Edinburgh's Blair Street Vaults

 
There are few places in the world quite as haunted as the Edinburgh's Blair Street Vaults. Also known as South Bridge vaults or just Edinburgh Vaults, the place consists of a series of nineteen chambers arches. The vaults were home to local taverns and shops but later became a safe haven for thieves, murderers and all sorts of nasty figures, making it one of the most dangerous places in the city.

Eventually, living conditions proved to be unsuitable even for these criminals, who could no longer tolerate the poorly circulated air and lack of sunlight, running water, and sanitation. Things became so bad that by the 1860s, most of the vaults had been emptied and filled with rubble, so as to prevent flooding and discourage ongoing crime.

Legend:

According to many paranormal investigations, the Edinburgh Vaults are reportedly one of the most haunted locations in the world. Mustering up all of our courage, our group went on a ghost tour of the vaults, learning of the spirits that still roamed its corridors from the 17th and 18th centuries. 

One of the famed ghosts is known as “Mr. Boots,” an evil entity who is believed to have murdered a woman and kept the body in his “house” inside. He hates the people who tour the vaults, and allegedly gets angry or even attacks anyone who dares to sit in the spot where the body was hidden. The most common reports of his presence, however, are the sounds of thick, heavy boots, stepping ever so slowly around visitors.

A woman described her encounter with Mr. Boots as:

“She told us of the presence of a malevolent male ghost who was very strong… he told her to get out of the vaults… She had tried to reason with him but he made a lunge at her and she saw him very clearly… He said ‘get out’ repeatedly. He was very territorial.”

There are also some other spirits which are not so terrifying. One is called "The Aristocrat", who is a well-to-do gentleman with a tall black hat and beard and is often seen leaning against the wall between the double height room and the tavern. With folded arms, he watches and grins at people as they pass. The other is called "The Cobbler" who is believed to be a shoemaker from the late 18th century, he is described as a short, stocky man wearing a long leather apron and a white shirt. He is known to smile at people as they pass, and is generally felt as a positive presence.

There is also a young spirit called "The Child". He is a small boy who wanders through the vaults, aged at about six or seven. He is described as having “blonde, curly hair and is dressed in a smart, blue suit with knicker-bocker trousers.”

Other unusual occurrences have also been reported around the vaults, with a member of staff at an adjoining bar once reporting leaving an orange on the counter for a few seconds while he put something in the bin, only to find it perfectly peeled when he looked back.

Investigation:

In 2001, Professor Richard Wiseman conducted a study of people spending time the vaults and concluded that, since those people who believed in ghosts reported more supernatural occurrences that those who did not believe, and since there were more “sightings” and odd events in rooms the participants had been told were haunted, that much of the experience was created in the minds of the people who went in there.

In contrast to this however – and perhaps lacking the academic credentials of Professor Wiseman – was Joe Swash, who spent a night in the vaults by himself in 2009 for a BBC programme, during which his microphone supposedly recorded the voice of a Catholic priest reciting the last rights for 20 minutes, something Swash himself never heard.

Others take down Electronic Voice Recorders, light meters and other ghost-hunting gadgets, and invariably all report strange, unexplainable readings.

For those that work there, however, there’s no need for any specialist equipment - just nerves of steel to go down into the dark vaults after everyone else has left the building.

Historical paranormal locations, like the Edinburgh Vaults, that embrace their haunted legacies are some of the coolest places to visit, because not only are you getting the opportunity to step back in time, you might even get to interact with the spirits who were there when it all happened.

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Thunderbird

 

The Thunderbird is a cryptid of North America.Thunderbirds inhabit the folklore of many regions. The name Thunderbird is derived from the sound that is apparently produced as a result of the thunderous beating of the mighty wings of the creature.Tales of similar creature often appear in Native American mythology; some tales tell of enormous eagles strong enough to carry whales back to their nests. Since pioneers began moving west across the North American plains, sightings of large birds have been reported. Similar stories appear from civilizations around the world.

Legend:

Native tribes all across North America, especially along the Pacific coast and in the Great Lakes area, have stories depicting enormous birds of prey. Some stories told that these birds were so large and powerful that when they flapped their wings, thunder was created. Lightning flashed out of their eyes, and water fell off their backs, creating rain. 

The tribes used thunderbirds to explain some of the things that happened naturally, such as storms and other forms of weather. The legend of Passamaquoddies, for example, describes the quest of two Indians in search of the source of thunder high in the mountains. Other stories said that there was a thunderbird who battled an enormous killer whale. When the two beasts fought, they destroyed much of the land, knocking down trees and causing much destruction. 

Although dangerous and powerful beings, thunderbirds were also seen as benevolent nature spirits, and they sometimes assisted the tribes in their search for food during periods of famine.According to some legends,the igneous rocks known as thunderstones are the eggs of these creatures.

Sightings:

Sightings of large bird-like creatures have been reported for many years, ever since people began settling further west in the United States and Canada. 

One of the most famous reports is from 1890, where two Arizona cowboys claimed to have shot and killed a large bird. It was described as having no feathers, and it had the head similar to that of an alligator. The two men supposedly dragged the dead bird back to town after killing it. The report seems to suggest that this creature looked more like a pterodactyl or a dragon than any modern-day bird.

Jeromy Clark in his book Unexplained!, lists many more sightings,including:

• In the early 1940s, writer Robert R. Lyman spotted a Thunderbird sitting on a road near Coudersport, Pennsylvania. It soon took to the sky, spreading its 20-foot wingspan.
• In 1948, several witnesses along the Illinois-Missouri border sighted a condor-like bird about the size of a Piper Club airplane
• In 1969, the wife of a Clinton County, Pennsylvania, sheriff saw an enormous bird over Little Pine Creek. She said its wingspan appeared to be about as long as the creek was wide—about 75 feet!
• In 1970, several people saw the gigantic bird "soaring toward Jersey Shore [Pennsylvania]. It was dark colored, and its wingspread was almost like [that of] an airplane."

Another sight occurred recently, on the evening of Tuesday, September 25, 2001, a 19-year-old claimed to have seen an enormous winged creature flying over Route 119 in South Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The witness's attention was drawn to the sky by a sound that resembled "flags flapping in a thunderstorm." Looking up, the witness saw what appeared to be a bird that had a wingspan of an estimated 10 to 15 feet and a head about three feet long.

Conclusion:

The possibilities for an explanation are endless.There’s something marvelous about the notion that a giant, man-eating bird of native lore could still be prowling the skies of the Midwest.

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Black Mountain

The Black Mountain, known to the Aboriginals as Kalkajaka meaning ‘the place of the spear’, is located in Queensland, Australia. The area is a national park and has a unique range of wildlife, including species that are endemic only to this area, many of which are rare.

Appearance:

The mountain is made up of large piles of black granite rocks and huge granite boulders, some of which are said to be the size of small houses. According to geologists, these rocks and boulders were formed 250 million years ago by solidified magma formation and the absence of soil to fill in the gaps and cracks between the rocks means there are many tunnels and caves within the mountain. The black granite also serves to give it a very dark and eery appearance. 

Legends:

As you would expect from such a spooky place it is rich in legend and folklore. The Aboriginal call it the mountain of death. The legends of the mountain are taken very seriously by the local aboriginal people and they are said to avoid the place like the plague. There are so many caves, tunnels and mazes within this mountain making it very easy to get lost. The mountain is known for some very strange sightings and disappearances and the natives have a lot of very disturbing stories surrounding the Black Mountain. 

One of the most famous of these stories involves a wicked medicine man known as the eater of flesh. The local tribe was so scared of this man that they would actually let him eat their old and sick hoping to appease his cravings for human flesh.  But it seems that one day his hankering to chow down on humans got the better of him and he killed and ate a tribal chief who he had caught napping.

Black Mountain boulders

For the rest of the tribe, as you can imagine this was the last straw. So they banded together and off they went to have a word with the Eater of Flesh. Of course, being well versed in the ways of magic it wasn't much of a problem for him to transform himself into a giant snake and he made his escape into the heart of the Black Mountain. It was there that he spent his days, only venturing out to satisfy his hunger for the meat of fellow humans. Ever since that time both people and animals who ventured too close to the mountain have disappeared, never to be seen again.

The first documented disappearance, involving European Settlers, occurred in 1877,

a courier named Grayner was out on horseback in search of a missing calf in the vicinity of the mountain. When Grayner failed to return a search was undertaken but no trace of Grayner, his horse or the calf was ever found.

A few years later an outlaw named Sugarfoot Jack and some members of his gang were on the run from the authorities. They had decided to hide out in the black mountain, but after an intense search by police nothing more was seen or heard from them.

Then in around 1890, another strange disappearance took place. This time a police constable Ryan and some trackers from near by Cooktown had tracked a fugitive to the mountain of death only for the trail to go cold at the entrance to one of the many caves. Ryan decided he would enter the cave and try and corner his man, but Ryan and the fugitive never came back out of the mountain.

An inside look

There is another story of a station owner who went by the name of Harry Owens. One day he had made his way to the mountain in search of some lost cattle and did not return. His absence was soon noticed by his partner George Hawkings who went to the police to report him missing, before setting out to search for him. It seems misfortune also befell Hawkings, as it has been recorded that he also did not return from the mysterious mount. So the local police force was brought in and conducted a search of black mountain for the two missing men. Bravely two officers of the law entered one of the caves but only one returned. Apparently, the one that came out was so shaken by what he had witnessed in there that he could not give a coherent account of what had occurred.

Now the Black Mountain started to get a reputation from the white settlers. The natives have always known to stay clear of this area and in the 1920’s two reporters were determined to get to the bottom of this mystery and they went to the black mountain and they too were never seen again. Even the trackers that went to go look for them also disappeared. 

Conclusion:

Whether one believes any of the folklore or spooky stories surrounding Black Mountain, it is certainly a harsh, unfriendly place that instills a certain sense of unease and dread in those who see it. It remains a place of many unanswered questions and a mystery waiting for explorers to uncover its secrets.

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Devil Bird

The Devil Bird, locally known as Ulama, is a cryptid of Sri Lanka said to emit bloodcurdling human sounding shrieks in the night from within the jungles. In Sri Lankan folklore, it is believed that the cry of this bird is an omen that portends death. 

Appearance:

Very few have ever seen the creature and those who claim to have caught a glance and lucky not to hear the scream describe the creature to be a massive bird, with a large tale, horns protruding from the head along with either piercing black or glowing eyes. 

As the bird is not usually seen and its cries are described in unclear terms. Ulama reports might refer to the Ceylon Highland Nightjar whose males are known to have a screaming flight-call atypical for nightjars.

Explanation:

There has been a systematic investigation of the identification of this bird by Dr. R.L. Spittel in his book 'The Far-off Things'. Accordingly, the spot-bellied eagle owl is one possible contender but changeable hawk-eagle (Nisaetus cirrhatus ceylanensis) and Oriental honey buzzard (Pernis ptilorhynchus) are more likely contenders to be the "Devil Bird".

A spot-bellied eagle-owl (Bubo nipalensis) specimen found by villagers in 2001 received much publicity in the press as the final resolution of the bird's identity but the natives who actually have heard the 'true' cry of the Ulama and had seen the bird in action, are certain that it is a changeable hawk-eagle, which is more in agreement with the description of the bird in the local folklore. The reason for the confusion is probably the fact that most Sri Lankans have a mistaken perception as to the true cry of the Ulama.

One problem with the spot-bellied eagle-owl being the Devil Bird is that in most legends involving the bird, the original Devil Bird was a person in anguish who fled into the forest clutching their head with one hand only indicating that the bird had a crest as opposed to two ear-tufts. Since the spot-bellied eagle-owl has very prominent ear-tufts, it may not be the Devil Bird. However, all the legends may have stemmed from one, and all may have got that detail incorrect.

According to R.L Spittel in his book "Far-off Things", the steps that should be taken to identify the bird are; "(a) The cry should be clearly recognized and defined, and not be confused with many weird cries of the jungle. (b) The bird should be shot while actually making the cry, or on the tree from which the cry comes. (c) It should be identified after death by an ornithologist."

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Giant Swan

Giant Swan also known as Cygnus falconeri is an extinct specie of very large swan from the Middle Pleistocene period of Sicily and Malta.

 It had a wingspan of 3 metres and weighed about 16 pounds. Research suggests it was well adapted for walking but had little or no flying ability. 

It would have been taller than the dwarf elephants that roamed the region. It became extinct before the arrival of humans in the region. 

The reason behind its disappearance may have been climate change or predation.

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Capcom is offering $70K for proof of monsters

The video game developer and publisher is looking for evidence that monsters exist in the real world.

As part of its promotional campaign for the release of new game 'Monster Hunter: World', Capcom has teamed up with cryptozoologist Jon Downes to come up with a list of real-life monster legends.

A prize of $70,000 is on offer to anyone who can prove that any one of these is actually real. If you want to become a real-time monster hunter, this is the chance!

"Speaking to the world's leading real-life monster hunter, Jon Downes, we were inspired to re-open investigations into a select list of top 10 beasts, setting a huge bounty to really encourage people to get back out hunting for evidence," said Capcom's Senior PR Manager Laura Skelly.

The list of eligible creatures includes Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Mongolian Death Worm, the Chupacabra, the flying snake of Namibia, the Yeti, the Yowie and the Cornish Owlman.

"Much like in the new Monster Hunter: World game, we thought it was only right that the scale of the reward fit the task at hand," Skelly wrote in the press release.

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The Ropen

The Ropen (Flying demon) is the local name of a cryptid on Umboi Island, Papua New Guinea that glows while flying, and which is held by many cryptozoologists as a possible living pterosaur.

Appearance:

It is said to produce a light, possibly to attract fish. According to the book Searching for Ropens, it is "any featherless creature that flies in the Southwest Pacific, and has a tail-length more than 25% of its wingspan." On the Island, the word "ropen" refers to a large nocturnal creature that glows briefly as it flies. The ropen is the subject of folklore  but it is also believed by some natives to be a real animal. Descriptions vary, but it is often said to be batlike, and sometimes, pterosaur-like.

The ropen is believed to be nocturnal and to exhibit bioluminescence. Purportedly it lives on a diet of fish, though there have been some reports of the creature feasting on human flesh, especially from grave robbery. 

Despite popular myth, the Ropen itself was not fabricated by creationists. It was first sighted in 1935 by famous biologist Evelyn Cheesman, who believed in evolution and was well respected in the scientific community.

Chronology:

At least five light expeditions, 1994-2004, were conducted by American creationists, including Carl Baugh, Paul Nation, Jonathan Whitcomb, Garth Guessman, and David Woetzel (usually one or two Americans at a time). Only about three sightings resulted from these investigations: only distant, brief views of the ropen-light; essentially no shape was seen by explorers on these expeditions.

In October of 2004, Genesis Park staff conducted a three week trip to the remote Siassi island off the western coast of Papua New Guinea, somewhat south of the Manus island group. The goal was to hike into the mountainous interior of Siassi to follow-up on intriguing reports received from coastal communities on the south of the island. Dozens of interviews were conducted and the credibility of witnesses was carefully tested by the use of black and white profiles. After carefully collating the dozens of interviews, a composite drawing (below) of most likely characteristics possessed by the Ropen was assembled.

In November, 2006 one of the earlier explorers, Paul Nation returned to Papua New Guinea and videotaped two lights on a ridge above Tawa, a remote village on the mainland. Indava is what the creature is called by the local villagers and one described it in terms of a small airplane. These nocturnal, apparently bioluminescent creatures appeared to have colonized the top of a cliff where they sleep during the day. Investigators believe that these creatures are similar to the ropen, if not the same species.

In March of 2007, Paul Nation returned to Tawa Village. The temperatures at night had dropped to below 40 degrees Fahrenheit with wind and rain which made him conclude that the indavas had left the cliff. Villagers told Nation that the creatures live in trees without any permanent colony location. During this second expedition to the Tawa area, Nation learned to distinguish between distant automobile headlights (bright-white, with slow movement) and the dimmer yellow lights made by the creatures. Indava's fly mostly above the tree canopy, following ridges on hills and mountains where there are neither roads nor automobiles.

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'Vampire' kangaroos lived longer than thought

An extinct species of fanged kangaroo survived five million years longer than previously believed.

An analysis of fossilized teeth discovered at the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in north Queensland has revealed that these wallaby-sized fanged marsupials went extinct around 10 million years ago, which is five million years later than earlier studies had suggested.

The discovery means that existing extinction theories concerning the species will now have to be thrown out because the timing of their disappearance no longer fits.

"Northern Queensland was predominantly covered in rainforest when these fanged kangaroos first appear in the fossil record," said Univesity of Queensland PhD student Kaylene Butler.

"Every hypothesis we have about their extinction doesn't line up with the timing of when they went extinct so we kind of have to start from scratch now."

There are however two major events at the time of their disappearance that could help to explain it.

"You were starting to see the extension of open grasslands and open woodlands and at the same time you were also seeing potential ancestors of modern kangaroos on the scene," said Butler.

"Potentially the answer is that the fanged kangaroo was outcompeted in food and resources."

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550 million-year-old creature mystery solved

A Dickinsonia fossil was first described in 1947.

Scientists believe that they have finally worked out what type of creature 'Dickinsonia' actually was.

Resembling a strange cross between a fungus, a lichen, a worm and a jellyfish, this peculiar organism was first described back in 1947 and has remained something of an enigma ever since.

Dickinsonia lived hundreds of millions of years ago on the sea floor and ranged in size from a few millimeters across to around half a meter. What's particularly intriguing about the species is that it was one of the earliest known organisms to move around rather than simply staying rooted to the spot.

Now a new study conducted by researchers from the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol, and the British Geological Survey has determined that Dickinsonia was most likely to have been an animal as oppose to a plant or a fungus.

The research involved analyzing the 'units' that run down the length of the creature's body and comparing them to those of other specimens to determine the rate of growth over time.

"When we combined this growth data with previously obtained information on how Dickinsonia moved, as well as some of its morphological features, we were able to reject all non-animal possibilities for its original biological affinity and show that it was an early animal, belonging to either the Placozoa or the Eumetazoa," said Dr Renee Hoekzema, a PhD candidate in Oxford University's Mathematical Institute.

"This is one of the first times that a member of the Ediacaran biota has been identified as an animal on the basis of positive evidence."

Dr Liu added: "This finding demonstrates that animals were present among the Ediacaran biota and importantly confirms a number of recent findings that suggest animals had evolved several million years before the "Cambrian Explosion" that has been the focus of attention for studies into animal evolution for so long.

"It also allows Dickinsonia to be considered in debates surrounding the evolution and development of key animal traits such as bilateral symmetry, segmentation and the development of body axes, which will ultimately improve our knowledge of how the earliest animals made the transition from simple forms to the diverse range of body plans we see today."

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Mysterious Medieval grave on channel island puzzles archaeologists

Archaeologists excavating a historic religious retreat have found the grave of a medieval porpoise.

The unusual discovery, was made after three weeks digging on the small island of Chapelle Dom Hue off the coast of Guernsey. , 

The team found evidence of a grave due to a change in the soil and unearthed a skull and other skeletal remains, but were left puzzled when it became clear they were not human.

Quite why the porpoise was buried so carefully on the island, which is thought to have been used by monks seeking refuge, is a mystery.

Dr Philip de Jersey, a research associate at Oxford University who works at Guernsey Museum and Art Gallery, said he estimates that the skeleton, which was the first organic matter found on the dig, dated from the 13th or 14th century.

He said it was the most unusual find in his 35-year career. "It's very peculiar, I don't know what to make of it," archaeologist Philip de Jersey from Oxford University in the UK told The Guardian.

Dr Phil De Jersey, right, and Mike Deane alongside the skeleton of a medieval porpoise.

The mystery is all the greater due to the way the animal was buried, which doesn't suggest the dead porpoise was simply disposed of underground.

Instead, it looks like it's been laid to rest, with the body aligned east to west per Christian tradition, and the careful digging of the grave itself suggests it was intended as a solemn resting place.

It's possible that the porpoise was killed for food, since these mammals were eaten in medieval times.

But if that's the case, the researchers say it would have made a lot more sense for people to have disposed of the remains in the sea – located just 10 metres from the site, and the small island is surrounded by water on all sides.

Dr de Jersey added: 'If we were in a church and we found something like this, based on the shape, we would think it was a grave cut.

'That is what puzzles me. 'If they had eaten it or killed it for the blubber, why take the trouble to bury it?'

Dr de Jersey said it appears as if the animal had been buried with care, unlike a donkey skeleton they found which had been dumped in a hole after it died. Dr de Jersey added: 'It was cut down from the medieval layer and we have found medieval pottery in the same film.'

After their discovery, the porpoise bones were removed from their resting place, and will now be studied by a marine expert.

Once that analysis is complete, maybe then we'll get some answers on just how and why this medieval porpoise came to be laid to rest in a monk's graveyard.

Location of Chapelle dom Hue

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Bimini Road Bahamas

One of the most famous attraction in the Bahamas is Birmini road,an ancient underwater pathway discovered in 1930s.The mysterious path makes many wonder if it is remnants of the mythical lost land of Atlantis.

The Road consists of a 0.8 km (0.50 mi)-long northeast-southwest linear feature composed of roughly rectangular to subrectangular limestone blocks.

Bimini is an island in the Bahamas, part of a chain of islands 50 miles east of Miami, Florida.

Possible origin stories for Bimini road have been featured in different mystery pieces on Unexplained Mysteries, Unsolved Mysteries in the World, and more. The origin theories include ancient Egyptian divine protectors, the path to Atlantis, and a natural occurrence without any help from humans.

Not all have been satisfied with the mainstream theories, and expeditions have been mounted to solve the riddle of the Bimini Road.

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Manananggal

An artist's rendering of Mananggal

The Manananggal (sometimes confused with the Aswang) is a vampire-like cryptid creature of the Philippines, an evil, man-eating and blood-sucking monster. 

Appearance:

It is described as hideous, scary, (usually) female, and it is also capable of severing its upper torso and sprouting huge bat-like wings to fly into the night in search of its victims. The word manananggal comes from the Tagalog word tanggal (cognate of Malay tanggal), which means "to separate" or "to remove", which literally translates as "separator" or "remover". In this case, "one who separates itself". The name also originates from an expression used for a severed torso.

The Manananggal shares some features with the vampire of balkan folklore, such as its dislike of garlic, and vulnerability to sunlight.

Legend:

According to the legends, they mostly prey on sleeping, pregnant women, using an elongated proboscis-like tongue to suck the hearts of fetuses, or the blood of someone who is sleeping. The severed lower torso is left standing, and it is said to be the more vulnerable of the two halves. Sprinkling salt or throwing crushed garlic or ash on top of the standing torso is fatal to the creature. The upper torso then would not be able to rejoin itself and will die by sunrise. It is known to hide in volcanic caves during daytime.

The legend of the Manananggal is popular in the Visayan region of the Philippines, especially in the western provinces of Capiz, Iloilo, and Antique. There are varying accounts of the features of a Manananggal. Like vampires, Visayan folklore creatures, and aswangs, Manananggals are also said to abhor garlic and salt. They were also known to avoid daggers, light, vinegar, spices and the tail of a stingray, which can be used as a whip. Folklore tales of similar creatures can be found in the neighboring nations of Indonesia and Malaysia. The province of Capiz is the subject or focus of many Manananggal stories, as with the stories of other types of mythical creatures, such as ghosts, goblins, ghouls and aswangs. Sightings are purported here, and certain local folk are said to believe in their existence despite modernization.

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Masterton Monster

Masterton Monster (By Simon Winheld)

Masterton Monster is large, unidentified, vicious marine mammal was said to have had a brutal encounter with a pack of fierce hunting dogs, resulting in the unfortunate death of one of the canines.

The initial account comes to us from the "New Zealand Times" on May 9, 1883. Although there is almost no background information regarding this creature, the account still serves as one of the many examples of a legitimate news source chronicling a spectacular cryptozoological event.

According to the article, a large, unknown — though presumably marine — animal, with a broad muzzle, short legs and curly hair was reported near the town of Masterton. The report further stated that fearful townsfolk loosed their dogs upon the beast, at which time one of the canines was “flayed.”

The ferocity of the animal’s attack was enough to discourage the remainder of the dogs, who swiftly ran in the opposite direction. The account ends there, but from the few available details one can put together an intriguing, albeit hazy, image of the creature.

The description of its “short legs” would seem to indicate that the animal had feet instead of flippers, and the mention of “curly hair” has made many researchers lean toward a mammalian rather than reptilian or amphibious creature. Perhaps, when all is said and done, the Masterton Monster might have been nothing more than a large and mutated otter.

Although the creature has often been associated with the 1890 case of EUROA BEAST, it is interesting to note the  similarities between the creature described and the Australian BUNYIP, as well as the notorious “Irish Crocodile”, known in Gaelic as the DOBHAR-CHU.

This mysterious monster gained global fame when it was chronicled by the illustrious Charles Fort in his 1931 paranormal opus “Lo!”:

“New Zealand Times, May 9, 1883 — excitement near Masterton — unknown creature at large — curly hair, short legs, and broad muzzle. Dogs sent after it — one of the dogs flayed by it — rest of the dogs running away — probably ‘with their tails between their legs,’ but the reporter overlooking this convention.”

An Aerial View of Masterton Town

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Felixstowe Fire Demon

On an autumn evening in 1965, a group of British youths were cruising the town when one of them had a terrifying encounter with a fiery demon that would leave him scarred for life.

Felixstowe is an Edwardian seaside town nestled on the North Sea coast of Suffolk, England. The bustling hub offers a plethora of fascinating sights, but none so strange as the one seen by a group of friends who were joyriding through the town on their way toward Essex at approximately 10:30 pm. on the eve of September 20, 1965.

The group consisted of the driver, 25 year-old Geoffrey Maskey, and his passengers, Mavis Fordyce and Michael Johnson. For reasons not know, Maskey pulled over to the curb next to a hedgerow on the tree lined Walton Avenue.
The youngsters were engaged in lively conversation when Johnson abruptly opened the car door and wandered out into the murky night. Fordyce and Maskey exchanged perplexed glances as their cohort vanished into the Stygian blackness, but simply assumed he had gone to use the bathroom in the woods.

Just moments after Johnson disappeared behind the shrubbery skirting the woods, Maskey and Fordyce heard what they described as a “high-pitched humming” sound. Fordyce grew anxious as the loud humming noise began overwhelming them and Maskey leaned out the window to try and determine the origin of the annoying noise

It was then that he observed an oval-shaped, orange object suspended in the sky over 90-feet above his car. He estimated that the UFO was about 6-foot wide and both he and Fordyce claimed that it was glowing so brightly that it bathed the surrounding countryside in its eerie orange glow.

After the event seemed to have ended, the two friends realized that Johnson was still in the woods. Anxious, they started to call him, without success. Maskey threw his car in reverse gear before calling him again.At the end of a few moments of distress, Michael finally reappeared, but he looked shocked, staggering and holding his head. His friends first believed he was joking, but when the young man suddenly collapsed, they rushed to help him.

Fordyce tried her best to make Johnson comfortable as Maskey hopped behind the wheel and sped away from the forbidden forest and the strange orange light toward the nearby Felixstowe hospital.
Once at the hospital Johnson regained consciousness, but he was suffering from amnesia and could not recognize the friends who had rescued him, much to their dismay. The doctors on duty at the relatively small hospital diagnosed a serious case of shock.

They also noted that he had unusual burn marks on the back of his neck and a contusion above his right ear. The doctors then decided that it would be best to transfer Johnson to the hospital of Ipswich, which was far better equipped to deal with Johnson’s injuries and psychological condition.

The following day Johnson recovered his lost senses and when his friends came to visit him he told them of his mysterious encounter with a strange alien entity in the woods next to Walton Avenue. Johnson claimed that when he abruptly got out of the car the night before he was compelled to do so by an unknown pressing “force,” which insisted that he go into the woods.

Johnson told his friends and doctors that he was forced to walk into the dark forest — although he was unable to recall the distance— where he encountered what he described as a humanoid being with large luminous eyes that were glowing in the darkness.

Johnson swore that he had no memories of what happened next, until he woke up the following morning in a hospital bed. It is obvious that the doctors who heard this young man’s bizarre tale were skeptical to say the least and the newspaper reporters from the Ipswich Evening Star who published the strange account on September 21, 1965, were equally incredulous.

Nevertheless, Johnson’s friends  who had bore witness to the fiery, egg-shaped UFO with their own eyes — believed their pal and knew all too well that something strange and terrifying had transpired in the woods near Walton Avenue that dark night.

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Helltown

History:

Hell Town is a nickname given to the northern part of Summit County. The areas most often associated with the Hell Town legends are Boston Township and Boston Vilage, as well as parts of Sagamore Hills and Northfield Centre Townships.These areas are often collectively referred as Boston Mills.

Boston Village was founded in 1806 and stands as the oldest village in Summit County. The first mill was built in the village in the early 1820’s. Later, the construction of the Ohio & Erie Canal brought more people to Boston, and over the next few decades mills began to flourish in the area – most prominently a paper mill. When a railroad station was constructed in the town in the early 1880s, the station was named "Boston Mills," in reference to the paper mill.

In the late 1960s, a nationwide movement began that expressed concern over the destruction of our forests. In response, President Ford signed legislation in 1974 that enabled the National Park Services to purchase land and use it to create national parks. On December 27th, 1974, hundreds of acres of land, including some within the Township of Boston, were officially designated a National Recreation Area.

The homes were boarded up and listed as property of the government, some standing for years before being demolished.Residents began leaving in droves, and entire townships were swallowed up by the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. These events were so tragic that they were featured in the 1983 PBS documentary "For the Good of All." Perhaps the general feelings of the displaced homeowners were best summed up in a statement found scrawled across the wall of a vacated home: "Now we know how the Indians felt."

Stanford Road

Legends:

The number of stories circulating regarding Hell Town are so numerous that it is nearly impossible to track them all. 

There is the Presbyterian church which is said to have been built by Satanists complete with upside down crosses. The abandoned bus is said to be host to lingering ghosts and, maybe most outlandish of all, there is talk of mutants who were created by a chemical spill, including a monstrous snake known as the “Peninsula Python.” 

The steep Stanford Road drop off, immediately followed by a dead end, is aptly named The End of the World. If you get stuck at this dead end for too long, according to legends, you may meet your end at the hands of many members of the endless parade of freaks patrolling the woods.You may also check the Boston Cemetery, home to a ghostly man, grave robbers and, the quirkiest of all, a moving tree.There are also rumors of different cry baby bridges around the area.

Boston Cemetry

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