I really get into it in this one! The stated goal of this episode is to talk about some fascinating takeaways from Consorting with Spirits: Your Guide to Working with Invisible Allies by Jason Miller. However, get ready for many digressions about my own paranormal experiences, several of which I haven't talked about yet on the podcast. Highlights include:  a possible doppelganger encounter poltergeist-type activity caused by a living person a terrifying experience in a church in Portugal local spirits and Randonautica churches as especially haunted and magical locations  Note: Sorry about the radiator noise in this one! I did my best to eliminate as much as it as possible, but these NYC radiators love to make a racket. Sign up for my newsletter!

Local spirits, ghosts of the living, and haunted churches

Do you ever read a book so interesting that you gotta tell everyone about it? I recently read Consorting with Spirits: Your Guide to Working with Invisible Allies by Jason Miller and was struck by how much great information and advice it contained for paranormal investigators. Though the book is ostensibly geared toward magickal practitioners, it might actually be the most helpful ghost hunting book that I've read so far. So here are the insights and nuggets of wisdom that I found most illuminating from a paranormal investigation perspective. This episode will be focused on advice about how to stop doubting paranormal experiences, ways to think critically about encounters with spirits, how to be braver and take risks, and other cool insights. Highlights include:  the perception/projection ratio a digression about neurodivergence how to be less afraid of the paranormal an exercise to look past the veil  Sign up for my newsletter!

Doubt and the paranormal

I’ve been told that if I were in a horror movie, I would die first. But can I help it if I'm curious, chaotic, and solitary? Anyway, here's a look at some solo paranormal investigations I did around Halloween 2021 in two North Carolina state parks: Eno River State Park in Durham and William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh. Highlights include: - phantom footsteps - a breath on my neck while I was alone - an abandoned house in the woods  - a solo Estes session in an environment where I was being told fairly clearly that I wasn’t wanted Sign up for my newsletter!

Phantom footsteps in the woods (Paranormal Investigation of Eno River State Park and William B. Umstead State Park)

A look at a place full of cemeteries, ruins, and ghosts of the past. Also actual ghosts. Those too. Eno River State Park, in Durham, North Carolina, is said to have its fair share of hauntings. I dive into the history of the park, especially the area around the Cabelands Cemetery, which is supposed to be one of the most haunted areas of the park. Plus, I dug up some of the paranormal experiences people have reported in the area. Highlights include: - Some grim parts of the area's history - A demonstration of my superb math skills - Hidden cemeteries Content note: this episode contains a lot of discussion of colonialism and chattel slavery. Sign up for my newsletter!

Ghosts among the ruins

When we go to "spend time in nature," we like to think that the parks that we visit are separate from the bustling cities that we live in. But in reality, parks are as human-made and full of history as any landmarked building. You just have to look a little more closely to uncover that history. This episode explores the forgotten history of William B. Umstead State Park in Raleigh, North Carolina, which is full of hidden cemeteries, ghostly gardens, and unexpected stories. Highlights include:  the connection that Umstead State Park has to the evacuation of Dunkirk during WWII the gardens that remain hidden in the woods even after houses have been torn down cemeteries in the woods  P.S. I forgot to mention that there's a book about the park's history called Stories In Stone: Memories From A Bygone Farming Community In North Carolina by Tom Weber (2011) that I can't find for the life of me. If you have a lead on getting a copy of it, please let me know! Sign up for my newsletter!

The Hidden History of a State Park

What if, after you died, a close friend of yours made a bust commemorating you, spending years trying to make the piece of art capture your very essence? What if some of your ashes were put into said statue, which was then displayed in a prominent public area? Might you haunt that statue? Well, that's what happened to Jason Miller, Scranton native and the actor who played Father Karras in *The Exorcist*. And Scranton residents have claimed that things have gotten weird. That's just one of the many strange stories I explore in this episode about some of the most interesting haunted sites in Scranton, PA. Highlights include: - A grand masonic temple with many ghost stories - A haunted trolley car (!!) - A gruesome murder P.S. This episode has nothing to do with Scranton's lost Luna Park, but I covered the park earlier in the series and I wanted to draw its old gate so here you go anyway. Sign up for my newsletter pls: https://www.buriedsecretspodcast.com/newsletter/

The Exorcist Statue and Other Scranton Hauntings (Haunted Scranton)

Stories of a haunted museum, a former hotel, a historic home, and a pub in Scranton, PA. Plus a couple cool urban legends about a stone couch and a lady in black. Highlights include: - a nun psychopomp - a child who followed a ghost into the basement - a ghost that sneaks up on people in a storage closet - a mannequin that moves on its own

Ghosts in the Museum (Haunted Scranton)

A dive into some of Scranton's haunted locations, including the Lackawanna Station Hotel and Nay Aug Park. Plus, a haunted real estate listing. Highlights include:  two defunct amusement parks ghosts that love to haunt minor league baseball players a weird treehouse a mine that was never used one of the worst zoos in the US

Ghosts of Nay Aug Park and the Lackawanna Station Hotel (Haunted Scranton)

I tell the story of a weird paranormal experience I had during a recent trip to Scranton, PA.  Highlights include: - my first sleep paralysis experience - a strange roadside creek - my thoughts about Scranton

Sleep Paralysis in Scranton (Haunted Scranton)

Some thoughts about mylar balloons, what they represent in the paranormal, and what else they might mean in terms of our world and our future. Highlights include: - mylar balloons' history in the paranormal and position as garbage - the idea of being haunted by trash - the power of imagination - some solarpunk reading recs

On Mylar Balloons and Forgotten Futures

A look at what urban legends, especially the Goatman's Bridge urban legends, do in society, including urban legends as "folk news." Plus, some possible debunkings of some of the Old Alton Bridge phenomena. Content note: This episode contains discussions of white supremacist hate groups. Highlights include: • Reflections on the legends on the bridge • Debunkings and hoaxers • A haunted house that operates near the bridge Check out the shownotes for sources and more.

Folk News and the Haunted Old Alton Bridge (Goatman's Bridge Series)

An attempt to trace the current tales of the Goatman's Bridge to their source: a 2008 YouTube video that contained seemingly new information about the urban legend, including some information that linked the story to the Mothman legends. Highlights include: • Thoughts about how the internet transforms and changes urban legends • A little digital gumshoeing • Some Mothman easter eggs Check out the shownotes for sources and more.

Rewriting Urban Legends (Goatman's Bridge Series)

Satanic Rituals at the Bridge: A look at the urban legends claiming that cultish activity has occurred at Texas’ famously haunted Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman’s Bridge. Content note: This episode contains discussions of white supremacist hate groups and urban legends about animal abuse. Highlights include: • Some possible debunkings • A creepy abandoned house • Rumors of rituals in the woods • A look at one of the Buzzfeed Unsolved claims Check out the shownotes for sources and more.

Satanic Rituals at the Bridge (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

A deep dive into strangeness associated with the Goatman’s Bridge, featuring weird stories that I found on forums and comment sections, including a devil sighting, a ghost driver, lights turning red, terrifying laughter, Bigfoot-type phenomena, and more. Highlights include:  A ghostly driver redirecting a car to a cemetery Disembodied voices Will-o'-the-wisps Glowing eyes  Check out the shownotes for sources and more.

“I Seen the Devil” (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

North Texas has four different Goatman legends, including the Old Alton Bridge Goatman. Here’s a look at those stories, as well as other urban legends about goatmen around the world. As I continue my series on the Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman’s Bridge, I take a little detour to look at different goatmen throughout history. What similarities are there between the Old Alton Bridge and others? Why are there so many Goatman stories? Highlights include: • Satyrs • Pan • The Pope Lick Monster • Vanishing hitchhikers Check out the shownotes for sources and more.

Who are the Goatmen? (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

A look at one legend behind the Goatman’s Bridge, the period of history that inspired it, and a suspicious recent death at the bridge. Highlights include:  The Texas Troubles Attempts to bury history Mass hysteria and bloodthirsty vigilantes Some creepypasta-style urban legends  Check out the shownotes for sources and more.

Death at the Goatman’s Bridge (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

Update: Looks like there was a technical glitch when I initially published this episode. It should be fixed now, but let me know if not! One of the most famous urban legends about the Goatman’s Bridge (aka the Old Alton Bridge) has roots in a hidden, unpleasant part of the county’s history. This episode looks at the legend of the Goatman and the history underpinning the story. CONTENT NOTE: This episode contains discussions of racially motivated murders and white supremacist hate groups. Check out the shownotes for sources and more.

This Way to the Goatman (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

In December 2021, I visited the Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman’s Bridge. Here’s what it’s like to visit the famously haunted bridge, as well as the history of the bridge itself.  CONTENT NOTE: I talk about gun use in this episode (not about people getting shot, but about people shooting guns near the bridge because they’re bored.) If you don’t want to hear about that, then skip this episode. You should be fine to pick back up on the series in the next episode. (Also, worth nothing that I recorded this before some of this week's gun violence.) Highlights include: • Lots of mud • Some bridge trivia • Some . . . interesting . . . reviews of the bridge that I found  

I went to Goatman’s Bridge (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

The Old Alton Bridge, or Goatman’s Bridge, is a famously haunted site in north Texas. It has been featured in Buzzfeed Unsolved and Ghost Adventures, and the urban legends about the bridge are well-known in the paranormal world. But in my research, I’ve discovered that everything may not be as it seems at the Old Alton Bridge . . .  Highlights include: • a Reddit troll who makes some wild claims about the bridge • what it was like growing up in north Texas • a look at trickster elements of the paranormal Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get access to the Secret Library, map of Haunted NYC, Solo Estes Session Kit, and more: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast

The Trickster and the Goatman (Goatman’s Bridge Series)

I talk about some of the strangeness and patterns that have emerged during my own randonauting trips. Plus, I tell the story of some freaky fire-related synchronicities that have happened since last week. Highlights include: • Ominous warnings from Randonautica • Lots of owl lawn decorations! • Three fires I’ve encountered since recording the last episode Subscribe on Patreon to support the show and get cool stuff: https://www.patreon.com/buriedsecretspodcast

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