Chasing Amelia Earhart with Chris Williamson

In 1963, archaeologists from the University of Chicago and Istanbul University examined a site known by locals as Göbekli Tepe, or "Potbelly Hill."  They dismissed the site at the time as merely a medieval cemetery due to the numerous slabs of stone thought to be grave markers.  However, in 1993, German archaeologist Klaus Schmidt, who was doing work at another Neolithic site in nearby Nevalı Çori, heard about the report and decided to investigate it for himself.  What Schmidt and his team would eventually discover would turn out to be one of the most astounding, mysterious and important archaeological discoveries in history.  Laying just below the surface was the earliest known sanctuary structure ever built by humans.  Somehow, a group of prehistoric hunter-gathers had managed to quarry massive slabs of stone from nearby outcroppings, some weighing as much as 7 to 10 tons with lengths of up to 18 feet.  They then moved them hundreds of feet into numerous circular configurations.  This was done without the use of wheels or animals and before the invention of metalworking, pottery or writing.  The earliest works found at the site date to over 11,000 years old, or around 9600 B.C., predating Stonehenge by at least 7000 years.  While we may not know yet what belief system would motivate these ancient, primitive peoples to undertake such a monumental task, the result of their unbelievable efforts may have led to a ground-breaking theory.  Instead of the previous view that the invention of the domestication of plants and animals led humans to develop civilization and with it, religious belief systems, the human desire to worship as a community may have led to farming and thus sparked civilization.  As researchers are still seeking answers as to what these people believed, there are those that think the answers may be far more mystical than what many are willing to imagine. For more information on this episode visit our website!

27 Touko 20181h 54min

One of the highlights of our appearance at the Kent Paranormal Weekend was participating in our very first Ghost Hunt!  The event took place at the Kent Stage in Kent, Ohio which was first built in 1927 and since then has continued to host concerts, films, and various performances.  The theater is also host to a cast of characters who were once somehow connected to this historic theater and whose spirits remain there.  We explored the most haunted areas of the theater and tried our hand at documenting spirit activity, guided by experienced paranormal investigators Theresa Argie & Cathi Weber, known as The Haunted Housewives, Ray "Gooz" Goosby, Jeff and Susie from the North Canton Paranormal Detectives team, and theater owner Richelle Charlton.  One of the techniques we tried is trying to capture an "EVP" or an instance of Electronic Voice Phenomena, which some claim could be evidence of communication with the spirit world.  Electronic Voice Phenomenon are said to occur when a question is asked aloud in a haunted location, or even unprompted, and what sounds like a reply is heard in an audio recording.  Believe what you may, we're convinced this hunt captured something, and that when you call out into the void, you might get an answer.   For more information on this episode visit our website!

13 Touko 20182h 57min

Of all the hypotheses of what happened to Amelia Earhart and her Electra 10-E, William "Bill" Snavely, Jr.'s may be the only one that starts with a found plane and traces her route backward towards her last known contact point. Operating on a hunch that due to low fuel, Earhart may have decided to turn back to a viable landing strip, which would have taken her directly over the path of Buka Island, east of Papua New Guinea. While in Buka searching for clues, Snavely received a tip that an airplane had crashed in 1937 and still lays submerged off the coast in 100' of water. According to Snavely, only roughly 30% of Earhart's route has been searched and has yielded nothing, so why not search the remaining 70%? Taking that approach has found a plane that so far, matches the description of Earhart's Electra. If an expedition could be mounted to identify this plane more thoroughly, could it be that one of the greatest mysteries of the 20th Century will be solved once and for all? For more information on this episode visit our website!

6 Touko 20182h 13min

If Resurrection Mary is just an Urban Legend, merely another variation of the "Vanishing Hitchhiker" then her story is a common one, with similar descriptions found in folklore all over the world. If she is a spirit, then she's also not alone, because it seems people of every country have come forward with testimony of meeting a real "Lady in White." If these ladies are a myth, or if they're real, or some combination of both, why are they so universally elemental? Why is she so primal? Do we see her because of the folklore, or is there folklore because we've seen her? But whether spirits or an archetypal legend, what these women are eternally searching for is something lost, like a child or a future taken away too soon. What they want is to return to a happier time when all was right with their world, to return home, wherever and whatever that home may be, so they may finally rest in peace.   For more information on this episode visit our website!

22 Huhti 20182h

How many reported sightings of a particular ghost would it take before you started to believe that perhaps people were indeed interacting with something supernatural? Hundreds? Over a thousand? But you're looking for proof, you say. Well, what would be convincing proof for you? What about mysterious, spectral handprints melted and scorched into bronze bars that have resisted repair and coverup? Tonight in Part Three of our series, we examine the possibility that Mary may have left her indelible mark not only on the front gates of Resurrection Cemetery but also in the imaginations of Chicagoans ever since.   For more information on this episode visit our website!

15 Huhti 20181h 20min

As you delve into the legend of "Resurrection Mary," you'll soon notice that the stretch of Archer Avenue from Resurrection Cemetery to the Willowbrook Ballroom is not the only piece of land that seems haunted, nor is it haunted just by "Mary."  It seems the entire locality has a supernatural quality to it, enough that Chicago's "Southwest Siders" have dubbed it "The Archer Triangle," in reference to the more famous one near Bermuda.  But what is it about this region that spurs so many reports of paranormal activity?  Is it the legacy of ancient Native American activity, the numerous cemeteries located here, or Ley lines and waterways?  Is it all an imagined coincidence or is there a more sinister force at play?  Tonight, we take a more thorough look at Mary's favorite haunts and examine why the spirits of the area appear to be so restless. For more information on this episode visit our website!

9 Huhti 20182h 10min

Legend has it, that sometime in the late 1920s or early '30s, a young couple was enjoying an evening of dancing at the Oh Henry Ballroom, later renamed the Willowbrook Ballroom & Banquets, located southwest of Chicago, IL. After an argument, the woman stormed out, deciding she'd rather walk home than spend another minute with her boyfriend. As she walked along Archer Avenue on a wintery night, she was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. Her bereaved parents buried her at nearby Resurrection Cemetery in the white ballgown and shoes in which she died. Ever since, people have reported either dancing with or giving a ride to a hauntingly beautiful young woman, with long blonde hair and blue eyes, dressed in a white gown, who at some point vanishes from their midst. Accounts of these spectral encounters have been so numerous over the years that the legend of "Resurrection Mary" is perhaps Chicago's most famous and beloved ghost story.  For more information on this episode visit our website!

26 Maalis 20181h 42min

Show delay explanation.

17 Maalis 20185min