Ghost Stories

In the 1960s, the U.S. Navy set up several hydrophones around the globe to track Soviet submarines. The network was known as the Sound Surveillance System. They lie thousands of feet below the ocean surface, at a depth where sound waves become trapped in a layer of water known as the "deep sound channel". Years after the Cold War ended, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gave them a new purpose as part of the Acoustic Monitoring Project. They couldn't imagine some of the strange sounds they would record deep underwater. One was recorded in 1997 and is still a mystery to this date. They dubbed it "The Bloop". This sound existed for about a minute, picked up by multiple sensors over an area of 3,000 miles in the south Pacific Ocean west of the southern tip of South America and appeared several times. There have been theories concerning its origins. Some have been ruled out like the possibility of it being man-made, a volcano or earthquake....

The "Battle of Los Angeles" also known as "The Great Los Angeles Air Raid" is believed to have triggered the era of official UFO secrecy by the U.S. government. The incident occurred less than three months after the United States entered World War II as a result of the Japanese Imperial Navy's attack on Pearl Harbor and five years before the "capture" of a "flying saucer" in Roswell, New Mexico. The target of the aerial barrage was thought to be an attacking force from Japan especially since the alleged attack came one day after the Bombardment of Ellwood, Japanese submarine attacked coastal targets near Santa Barbara, California in 1942. Air raid alarms throughout Los Angeles County were triggered on the night of February 24th-25th. A total blackout was ordered and thousands of air raid wardens were summoned to their positions. At 3:16 a.m., the 37th Coast Artillery Brigade began firing 12.8-pound anti-aircraft shells into the air at a repor...

How can a four-year-old girl disappear without a trace? Robert Keyes moved his family to Princeton, Massachusetts in 1751, purchasing 200 acres of land on the South-Eastern slope of the Wachusett Mountain. Four years later on April 14th, his daughter Lucy (4) followed her sisters to Wachusett Lake for some sand. This adventure in the woods would be her last. Lucy never returned home. The townspeople created search parties, drained the lake, but came up empty-handed. Lucy's mother, Martha scoured the woods, calling for her. Night after night, she searched the woods. Her grief overwhelmed her sanity. She died in 1786 never knowing what happened to her daughter. There are many theories as to what happened to Lucy Keyes. There was a letter found after Martha and Robert Keyes had died. This letter was from the Keyes' neighbor Tilly Littlejohn written on his deathbed. He had a quarrel with the Keyes over property line. and resented the family's happiness. When he spotted Lucy...

Lemon Tree Passage in Newcastle, New South Wales Australia is increasing becoming dangerous thanks to an alleged ghost. Port Stephens police are issuing more and more warnings to motorists driving 180km/h on this stretch of road, attempting to conjure the spirit of a 20-year-old motorcyclist. Supposedly, a 20-year-old Salt Ash man died in a motorcycle accident at Tanilba Bay in Port Stephens. He and his male passenger were riding on Lemon Tree Passage Road when they collided with a four-wheel drive in November 2007. Now, legend dictates, if you travel along Lemon Tree Passage Road at incredibly high speeds, a light will appear in pursuit of people who drive dangerously. More and more people are testing this legend in order to film it for YouTube (do I smell a future episode of Fact or Faked?). There are some who have tested the myth without the excessive speed and have seen the "ghost light". One should use their head. If you travel over a 100km/h to see a ghost light, you...

Brown Mountain, Hornet, Marfa all have something in common. Mysterious lights appear at night and have left scientists baffled for many years. The first reported sighting was in 1966 by a carload of teenagers. In Paulding, Michigan, one such light exist. Is it headlights from a car? An airplane? A natural phenomena? It's true origins may or may not but unknown but sustains certain characteristics. The Light appears every night on Robins Pond Road. Some say it sits in a fixed position and changes shape. Others claim it moves. Some have described it being white, red, green or blue in color (red and white being the most common). If you walk or drive to the light's location, it vanishes. With an unknown phenomena comes various legends to explain it. Some believe a railroad switch man, lantern in hand, was crushed to death between two cars while attempting to signal the train's engineer. Now, he is bound by that railroad tracks (which doesn't exist anymore) forever signaling...

Much like its counterparts, a portion of Vermont's green wilderness gained a reputation. Between the years 1920 and 1950, a number of people vanished without a trace. In his book, "Green Mountain Ghosts, Ghouls, and Unsolved Mysteries", Joe Citro dubbed an area in Bennington near Glastenbury mountain the "Bennington Triangle". Not only have people disappeared, defying explanation, it has also been an alleged hot spot for UFO activity, strange lights, sounds, odors, specters, mysterious creatures. Even Native American's shunned the place. They believed the land to be cursed because all four winds met in that spot and some Native American folklore speaks of an enchanted stone which swallows anything to step upon it. How many of these claims are true, I am not certain. However, the disappearances have been documented. On November 12, 1945, 75 year old Middie Rivers led four hunters onto the mountain. As the group was returning to camp, near Long Trail Road and...

If La Isla de La Munecas has showed us anything, it is that a benign child's toy can be the subject of nightmares. Stories of haunted dolls is not uncommon but one stands out above the rest. In the late 1800s, Thomas Otto and his family moved in to a mansion at the corner of Eaton and Simonton streets in Key West, Florida now known as the Artist House. The Ottos were known to be stern with their servants sometimes even mistreating them. It was the treatment of one such Haitian servant that provides a twist in this story. This woman was hired to take care of their son Robert. One day, Mrs. Otto supposedly witnessed her practicing black magic in their backyard and fired her. Before she left, the woman gave Robert a life-like doll which stood 3ft tall, button for eyes, human hair (believed to be Robert's) and filled with straw. Dolls that resembled children were not unheard of during this time, but this one proved to be special. Robert named the doll after himself and often dresse...

Josh Gates and the Destination Truth team investigated the curse linked to King Tut's tomb. Now, just in time for the latest TV special about the boy king, results from DNA tests and CT scans have been announced. After two years, it has been determined that King Tutankhamun suffered greatly during his short life. The frail boy possessed a cleft palate, a club foot and a weakened immune system due to congenital diseases. His death was a result of complications from a broken leg exacerbated by a case of malaria. Many scientists long believed this to be the cause of death. Although, some speculated he was murdered when a hole in his skull was discovered, but a 2005 CT scan ruled that out as a possibility. The revelations doesn't stop there. The boy's parents were most likely brother and sister. Marriages between brothers and sisters were common among Egypt's pharaohs. His father has been determined to be Akhenaten. His mother has been pinpointed to be one of Akhenaten...

Couples all over are celebrating the love they share on this day. However, the day of love shares a gruesome past with one of the bloodiest murders in history. On Valentine's Day in 1929, five members of the North Side Irish gang as well as two nonmembers were murdered in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago's North Side. Gangs will always rival one another. However, Prohibition steered this one to a climax. Leaders Al Capone and Bugs Moran battled to lead the primary bootlegging operations in Chicago for about five years. Everyone involved felt the tension as it increased. Before it was over, one if not both would be dead. A plan was formed allegedly by Al Capone. Bugs Moran along with members of his gang would be dubbed in to believing a hijacked shipment of whiskey was going to be delivered at a garage on Clark Street or for whatever reason. There, the men would take their last breath. Unfortunately, things didn't go exactly as planned. Al Capone hired lookouts sprea...

With a little cash in my pocket, I thought I would share a little with one of you lucky readers. How can you be that lucky person? Well, the rules are very simple. I'm going to give a common conspiracy here in the United States. Leave a comment on this post with your thoughts as to why you agree it is or isn't true and you're entered to win a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate ! You're only allowed one entry and make sure you include your email address on the comment form (have to know how to reach you if you win. I'm the only one that will see it and promise not to send you any annoying spam). Your entry must be respectful. Any name bashing, obscenities or whatever will win you a disqualification. As Ghost Stories blog God, I reserve the right to kick you out if I feel like you're just being a jerk. Don't like it? Then, don't be rude. Each comment will be attached with a number. On December 20th, using random.org , one lucky person will be chosen for the virtu...

Alexander Campbell was a hotel owner and a liquor distributor. He was said to be an Irishman who made good on his word. Prosecutors suspected that Campbell was the backbone of the murder plot. He proclaimed his innocence throughout his entire trial. Alexander Campbell was falsely accused of killing a local mine boss during a bid by the Irish miners to organize labor unions. In 1877, Campbell was convicted first degree murder in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania. He was sentenced to death. When it came time to take him to the gallows where he would be hanged, he struggled to get free long enough to place his hand on the wall and declare it would remain there forever as a reminder of the injustice that took his life. For years, sheriffs in Carbon County have painted the wall numerous times but the hand print ALWAYS reappears. On one occasion the entire wall was replaced but yet again the hand print reappeared in cell #17. Sheriff Charles Neast tried to cover over it thirty years later with green ...

Stone Balls have been discovered all over the world. The ones located in Costa Rica are the subject of many books and some of the authors misrepresented themselves as the ones who discovered them. However, they were actually found in 1940 during agricultural activities by the United Fruit Company. They were clearing land Diquis Delta to be used for banana plantations. An archaeological investigation was underway shortly afterward along with the first scholarly publication about them appearing in 1943. Hundreds of these balls have been documented all over the country of Costa Rica. Although some have been destroyed, dynamited by treasure hunters or cracked and broken by agricultural activities. Only six are believed to be in their original locations. They range from a few centimeters to over two meters in diameter. Almost all of them are made of granodiorite, a hard, volcanic stone, possibly taken from a Talamanca mountain range about 50 miles from their location. Unlike the stone bal...

If La Isla de La Munecas has showed us anything, it is that a benign child's toy can be the subject of nightmares. Stories of haunted dolls is not uncommon but one stands out above the rest. In the late 1800s, Thomas Otto and his family moved in to a mansion at the corner of Eaton and Simonton streets in Key West, Florida now known as the Artist House. The Ottos were known to be stern with their servants sometimes even mistreating them. It was the treatment of one such Haitian servant that provides a twist in this story. This woman was hired to take care of their son Robert. One day, Mrs. Otto supposedly witnessed her practicing black magic in their backyard and fired her. Before she left, the woman gave Robert a life-like doll which stood 3ft tall, button for eyes, human hair (believed to be Robert's) and filled with straw. Dolls that resembled children were not unheard of during this time, but this one proved to be special. Robert named the doll after himself and often dresse...

Is there really a curse or is it all hype? Mummies have always been associated with magical powers, particularly in Egypt. Some found were ground up in to powder and sold. It was believed this powder had magical healing properties. Of course this was before the discovery of King Tut's tomb. Tutankhaten or Tutankhamun became pharaoh at the age of nine years old. He reigned for ten years likely during the 18th dynasty. He was well known for his rejections of the radical religious innovations presented by his predecessor and of course, his tomb. He died at the age of nineteen with a wife, Ankhesenamen, and possibly two female children (these babies were found in his tomb and their significance and identity is still unknown). His cause of death is still a mystery although recent CT Scans showed he may have died from gangrene thanks to an infected broken leg. If this is proven to be true then his death was likely unexpected. Therefore, his royal tomb was not completed prior to his death...