The Pigman of Bonnie Brae Bridge (Haunted Denton, Texas)
Buried Secrets Podcast
This episode is about the legendary pigman of Denton, Texas. Kinda. The thing is, I'd never heard of the pigman, so it's really an episode about how urban legends and folklore are spread, what makes one urban legend take off while another lingers in obscurity, and what our urban legends say about us. Though I do also tell the story of the pigman somewhere in there. Highlights include: the "Cowboy Mafia" the WPA Folklore Project Content note: this episode contains a brief mention of sexual assault, stories about violent attacks that lead to disfigurement, quoted language that suggests that...
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Outlaw ghosts and a haunted bookstore (Haunted Denton Square)
Buried Secrets Podcast
Not far from the famed Goatman's Bridge in Denton County, Texas, a courthouse square has its share of spirits. I return once more to North Texas—a place of strange UFO and cryptid encounters, and also where I grew up. This time, I'm looking at Denton Square, a historic spot where urban legends, history, and hauntings intersect. Content note: This episode contains mentions of violence against Black and indigenous people and suicide. Highlights include: an opera house that became a used bookstore a digression about how urban legends spread and develop a ghost horse!! Check out the ....
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Feelin' nostalgic: emotions and analog paranormal investigation tools
Buried Secrets Podcast
Continuing my deep dive into nostalgia and the paranormal! Does the way we feel about paranormal investigation tools change their efficacy? How do our emotions (especially nostalgia) interact with the paranormal? Highlights include: My continuing fascination with whether the ghosts of living people can haunt us Looking at nostalgic paranormal investigation tools through the lens of Amanda D. Paulson’s Paranormal Emotive Touchpoint theory Support the ! Please spread the word and—if you’re able to—back the project to help bring two new queer paranormal shows into the world!...
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The hype around the Panasonic RR-DR60
Buried Secrets Podcast
A look at lore surrounding the legendary Panasonic RR-DR60. How did the late 1990s audio recorder become a device that now sells for $4,000-5,000 USD on eBay? What makes the DR60 so special? Highlights include: plenty o' nostalgia (and skepticism) a digression about hard drives (everyone's favorite) some arguments in favor of using older gear to investigate the paranormal
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Instant photography, nostalgia, and the paranormal
Buried Secrets Podcast
A wild ride through nostalgia about instant photography, the pitfalls of both analog and digital photography, the weirdly zeitgeisty history of the Polaroid Corporation, and the search for images we can "trust." Highlights include: My attempts to doctor Polaroid photos Spirit photography Computational photography
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Spirit boxes and paranormal nostalgia
Buried Secrets Podcast
A deep dive into nostalgia, liminality, and the paranormal. Are we interested in the paranormal because we feel nostalgic? Could that be why so much paranormal investigation gear is inspired by 1980s and 1990s tech? Highlights include: Could a state of feeling deep nostalgia help with spirit communication? Radio Shack memories Internet aesthetics Attempts to find meaning in a chaotic world
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The 1897 UFO Flap in North Texas
Buried Secrets Podcast
In 1897, a series of mysterious airships were sighted all around the United States. This is a look at the flap in general, with a particular focus on some of the North Texas UFO sightings. Highlights include: The Dallas-Fort Worth area as a "window area" with heighted strange activity A glimpse into how Victorian-era people responded to UFOs Lots of bearded aliens .
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The UFO crash in Aurora, Texas
Buried Secrets Podcast
A look at the Aurora, Texas, UFO crash, one of many sightings during the mystery airship flap of 1897. Highlights include: airships! urban legends and uncertain truths Jacques Vallée .
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Local spirits, ghosts of the living, and haunted churches
Buried Secrets Podcast
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...
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Doubt and the paranormal
Buried Secrets Podcast
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...
info_outlineWhen 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!