41: The Fisherman's Ghost and the Homunculus
In tonight’s dead letter, we hear from our listener Sam, who shares two spooky stories. The first involves two hauntings at an aquarium in the UK. An old lady ghost with a penchant for floral perfume, and as one might expect…a fisherman. While the second features a mysterious, hunched-over shadow figure lurking in a South Carolina home. Sometimes these shorter letters are the most freaky. As we often remind our listeners, the real experiences don’t occur with a three-act structure or poignant message all the time. Instead they are just glimpses of something that you may never understand. North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher: https://www.ncaquariums.com/fort-fisher Phantosmia (Phantom Smells): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantosmia Clairalience: https://www.collegeofpsychicstudies.co.uk/enlighten/clairalience-to-clairvoyance-your-psychic-gifts/ Gorton's Fisherman: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorton's_of_Gloucester Trilogy of Terror (1975): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trilogy_of_Terror https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/trilogy-of-terror Homunculus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homunculus https://www.britannica.com/science/homunculus-biology Astonishing Junk Tour: https://www.patreon.com/posts/astonishing-junk-85805858?utm_medium=clipboard_copy&utm_source=copyLink&utm_campaign=postshare_creator&utm_content=join_link Email your stories to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com
5 Aug 33min
40: Skinwalkers in Iraq
In tonight’s dead letter listener Henry, a marine, recounts his experiences on guard duty in Iraq, where his platoon was stationed at an abandoned hotel near the Jordanian border. During a late-night watch, he and another marine hear footsteps in the stairwell, but a search of the building yields nothing but an unsettling encounter with glowing eyes in the boiler room. The mystery deepens when a fellow marine suggests the presence of a skinwalker, leaving the group to ponder the true nature of what they encountered in the desolate hotel. Navajo Culture https://discovernavajo.com/navajo-culture/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Navajo Skinwalkers (In the Context of Navajo Culture) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin-walker https://nativeappropriations.com/2016/03/magic-in-north-america-part-1-ugh.html The Monroe Institute https://www.monroeinstitute.org/ Jim Harold’s Campfire https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-harolds-campfire/id310656913 Trebil, Iraq https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trebil https://web.archive.org/web/20050716034614/https://newstandardnews.net/content/index.cfm/items/2088 The Monte Vista Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona https://hotelmontevista.com/
29 Juli 31min
39: The Hat Man Takes a Seat
In tonight’s dead letter… Josh shares a chilling encounter with a being we’ve discussed on the show numerous times. The Hat Man. For Josh he appears as a shadowy figure sitting in his bedroom in the middle of the night. What would you do in this situation? It’s easy to answer that until you’re confronted with it yourself. Josh gave into paranormal apathy, something we’ve identified at Astonishing Legends as a common reaction to the unexplainable. Is the Hat Man a harbinger of doom or change or just something that happens in our mind? Jim Harold’s Campfire https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/jim-harolds-campfire/id310656913 Our Strange Skies (Rob Kristoffersen) https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/our-strange-skies-ufos-throughout-history/id1546735571 Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816692/ Hypnopompic State https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnopompia Hypnogogic State https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypnagogia Send your story into deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com
22 Juli 36min
38: A Gray Walks in LA
In tonight’s dead letter, listener Renee shares a strange encounter in Los Angeles. Late one night, while walking her dog, she saw what appeared to be a gray alien. After a moment of shock, she looked again and saw a middle-aged African-American woman. Renee was left wondering if she had seen a psychic mask slip or if it was just a trick of the light. Send your story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com
15 Juli 33min
The Green Monster of Flatwoods
On September 12th, 1952, in Flatwoods, West Virginia, five boys witnessed a fiery object slowly descend from the sky and land nearby, seemingly under intelligent control. What followed became one of the strangest UFO encounters in American history. Joined by a 32-year-old mother and a National Guard member, the group were allegedly pursued by a towering, mist-shrouded, humanoid figure that emitted strange lights and sounds. And with seven direct witnesses and reports from several states, this was no isolated event. With some eyewitness still speaking up as recently as 2018. Misunderstood and mythologized for decades, the Flatwoods Monster deserves a closer, more accurate look — and that’s exactly what we’re here to do. Visit our website for a lot more information on this episode.
13 Juli 2h 21min
37: Jacob City Miners
In tonight’s dead letter, Cody shares a chilling experience from a trip to Jacob City, a ghost town in Utah. While camping with friends and their dogs, they captured eerie EVPs, including one that called out Cody’s name. As the night grew darker, the dogs became unusually frightened, and a sudden, strong wind forced them to pack up and leave before their campfire got out of control. This is history, mystery, and a reminder to trust your instincts. Send your story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com Show note links! Jacob City - Utah Ghost Town https://www.ghosttowns.com/states/ut/jacobcity.html Jacob City - Utah Outdoor Activities https://www.utahoutdooractivities.com/jacobcity.html Snapshots of Mentioned Newspaper Articles https://postimg.cc/gallery/SCkxPjw Bannack, Montana - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bannack,_Montana Southwest Montana History: Bannack https://southwestmt.com/specialfeatures/history/bannack/ The Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Series at Astonishing Legends (Available on all podcast platforms as well and YouTube) Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 1 https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/4/21/ep-68-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-1?rq=henry%20plummer Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 2 https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/4/28/ep-69-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-2?rq=henry%20plummer Astonishing Legends - Sheriff and Outlaw Henry Plummer Part 3 https://astonishinglegends.com/al-podcasts/2017/5/10/ep-70-the-sheriff-and-outlaw-henry-plummer-part-3?rq=henry%20plummer Jacobs Smelter - Superfund Site https://www.toxicsites.us/site.php?epa_id=UT0002391472
8 Juli 38min
36: Chips, Salsa and UFOs
In tonight’s dead letter, Jordan recalls a strange encounter in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where she spotted nearly a dozen silver crafts hovering over the Sandia Mountains. These objects appeared to be linked and moved in unison, with one larger craft seemingly in charge. A large black helicopter sped off in the direction of the crafts after they disappeared, leaving Jordan with a sense of wonder and the feeling that they were harmless tourists from another world, but were they? We’ll dive into it! Send your story to deadletteroffice@astonishinglegends.com Kirtland Air Force Base - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirtland_Air_Force_Base Kirtland AFB https://www.kirtland.af.mil/ Sandia National Laboratories https://www.sandia.gov/ Sandia National Laboratories - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandia_National_Laboratories Mirage Men - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mirage_Men Mirage Men streaming: where to watch movie online? https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/mirage-men Author Nick Redfern - Amazon https://www.amazon.com/stores/Nick-Redfern/author/B001IXQG7E?sr=8-1&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true&ccs_id=0a14c23d-5da9-4c8a-a53b-114e7602e74b Watch The Secret of Skinwalker Ranch Full Episodes, Video & More | HISTORY Channel https://www.history.com/shows/the-secret-of-skinwalker-ranch Paul Bennewitz - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Bennewitz Richard L. Doty - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_L._Doty
1 Juli 41min
Junk Drawer 26 - Main Feed Edition!
This week, we revisit a favorite Patreon Junk Drawer episode featuring Max Kelso's unsettling experiences at a Boy Scout camp in the heart of Ohio. We explore Max's first encounter as a young scout when he saw a shadowy figure watching him through the window of his cabin late one night. Years later, during a game at the same camp, Max experiences something even stranger. The Junk Drawer is a more casual, conversational show than our regular program and is usually only available to our patrons at patreon.com/astonishinglegends. It’s a great time to check out our Patreon because this Sunday, June 29th, 2025, we’re doing our first-ever live AMA on video there!
28 Juni 1h 52min
