HGB Ep. 577 - Fort McHenry

Moment in Oddity - Veronica Lake hairstyle war factory (Suggestedby: Jim Featherstone)

In the 1940's, during WWII women began working in factories to support the war efforts due to many men having been deployed overseas. With five million women entering the workforce between 1940 and 1945, the American labor force at the time was one third women. The types of jobs performed by these women varied from working in munitions factories, aircraft and tank factories, shipbuilding and many more. A good majority of these jobs involved working with heavy machinery. As one can imagine, a woman's long hair style could be quite dangerous while working around grinding gears. Then, in walks Veronica Lake. She was a popular American film actress who was well known for her luscious locks and peek-a-boo hairstyle having her hair partially covering one eye. Her hair style was iconic and replicated by many women. Problem was, loose hair around heavy machinery could result in not only severe injury, but even death. Miss Lake was asked to make a film for the government about "Safety Styles" for women working in factories. In one photo, she is shown with her long hair tangled around a drill press. In a scene from the film, Veronica receives an updo hairstyle with no stray strands swinging in sight. Soon after, female factory workers adopted an even safer option. Full head caps were distributed to the factory workers allowing the wearers to completely tuck their hair away. Actors and actresses have always influenced society, but a famous actress sporting a hairdo that shaped the war industry safety protocol, certainly is odd.

This Month in History - Baby Lindbergh's Kidnapping and Murder

In the month of March, on the 1st in 1932, Charles Augustus Lindbergh Jr. was kidnapped from his New Jersey home. The kidnapper entered the 20 month old's nursery at approximately 9pm. The intruder used a homemade ladder to enter the second story room. Muddy footprints were found as well as a poorly spelled ransom note which was left on the windowsill of the nursery. There was also a symbol on the note which consisted of two intersecting circles and three holes. The note demanded $50,000 and shortly thereafter, parcels were sent to the Lindberghs which included pieces of baby clothing. The ransom money was delivered to an unknown man at St. Raymond's Cemetery in the Bronx. The kidnapping received national news coverage and was dubbed, "The Crime of the Century". Sadly, Charles Lingbergh Jr's body was found ten weeks later just a couple of miles from the Lindbergh home in a grove of trees in Hopewell, New Jersey on May 12th. He was identified by his homemade undershirt which had a missing piece that matched the remnant that was mailed to the Lindberghs in one of the parcels. The baby's father and nursemaid identified Charles Jr's body at the morgue. The kidnapping murderer was later identified as Bruno Richard Hauptmann. Hauptmann had used some of the ransom money to buy gas and most of the remaining money was found in his garage. Hauptmann was found guilty of the kidnapping and murder in February, 1935. He was later put to death in the electric chair for his crime.

Fort McHenry

Fort McHenry sits in Baltimore’s harbor and is probably best known as the site where America's National Anthem was penned during the War of 1812. The Battle of Baltimore was fought here with a relentless attack bearing down on the fort from the British. The assault was so harrowing, it's understandable how Francis Scott Key was inspired to write his poem. Today, spirits still linger from that era. Join us for the history and hauntings of Fort McHenry.

Whetstone Point in Baltimore was first home to Fort Whetstone, which was an earthen star-shaped fort. This served as a strategic defense of the harbor in Baltimore during the Revolutionary War and in 1777, the flag that flew above the fort featured seven red stripes, six white stripes and eight stars formed in a circle with a ninth in the middle of the circle and stars in each of the four corners of a square blue field in the upper left corner. This was a very early version of the American flag. The position was far enough from the heart of the city to give effective security without endangering the city. Any enemy ship coming into the harbor would have to face an attack from the fort. Surprisingly, the fort had no attack on it during the Revolutionary War. Since the fort was fairly primitive, it was decided to replace it with a better fortification and a French engineer named Jean Foncin was asked to do just that in 1798. This new fort would also take on the new name of Fort McHenry in honor of James McHenry who was the Secretary of War under President George Washington. He provided extensive support in the building of the fort.

Fort McHenry was designed as a bastioned pentagon surrounded by a dry moat and each bastion had a cannon. After the War of 1812 started, the fort was equipped with 18-, 24- and 32-pounder cannons. The Battle of Baltimore would be a defining moment in the War of 1812 and was fought on land and sea from September 12th to September 14th, 1814. Preparations for war began at Fort McHenry in August when British expeditionary forces landed at Benedict, Maryland. The man in charge of the fort at the time was Major George Armistead. Armistead had been born in Virginia and began his military career in 1799 and served as an artillery officer at Fort Niagara in May 1813. His success there brought him to the command of Fort McHenry in June 1813. His first order there was to make a flag "so large that the British will have no difficulty in seeing it from a distance." That's fitting as he would later be known as the “Guardian of the Star-Spangled Banner.” 

The British had just burned Washington D.C. in August of 1814. They had destroyed the U.S. Capitol, the White House and other government buildings, making this the only time after the Revolutionary War that the US Capitol was captured by a foreign force. The British were feeling confident and they set their eyes on Baltimore. They were not aware that American merchant ships had been sunk at the entrance to the Baltimore harbor to prevent entry of ships. The British Navy would have to fashion their attack as a bombardment from a distance. There were other British forces on land trying to make an assault on the interior of Baltimore, but the American militia forces surprised the British with their resilience. They did manage to outflank and overrun the American forces to the right, but the British knew that they couldn't endure a frontal assault, so they decided to put all their efforts into a naval fight. 

On the morning of September 13, 1814, at 6 am, British Vice Admiral Alexander Cochrane ordered the bombardment of Fort McHenry to begin. And that bombardment would last for 25 hours, ending at 4:30 am on September 14, 1814. And then the National Anthem would be born. Francis Scott Key was a 38-year-old lawyer from Georgetown when he found himself aboard a truce vessel under the guard of the British ship HMS Surprise on September 14, 1814, writing a poem. Key had come to Baltimore from Washington, D.C. to procure the release of a doctor friend of his named William Beanes, who had been arrested by the British during the Burning of Washington. On September 7th, Key had earned the doctor's release by showing British Major-General Robert Ross letters written by wounded British soldiers who had been helped by American doctors, including Dr. Beanes. Key's rescue party was not allowed to leave the ship; however, because they had heard battle plans. They would have to wait until after the battle, but the British did let them reboard their truce vessel that was tethered to the HMS Surprise. Key spent the entire day of September 13th watching the bombardment of Fort McHenry and he observed that the fort's small storm flag continued to fly under the onslaught. When darkness came, he could no longer see the flag and thus he wouldn't know if the Americans still held the fort. 

On the morning of September 14th, the storm flag was lowered and replaced with a large garrison flag. This was a flag made by Mary Young Pickersgill and had 15 stars and 15 stripes. When Key looked out at the fort in the morning and saw this flag flying, he was elated and inspired. Included in his poem were the rocket's red glare from HMS Erebus and the bombs bursting in air from HMS Meteor, Terror, Devastation, Volcano and Aetna. Despite over 700 rockets and 1,800 bombs, only four men and one woman died with another 24 wounded. Key's poem "Defense of Fort M'Henry" would be printed as a broadside on September 17th. It later got national exposure through The Analectic Magazine. The poem was set to the tune of the British song "To Anacreon in Heaven" and retitled "The Star-Spangled Banner." There are four stanzas, but only the first one is sung and was first officially recognized by the Navy in 1889 as a national anthem. This would become official on March 3, 1931 when Congress passed a joint resolution that was signed by President Herbert Hoover.

Francis Scott Key visited his hometown of Frederick, Maryland in 1834 and gave a speech about what inspired him to write the poem that became our National Anthem. He said, "You have been pleased to declare your approbation of my song. Praise to a poet could not be otherwise than acceptable; but it is peculiarly gratifying to me, to know that, in obeying the impulse of my own feelings, I have awakened yours. The song, I know, came from the heart, and if it has made its way to the hearts of men, whose devotion to their country and the great cause of freedom I know so well, I could not pretend to be insensible to such a compliment. You have recalled to my recollection the circumstances under which I was impelled to this effort. I saw the flag of my country waving over a city – the strength and pride of my native State – a city devoted to plunder and dissolution by its assailants. I  witnessed the preparation for its assaults, and I saw the array of its enemies as they advanced to the attack. I heard the sound of battle; the noise of the conflict fell upon my listening ear, and told me that 'the brave and the free' had met the invaders. Then did I remember that Maryland had called her sons to the defense of that flag and that they were the sons of sires who had left their crimson footprints on the snows of the North and poured out of the blood of patriots like water on the sands of the South. Then did I remember that there were gathered around that banner, among its defenders, men who had heard and answered the call of their country – from these mountain sides, from this beautiful valley, and from this fair city of my native Country; and though I walked upon a deck surrounded by a  hostile fleet, detained as a prisoner, yet was my step firm, and my heart strong, as these recollections came upon me. Through the clouds of war, the stars of that banner still shone in my view, and I saw the discomforted host of its assailants driven back in ignominy to their ships. Then, in that hour of deliverance and joyful triumph, my heart spoke; and 'Does not such a country, and such defenders if their country, deserve a song?' was its question. With it came an inspiration not to be resisted; and even though it had been a hanging matter to make a song, I must have written it. Let the praise, then, if any be due, be given. not to me, who only did what I could not help doing; not to the writer, but to the inspirers of the song!...I again thank you for the honor you have done me; but I can only take the share of it. I was but the instrument in executing what you have been so pleased to praise; it was dictated and inspired by the gallantry and patriotism of the sons of Maryland. The honor is due, not to me who made the song, but to the heroism of those who made me make it."

After the battle, President James Madison promoted Major Armistead to the rank of lieutenant colonel and Armistead told his wife that “he hoped they would both live long to enjoy.” Unfortunately, that wouldn't be the case. Armistead would only live another four years, dying at the age of 38 from unknown causes. He was buried with full military honors. As for Fort McHenry, after the war, it was improved with expanded buildings and outer defenses were added. When the Civil War started, Baltimore was full of citizens who were pro-secession. The cannons at Fort McHenry were pointed in two different directions, one of which was toward the harbor in case of coastal attack and the other...well, that was toward the center of Baltimore itself to warn those pro-secessionists to get in line. The fort served as a prison for much of its time during the Civil War and many of the prisoners came from the battles at Antietam and Gettysburg. There were also pro-secessionists from Maryland who could be arrested after President Abraham Lincoln suspended the writ of habeas corpus. This had people calling Fort McHenry "The American Bastille." 

It was decided during World War I to convert the fort into a large US Army hospital. Dozens of buildings were added to the property to facilitate this endeavor and then they were dismantled afterward. During World War II, the Coast Guard moved in and made the fort a base and they used it for training. The fort was restored to the way it looked during the War of 1812 and part of it was open at this time as a museum because in 1925, Fort McHenry was made a National Park. It became a double designee in 1939 when it was designated a National Monument and Historic Shrine. This is the only location in the United States to get this dual designation. Through the years, any new flag design has been flown above the fort first, before it becomes official. The 49-star flag and 50-star flag are still located at Fort McHenry. Today, Fort McHenry is a tourist destination and has an award wining living history volunteer unit. The flag that inspired Francis Scott Key still exists, but has deteriorated and is very fragile. For this reason, it has a special display case at the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C.

Anybody who studies the history of forts knows that many of them have been star-shaped. For some, that star shape has an occult significance and perhaps leads to some of the reports of paranormal activity. The interesting thing about what is technically known as the pentagram is that it also has Jewish and Christian significance too. In early Christianity, the pentagram was used to mark the five wounds of Christ on the cross. The pentagram itself goes all the way to ancient Sumeria and was found on pottery discovered in Ur. They used it as a symbol for the gods Ishtar and Marduk. In Judaism, the star is is expanded into two full triangles with one inverted and was derived from the Seal of Solomon created in medieval mystical traditions. Occultists embraced the pentagram as a magical symbol, particularly to depict spirit presiding over the four elements. The inverted pentagram was eventually deemed an evil symbol because this symbolized matter conquering spirit. Wicca embraced the pentagram and encircled it creating the pentacle. While forts used the star-shape because it allowed maximum defense capabilities without any "dead zones," it is interesting to consider that the shape might inadvertently be powering some other kind of energy.

There are many stories about several entities haunting the grounds at Fort McHenry. Doors rattle and intense cold spots are felt. People have reported seeing spirits hanging from the former gallows. Many of the spirits seen are from the War of 1812 and they are seen walking the bricks. Soldiers from various eras are seen not only from the War of 1812, but also the Revolutionary War, Civil War and World War I. That woman who died during the Battle of Baltimore, had her body torn in half by a rocket. She is said to haunt the site and is seen as a woman missing half of her body. She wanders aimlessly as though looking for her other half. This could be the Woman in White that is seen as well, or this might be an entirely different ghost who was the wife of an officer whose children died in an epidemic here in the 1820s. She is said to push people down stairs and has even knocked a couple of people unconscious. One of those people was an artist who said that he came through a doorway and felt like a frying pan hit him in the face before he went out cold.

The cool thing about ghost sightings at the fort is that usually a group of people all see the same thing. For instance, a group of re-enactors all saw a female prisoner in a second floor window. She was described as wearing a Victorian-era dress. No one is sure who she was, but probably a pro-secessionist. The jail is said to be very creepy and it had a death row during the Civil War. There are claims that if you rub your hand along the wall, you will feel an abnormal warm spot. First Call Paranormal was visiting in March of 2023 and walking around with a Spirit Box that said "person" right before somebody else came walking into the room. It was a rainy day and there was hardly anyone at the fort. It may have been nothing, but the guy said he thought it was interesting and wondered if he was being warned that a person was coming. (Person Spirit Box)

One of the more well known spirits is said to belong to Private John Drew. He was a soldier who killed himself after being caught sleeping on duty. The shame seemed to be too much for him. Since he had been locked up for his infraction, he is often seen in the cell where he took his life. Sometimes he makes it out into the ramparts to the spot where he was on guard duty. 

Lt. Levi Clagett is another spirit here. This is his obituary notice from September 21, 1814, "This afternoon, at 4 o'clock, the Baltimore Artillery Company of Fencibles, under the command of Captain (Joseph Hooper) Nicholson, will parade for the purpose of rendering the last tribute of respect to Lieutenant Levi Clagett & Sergeant John Clemm, who fell in defense of this city and their country's rights, at Fort M'Henry, during the bombardment of that fortress by the enemy. To have fallen in such a cause, would have, of itself, entitled the memory of the dead to respect and sympathy. But they needed no such adventitious circumstances to excite the most poignant regret at their untimely departure. They formed a prominent part of the rich price, which was paid for victory and safety. In civil life, they were men of the most amiable manners, honorable principles, and respectable standing in society. In the hour of danger, they evinced ardent and collected courage. Their friends lament their loss, with sorrow not loud but deep. May the reflection, that they died in a cause and at a time, when every tongue was eloquent in their praise; that they departed in the path of honor; that the gratitude of their countrymen will embalm their names in every heart, afford to the bereaved of their connections and friends, the only alleviation for such a loss. Their brethren in arms will cherish their memory; with affectionate care. They sleep on the soldier's bed, the bed of honor; and while their loss may call forth the manly tear of fraternal regret, their example will animate to deeds, such as living, they would have approved and aided." People claim his apparition can be seen walking or floating around the fort. He has been seen as both a translucent figure and a regular looking uniformed man, often mistaken as a re-enactor. His favorite spot to haunt is "Clagett’s Bastion" where he died. Incredibly, the Secret Service has been sweeping the fort and preparing it for a visit from President Gerald Ford and they spotted a uniformed soldier walking the same bastion where Clagett and Clemm died. There was supposed to be no costumed people or visitors on the property during this preparation, so the agents were left to wonder if they had just seen a ghost.

Southern Spirit Guide website reports, "One of the more interesting experiences reported on the grounds of the fort comes from near a large statue of Orpheus honoring Francis Scott Key. The large statue stands on the grounds outside the fort and it was here that one visitor saw the figure of man in uniform seemingly floating in mid-air. It was discovered later that that particular area had been the scene of an execution in 1862. A young private had been found guilty of murdering another soldier and it was here that he made his 'air-dance,' in other words, he was hanged." 

America's Haunted Roadtrip website reports, "One ghosthunting group that recently visited the site is the Maryland Tri-State Paranormal. Founder Ana Bruder told me that while they were there, her friend Laura suddenly said, “I feel like I am being watched.” Ana, who is sensitive to the presence of spirits, turned and saw the ghost of a uniformed soldier staring at her friend, just one of several spirits she detected while at the site."

Fort McHenry is famously known as the birthplace of America's National Anthem. It's fitting that a place that revealed so much American spirit and fortitude should also have actual spirits walking around. Is Fort McHenry haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 516 - Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst

Moment in Oddity -  Montenegro Tree Fountain

In the village of Dinosa, Montenegro, there is a unique tree that streams water after heavy rainfalls. Apparently, there is a cavity in the tree that reaches its base and when groundwater from the local springs increases, the water is forced up through the trees' trunk. After hard rainfalls it occurs at quite a rapid rate approximately 5 feet high from the ground, creating quite a spectacular natural fountain. The species of tree is a mulberry and it is estimated to be approximately 100 to 150 years old. The rise in groundwater that helps cause this phenomenon usually occurs in spring or autumn, typically happening once a year. The people of Dinosa have witnessed the tree fountain since the 1990's. Although this isn't the only tree fountain in the world, it is a rare phenomenon which certainly makes it odd.

This Month in History - Premiere of Playboy Magazine

In the month of December, on the 1st, in 1953, Playboy magazine debuted with Marilyn Monroe on the cover. Also known by her given name, Norma Jeane, she didn't actually pose for the 'Sweetheart' centerfold in the inaugural issue as many people believed. The first issue of the men's lifestyle and entertainment cover read, "Marilyn Monroe Nude". Hugh Hefner never paid her a single cent, nor did Marilyn give permission for the then four year old photos to be used. As it turns out, the photos were not acquired legally. Back in 1949, Norma Jeane needed money to pay her bills. Lacking a job and cash she posed for Tom Kelley, a pinup photographer. She was paid $50 and the photographer promised that he would make her look unrecognizable. She signed the photos release documents as Mona Monroe. She stated that the reason for her signature and request was, "I don’t know why, except I may have wanted to protect myself, I was nervous, embarrassed, even ashamed of what I had done, and I did not want my name to appear on that model release." Regardless, the photos were sold and just a year after her photoshoot Marilyn Monroe started experiencing her breakout success as an actor appearing in 'All About Eve', 'Gentlemen Prefer Blondes' and so many other films. Playboy's Hugh Hefner quickly tagged along on Monroe's dress tails (as it were). Hefner maximized his investment after purchasing the rights to her photos and using them in his premiere magazine release as the first Playboy Sweetheart, later to have the moniker of 'Playmate of the month'. Sadly, Marilyn was never paid more than the original $50 for her shoot, never received a thank you or any other compensation while many made millions off her photos. Norma Jeane was urged to deny that the photos were actually of her, but despite the warnings, she confirmed the photos were indeed her and she stated later that they surprisingly helped her career. Ironically, despite not having any real connection with Marilyn, Hugh Hefner was said to have purchased the burial plot next to her for $75,000 back in 1992, stating that "spending eternity next to Marilyn is too sweet to pass up".

Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (Suggested by: Samantha Napier)

Joint Base McGuire–Dix–Lakehurst in Trenton, New Jersey is a very unique military base in that it is the only tri-service base in the United States Department of Defense. All six armed forces branches have units stationed there. The name is derived from the United States Air Force's McGuire Air Force Base, the United States Army's Fort Dix and the United States Navy's Naval Air Engineering Station Lakehurst. This location was the scene of the horrific crash of the Hindenburg in the 1930s. Several buildings on the base are said to be haunted. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the place most commonly known as Fort Dix!

The Lakehurst Naval Air Station is located in Manchester Township in New Jersey. This began as Lakehurst Maxfield Field, which was a test range for ammunition being manufactured for the armed land force of Imperial Russia. This was in 1916. During World War I, the United States Army acquired the field and reopened it as Camp Kendrick. In 1921, the United States Navy purchased the property. The Navy decided to use it as an airship station and that is when the name changed to Lakehurst Naval Air Station. This would become the center of airship development in the United States. This work would continue until it was deactivated in 1962 and surprisingly, airship operations were resumed in 2006. In the field behind the large airship hangars is a memorial to a famous disaster that took place here: The Hindenburg Disaster. 

The LZ 129 Hindenburg was a German rigid airship that carried passengers. This class of airship was named for Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg, who was President of Germany from 1925 until his death in 1934. The Hindenburg class were the longest class of dirigibles. The LZ 129 was the largest airship at that time and was designed by the Zeppelin Company, which was named for German airship innovator Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. The airship was a great success and made ten trips to the United States in 1936. This attracted the attention of American Airlines and they contracted with the Zeppelin Company to have the Hindenburg shuttle passengers from Lakehurst to Newark for connections to airplane flights. On May 6, 1937, the Hindenburg was making a landing at Lakehurst when things went terribly wrong. There had been a storm, so the Hindenburg took a bit of a detour. At 7pm, the Hindenburg made its way back to Lakehurst and was coming in for its final approach. The airship was half full with 36 passengers and 61 crew members and running off of highly flammable hydrogen gas. 

A special flying moor was going to be rigged in which the ship would be winched down to the mooring mast. The Hindenburg made a sharp turn because the ground crew wasn't ready, the wind shifted and another sharp turn was made. Water ballast was dropped and six men were then sent to the bow to trim the airship. Mooring lines were dropped and the port line was overtightened and then it seemed as though gas started leaking, there was some static electricity and flames burst out. Eyewitnesses all saw different things, so it's hard to know exactly what happened. The flames spread quickly and the bow lurched upwards and the ship's back broke. The tail crashed to the ground and flames burst from the nose killing 9 crew members. The fire burned for hours. In the end, there were a total of 35 deaths out of 97 people on the airship, including 13 of the 36 passengers and 22 of the 61 crew. Many survivors were badly burned.

Herbert Morrison was broadcasting for WLS radio and here is part of that famous coverage, "It's burst into flames! Get this, Charlie; get this, Charlie! It's fire... and it's crashing! It's crashing terrible! Oh, my! Get out of the way, please! It's burning and bursting into flames and the... and it's falling on the mooring mast and all the folks between it. This is terrible; this is one of the worst of the worst catastrophes in the world. Oh it's... [unintelligible] its flames... Crashing, oh! Oh, four or five hundred feet into the sky, and it's a terrific crash, ladies and gentlemen. There's smoke, and there's flames, now, and the frame is crashing to the ground, not quite to the mooring mast. Oh, the humanity, and all the passengers screaming around here! I told you; it – I can't even talk to people, their friends are on there! Ah! It's... it... it's a... ah! I... I can't talk, ladies and gentlemen. Honest: it's just laying there, a mass of smoking wreckage. Ah! And everybody can hardly breathe and talk and the screaming. I... I... I'm sorry. Honest: I... I can hardly breathe. I... I'm going to step inside, where I cannot see it. Charlie, that's terrible. Ah, ah... I can't. Listen, folks; I... I'm gonna have to stop for a minute because I've lost my voice. This is the worst thing I've ever witnessed."

The Air Station later hosted the U.S. Navy's first helicopter squadrons and today is used for Naval Aviation programs with two runways that are still in use. Base Realignment and Closure merged the Naval Air Station with two neighboring military bases. One of those was Fort Dix, which started as Camp Dix in 1917 in Wrightstown, New Jersey. This was named in honor of Major General John Adams Dix who served as Secretary of the Treasury under President Buchanan. He actually had a long list of accomplishments. Dix was a veteran of the War of 1812 and the Civil War, and a former United States Senator and Governor of New York. After May 1918, Dix was used as an embarkation camp and then as a demobilization center. This became one of the largest camps in the Northeast and had a history of mobilizing, training and demobilizing soldiers. It was renamed Fort Dix in 1939. This was an all-male base until 1978 when the first female recruits entered basic training there. Dix ended its active Army training mission in 1988 due to Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendations. It began a new mission of providing training for Army Reserve and Army National Guard Soldiers. 

McGuire Air Force Base was originally known as Fort Dix Airport. It was established in 1937 in Burlington County near Wrightstown in New Jersey. The airport opened to military aircraft in 1941. Seven years later on January 13, 1948 the United States Air Force renamed the facility McGuire Air Force Base. This was in honor of Major Thomas Buchanan McGuire Jr. whom died during World War II in 1945 as he was engaged in an aerial dogfight and giving aid to his wingman. He was given the Medal of Honor and was a second place American flying ace of World War II. McGuire Air Force Base became the Air Force's "Gateway to the East." In 1954, the Military Air Transport Service took over jurisdiction of McGuire AFB and in 1992, the base became part of the newly reorganized Air Mobility Command.

The largest building on Fort Dix had been Walson Army Hospital. We say "had been" because it was dismantled over years and finally demolished in 2018. The hospital opened on March 15, 1960 named for Brigadier General Charles M. Walson and had been built to replace the wooden buildings built during World War II. The hospital was two 9-story ward wings and a 9-story service wing with a 500-bed hospital that could be expanded to 1,000 beds. Medicines and messages were whisked to all floors through pneumatic tubes. Surgical facilities included eight fully equipped operating rooms, X-ray, dental, eye-ear-nose-throat, childcare, neuro-psychiatric, and therapy clinics and an emergency operating room was located near the ambulance entrance. Nurses quarters were completed in 1963 and in June 1965, a $1.3 million construction program began on a two-story addition for clinics and a one-story Air Evacuation Section. During the realignment of 1992, Walson Army Hospital was transferred to McGuire Air Force Base and was renamed Walson Air Force Hospital. In April 2001, the Hospital was closed and as we said, it was demolished by 2018.

There are several locations on the base that are reputed to be haunted. One of the main locations was the  Base Medical Building or Walson Hospital when it still stood. There were reports of people hearing disembodied voices and the lights turning on and off by themselves. Visitors claimed to see floating orbs and experienced sudden temperature drops. The morgue was one of the more haunted areas. At the admittance station on the Dental Floor, a woman was talking to another employee when she saw a figure float behind the employee and she knew they were the only people there. It floated away and disappeared. Another woman saw an apparition and she ran to a door that shouldn't have been locked and it took several tries before the door would finally open and she could run away. She was terrified. 

Dameyon Beamon was a member of the 305th Medical Group at Walson from 1995 to 1997 and he claimed to encounter unexplained things. He said, "I worked nights at the primary care clinic. On many occasions when we would do security checks, the front door that used to be the pharmacy entrance would be unlocked, even if only an hour ago it was locked tight." One night, Beamon and a co-worker went to the ninth floor, which was the former psychiatric ward and they noticed an open window in one of the rooms. Beamon said, "At the precise moment Clark closed the window, the light in the room flickered, turned off and then came back on." There was also an experience for Beamon when he was exploring the old morgue. He was looking at some pictures there when he heard "the sound of a grown man crying."

Username grydberg wrote, "I have a great story from Ft. Dix haunted hospital. I was stationed at Ft. Dix from late 1997-mid-1999. One summer day in 1998, my friend and I decided to go check out the top 5 floors. We took the freight elevator, because the patient elevator stops after the 4th floor. We went to the 9th, then 8th floor with nothing abnormal, as soon as we stepped off the elevator on the 7th floor, the psych ward, things got strange. First of all, the temp dropped, not enough to see our breath, but there was a drop, the lights were flickering like crazy, and my friends brick walkie-talkie was going crazy. He thought someone was trying to get a hold of him, but no one responded, then we heard the patient elevators close, and we jumped back in the elevator. We went back to the 7th floor about 45 minutes later, and everything was normal. The lights were lit, and the temp was normal. We checked things out, and did not see anything abnormal. There are stories of babies crying, and a real neat story of the floors on the OB floor being freshly mopped. There is a mop and bucket that was left up there, and the floor will be wet, with foot steps across it, and the mop and bucket are dry. I also worked with a girl, and she was in the back of the lab, and she saw an image of a person walking behind her in the computer screen, when she turned around, no one was there. The last is an inquiry. I heard that there was a "super-soldier" being created in the sub-basement. Supposedly right after Vietnam War, the basement was quickly cemented in, and to this day, there is a crawl space, and the suspended ceiling is still there. I would like more information if someone can find it. The last story is of the morgue. I had keys to the morgue, so we would go down and check things out. The lights never work, they continuously flicker, and you can feel a presence when you lay down in the cooler. We would lay down on the morgue table, and be pushed back into the cooler. I did this only once, because I felt like someone was lying next to me."

The Garden Terrace had once been a Teen Center. A boy aged around 15-years-old has been seen walking around the Garden Terrace and people know that he isn't human because he fades away. He is usually seen wearing jeans, a blue jean jacket and a red hat. He has blonde hair. Username Stubbly Dooright wrote, "One night, on a late Friday night, another friend and myself were pulling out of a street, and at the intersection of that street into another, noticed a young man in blue jeans and a blue jacket with a red cap, walking across. I remember pointed out to my friend how I thought that the cap didn't go with his outfit. My friend was driving and so when she slowly pulled to a stop, after the young man crossed the street we were driving on, I looked at the young man, to see if he would turn his head to see if we were too close. I would have. Anyways, I noticed that he didn't and I thought that was strange. I then turned my head, where my friend looked at him and then she told me she saw him fade away. I didn't think that happened, and said that being dark and woods around the area, he must have ran into the woods. She accepted that explanation, but with reluctance."

The Airfield where the Hindenberg crashed and burst into flames is also haunted. The dead were taken to the nearby Hangar 1, which may be one of the reasons why the hangar is said to be haunted. At the Airfield, people feel creepy and sad. Some people have claimed to hear disembodied voices shouting, “She’s afire!” outside the hangar. The Second Deck in the hangar is a place where people have experienced unexplained activity. On one quiet weekend, there was only one person in the hangar and he heard voices coming from a corner of the Second Deck. He walked over and could clearly make out music and voices speaking a language he believed to be German. They seemed to be coming from the other side of a door, so he opened it and all the noise immediately stopped. The hangar is said to create its own weather conditions sometimes. One time there was a ground mist that was about four feet tall around three o'clock in the morning. There was only one employee in there and he saw two heads bobbing above the mist on the far end of the hangar and it gave him chills and sent him running out. He locked up and went home. A nightwatchmen was on duty and he heard someone call his name in Hangar 1. There was no one else there and he saw a figure moving towards him and he noticed that this figure had an ashen face. The spirit called his name again and then walked right through him. He ran out of the Hangar and never returned. 

Ghost Hunters visited on Season 5, Episode 26. In the Hangar, Dustin Pari was investigating with Britt and Dustin heard something walk above him. They also saw a figure in the Hangar in the far right corner where most of the activity is alleged to happen. Kris and Amy investigated in there after them and they went into some upper offices that the guys didn't go into and they got a very oppressive feeling in there that caused them fear. Then they felt like something flew over the top of them. A light went off and the ladies heard noises like a man grunting or clearing his voice. Kris said she had never been that freaked out on an investigation before. Grant and Jason saw a figure that looked like it was going up some stairs and then they heard what sounded like 15 people making noise together. They called for the figure to come on down and then they saw the figure look over the railing and then it was gone. In the Medical Building, Amy and Kris kept seeing a light turn on and off at the end of the hallway.

There have been stories that people have seen the Jersey Devil around the base. Most of these reports came in during World War II. Housing units have reports of weird sightings. One that is called Kennedy Court had residents who reported glowing red eyes that peer at them from the nearby woods at night. The trails near the housing units are said to have no wildlife and no sounds are heard. There definitely seems to be some weird stuff going on at this base. Is Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst haunted? That is for you to decide!

HGB Ep. 343 - The Forts of Mobile Bay

Moment in Oddity - Exploding Whale Park

Suggested by: Mike Streibel

How does one get rid of a large rotting whale on the beach? It's probably not a question you have ever pondered, but if you live in a coastal town where dead whales wash up on the beach, you could face this rather large, stinky problem. This very problem happened to Florence, Oregon back in 1970. A large dead sperm whale was found putrefying on the beach and this posed a real health issue. Officials needed to move it, but there was a big problem...why yes, we ARE referring to the size of the whale. This whale was too large to be moved. Officials came up with a great idea that proved to be a poorly thought out solution. Why not dynamite the thing? And that is just what they did on November 12, 1970. Everybody came out to watch and all the local news stations covered the explosive event. And we bet they all wished they had stayed home. Paul Linnman, a reporter for KATU, described it this way, "The blast blasted blubber beyond all believable bounds." Yep, there were bits of whale everywhere. It slammed into the local laundromat and other buildings in the area, a large chunk of blubber crushed a car roof and everyone in attendance got a gory shower of blood and blubber. The hope had been that the whale would explode into little bits for crabs and birds to carry off, but there were still big pieces that the city ended up burying under the sand. One would think a city would not want to commemorate this moment in history, but Florence did. On June 13, 2020, a new park was dedicated with a name that residents voted for in huge numbers. That name is Exploding Whale Memorial Park and that, certainly is odd!

This Month in History - Coca-Cola Classic Returns

In the month of July, on the 11th, in 1985, the Coca Cola company brought back their original formula after the huge blunder of introducing New Coke. I'm a big fan of Coke and I'll never forget the day I tried New Coke. This was not a pleasant experience. Coca-Cola had been losing market share for years against Pepsi and other non-cola drinks, so the company decided to reinvigorate their brand by introducing a reformulation. Tastes tests with 200,000 consumers helped Coke to make the decision, which new formula to go forward with. What Coke didn't realize is how attached we Coke lovers are to that original formula. Calls flooded into Coke's hotline and their offices around the country. People hoarded the old Coke. There was a huge upheaval and Coke decided it would be best to bring back the original formula and they named it Coca-Cola Classic. Eventually New Coke became Coke II and now it is no longer available and Coke is just Coke again. And while the new formula was a blunder, the marketing goof actually worked wonders. It rekindled loyalty and love for Coke and many advertising experts call this an intelligent risk.

The Forts of Mobile Bay (Suggested by: Josh Nash)

At the mouth of Mobile Bay in Alabama sat three forts, Fort Gaines, Fort Powell and Fort Morgan. Fort Powell no longer exists, but both Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines are still here. All of the forts saw action in the Battle of Mobile Bay during the Civil War. Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines would also see action in the Spanish American War and both World Wars. Many people died at these forts and that has lead to stories of apparitions and other paranormal activity. Fort Morgan is considered one of the most haunted locations in Alabama. Today, the forts are historic sites that can be toured and there is even a creepy escape room for adventurous souls. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the forts of Mobile Bay!

Mobile Bay is a shallow inlet of the Gulf of Mexico that is 413 square miles, making it the fourth largest estuary in the United States. There is an abundance of seafood in the deep waters of the bay that comes up to the shallow coastline during the summer and locals call this a jubilee. They easily collect crabs, shrimp, eels, flounder and other fish. This bay is the only place in the world to have jubilees happen regularly. Spanish explorers were the first Europeans to map the bay and they named it Bahia del Espiritu Santo, meaning the Bay of the Holy Spirit. They would continue to visit throughout the 1500s. The name Mobile would come from a town established by Chief Tuscaloosa of a Mississippian Native American tribe named Maubila. This was located north of the bay and was destroyed by Hernando de Soto. The Spanish never had luck setting up a settlement, but the French did in 1702. Part of Mobile Bay is Dauphin Island, which is a barrier island at the mouth of the bay. Dauphin means "prince" in French, but it originally was called Massacre Island because the French found large piles of human bones there. This had not been a massacre site, but rather a burial mound that had been opened up by a hurricane. The French built a fort here along with a chapel, warehouse and some homes. This would serve as a major port that passed through various hands until the early 1800s when it became the property of the United States.

The original fort to stand where Fort Morgan is now, was Fort Bowyer and this was built in 1813 by the U.S. Army. It was attacked twice during the War of 1812 with the British being defeated the first time, but forcing the American troops to surrender the second time. When the war ended, the Americans got the fort back and it served as defense until construction on Fort Morgan began in 1819. The fort has a unique design that has lead to it being referred to as the "finest example of military architecture in the New World." This resembles a five pointed star and was designed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and was constructed from brick, sandstone, granite, cement, iron work and mortar using slave labor.The name Morgan was chosen to honor Revolutionary War hero General Daniel Morgan. Work would continue on the fort until 1834. Across from Fort Morgan, on the island of Dauphin, Fort Gaines would be built starting in 1821 from brick and mortar. This fort was named for Edmund P. Gaines who was a hero of the War of 1812. Engineers decided that Fort Gaines was in sad shape and a newly designed fort was completed in 1858. This is in the shape of a pentagon.

During the Civil War, the Confederacy struggled to defend the coastline and they decided to focus on key ports. Mobile Bay was one of these ports and it became the most important import location after New Orleans fell in 1862. Goods from Havana and the Caribbean were brought through Mobile, so the Union set up ships to block the port. The Confederacy would run the blockades with steam ships and one of the most successful ships was the CSS Florida, which was able to break through the US Navy in September of 1862 and subsequently escaped through the blockade in January of 1863. There were three forts here around the bay: Fort Gaines, Fort Morgan and Fort Powell that had been partially built in 1862. It never was fully completed and sat on Grant's Pass. They had all been fortified, but when it came to gun power and actual defense, they were poorly managed. None of the forts were protected on the rear and there were not a large number of troops. There were only 600 stationed at Fort Morgan when the Battle of Mobile Bay started.

The Battle of Mobile Bay started on August 5, 1864. Rear Admiral David G. Farragut lead the Union forces and he had brought 18 boats with his naval fleet. He would face off against the Confederacy lead by Admiral Franklin Buchanan. The Confederates had fortified the three forts that guarded the bay with 67 naval mines across the entrance of the bay. There was just a small area left free of mines to allow their supply ships through. The minefield was flanked by buoys and Farragut knew what they meant. He believed he could steer through the minefield fine, but this would put him close to Fort Morgan. Farragut gave the order, "Damn the torpedoes! Four bells. Captain Drayton, go ahead! Jouett, full speed!" One of the ironclad monitors was destroyed by a mine, but the rest of the fleet made it through. Fort Gaines dealt some heavy blows with their guns though. *Fun Fact: Farragut called his device for removing mines a "cowcatcher."

Rear Admiral Farragut needed help on the ground and he planned a ground assault from the rear with the commander of the Military Division of West Mississippi, Major General Edward Richard Sprigg Canby. The two men decided that they could take the city of Mobile with a force of 5,000. Unfortunately, General Ulysses S. Grant needed troops sent to Virginia and so he would not send more than 1,500 men. This meant an assault on Mobile was not possible, but the two men believed they could at least take the bay. Now with Farragut through the mines, this force of 1,500 men who had landed 15 miles west of Fort Gaines, began making their way for a siege of the fort. They were lead by General Gordon Granger and these soldiers came from Maryland, Iowa, Illinois and Ohio.

Confederate ships entered the bay and fired on the second column of the Union fleet. The UNion ships closest to the forts continued to focus on the forts because they couldn't reach the Confederate ships with their gunfire. The Confederates dealt a heavy blow to the fleet and sunk the Tecumseh. She was completely underwater in three minutes. Only 21 of the 114 men on board survived. Many of the ships in the bay rammed each other rather than firing on each other. The Union managed to capture one of the Confederates most important ships, the ironclad CSS Tennessee, when the Admiral on board broke his leg and the Commander was unable to fight. Three hours had passed since the first shots were fired. Now a ground assault was ready to go and Fort Gaines decided it did not want to get into a hand-to-hand combat situation and it surrendered. Fort Powell surrendered quickly and was eventually destroyed, so that it no longer stands.

General Granger then set his sights on Fort Morgan. Farragut fired from the bay and Granger attacked with his men, keeping up a barrage of artillery fire. They pounded Fort Morgan for two weeks. By August 16th, the Confederates abandoned two of the batteries, which allowed Granger's men to get closer. They continued their assault until August 23rd when Confederate General Page surrendered the fort. He was arrested because he did not honor the surrender agreement and destroyed munitions. This sealed off the bay and Mobile would fall by April of the next year. Both standing forts would fall into disrepair, but the use of Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines was not over. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built a new fortification system for Fort Morgan in 1895, which concreted the batteries rather than leaving them brick. The latest technology in communications and electricity was added as well. And more water mines were placed in the bay during the Spanish-American War. The batteries also were equipped with 8-inch breech loading guns on disappearing carriages. They referred to the carriages as disappearing because these guns could be rotated backward and down behind a parapet after being fired. This protected the gun from being fired on while being reloaded. The design is obsolete today, but can still be seen on display at various forts. After the war, many of the cannons and guns were given to cities to use in making memorials.

Starting in 1900 and running through 1923, Fort Morgan was the largest permanent military base in Alabama. While World War I was being fought, there were two thousand troops stationed at the fort. The post was ordered closed in 1923, but would reopen again during World War II for the U.S. Navy to protect the coast line. In July 1944, Fort Morgan was closed again and left abandoned, never to be used for war again. It has been listed on the 10 most endangered battle sites in America because its location leaves it vulnerable to erosion and damage. Today, the fort is a historic site that can be toured and features an Escape Room Attraction called Espionage at Mobile Point. The official website of the fort describes it like this, "It is the summer of 1864 and you are Federal Spies captured by the Confederate soldiers. The Battle of Mobile Bay was one of the most decisive battles of the war. Can you help the union forces understand the defenses of mobile bay? Does the fort have an effective method of attack? Your job is to find the defensive map and escape route.  LISTEN carefully!  Wise captives have been known to escape. Step back in time to discover your fate."

Fort Gaines saw action in similar fashion as Fort Morgan during the Spanish-American War and both World Wars. Today, it still serves as a base for the Coast Guard. It was also used as a setting for and episode of MTV's Fear. The fort can be toured and features original cannons and a real working blacksmith shop. Both forts are also haunted with Fort Morgan being considered one of the most haunted places in the state.

Much of the paranormal activity reported publicly at Fort Gaines was documented by MTV while filming their Fear episode there. MTV had said that some Native Americans had been used as slaves and that they were chained together in a tunnel when the tunnel collapsed, burying them alive and the claim is that the bones were never removed. This has lead to people feeling cold spots and hearing disembodied footsteps. One of the more famous apparitions here is of a Native American woman who is wearing animal skins and covered in blood. There are also spirits of Confederate and Union soldiers seen wandering the grounds. One soldier in particular will follow people around until they exit out the front gate.

There had been a home located near Fort Gaines that was relocated to a different part of the island. It needed some refurbishment and once this commenced, construction workers kept walking off the job. When they were asked why, they claimed that something was scaring them away. The problem got so bad that the refurb was stopped and the property sits abandoned. People claim to see faces in the windows and they call the police to investigate and they never find anyone inside. A mile up from the fort is a small park called Cadillac Square. Locals claim to see shadowy figures walking in the park and there is one apparition that sounds really strange. This is a woman who has a bag over her head and digs into the ground as though she is looking for something. This island had been a burial ground, so the opportunities for hauntings are wide open.

The Director at the museum on Dauphin Island is named Jim Hall and he claims that there is spiritual residue left over from the burials. He said, “Even today you can hear Indian maidens singing at night to the beat of Indian drums. There are people who say that in the shell mounds at night on some particular dates, you can see white lights emulating from the shell mounds, and that could have very well been the spirits. But then there was always the Indian Chief… His name was Chief Double Head… The six-foot, red-headed Indian Chief that walked the beaches at night and he left phosphorescent foot prints in the sand.” Hall said of Fort Gaines, “People have driven by the fort and they have seen one of the females. I don’t know whether she would have been a wife, or a child, or what. In a full dress with the full hoop skirt walking the parapets.”

Fort Morgan is considered one of the most haunted locations in Alabama and there are several spirits here. A bomb went off in one of the rooms of the fort and it killed most of the men inside. Their disembodied screams are still heard on occasion. We're not sure if this was an accident or part of a battle. A man being kept in the barracks as a prisoner in 1917, hanged himself and people claim to hear him crying at night. This old barracks is considered the most haunted spot in the fort. A young woman was attacked and killed in the fort and she still roams around it as though she is seeking justice.

Mobile Bay has seen a lot of death, particularly at her forts, so it is no wonder that there are reports of paranormal activity. The fact that Dauphin Island was once a burial ground just adds to the mystique. Are Fort Gaines and Fort Morgan haunted? That is for you to decide!