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Ropen

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Image by TheMorlock via Deviantart Many years ago Josh Gates from Destination Truth visited Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea in search of an alleged extinct dinosaur. The locals refer to it as a Ropen a.k.a. "demon flyer", but it was believe to be a   Rhamphorhynchoid  pterosaur. It is said to have a wing-span of about 20 ft with two leathery, featherless wings like a bat, gray in color, a long tail with a flange or diamond shape on the end, a beak filled with teeth, razor-sharp claws and exhibits a bioluminescent glow. The Ropen supposedly lives on fish but there are reports of the creature having a taste for decaying human flesh and has even harassed native funeral gatherings and robbed graves. One of the first reports of this flying creature was made by Duane Hodgkinson who was stationed northwest of Lae, near Finschaven, PNG as part of the Army cavalry in 1944. About noon one day in August he was walking down a trail through a clearing in the forest when he was start...

Reader Submission - The Real Life Shadow Man!

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There are a good bit of people that don't remember much about their childhood. Me, I remember a very scary part of my childhood that started when I was 7 years old. I haven't told too many people in fear that I would be considered crazy, but then shows like " Celebrity Ghost Stories " on cable.tv came out and showed me I was not alone. Everyone has heard stories of seeing a shadow or shadow man. I saw one when I was ten. I am an identical twin and my brother and I shared a room in our childhood home. The first time I remember seeing this shadowy figure was floating over my brother’s bed. At ten years old you start to fear the boogeyman a little more. I remember being scared to not go asleep at night. My brother never stirred. It just consistently floated back and forth over his bed and eventually disappeared through the wall. I remember it like it was yesterday. The room was so dark, I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn’t seeing things and I wasn’t. As the ye...

The Dark Watchers

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Image from weirdus.com The Dark Watchers sounds like the title of some spirit-fueled horror movie. In reality, they are shadowy spirits seen on the Santa Lucia Mountains in California. Their exact origins are unknown. According to legend, the Chumash Indians were among the first to witness their presence and supposedly carried them in their legends and drew them on cave walls (all of which is up for debate). However, in 1937, John Steinbeck described them in his short story "Flight" and poet Robinson Jeffers mentioned the Dark Watchers in his poem "Such Counsels You Gave to Me". It's uncertain if either had a personal encounter with the phantom shadows or only heard about the tale. Their legend has been circulating for years but what are they? These spirits are described as being large in size, but human in shape. Some have reported seeing them in robes and hats and as their name suggest, they are pitch-black in color. Some believe they are only a form o...

Deep South Paranormal Reviewed

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This review will be short and sweet. It took all of ten minutes to develop a complete viewer evaluation. To sum it up, Deep South Paranormal is Duck Dynasty meets paranormal investigation. I don't think I need to elaborate any further on the subject.  As much as I am a proud Southerner, I was hoping from a new Southern paranormal show a little more science and logic and a little less "frog's breath wards off evil spirits". Maybe someday....

Reader Submission - Truly Bizarre: Haunting at Minnesota State University

Truly Bizarre: Haunting at Minnesota State University By: Marlon Heimerl from HalloweenCostumes.com It’s not unheard of for college dorms and campuses to sometimes gain auspicious reputations for paranormal happenings. As so many young minds and imaginations filter through the same halls over decades, it’s reasonable to assume that each class may twist local tales to create deeply seeded urban legends. After all, who doesn't love a good ghost story – especially one that’s possibly fabricated to bamboozle genuinely curious investigators? At the crux of such cases, one must ask: How can we tell the difference between an urban legend and a true story? What lies at the root(s)? In the case of Minnesota State University (MNSU) in Mankato, MN, one ghostly legend has long-persisted to catch the attention of local media, ghost investigators and students alike. Could it be more than a tall tale, some ask? Only some digging might reveal the truth. McElroy Hall’s Most Unconv...

Emmitt House

In the mid to late 1800s, Waverly, Ohio's way of life was heavily influenced by one man named James E. Emmitt. He was the town's main entrepreneur and self described first millionaire, earning his wealthy from hauling grain, operating a mill, making whiskey and "Emmitt's Discovery". He "discovered" his snake oil cure-all after a mule kicked a can of fuel in to a vat of spirits. Why he would want to drink it much less sell it is beyond anyone's understand. Using his influence, the county seat moved from Piketon to Waverly. The Ohio and Erie Canal route was changed as well. If he didn't already have his hands full, Emmitt decided to build a restaurant/hotel on the site of a former hotel owned by one of his former business partners. The original wooden hotel was built in 1850.  A fire killed 3 people and destroyed much of the structure. In 1861, Emmitt rebuilt the hotel using bricks, hiring a man named Madison Hemings to do the construction. Hemin...

Jesse Lee Home for Children

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via Pinterest This Jesse Lee Home for Children is the second of three locations with the same name. The first move was from Unalaska to Seward, Alaska for several reasons including, the Spanish Flu, overflowing and the building was in des perate need of repairs. In 1925, the Methodist Episcopal Church opened the second Jesse Lee orphanage/school which averaged 50 to 100 children (possibly more) and 10 employees. The Jesse Lee Home was not a victim of child neglect or abuse. As a matter of fact, one of the students Benny Benson won a contest to design the Alaskan state flag in 1927. However, it didn't escape a natural disaster. In 1964, it was hit by an unexpected earthquake, one of the worst in Alaska history. The home and school were hit hard. More than a dozen children were killed. Goode Hall, the largest Jesse Lee building, was heavily damaged and later demolished. With most of the buildings damaged beyond repair, the orphanage was moved again to Anchorage. ...