broke through a wall. The former residents ended up fleeing after the Greco-Turkish War. Stories of hauntings were rumored to take place down here for decades. An original team of archaeologists who excavated the city became lost in the passageways of the ancient city and they believed this was caused by something unseen. The entire crew was said to never be the same after this experience. When the site opened to tourists, they began reporting strange shapes and shadows. The air would feel heavy and they felt as though they were being watched. Disembodied voices have been heard.

Hagia Sophia (AH-yee-uh) 

(Kelly) The Hagia (AH-yee-uh) Sophia is a world-renowned architectural and historical landmark located in Istanbul with 1500 years of history behind it. This was first a church built in 360 during the reign of Emperor Constantius II. This church was destroyed during the Nika Riots and so Emperor Justinian I commissioned a new cathedral that was completed and consecrated in 537. 

The style was Byzantine and featured mosaics and marble pillars and tile floors that are really something to see. There was an Imperial Door for the Emperor's exclusive use. This had a grand dome that collapsed several years later during an earthquake, but was replaced. The cathedral was sacked and looted during the Fourth Crusade in 1204. The cathedral was converted to Roman Catholic at that time and this lasted until 1261. At the Ottoman Conquest in 1453, the cathedral was converted into a mosque. Minarets were added to it over the next few years. A restoration was performed in 1847 and Byzantine mosaics were uncovered. By 1934, the building had been secularized and opened as a museum, and it ran as that for much of the 20th century. In 2020, this became an active mosque once again, but visitors are invited to explore during non-prayer times. The various bits of history seem to have led to unsettling experiences. The atmosphere seems to change in the evenings. Legends claim that ghostly monks are forever trapped in their Earthly duties. People claim to see these ghosts floating through the galleries and some visitors claim to hear faint chanting and forgotten tongues echoing through the halls. There are crypts beneath Hagia Sophia that feature strange lights flickering in the darkness and cold spots. People believe there are restless spirits down there. 

Basilica Cistern 

Basilica Cistern is a marvel of Byzantine engineering that was built underground in Istanbul. Emperor Justinian I undertook the building of the cistern in the 6th century. He had just finished up leading his troops in killing 30,000 rioters and burning parts of the imperial city. This was called the Nika Revolt. The cisterns were built as part of the rebuilding efforts in the aftermath and were meant to supply water to people living in Istanbul. The cistern is made up of 336 30-foot columns with ancient carvings on them in 12 rows and this held up to 100,000 tons of water. Two of the carvings feature Medusa, one that is sideways and the other is upside down. 

(Kelly) People get an ominous feeling in the cisterns and shadowy figures are seen. Someone posted pictures to Reddit of pictures they took in the Cistern in 2020 and there is an interesting picture of a figure that has no legs. 

The Ottoman Bank Archive and Research Center 

The Ottoman Bank Archive and Research Center was founded in 1997 and is housed in the Ottoman Bank Museum, which is the former Ottoman Bank headquarters. There is a violent history connected to this building. On August 26, 1896, 28 Armenian revolutionaries seized the bank because they wanted to draw international attention to the Hamidian massacres. These were a series of mass murders of the Armenian and Assyrian populations in the Ottoman Empire between 1894 and 1896. There were an estimated 100,000 to 300,000 deaths and 50,000 children were left orphaned. A fierce 14-hour shootout took place between the heavily armed revolutionaries and bank guards, resulting in the deaths of several people, including the revolutionary leader, Papken Siuni. 

(Kelly) And then like something out of the movie "V For Vendetta," in 1903, a group of young anarchist revolutionaries tunneled under the bank and detonated explosives. This damaged the building, but didn't kill anyone. People working here say they hear footsteps in empty rooms, as well as disembodied voices. Some visitors claim to have seen figures of old bank workers still doing their jobs.

 The Maidens Tower

(Kelly) The Maiden's Tower is also known as Leander's Tower and is a lighthouse on a small islet in the Bosphorus Strait. This was built in 408 BC and served as a custom station for ships coming through the strait. During the Byzantine era, it was rebuilt and used as a defense tower. Chains were stretched between this and another tower to control boat traffic. In 1453, it was destroyed as the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople. Sultan Mehmed II rebuilt it and it was used as a military base and lighthouse. During a cholera epidemic in the 1830s, a hospital was established on the island to quarantine the sick. It did little good as 30,000 people died from cholera. Today, it is a museum with a pastry shop. 

So why is this called the Maiden's Tower? There is a legend that a Byzantine emperor had a beautiful daughter and he had been told by a seer that a snake would bite his daughter and she would die. This was to happen on her 18th birthday. So he put her in the tower in the middle of water where he assumed no snake would be able to reach her. On her birthday, he brought her a basket full of fruit. He was unaware that a venomous snake was in the basket. As she reached for an apple, she was bitten and she died in her father's arms. There is another story that claims that a nun named Hero lived in the tower. She was forbidden to be with a man. A young Byzantine soldier named Leander saw her at a festival and he fell in love. He talked to her and asked if he could see her again and she invited him to meet at her tower. Leander started coming to the tower every night. Hero would light a fire on top of the tower to guide Leander through the water. No one knew of their love or these visits. Then one night, there was a storm and Leander drowned in the waves and his body washed up on the shore of the island. When Hero saw him, she was overcome with despair and threw herself from the top of the tower. People claim that as night falls the anguished cries of either the nun or the emperor's daughter can be heard. Keepers have reported strange occurrences like lights flickering on and off without explanation. Disembodied whispers are heard and ghostly figures are seen peering from the windows before vanishing.

Perili Kosk (peh-REE-lee KOSH-k)

The Yusuf Ziya Pasha Mansion in Istanbul is referred to as Perili Köşk, (peh-REE-lee KOSH-k) which means "The Haunted Mansion." This is a 9-story red brick mansion that was built in 1911 for Yusuf Ziya Pasha, who was an Ottoman politician and government minister. He also served as the Ottoman ambassador to the United States from 1910 to 1914. Today, the house is the headquarters of Borusan and the Borusan Contemporary Art Museum. He died in 1929. And that's when the ghost stories started. Rumors claimed that Pasha had been a jealous man and that designed the mansion as a type of prison for his young wife. She was kept locked away from the world here. When he died, he asked that his tomb in Egypt be built using some of the red bricks from the house, specifically, the ones used to build the tower he had locked her inside. The building stood as an empty, hollow shell for 80 years. While it stood empty, passersby reported seeing a woman in a window with long hair. The figure would wander the empty building. Security staff and people brought in to work on renovations and such said that they heard piano music echoing through through the walls, particularly at night. There was no piano in the building. Mirrors also revealed a woman. In the 1990s, people inside the house claimed that a woman in period clothing would appear in the mirrors. 

(Kelly) During renovations, three secret floors were discovered hidden deep underground that were not part of any known original plans. The mansion is now a headquarters for a major company, but that hasn't stopped the stories. People still claim to see a woman looking out a window.

Kucuksu (KYOO-CHOOK-SOO) Pavilion

(Kelly) The Kucuksu Pavilion was like a summer cottage or hunting lodge for Ottoman sultans. Of course, it looks nothing like either of these, but this beautiful building was used for short stays while hunting or traveling to the country. 

The building was commissioned by Sultan Abd-ul-Mejid and designed in the neo-baroque style. It was completed in 1857 and had a basement with two-stories above and an interior design like a traditional Turkish house. A central hall was surrounded by four corner rooms. The basement had the kitchen and servant's quarters. The interior also had crystal chandeliers, specially woven carpets and Italian marble. The palace was restored in 1944 and opened as a museum. Visitors report lights flickering and an oppressive chill. The sounds of faint laughter have echoed from empty rooms. There are those who believe that a maid died tragically here and it is her restless spirit wandering the Pavilion at night. 

Topkapi Palace

This was an Ottoman Imperial Palace that served as the main residence and administrative headquarters of the Ottoman sultans. There were opulent pavilions, a jewel-filled Treasury and a sprawling Harem. Mehmet the Conqueror built the first stage of the palace shortly after the Conquest in 1453 in the Baroque style. He made this his main resident and lived there until his death in 1481. Sultans lived here until the 19th century. The Palace includes a First Court, a Second Court with a beautiful park-like setting, the Harem Section with six floors where as many as 300 concubines might live, a Third Court, Imperial Treasury and Fourth Court. There are also smaller buildings. The name Topkapi means "Cannon Gate." Through the years it lost prominence and when the Ottoman Empire ended, the government transformed Topkapi into a museum. Visitors can tour many of the hundreds of rooms. Visitors say they see ghostly figures moving through the long corridors. There have been cold spots and breezes felt. Strange lights are seen and disembodied whispers are heard. A woman in period clothing is sometimes seen. Occasionally people have claimed to feel something brush against them or touch them. A story claims that a sultan was betrayed and poisoned and his ghost is rumored to wander the gardens. 

Bodrum Castle 

The Bodrum Castle is a Gothic castle located on a small rocky peninsula on the west coast of Anatolia. This was built in 1404 by the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, also called Knights of St.John, Knights Hospitallers and Knights of Rhodes. Construction workers were guaranteed a reservation in heaven. Green volcanic stone and marble were used in the construction. There were several towers that each had their own style and represented their own language. The knights lived here for almost 120 years until Suleiman I (Suleiman The Magnificent) defeated them in 1522. During the Ottoman Period, the Bodrum Castle was used as a small garrison base and in 1895 it was transformed into a prison. The castle was damaged during the 1st World War, when a French battleship bombed it. Prisoners inside had to evacuated. When the Italians invaded Bodrum, they used the castle as their headquarters. The Turkish War of Independence drove the Italian military forces out in 1921. During World War II, the castle was a military base again. Today, the Bodrum Castle is home to the Museum of Underwater Archaeology and is one of the most significant Underwater Archaeology Museums in the world. The knights had placed hundreds of painted coats of arms and carved reliefs on the walls above the gates and 249 separate designs still remain. The Muslims added a minaret to the chapel and a Turkish bath was also added. 

Visitors claim to hear the sounds of battle, especially swords clashing. Shadowy figures have been seen as well as full-bodied apparitions of knights. Legend has it, a knight betrayed during the Ottoman siege still guards the chapel, forever pacing, his sword drawn. Locals also tell of a veiled woman seen near the old well at dusk—some say she was a prisoner who vanished without a trace.

Gobeckli Tepe

Göbekli Tepe is a Neolithic archaeological site in Upper Mesopotamia. No one knows exactly the purpose of this site, but it was said to have been built over 11,000 years ago and was probably some kind of temple or at least had a spiritual connection. There are these massive stone pillars that are adorned with cryptic carvings of animals and symbols within these circular structures. What makes this really unusual is that history tells us that pottery and writing hadn't been developed yet. And the weird thing about this site is that it was completely buried. Some civilization buried the thing - why? Domestic structures found in the area support that people weren't nomadic here, that they settled. And as is the case with monoliths around the world, historians and archaeologists are left to guess as to how people moved the pillars into place. And most of the structures are very phallic looking - being these giant Ts. The Vulture Stone is the most intricately carved structure.  

(Kelly) People who visit or work on the site say that there is an overwhelming sense of being watched even when standing alone in the desolate expanse. Some claim to feel vibrations beneath their feet as if something stirs in the earth. Strange lights have been reported hovering above the site and then they vanish without a trace. Was some kind of ancient force summoned here? 

Turkiye is a wonderfully unique and fascinating country. This is reflected in its legends. Are these locations in Turkiye haunted? That is for you to decide! 

HGB Ep. 640 - The Life and Afterlife of Johnny Horton

Moment in Oddity - Snake Oil

Most people recognize the American English idiomatic term of 'snake oil' as being synonymous with fraudulent products, services or deceptive rhetoric. The origination dates back to the late 19th and early 20th century in reference to fake 'miracle cures' that traveling salesmen would offer to the public. The term really took off due to 19th century Chinese immigrants who were working on the American transcontinental railroad. The snake oil they introduced to Americans came from Chinese water snakes. The snakes were rich in omega-3 fatty acids which were very effective in treating joint pain. During the 'Salesman' Era of the 1890s, the most famous snake oil peddler was Clark Stanley, also known as the 'Rattlesnake King'. His snake oil was quickly purported as the 'cure all' for any ailment. 'Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment' debuted at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago. To increase profits and minimize costs, Clark Stanley eliminated the use of any actual snake oils in his products that he sold. In 1915, a government analysis of his product revealed that it contained mineral oil, beef fat, chili pepper and turpentine. With the passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act, in 1906, legislation began mandating that all labels were required to be accurate. When Clark Stanley's Snake Oil Liniment was found to be 'mislabeled', he was fined $20 and the term 'snake oil salesman' was solidified as an alias for fraudster salesmen and products. Snake oil being known as a good cure all and then becoming a product for hucksters to make all sorts of false claims about, certainly is odd.

Life and Afterlife of Johnny Horton 

Many of our listeners have probably never heard of Johnny Horton, but he was one of the best and most popular honky tonk singers during the late 1950s. His specialty were historically inspired songs. Johnny tragically died young in an accident and there is a chilling legend connected to that death. He had a premonition that came true. That wasn't the only paranormal thing. Horton may have come back. Join us for the life and afterlife of Johnny Horton.

[The song of his that I know best is "Honky Tonk Man" because Dwight Yoakam remade it. Kelly knows "The Battle of New Orleans" best. That has 57 million plays at Spotify.]

John Gale Horton was born in 1925 in Los Angeles, California, the fifth child of John and Claudia Hort. At this point, there were four Johns in the family, so he was called Gale. Gale's parents were both musical, playing guitar and piano and his mother actually gave music lessons to children for money on the side. Gale was the baby and doted on, but sometimes his siblings were upset about having to watch him and one time, he fell face first into a canal when he was three and he nearly drowned. Fortunately, one of his sister's finally paid attention and saved him. The family headed to Texas after having a tough time making it in California. One of the Horton's said their car, strapped down with everything they owned, resembled something out of "The Grapes of Wrath." The Hortons wouldn't settle long in Texas as the Great Depression and bad weather made farming in the state difficult. The family began moving back and forth from California to Texas often, because they were sharecroppers. The whole family got into music, playing various instruments and singing gospel and country tunes. When Gale was in his early teens, his father became an alcoholic and he would often have to babysit him. When his parents would head off to California seasonally, Gale started staying behind in Texas with family. Gale graduated from high school in Gallatin, Texas in 1944. He had been really good at basketball and earned a basketball scholarship that he used to attend Lon Morris Junior College in Jacksonville, Texas. Johnny transferred to Seattle University and then Baylor University in Waco, but his father's drinking was becoming more of an issue and he quit to take care of his mother, traveling to and from California with her. 

Gale got very interested in fishing and he started traveling around doing that, going as far as Florida. It was during these travels that Gale started writing songs. His brother Frank was also a song writer and the two supported each other in their efforts. Frank had set himself up in California and Gale joined him there and he found work in the mail room of Selznick International Pictures. This was the motion picture studio founded by David O. Selznick in 1935. "Gone With the Wind" came out of this studio.

At least, that is what everything says online and even a book about Horton, but that studio dissolved in 1943. It reconstituted as Vanguard Films, so that is probably where Gale was working because he was working there in the late 1940s. What matters about this point in his life is that he met a secretary at the studio named Donna Cook. She was immediately taken with him because he was handsome and nice - a good country boy. The couple began dating and Gale moved in with her and her mother. In 1948, Gale headed to Seattle University with his brother Frank to study geology, but Gale dropped out mid-semester. He decided to find adventure in Alaska and headed there to do construction and fish. he absolutely loved fishing. This stint would inspire him for future songs and he did do a lot of song writing in Alaska. Gale had never performed for anyone but family, but in Alaska, he started singing in a cafe. Alaska was fun, but the cold got to him and conditions were dangerous and he was expected to work no matter what, so he headed back to Seattle. And it was about this time that Gale started going by Johnny. Johnny had a sister named Marie and she heard about a talent contest being sponsored by local radio station KGRI in 1950. He won it, of course, that boosted his confidence and awarded him a tall ashtray. Frank often spoke of Johnny's natural charisma and Kelly Hagy wrote in her book "Finding Johnny Horton" that Frank said, "The most positive person I ever knew was John. John didn’t have a negative bone in his body. When he wanted to do something, he just did it. He loved everybody and if he didn’t, he would just grin at you. You would just instinctively like him. He had that ability and way about him." 

Johnny won another talent contest, did a commercial and earned his own show on KLAC about fishing called "The Johnny Horton Show." A music promoter named Fabor Robison took Johnny under his wing and took Johnny's show out to the public, calling him "The Singing Fisherman" and getting gigs singing at grand openings and in parking lots. 

Johnny's brother Fred put together some demos and Johnny was signed by the Cormac record label and they helped Horton record 10 singles before they folded in 1952. Faber Robison formed Abbott Records and the master recordings went to that. Johnny finally married Donna Cook in January of 1952. He was 26 and she was 24. Every country singer wanted to be on the Grand Old Opry, but it wasn't easy to break into that. The Louisiana Hayride featured acts and singers that wouldn't usually fit on the Opry, but if a performer hit it big on the Hayride, the Opry wanted them. Hoss Logan was the show's producer and emcee and when he heard Horton, he immediately liked him because he was distinctive. Horton was invited to perform on The Louisiana Hayride and he did just that in May of 1952. The audience loved him and wanted more, so Johnny moved to Shreveport so that he would be available to make appearances every Saturday night. Donna readily made the move with him and tried to be supportive, but she saw something in Faber see didn't like. Based on our research, Faber Robison was Johnny Horton's Colonel Parker, taking a huge bulk of earnings for himself. Robison also insisted that the couple hide that they were married.

The next big move in Johnny's life was getting signed with Mercury Records and he began recording for them with his first song being "First Train Headin' South" with B-side "(I Wished for an Angel) The Devil Sent Me You." That first song got good reviews. The band that backed him up on the recording was invited to tour with him and they took on the name The Singing Fisherman and the Rowley Trio. They would eventually become Johnny Horton and the Roadrunners.

Now Donna wanted to be supportive of Johnny's musical career, but no one would blame a woman for getting sour on it when your husband's manager treats you like crap and Johnny is fine with pretending he isn't married and having the ladies hang on him. He was off doing gigs a lot as well. This wasn't what Donna signed up for when she agreed to marry Johnny. This wasn't what she wanted out of a marriage. So Donna moved back to Los Angeles and asked Johnny for a divorce, which happened some time in early 1953. That same year, in January, Hank Williams had died. He left behind his widow Billie Jean Jones. On September 26, 1953, Horton married Billie Jean Jones. The couple would have two daughters, Nina and Melody. Robison didn't like the idea of Johnny getting married again and the two men parted ways. No one is sure who instigated the split. Some say Robison moved onto Jim Reeves who was a bigger star and others think Johnny got tired of Robison stealing money from him. Horton also parted ways with his back-up band, but he continued to appear occasionally on Louisiana Hayride. Kelly Hagy writes in Finding Johnny Horton, "While traveling for shows, they [fellow singer Claude King and Horton] would usually be out of money so meals consisted of sitting under a shade tree and eating Beanie Weenies. King described Horton as someone who embraced living and said Johnny could talk to a total stranger and they would give him anything he asked. He also remembered Horton having a strong interest in religion, and though he studied the subject, he 'hadn’t made up his mind.' 'He asked me one day what I thought about the way the world was going and all,' said King. 'And I said, ‘Well, it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better.’ He said, ‘Well, you know what I think? I think that it’s getting to the point, and it’s going to be to the point, [where] the whole world is going sex crazy. I think everything is going to be about sex in the future.’ I said, ‘Well, I don’t know.’ But he was right about that.'” 

Johnny's contract with Mercury expired in late 1954 and he got a one-year contract with Columbia Records. Horton traveled to Nashville in a borrowed car for his first recording session and he decided to take on more of a rockabilly style after becoming friends with Elvis Presley. He also started wearing a hat all the time because he was losing his hair and was very self-conscience about that. 

Columbia Records had told Johnny that he had two chances to make a hit record or his contract would end, so this recording session in Nashville was really important. On the way to Nashville, Johnny stopped by where Elvis was living and asked if he could borrow his bassist. Johnny recorded four songs on the first day in the studio and one of those songs was "Honky-Tonk Man." This would become a hit for Johnny and he was joined on that recording by Grady Martin, Harold Bradley and Elvis' bassist Bill Black. Billboard reviewed the song in their March 10, 1956 issue and they wrote, "The wine, women, and song attractions exert a powerful hold on the singer, he admits. The funky sound and pounding beat in the backing suggest the kind of atmosphere he describes. A very good jukebox record." The song peaked at number 9 on the Hot Country Songs. One of Johnny's friends and bandmates was Tillman Franks and he would sign a contract with Johnny to be his manager in 1957. Franks got lots of bookings after Honky Tonk Man and before long, Johnny had another television series that broadcast on Monday nights and was called "Horton's Hoedown." That venture didn't last long because one night the announcer was losing his voice so he asked Johnny to read a commercial. And this is what Johnny said, "Friends we are really proud to be sponsored by Holsum Bread. Holsum Bread is wholesome. That is why they call it Holsum. I want to tell you, friends, I eat Holsum Bread, and my manager, Tillman Franks, eats Holsum Bread. And what we like about it is that it is never touched by the baker's hands. They mix it with their feet." Well, the woman who owned the station called Franks and told him she didn't appreciate that sponsor read and that she would prefer they not appear again on the show. Franks told her they were going on tour anyway. And that was the last of TV for Horton.

Johnny was crossing over from country to pop and a fellow musician pointed out that he couldn't be wearing a cowboy hat while performing pop, so he helped Johnny get his first hairpiece. Johnny had another hit with "Springtime in Alaska," which was quickly eclipsed by probably his most successful song of all time, "The Battle of New Orleans." This was written by Jimmy Driftwood and was awarded the 1960 Grammy Award for Best Country & Western Recording. The song was awarded the Grammy Hall of Fame Award and in 2001 ranked number 333 of the Recording Industry Association of America's "Songs of the Century." 

The last songs that Johnny recorded before he died were for the 1960 John Wayne movie North to Alaska and that was the title song "North to Alaska" and "Sink the Bismarck." Despite his success, Johnny never really made much money. He would stop by his parents' place occasionally and give them a few dollars. His mother said that they were always so happy to see their "sweet boy." The success of Battle of New Orleans did allow him and Billie Jean to buy their dream home. But they almost went bankrupt a bit after that. Before we talk about the crash that took Johnny's life, we need to talk about his premonition. Kelly Hagy writes in Finding Johnny Horton, "Horton didn’t always explore his interest in the supernatural while on the road, mostly because he didn’t talk about it with everyone. However, Johnny Cash was one of the few people with whom he could confide. “He and Cash were involved in—and I don’t know what you would call it, and I don’t know how long it lasted—Spiritualism maybe?” said Jerry Kennedy. “I remember vividly up in Canada one night we went to a medium’s house where they were going to have a séance. And I was curious. I grew up Baptist, so I was kind of weirded out. That was not something that I ever heard anything about when I was a kid. “I went to this thing with Johnny and Cash, and someone else, maybe Tillman, I can’t remember. It was in someone’s garage apartment behind this house. I can’t remember which city this was. It bothered me. And I don’t know how serious Johnny was about that, how long it lasted, exactly what it was all about." Well, we think Johnny probably was pretty serious about this stuff because he predicted his death. He told his friend Merle Kilgore that he was going to die in a crash with a drunk driver. He then made a pact with Kilgore that he would send a message from beyond the grave if the vision came true. He also gave Kilgore his beloved stage guitar.

On November 5, 1960, Johnny was driving his Cadillac in the wee hours of the morning - around 1:30 a.m. He was driving back to Shreveport, Louisiana after performing in Austin and he had band mates Tillman Franks and Tommy Tomlinson with him. The group was on Highway 79 near Milano, Texas when 19-year-old Texas A&M University student, James Evan Davis, hit them. 

Davis had been coming the opposite direction and crossed the center line and hit the Cadillac head-on. Horton was thrown from the vehicle and suffered severe head injuries. He died on the way to the hospital. Franks suffered head injuries and Tomlinson had to have his leg amputated. Davis walked away with a broken ankle. He had been heavily intoxicated. Johnny's funeral was held in Shreveport on November 8, 1960 and Johnny Cash performed one of the readings, choosing Chapter 20 from the Gospel of John (Resurrection of Jesus). Cash took Horton's death very hard. When he heard about the accident, he locked himself in a hotel's barrooms and cried he later dedicated his rendition of "When It's Springtime in Alaska (It's Forty Below)" to Horton on his album 2006 album "Personal File," which was released posthumously. Also on that album was a song the two wrote together called " Girl in Saskatoon." Horton was buried at Hillcrest Memorial Park and Mausoleum in Haughton (haw ton) in northwestern Louisiana.

So, did Johnny return in the afterlife? It seems he did and that he may haunt a couple of places. Before we explore those, we wanted to share some unique coincidences between Hank Williams Sr. and Johnny Horton. Obviously, both men had been married to the same woman: Billie Jean Jones. This was both men's second marriage. Horton heard about Hank’s death while driving near Milano, Texas–where he would die in 1960. Both of the men had their final shows at the same location, the Skyline Club in Austin. Hank died in the back seat of a Cadillac and Johnny was driving a Cadillac the night of his death. 

Johnny's friend Merle Kilgore was no slouch in the world of music, especially country music. He wrote "Ring of Fire" with June Carter Cash for Johnny Cash. (A little paranormal side note on that song is that Johnny Cash had a dream about the song in which he was backed up by a mariachi band. He went with it and created something not heard before this, making it a musical masterpiece. Kilgore embraced the paranormal as well, he wrote the song "The Bell Witch." Anyway, Kilgore was visiting a radio announcer named Bob Lockwood a few years after Johnny Horton's crash. Lockwood was calling a ball game and needed something to kill some time, so he introduced Kilgore to the audience and said that he had just finished writing a song that was recorded by Johnny Cash and they were going to play this new tune. Obviously, this was "Ring of Fire." After they played the song, they received a bizarre phone call. There was a woman on the other end and she claimed to be a medium from a spiritualist group in Greenwich Village, New York. The group had met the night before and held a seance with a Ouija Board. They connected with a spirit that identified itself as a cowboy named Wharton. Then they got another name through the board: Merle Kilgore. Nobody in the group recognized the name, but now the medium had heard Merle on the radio. She went on to say that she received a message from the spirit. That message was, "The drummer is a rummer and he can't keep the beat. Lockwood had no idea what this meant, but he saw a stunned look on Kilgore's face. Kilgore told him that he and Johnny Horton had made this pact and that like Houdinin did with his wife, they had a coded message that Horton would give him from beyond the grave. This was THAT message!

One of the places Johnny Horton haunts is the Texas highway where he tragically died. This was on the Highway 79 bridge and motorists and truckers have all claimed to see the spectral outline of a Cadillac. Some just see the headlights coming at them and then nothing. This happens most often on foggy nights. 

The last place he played, The Skyline Club, is also another place where his apparition has been seen, although this is now a CVS. That evening, Johnny refused to go in the bar because he believed so strongly that a drunk was going to kill him that night. People took to claiming the place was cursed because both Williams and Horton died after performing here. Johnny is also said to haunt his final resting place at Hillcrest Memorial Park. Fans and ghost hunters frequently report experiencing cold spots, hearing faint acoustic music or feeling his presence near his grave site. A story has circulated in trucking and CB radio subcultures that Horton's ghost has occasionally been heard breaking through on CB frequencies in the Deep South, transmitting cryptic messages or singing snippets of his hit songs like "North to Alaska."

Johnny Horton was another talent lost way too young. There were so many more songs for him to sing. Did he really know that he was going to die? How was he able to be so specific? Did he send a message from beyond the grave and does he haunt these various locations? That is for you to decide! 

HGB Ep. 639 - Haunted Nottingham

This Month in History - Dance Like a Chicken Day

In the month of May, on the 14th, Dance Like a Chicken Day is celebrated annually. The beak snapping, wing flapping, tail feather shaking song is a staple at weddings, Oktoberfests and other types of parties and events. Composed by Swiss accordion player Werner Thomas in the 1950's, after being inspired while watching ducks at a Swiss ski resort. He named the song 'Der Ententanz'(ENT-en-tahnz) or 'The Duck Dance'. This fun and silly dance is all about letting go of inhibitions, relieving stress and bringing people together. The Oom-pah Polka-style song became internationally popular in the early 1980's following its introduction at the Tulsa, Oklahoma, Oktoberfest in 1981. According to the Guinness World Records, the largest participant chicken dance occurred on September 1st, 1996. It took place at the Canfield Fair in Canfield, Ohio and hosted a whopping 72,000 participants to set the official record. Other large Chicken Dance gatherings have taken place in Zinzinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio with 48,000 dancers. Though some events have claimed larger numbers than the Canfield Fair Chicken Dance, the 1996 gathering still remains the recognized record.

Haunted Nottingham

Nottingham is located in Nottinghamshire in the East Midlands of England. The city is known for its Robin Hood legend, its lace heritage and the extensive man-made cave network that runs beneath it. There are centuries of history here and this has led to numerous legends and ghost stories connected to several locations. Join us for the history and hauntings of Nottingham. 

Nottingham was once a bustling inland port because the River Trent was able to accommodate large ships. And while the port side of its history is no longer important, this is a significant British city with the seventh largest economy in the United Kingdom and a population of several hundred thousand. The history here includes Norman conquest, Anglo-Saxon settlement, the Black Death killing 60% of the population, the Industrial Revolution bringing a successful textile industry and the world's oldest professional football club. The name Nottingham has a very interesting origin. The Anglo Saxons established a borough named Snotengaham because their group was known as Snotingas. The borough's name meant "the homestead of Snot's people." When the Normans came along, they thankfully dropped the S from the name. (Anybody need a tissue?) The founder of the Salvation Army, William Booth, was born in Nottingham. The city has a system of caves, canals and railways and many country homes and abbeys on its outskirts. There are also many haunted locations here. But let's start with a legend first.

St. Anne's Well 

Nottingham had several springs in the city that were all said to have medicinal qualities. One of these was St. Anne's Well. A chapel built for St. Anne was near the spring, hence the name. People would come seeking help for arthritis and other pains, although this spring doesn't seem very pleasant as a book from 1797 said that "the water is very cold, it will kill a toad." But maybe people came here for a very different reason as Pat Mayfield's 1976  book "Legends of Nottinghamshire" says, "The water of St. Anne's Well was well known all over England for its ability to restore the sexual powers of the people who drank it." One can't find this well anymore because it was demolished and the spring disappeared under a new railway. 

Prezzo Italian Restaurant

Prezzo Italian Restaurant is located on Forman Street within the Cornerhouse entertainment complex. This had been the site of the Nottingham Evening Post headquarters from the 1870s until 1998. But before that time, Forman Street was the red-light district during the Victorian era. Sir Charles James Watkin Williams was a Liberal MP and legal expert during that time and he liked to frequent the brothels. It was at one that stood on this site that he came to his end that has left many calling him the "happy ghost." Apparently, Sir Williams died mid coitus of a heart attack in the embrace of one Miss Nelly Blankey. A rhyme about this moment in history goes, "In eight feet deep of solid earth, Sir Watkin Williams lies. He lost his breath, which caused his death, 'twixt Nellie Blankey's thighs'." It is the ghost of Sir Williams that is said to be here. Patrons and employees have reported frantic banging and knocking sounds from the floor above when there is nobody up there.

Mapperley Hospital 

Mapperly Hospital is a really cool looking building that started off as the Nottingham Borough Lunatic Asylum. The building was designed by George Thomas Hine using a linear corridor layout that was added on to in 1889. The asylum opened in August of 1880. This would become Mapperley Hospital in 1948 and did well for a few decades, but went into decline starting in the early 1980s, eventually closing in December 1994. 

There were multiple buildings that were part of the complex and most still remain, having been repurposed with apartments on the south end called Nightingale House, and the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust taking over the north end, which is called Duncan Macmillan House. People who had worked there claimed that they would hear their names being called by an unknown, disembodied voice. A female ghost was seen gliding down the corridors. And this is very interesting, the former ITV drama series ‘Staying Alive’ was filmed in the building and there were several times that production had to be stopped because of ghostly shrieking. Graham Dawson said on Facebook, "I worked at the hospital in the works dept as a floor layer. One of my jobs was to replace the floor in the South corridor working at night. Night work meant you had to have someone working with you for safety . I sent my mate off to the mess room to make tea and I carried on working after a while I heard him coming down the corridor and started a conversation with him when I looked round there was nobody there. Think what you will but we always made tea together after that." Maxine Joesphine Palmer said on Facebook, "I worked there in 1995, as receptionist, brilliant place to work. Very spooky stuff happened especially on the night shift. Always heard a child singing 'silent night' on the south side corridor even though only housed adults."

National Justice Museum/Galleries of Justice

The National Justice Museum had been the Galleries of Justice. This is located on High Pavement in the Lace Market. The site was first used by the Normans and they called it Sheriff's Hall and this housed the sheriffs who were to keep the peace and collect taxes. 

This would become a law court in 1375 and a prison was here starting in 1449 and some of those prison cells are still accessible today. So this was a place where one could be held, tried and punished all under one roof. The last hanging here took place in 1864. The building was also used as a police station from 1905 to 1985. The courts closed in 1986. Employees and overnight cleaning staff have all reported having strange encounters in the museum. There are at least three spirits here including a soldier, an old lady, and a Victorian man. Cleaners will not go into any areas alone. The former courtroom has had disembodied groaning and screams, the sound of knocking, strange lights and shadows have been seen. Those sentenced to death are believed to haunt the courtroom. Claire Finn led ghost tours through the building and the museum's website interviewed her in 2020 and she said, "After snaking our way through the courtroom, my group and I arrived at the dark cells. This is when things became interesting. A few members of the group felt as though they were being watched. One women suddenly felt her arm had been pulled and was so terrified she insisted on staying outside in the exercise yard. I thought it best not to tell her about the bodies buried underneath. A man suddenly said he felt a huge pressure around him, so I decided to lead the group outside to the exercise yard, as the atmosphere was getting tense. When I asked if everyone was ok, the same man showed me his arm to reveal several scratches. He was convinced something had attacked him in the cell. As the tour came to an end I could tell the group was unnerved, so I reassured them they were all safe and far away from the dark cells. I returned to the reception area to collect my next tour and standing there was our medium, staring intensely at me. She walked over to me and said 'you really need to practice your spiritual grounding.'"

Lauren Williams was the Hospitality and Events Sales Manager at National Justice Museum when she spoke to the Left Lion website in October of 2025. She said, "Within my first week of working there, I had a paranormal experience. I was in the corporate kitchen, which is an area back of house and had my hair in a ponytail, and someone pulled my hair. I was in the middle of the room on my own. It was quite a yank and very odd. I understand why, as people have been executed on the front steps. There were terrible conditions in parts of the jail, and a lot of history with it being a court for 650 years. It’s a bit of a dark place to work." 

Ernie Wilkinson was a caretaker in 1995 when the goal became a museum. He told Left Lion, "My favorite ghost is Sam, that's what we call him. He's around all day. He's a little grey-haired old man. He’s been seen by wardens from Lincoln Prison, and when we had a builder in he saw Sam walk across the yard and straight through his car. Then there's the one seen in the exercise yard, he's a youth of about 19 or twenty wearing a sackcloth who appears to be writing on the wall. He gets more friendly each time I see him." Lauren said, "A fundraiser for Marie Curie Cancer Care, in 1995, reported ghostly apparitions in the early hours. Those attending the ‘spookathon’ reported seeing a mysterious lady attempt, and fail, to open a door in the grand jury room at 4am. Another saw a woman, a small boy and a man at the same time. A law student from Nottingham University said he had put his ear to the floor of a room and was able to hear a muffled conversation taking place below. However, he couldn’t hear what was being said." Lauren did outline another experience that genuinely frightened her. “It was when I was pregnant and I was coming through the museum towards the women’s laundry. I could hear the faint sound of a baby crying, so I went to have a look. There wasn’t anyone down there as it was towards the end of the day. We are on a cliff face, but the street is so far away, and this was a really loud crying noise by the time I got there. I freaked myself out and needed to leave immediately. I did ask our head historic interpreter if [babies] would have been there. Babies were in the jail, either by inmates who were pregnant before they came, but also, above the laundry is the Governor's house, where the governor, the jailer who looked after the men and the matron who looked after the women lived with their families and children. A colleague also felt someone walk through them, which was quite a visceral experience, but they didn’t feel it was too threatening."

Nottingham City of Caves 

Nottingham is a city with caves beneath it. The city sits upon a soft sandstone ridge that made it easy for early dwellers to hand dig cave dwellings. For this reason, it was known as Tigguo Cobauc ( Tig woe Caw bah) meaning "Place of Caves." These caves were around for hundreds of years and some still exist today. 

These were places where mainly the poor lived, but there was also a tannery. The St. Mary's Inclosure Act of 1845 eventually banned the renting of caves to the poor. Some of these caves are under the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre, which was built in the early 1970s. A Franciscan Friary known as Greyfriars, Nottingham, stood here until 1539. While the site was being prepared for the shopping center, the caves were rediscovered. The developer planned to bulldoze them, but locals protested and they were saved and protected as a Scheduled Monument. The caves were excavated by archaeologists who found pottery dating back to 1270 and then they were opened to the public as a museum. They are part of the National Justice Museum. Occasional ghost hunts are held here as well. Lauren said of the caves to Left Lion, "What’s reported the most are physical things like stones being thrown, like small gravel stones. It's the cave area and a lot of people feel a presence that is like a feeling of despair, anger, frustration and quite negative feelings." 

Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem Pub (The Trip)

Nottingham Castle was built upon Castle Rock and the building that houses Ye Olde Trip to Jerusalem rests against that rock. There are several caves attached to it as well. It is thought that these caves and the building may have been a brewhouse for the castle going back to the medieval period. While the pub claims to have been established in 1189, the first mention of this name is in 1799. 

The pub was named The Pilgrim going back to 1751. Both of these names were inspired by this being a stop over for pilgrims and crusaders traveling to Jerusalem. There is a map from 1610 that shows a structure here, so it really is up in the air how old this pub may be. There is a spirit that haunts this location. A portrait of a woman dressed in Victorian style attire hangs in the pub. This portrait was moved to a different wall during a renovation and patrons started pointing out that the once dower-looking woman now appeared to be smiling. Is this just faulty memory? But that's not the only object in the pub with a weird story. There is a wooden model gallion up on the second floor that is said to have been gifted to the establishment by a visiting sailor. Legend claims that this is cursed. This started when the model was cleaned and moved from its previous location downstairs. The person who cleaned the model, died right after completing that. A landlady named Marilyn said in 1994, "The last three people who have cleaned it are said to have died mysterious and unexpected deaths within 12 months of doing so." This model is in a very sorry and dirty state because nobody will touch the thing to clean it. A glass case was eventually put around the model. There is other paranormal activity. People claim to have their keys disappear and then reappear in odd places. Glasses and bottles have flown off shelves by themselves. There is also the sound of breaking glass and no broken glass is found. Two foot soldiers were seen walking through the wall in the cellar by a group of people. Marilyn also said, "Previous landlords have both seen and heard two ghosts, a man and woman. We hear people calling when there's no one there. The woman, wearing what appears to be crinoline skirts is seen walking down the stairs into the cellars." A manager named Claire also had experiences. She told the BBC that she was moving boxes to the attic and "I was aware that somebody was following some three stairs behind me. I dismissed it as fanciful, but a chill came over me that was hard to ignore. The first chill I could ignore, but the second time I climbed the stairs I saw a shimmering black shape that had no place in a badly lit corridor. In that light a natural substance could not have shimmered. I did not believe what I saw, I was tired, I imagined it. I picked up the third box in a determined mood, but the presence retaliated by seeming to grow stronger. I ran to my flat and locked the door." 

Ye Old Salutation Inn (The Sal)

The Ye Olde Salutation Inn is one of three pubs in Nottingham that claims to be the oldest. Parts of it date to 1240, but today it's been described as "an old fashioned rock and bike pub." There are unusually large man-made caves under this building. These are rock cut passageways, cells, chambers, and chimneys with stone-slab shelves, so probably used for food storage. Crusading knights more than likely stopped over here on the way to the Holy Land. 

Through the years this has been a tannery, alehouse, hostel  and private dwelling. The caves hid Jews escaping persecution and there was a leper colony here at one time too. A bit of tragedy occurred in 1820 when the landlord John Green and his family died from arsenic poisoning. Apparently, they were using arsenic to kill rats and it contaminated their oatmeal. There are those who claim this is the most haunted pub in Nottingham. One landlord claimed it had 89 spirits. One of the ghosts is thought to be of a young girl named Rosie. People leave marbles, dolls and other toys for her that are kept in a corner. She apprently likes to move things around. Back in 2016, manager Terry Webster said, "I'm a skeptic where ghosts are concerned, but I've seen things in this pub that really do make me wonder." He went on to share that he had been going downstairs when he heard footsteps and a cough. Terry was alarmed because it was early in the morning and no one should be in the building, but him. He worried that an employee had forgotten to lock the doors the night before and an intruder was in the pub. He found no one else inside and when he checked the security footage, there was no one, but himself. Could this be the highwayman that likes to draw his pistols and wander between the pub and the caves below? The poisoned landlord and his family are thought to be here and there may be the ghost of a lady of the night who was named Jezebel and had a disfigured face.

Church Rock Cemetery 

Church Rock Cemetery is built on the site of the old gallows hill where people were hanged for their crimes in the late 17th century. The cemetery was founded in 1851 by Edwin Patchett. Notable burials include the founder of Nottingham's renowned Raleigh Bicycle Company, Sir Frank Bowden, and famed architect Watson Fothergill. 

A local clergyman, named George Oliver, claimed to find Robin Hood's cave in the 1800s. He claimed this cave network had once housed an ancient Druid temple and that later, Robin Hood took up hiding in a cave here. More than likely, these caves were a byproduct of the sand mining that had occurred here centuries before. Robin Hood was probably never here, but the ghost of a Victorian lady dressed in white has been seen walking around the cemetery at night. The caves are said to have the spirit of a ghostly miner and some kind of negative entity that appears as a tall shadow. He whispers his name in people's ears and most people come out of the caves feeling sad and claiming to have heard disembodied footsteps and running. 

Wollaton Hall 

Francis Willoughby, who was an English industrialist, began construction on Wollaton Hall in 1580 and it took eight years to complete. This is an Elizabethan country house that stands in Wollaton Park that was designed by architect Robert Smythson. This is great architecture with these towers at each corner that are three storeys tall. The exterior is made from Ancaster stone and there are French and Dutch influences and much of the decorative carving is described as fantasy-Gothic. 

The interior has a fake hammerbeam wood ceiling and the gallery of the main hall contains Nottinghamshire's oldest pipe organ. There are cellars and passages beneath the main hall. The Willoughby family owned the hall until 1881. Then it was vacant for a while. The 11th Baron Middleton sold it to the Nottingham Corporation. The Nottingham Council opened it as a museum in 1926. The park has a herd of deer and today the hall is the Nottingham Natural History Museum, with Nottingham Industrial Museum in the outbuildings. If you look at a picture of the hall, you might recognize it as Wayne Manor. Scenes from the Batman movie "The Dark Knight Rises" were filmed here in 2011. And there is a city named Gotham in Nottinghamshire. Employees have felt something unseen tap them on the shoulders. A construction foreman was having a meeting with two of the museum's research staff in the early 1980s when the group heard the sound of labored breathing. This sound was definitely in the room with them and it seemed to be moving around the room. The sound eventually faded away and they all found it unnerving. The Minstrel's Gallery in the hall has a musical ghost who likes to whistle. Several employees have heard the ghostly whistling coming from this room when they are locking up at night. A ghost in military garb is seen sometimes walking around the courtyards and then it fades away. One witness described this ghost as wearing a German uniform. Andrew James Wright wrote Haunted Nottingham and he shares this story in there: 

(Keith Taylor Story)

Nottingham Castle

Nottingham Castle resides high on a cliff known as Castle Rock. Nottingham Castle doesn't really look like a classic castle. There is so much lore around it for many of us who grew up hearing about Robin Hood that we expect it to look like Cinderella's Castle or something. As was the case with so many castles, a Norman castle sat here first and this dated to 1068. This was a wooden motte-and-bailey castle built by William the Conqueror to defend a very strategic position near a crossing of the River Trent. 

A stone castle was built in its place by King Henry II in the late 1100s. When King Richard the Lionheart went away on the Third Crusade, the Sheriff of Nottingham and other supporters of Prince John, occupied the castle. Robin Hood is thought to mainly be a literary legend, but there are those who think he was based on a real person. Three people who have been suggested are Robert Hod, a man who owed the church money and fled to York; Robyn Hode who was a servant of Edward II at York in 1324 or Robin Hood who trespassed in a royal forest in Northhamptonshire. Zeroing in on a date is hard as well. But the strength of the legend seems to support that there must be some truth to this as it has made its way into no less than 39 ballads. There have also been four scripts for Elizabethan playlets. Here is an excerpt from Richard Grafton's Chronicle of 1569 (p. 584) This version of Robin certainly isn't the one we grew up hearing about who robbed the rich to give to the poor. Sounds like he robbed everybody and kept the loot for himself and his men. The story transformed through the years to be our lovable, heroic and generous Robin Hood. Nottingham Castle was the scene of the final showdown between Robin Hood and the Sheriff of Nottingham. 

One of the most important historic events to happen at the castle took place in 1330 when King Edward III staged a coup against his own mother, Queen Isabella of France, and her lover Roger Mortimer. The Queen - or she-wolf of France as some called her - and her lover had been serving as regents until Edward came of age in 1330. But they had no intention of giving up the throne. After all, the two had murdered King Edward II to get this throne. 

Here is the story behind the King's death, "He was held in a cell above the rotting corpses of animals, in an attempt to kill him indirectly. But Edward was extremely strong, fit and healthy, and survived the treatment, until on the night of 21 September 1327, he was held down and a red-hot poker pushed into his anus through a drenching-horn. His screams could be heard for miles around." Sir William Montagu led the coup and they used a secret tunnel under the castle to get them higher up into the castle where a door that was normally locked was left unlocked by Edward III. They killed Morimer's guards and bound and gagged him and took him to the Tower of London. He was hanged a month later. Isabella was sent away to Castle Rising Castle. King Edward III made Nottingham Castle his residence. It stopped being a royal residence in 1600. The castle was razed in 1649 and replaced with the Ducal Mansion. Riots in 1831 led to the burning down of the mansion. This left it a derelict shell until it was restored in 1875 and opened as the Nottingham Castle Museum in 1878. During World War II, the British Army took over the castle. The city got it back in 1946. There have been more renovations and the Nottingham Castle Trust now manages the museum.

Roger Mortimer is said to haunt "Mortimer's Hole," which was the secret passage that led into the castle. Although Mortimer didn't die here, his spirit is said to haunt this area and his disembodied footsteps are heard. A woman's voice is heard pleading, "Fair son, have mercy on the gentle Mortimer," usually in Norman French. 

There are ghosts here from another incident at the castle. In 1212, King John took 28 sons of Welsh noblemen as prisoners and kept them at the castle. After a border dispute, the King decided to hang all of the young men and he did this from the ramparts of the castle. The desperate disembodied cries of these young men are heard near the castle walls. There is also the ghost of a woman referred to as the "Lady in the Light." This is believed to be the spirit of Catherine Howard, Countess of Nottingham, was executed in 1542 for treason after being accused of committing adultery with her distant cousin, Thomas Culpeper, and concealing a scandalous pre-marital sexual past from the King. Her actions broke a newly passed law designed to control the Queen Consort's behavior.

These are some great locations in a city that has always held an air of mystique because of its Robin Hood legend. Was Robin Hood a real person? Are these places in Nottingham haunted? That is for you to decide! 

HGB Ep. 638 - Railroad House Inn and Shank's Tavern

Moment in Oddity - Arrow Injury Saves Woman's Life (Suggested by: Chelsea Flowers)

A Texas school teacher by the name of Donna Barbour had an incredibly fortunate accident back in April of 2012. Mrs. Barbour was an avid gardener and after the stresses of spending her day teaching 20 young children, she liked to unwind in her garden. As dinner time neared, Donna stopped tending her garden to fire up the barbecue for herself and her husband. Suddenly, she felt like she had been hit by a baseball bat in her neck. She was startled and reached up to her neck, shockingly she discovered that she had been shot with an arrow. Panicking, Mrs. Barbour ran indoors to find her husband who had been speaking on the phone with their daughter. Mr. Barbour managed to stop Donna from frantically running around and convinced her to lie down while he called emergency services. The wayward arrow that Donna had been shot by came from a neighbors home where the son had been practicing with a compound bow. Donna was life-flighted to the nearest trauma hospital. The fact that she was still alive was a miracle. The arrow had narrowly missed both her carotid artery and jugular vein. She underwent a 2 hour emergency surgery to remove the arrow from her neck. The next morning she awoke with her family by her side, but that wasn't the end of her miraculous survival story. When her surgeon came to check on her, he delivered the news that her CT scan the day before revealed a brain tumor. Although thought to be benign, it needed to be removed because if it were left to continue growing, the tumor would cross the midline of Donna's brain, causing a massive stroke. A neurosurgeon performed the tumor removal surgery successfully. After the surgery, Donna Barbour underwent annual MRIs to ensure that the tumor had not grown back. In April of 2015, Mrs. Barbour received a call to schedule a doctors appointment to discuss her recent MRI results. The MRI revealed that there was no new tumor discovered, but that she had a brain aneurysm. Three months later Donna underwent surgery for the aneurysm and upon doing so, it was discovered that the aneurysm was on the brink of rupturing, which would have proven fatal. To survive being shot in the neck by an arrow is a miracle. But the injury leading to the discovery and treatment of a potentially deadly brain tumor and then a fatal brain aneurysm, certainly is odd. 

Railroad House Inn and Shank's Tavern (Suggested by: Kay Eberhart)

The Railroad House Inn celebrated its bicentennial in 2023. Through those 200 years, the inn has witnessed a lot of history in Marietta, Pennsylvania. The oldest continuously operated bar in all of Lancaster County, Shank's Tavern, is also in Marietta. Both of these historic locations are reputedly haunted. Join us for the history and hauntings of the Railroad House Inn and Shank's Tavern.

Robert Wilkins was an Indian trader and he bought 300 acres along the Susquehanna (suss-kwuh-HANN-uh) River in 1719. He sold this property to Rev. James Anderson whose son set up a ferry across the river and the river trade industry was strong here. Eventually James Anderson IV and James Cook established the towns of New Haven and Waterford. In 1812, these two became one and it was named Marietta after the two men's wives, Mary and Henrietta. The residents raised two companies to fight in the War of 1812. The early years were tough with slow growth and an economic crisis. The 1870s would see the end of the river trade. Timber and iron became the main economic engines of Marietta after that. The town has a dense concentration of historic Federal and Victorian homes and buildings. One of these buildings sits at the corner of Front and Perry, the Railroad House. The Railroad House Inn got its start as a boarding house when it was built in 1823. The building was made from red brick and stands three stories tall with a balcony on the second floor and a veranda on the first floor. There is a touch of gingerbreading to the porch. The inn sat across from the train station that was built in 1820. This provided accommodations for canal traffic before the railroad came to town. The Marietta Railroad Company was formed in 1832 to help construct a railway from Marietta to a spot near Columbia. The railroad would become a boon as Columbia, Marietta, and Wrightsville would start producing pig iron, which hadn't been successfully manufactured in this country before 1840. The Reading and Columbia Railroad purchased the Hanover Junction and Susquehanna Railroad after they declared bankruptcy in 1880 and this became the Reading, Marietta, and Hanover Railroad. The first Reading locomotive came to the area on April 19, 1883. There were great hopes that this railway would have routes to New York City and Washington, D.C., but the Columbia Bridge burned and those dreams were dashed. The line was eventually abandoned in 1930. Today, the station is a visitors center and trailhead station along the Northwest Lancaster County River Trail. 

There have been several owners and name changes through the years. This was a boarding house and a tavern referred to as Depot House and then it was the Railroad Hotel. Thomas Scott was owner of the inn in the late 19th century. 

Scott was an American industrialist and railroad executive, so it was fitting he would become owner of the Railroad House Inn. Scott had been born in 1823 to a father who was a tavern keeper. He quit school at the age of ten and worked as a handyman and his work at a general supply store taught him about running a business and he pursued a couple of small business ventures in his early 20s. At 27, he got involved in the railroad and worked his way up from station agent to general superintendent to Vice President of the Philadelphia Railroad. Scott was described as being daring and operated in ethically gray areas sometimes to turn a profit. During the Civil War, he accepted a special commission in which he was placed in charge of railroad and telegraph lines for the Union and he worked to build a railroad through Washington, D.C. as an assistant to the Secretary of War. After the war, he continued to work in transportation and his employment practices that included cutting the pay of railroad workers in Pittsburgh heavily, led to the Great Railroad Strike of 1877. Scott said that the strikers should be given "a rifle diet for a few days and see how they like that kind of bread." This led to him being referred to as one of the first robber barons of the Gilded Age. His business never recovered from the strike and he had a stroke in 1878, ultimately dying in 1881. 

Mrs. Bell ran it as a boarding house again in the 1940s. There was a time it served as a private residence. Architect John DeVitry purchased the building with a man named John Westenhoefer and they hand dug the cellar to create space for what would become a 60s-era coffee house. This later became a disco in the 1970s. 

In 1989, Richard and Donna Chambers bought the Railroad House and hey had a dream that they could turn the old hotel into a beautiful Victorian restaurant and bed and breakfast. And they did just that, running it into the early 2000s. Eric Farr and Tracy Beam bought it in 2008 and they operated it until 2015. Freddy States and Joey Bowden became co-owners of the restaurant portion in 2015 and they acquired the rest of the building in 2020. Bowden had been the former manager of the Bull’s Head Pub in Lititz and States had been co-owner of McCleary’s Pub. The men took advantage of the shutdown during the pandemic to make repairs and restore the building. The only thing not made-over was the main-floor bar and dining rooms and the inn and restaurant was reopened in the fall of 2020. That bar has Victorian charm with a beautiful fireplace and hardwood floors and the adjacent dining room has a steampunk theme. Another dining room, the Brodbeck Room, has a traditional Colonial feel with exposed beams, a cooking hearth, lighting fixtures and furnishings that contribute to the atmosphere. The original summer kitchen became a private dining room that can accommodate 15 to 20 guests. The Perry Street Cellar features craft beer, pub fare and musical entertainment. There is an outdoor patio as well. The inn specializes in what they call Micro-weddings. Joey said, "We’re unique. We were doing micro-weddings before the concept even existed.” The carriage house became the wedding venue. There are nine rooms in the inn with full bathrooms and luxury linens.

The building has managed to stand through two major floods, one in 1932 and the other in 1976. Tropical Storm Lee hit in 2011 and waters from this, inundated the cellar and first floor. The cellar sustained the worst damage, as the muddy river water impacted everything. The inn also survived a visit from Jane Fonda when she came through in 1972 protesting the Vietnam War. The coffee house had a psychedelic vibe at the time and welcomed her. 

And speaking of psychedelic, there seems to be some former guests and a former owner who are still here at the inn in the afterlife. So, if you book a room, you may get a ghostly visitor. One of the spirits here may be former owner Thomas Scott. Interestingly, everything we saw in our research reported that Scott died in 1881, but when owners Richard and Donna Chambers were renovating, they found an invoice for a keg of beer and a case of wine dated May 17, 1900 and signed by Thomas Scott. One has to wonder how this could be if he were dead in 1881. Did his ghost sign off on the order? A waitress had gone down into the basement to retrieve something and she saw a man sitting at the bar and as she passed by, he spoke to her saying “Hello.” She turned to reply and the man was no longer there. Could this have been Scott? Perhaps, but there are other ghosts here. 

Room 6 is said to be one of the most haunted at the inn. Guests have reported hearing the sounds of banging coming from within its walls. It is believed that someone shot themselves in this room. Cold spots have been felt and a presence is sometimes felt. That presence sometimes sits down on the bed. In Room 8, people have reported a figure at the end of the bed. 

There is a spirit here named Anne Marie and a couple back stories are told about her. The first is that she lived next door and she tended the garden, ensuring there was a bounty to serve in the restaurant. Many eligible young men would come through and she fancied eventually marrying one of these men, but that never came to fruition. So its said that is why she appears only to single men and she likes to flirt with men. Anne Marie has been seen walking around the gardens in a Victorian dress and men have seen her on the outskirts of the Biergarten - she knows where to find the men. But she also is thought to haunt Room 6. Another story claims that she was left broken-hearted and may have been the one to take her own life in the room. She has been seen looking out the window and softly crying as though she is seeking her lost love. Some people refer to her as the white lady or lady in white. Only one woman has ever reported seeing or interacting with Anne Marie. 

One of the stranger claims people have made is that they hear the sound of a typewriter in a room that has no typewriter. Disembodied footsteps are heard throughout the building and cold spots and winds are felt. 

An employee named Jean Adams spent a night alone in one of the rooms. She was in the bed and felt a presence get in the bed with her. It didn't feel threatening, but it did make her uneasy. Jean thought she heard a voice in her head say "Move over, you’re taking up all the room." She decided to move over and the uneasy feeling left her. Another employee decided to take a nap in the TV room upstairs and she heard the door open and felt an unseen presence as if watching her. A former chef at the restaurant got the scare of his life when he came out of the kitchen and noticed that his reflection in the mirror which hangs over the bar wasn't alone. There was a little girl in a Victorian dress staring back out of the mirror at him. He quickly turned around to see if there was a child behind him and there wasn't and when he looked back at the mirror, she was gone there too. This chef saw that little girl again one day as he walked past the stairway which leads to the second floor. He saw her out of the corner of his eye. A second look revealed an empty staircase.

Spirits don't just stick to the main building. The summer kitchen has a weird experience that was reported. A couple was staying in the one-bedroom loft and the wife awakened in the middle of the night and saw an elderly woman sitting in a rocking chair, knitting. She turned to wake up her husband and when they both looked back in that direction and the scene had disappeared. We word it that way because the rocking chair was gone now too. And there was no rocking chair in that room. So the spirit brought its own chair, which makes us think this was residual. Another couple was staying several months later and reported the same thing to management. 

Dark Whimsical Ghosts did an investigation in 2024 and here is one of the exchanges she had. (Innocent Spirit Box) So interesting to get both Innocent and Trapped. So does this spirit feel trapped in the room or at the inn? Then it was like to spirits were talking to each other. A female voice said "Patience" and a loud male voice said "Disagree." At this same time, an orb floated through the screen. Then there was these two "pleases" that came through the box, and they were unusual because the one was loud and firm, while the second sounded like it was whispered, but the voice was the same. (Please Spirit Box) Did another ghost tell them to speak softer? They had a cat shaped REM Pod that plays music when it goes off and it did go off on command. So they had a couple of interesting little things happen, but nothing that would have me convinced that this place is really haunted. 

Just a couple blocks down Front Street is Waterford Avenue. Shank's Tavern is located here. Retired riverboat captain James Stackhouse opened a tavern on the corner of South Waterford and West Front streets in 1814, so this location predates the Railroad House Inn. This is one of the oldest continuously running taverns in the commonwealth. Stackhouse called his establishment The Compass and the Square, most think as a nod to navigation on the waterways. It later became Hauer House and then Maulick's, named for local brewer Ernest Maulick. A speakeasy ran here in the 1920s and when the bar was warned that the police were coming, liquor was moved next door until the coast was clear. Right before Prohibition came to its end, John and Kathryn Shank bought the property and named it Shank’s Tavern. The tavern has remained family owned with Bob Shank as the current owner. He is the grandson of John and Kathryn. Shank's got in on craft brewing right when it started in the 1990s. They have a constantly rotating selection of beers on tap as well as a selection of hard liquor. The restaurant serves up salads and sandwiches and market-fresh produce as well as theme nights like Seafood Night on Fridays and Beef on Weck Thursdays. Beef on Weck is an iconic Western New York sandwich, particularly famous in Buffalo, featuring thinly sliced, rare roast beef piled high on a "kummelweck" roll. Kummelweck is a crunchy roll topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. The sandwich is usually served with horseradish and a side of au jus. The tavern has stayed much the same as it has survived a couple of centuries of floods, the Great Depression, Prohibition, wars and much more. The original tile floors, fireplace, and wainscoting still remain. Bob Shank freely admits that the place has ghosts. 

There is the Lady in Black who is often seen standing in the upstairs window, looking down at the street. She likes to hang out near the ladies' room and hovers at the top of the stairs. Barb Hauer ran the tavern from 1865 to 1885 and people think this may be her. The black in her name comes from the black dress she is seen wearing.

Bob grew up in the old hotel portion that had been turned into apartments. he said that he and his brother had strange experiences on Sundays when the bar was closed and everything was quiet. They called these "Sunday Night Terrors." Bob and his brother would hear people talking that weren't there. The cigarette machine would work all on its own. They even heard dimes being dropped into the payphone as though someone were making a call even though no one was standing at the phone. Bob told Uncharted Lancaster, "One night, the silence was shattered by three heavy knocks on their bedroom door. When the boys looked beneath it, no feet or shadows were visible. Their mother checked—doors locked, no one there. But the moment she returned to her room, something slammed against the boys’ door so violently it split the wood and sent coat hangers flying across the room." Bob also said of a neighbor, "One neighbor, Jack Fry, had a ghostly encounter so terrifying it kept him from entering the bar for 35 years. He described seeing two headless, floating apparitions enter through the door. As they passed through, the katydids outside went silent. The world held its breath. Then the spirits retreated, and the night sounds returned all at once. Fry never forgot it."

Patrons have felt something unseen touch them and grasp their hands. Phantom laughter is heard in the stairwell. A bartender saw a half-bodied figure in the kitchen. Booming noises are heard that have no origin and doors slam all on their own. 

Marietta, Pennsylvania is a charming river town that owes a lot to its former days when the railroad was the core of the town. Like many historic downtown areas, bars and restaurants continue to be the anchors and it would seem that these two locations have some unseen patrons. Are the Railroad House Inn and Shank's Tavern haunted? That is for you to decide!