; Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal

Wednesday, August 31, 2022

Child-Sized 'Aquatic Humanoid' Encounter Reported in Lake Erie

The Singular Fortean Society was recently put in contact with John Giancola, who claimed to have once seen a strange, childlike head with large, black eyes poking out of the water of Lake Erie during a family vacation.

Giancola first sent the report of his sighting to Paul Bestall of the Mysteries & Monsters podcast after listening to an appearance by researcher Travis Watson. Bestall passed the report along to Watson, who sent it to the Singular Fortean Society.

"Listened to the show and couldn't find a way to tell this to Watson so I'm emailing you. Back in the '80s, my family would go to Geneva-on-the-Lake in Ohio (Lake Erie) to stay at a cabin every summer. One time, I was out past the rock pier things playing on an innertube, and I saw what looked like a head from the mouth up about 20 yards farther out. 

I knew I was the only kid out there at the time, so I was really confused about who it could have been. I watched it for maybe half a minute, then looked back at the beach to see who it might be, but everyone was still on the beach. When I turned around it was gone. Thought maybe it was a log, but I spent the rest of the day watching because it scared me a lot but nothing else surfaced.

It's one of those childhood memories that was so profound that when I think about it, I feel like I'm back in that moment. If you can forward this to him that would be great. I've only told one other person about this because who would believe such a thing?"

In a series of correspondence provided to the Society by Watson, Giancola described the head as dark, hairless, and human-sized.

"I want to say merpeople, but is that really a thing?" he asked Watson.

Watson responded, “Merpeople actually are a thing. I have a chapter on them in Canadian Monsters and Mysteries. I found several Canadian stories related to them in my research, both at sea and in the lakes of Canada. First Nations people in some areas seem to refer to them as the ‘gods’ of bodies of water and they are associated with storms and other rough water events if antagonized.”

Tales of aquatic humanoids exist in many cultures across the world.

The Greeks had Nereids, for example, which were water nymphs typically associated with small bodies of water, while in Scandinavian folklore exists the Nøkken, a supernatural shapeshifter that often appears in human form. 

Watson also inquired if perhaps Giancola might have seen a diver in a wetsuit, but that idea was eventually dismissed.

"I don't know what the area looks like now, but back in the '80s there were not any docks nearby and you'd see tankers going by more often than personal watercraft," Giancola said. "There were no boats nearby."

After receiving permission to contact the witness, investigator Tobias Wayland sent Giancola a list of questions in an attempt to garner more details about the sighting; including inquiries into the approximate date of the sighting, its location, and any additional information that Giancola could remember about what he’d seen.

"I was probably 11 or 12 [years old], so summer of '85 or '86 [is when the incident took place], I would say. [...] At the time I was the only one in the water," Giancola replied to Wayland. "At the end of the pier the water was too deep for an adult to stand, and I was another 20 yards or so past that, so [the creature] had to be floating. I couldn’t make out any details other than it appeared to be child-sized and it was dark. It looked to have larger eyes that were black. Every once in a while, you'd see a branch or something float by but when I looked up and saw this, I felt like it was looking back at me, and it scared me. It only lasted maybe 10 seconds, and when I turned to look at the beach and looked back it was gone."

"I don’t remember anything [else paranormal] happening around that time but I always got weird vibes in the cottage and actually about the water there," he added.

Wayland asked Giancola if he had considered whether or not it could have been a prosaic animal, such as an otter, but the man replied that he did not think it was.

"I just looked at a bunch of pictures of otters and no it did not look like that," he said. "One thing that really sticks out other than the shape of the head is the otter's ears. What I saw looked like it may have not even had ears, or they were super flush with its head."

Although what exactly Giancola saw remains a mystery, the encounter has had an effect on him—one noted by both Watson and Wayland and expressed in the man’s willingness to speak openly about his sighting.

Like many witnesses to the unexplained, what Giancola ultimately hopes for is that he is not alone in his experience.

"It's a weird encounter, but I saw what I saw and I'm not ashamed of it," he said. "I really hope someone else has had a similar encounter."

An exact location given by Giancola for the encounter has been sent to Ohio-based investigator Ashley Hilt. Any new information provided by her investigation will be published as it is received.

Have you had a sighting or encounter?
Contact me by email - Thanks. Lon

If you wish to comment on this Phantoms & Monsters post, please go to Phantoms & Monsters Post Comments

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PHANTOMS & MONSTERS FORTEAN RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE - Current Investigations - Lon Strickler (Host)

Phantoms & Monsters Radio presents a Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research Roundtable discussion. We will be discussing current investigations and other cryptid / unexplained incidents & sightings. Joining Lon will be James West, Chad Redding, Kit Taylor, & Bernadette McDaniel.

James West is a 2-time Dogman experiencer, has had multiple encounters with the paranormal including shadow people/creatures, suspected demons, and ghosts, and has been physically possessed on one occasion by an unknown dark entity. James is also currently in the process of writing a nonfiction book about cryptid beings in the United States, entitled "50 Cryptids in 50 States." In addition to this, James is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

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Chad M. Redding grew up in the Pigeon Hills region of western York County, Pennsylvania. A lifetime of roaming the woods, hills, and hollows led Chad to develop his passions and skills as a woodsman. Very much an avid lover of old traditional ways and old things. His love of the forests and mountains know no bounds. For he has camped, rambled, gathered, canoed, and fished. In all 4 seasons.

As a lover of local history and folklore, wanderer of forgotten places, and life-long experiencer of the strange. Chad also contributes to and works with Timothy Renner of Strange Familiars Podcast.

Chad has also given back to the community, woodsman or otherwise. For as a traditionalist, he believes that knowledge should be passed on. From demos at various festivals, his foraging walks he gives regularly, on the various charity campouts he has organized. He has sought to help others and educate them.

Chad became the proprietor of Ruck Rabbit Outdoors a company that supplies old-style crafted, curated, refurbished, and surplus gear to the woods folk community.

Chad is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

----

Kit Taylor is a film and Television actor, writer, producer, and documentarian. His latest work includes a short documentary on the Fayetteville Incident (the Bledsoe Family story) titled "Burden of Truth."

Kit was an investigator for MUFON and has recently become a member of the Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team. Having first-hand, life-altering experiences, Kit's approach to investigating is from an empathetic point of view and hopes to contribute positively, to the world of high strangeness.

-----

Bernadette McDaniel, Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research member will co-host this episode. Bernadette will soon be hosting 'A Paranormal Life' on Phantoms & Monsters Radio.

Join us on Friday, September 2nd at 9PM ET / 6PM PT

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, & SHARE - THANKS!

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We are asking the worldwide public to come forward with your sightings & encounters. Contact us by email - Thanks. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' - Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map - Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.

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TODAY'S TOP LINKS







'BABY FROM HELL!' / DC SUBURB BIGFOOT / 'WHITE' DOGMAN - Lon Strickler (Host)


New Updates Captain Mark Richards: True Crime Meets The UFO Community, with Ryder Lee | Podcast #806

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Anchor

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify

**********

Please Consider a Donation to 'Phantoms & Monsters'

Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. This all depends on you, the readers & followers.

Please use the PayPal donation buttons on the blog site. You can also go directly to Phantoms & Monsters donation. Thanks again for your loyalty and continued support. Lon




This blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.

Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS® / PHANTOMS & MONSTERS® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler

© 2005-2022 Phantoms & Monsters - All Rights Reserved

Gruesome 'Cryptid Canine' Encountered in Berks County, Pennsylvania (FULL REPORT)

For the past several weeks, I have been referring to a cryptid canine case that was submitted to me by the witness 'MH.' Most of the particulars are included in the witness' written report. The Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team and I have talked to the witness on numerous occasions:

"This sighting happened on 4/30/22 in Birdsboro, Pennsylvania in the Birdsboro Preserve. This area is just north of French Creek State Park and the forests intersect with one another. There are roughly 15 to 20 square miles of dense natural woodlands in this area. It is one of the largest forest areas in southeastern PA.

It was a crystal clear warm spring day and my 12-year-old daughter wanted to learn trout fishing. We decided to go up to Hay Creek which runs for 13 miles through French Creek State Park and through the Birdsboro Preserve. We parked at the north end of the preserve on Old Route 82, now called Hay Creek Road.

We hiked up into the old road past the still active larger quarry and continued up about a half mile past it. We found a spot where she could practice wading In the steam in a safe shallow area of the stream with semi-fast water. There were a lot of people walking hiking and horse back riding that day and not a cloud in the sky.

We fished this spot for about 2 hours or so slowly moving back down the stream. At one point while I was sitting on the bank enjoying the stream and nature while my daughter was fishing I heard a loud crash; like a tree was falling over behind us. It was a bit strange because I didn’t hear any chainsaws and this sounded like a huge tree was coming down. It was only a few hundred feet behind us and it was super loud. Being an avid extreme outdoorsman for 3+ decades you know when things seem out of place. This was totally different from a tree falling over and then silence.

This went on for about 2 minutes and I stood up and looked around in the direction the sound was coming from but saw nothing. I said to myself that was a bit strange and it just stopped. 

About 30 minutes later I heard the same thing and again this went on for like 2 minutes again. Now I’m puzzled and was like what the hell is going on this is not normal. I said to my daughter lets start heading back down the stream and find another spot. I still did not see anything unusual but was on alert. I thought to myself it could be deer up in the back across the road but this sounded

Then I heard a giant crashing through the woods as it was very loud. This time it was definitely closer to us. We walked about 200 yards down the trail and we started hearing this again and it was even closer than the past 2 times. We stopped and looked up towards the quarry in the direction of the sound but still saw nothing.

I said we will cross the stream and fish down around the bend. The spot where you cross the stream is about 30 feet wide and very slippery. We took it slow because the water was a bit high for my daughter. We were about halfway across and all hell broke loose with the sound of tree branches breaking again. It took us about 90 seconds to cross the stream and I was holding her hand to help her. The whole time this sound is still going on and I’m looking back but see nothing because we are about 20 feet below the quarry where the old bridge was. Where we crossed the stream there is about a 6 to seven-foot berm to step up to the road level.

I get up first and help my daughter get up with my hand when I see something moving in the distance out of my peripheral vision. I turn and look and see nothing at first. Then in the distance where this sound is coming from I lock onto a 40-foot pine tree at the top of the quarry swaying violently side to side at least 5 feet each way.

I pointed to my daughter and said, 'Holy crap what the hell is that? Look! The next 40 to 50 seconds would change my life forever.

We were watching the pine tree shake for about 10 to 15 seconds. Then I saw what I thought was an arm reaching out of the tree. It grabbed a bird which I think was a turkey buzzard. All of a sudden this thing jumps from the pine tree to a big oak tree about 10 feet away and starts climbing on the outside of the canopy. It pivoted around somewhat like a spider on the top of the canopy and disappears into the branches of this large oak tree. Keep in mind the leaves are just starting to bud on the trees and we can see movement in the tree branches.

This is about 200 to 300 feet away. The whole time branches are breaking, very large branches about 2 inches thick. This goes on for about 10 or more seconds and then this thing jumps out of the tree. Now, these trees are at least 40 high. Plus it falls another 15 to 20 feet onto a 60-degree incline of rocks. So about 60 or so feet this thing fell.

I thought the thing was dead. I'll never forget the sound of the impact. This thing hit super hard and rocks started flying down the side of this quarry incline at least 10 feet. When it fell out of the tree this creature landed on all 4s.

This thing is lying flat and is a bit dazed and or winded. Then this thing stands up bipedally on its 2 hind legs and is about 10 to 12 feet in height.

I'm thinking that this thing should be dead. I'm thinking bear, mountain lion, bigfoot? So this thing stands up. And then goes back on all 4s and jumps like a toad or a frog does. This thing clears 20 feet of ground in total, not even trying, as well as jumps in height about 8 to10 feet in one jump.

It was on all 4s again, flat like a frog and then it dropped this bird that it had in its left hand. Keep in mind the thing landed facing away from us on the right side of us with its back to us and running away parallel to our left. It then reaches out with its left hand and grabs the bird and pulls it back into its chest.

The arms on this thing are at least 6 feet plus in length. It has human-like hands and legs. The hands have at least 2 to 3-inch claws on the fingers, as well as the feet.

As it grabbed the bird it turned its head to the side and I saw the side of the head and face. This thing was bald from the neck up. It had a canine-style snout or nose with an upper jaw with an overhang with very long upper teeth like fangs on a werewolf. No joke about it.

This thing when it stood up from heel to hip was 6 to 7 feet in height, and from hip to shoulder was another 3 feet. From heel to top of its head was 10 to 13 feet easy. The head was like a human's head but had pointed ears like a dog's but not on top of the head. It had ears where a human has them but longer and pointed. It had fur like a deer in length, very short brown, grey, and black. The skin was grey in color. This creature was very skinny though. Like it was starving or not healthy. Very skinny except the forearms and its legs were very tone. It did not have a tail.

This thing stands up again bipedally and takes a step, like a track runner jumping a hurdle, and clearsa15 foot rock face again, easily 6 to 7 feet in height and about 15 feet in length. It took another 5 to 6 steps and it went crashing through the woods and we never saw it again.

Witness sketch

I stood there in total disbelief and I was trying to process what the hell this thing was.

I'm a no-fear kind of guy and this thing scared the living crap out of me. I’m standing there completely frozen with fear trying to make sense of what the hell just happened. I almost lost myself with fear because I never had that type of fear ever and I had to talk myself out of it.

After about 2 minutes of sheer confusion, I snapped out of the fear factor and I was now in adrenaline survival mode. My number one concern was my daughter and us getting out of there alive because this thing ran the same way we had to walk to reach my car.

Keep in mind this was a busy day with people out from being cooped up all winter. Whatever this thing is violent and super strong to the point the right thing to do is warn people of this thing. I'll tell you this, this thing makes a full-grown tiger look like a mouse and that is no joke. My daughter was confused about what had happened. I was very concerned for her safety.

As we were slowly walking back I actually started to call 911 but never did because no one would believe me and think I was mad out of my mind. I saw a few people on the way back and I asked them if they had seen a big animal come down this way and they all said no.

A message for all the people out there. One thing I want to say is this, I have been in a lot of national parks and state forests and never once seen anything like this creature. Take everything I thought I knew about the wilderness and throw it right out the window and start over.

Vincent Richardson's rendering of the cryptid canine

Hats off to Lon and all you people who bring these cryptids to the masses. These things are 1000% real and they are in your backyard not in some national park or some extreme remote area. They are very close to us so please be mindful of your surroundings. I'll never step in the woods without a firearm ever again. This has changed my life and I’m on an amazing journey to find serious answers. And for all of you who have seen crazy creatures and struggle with it: YOU'RE NOT ALONE. Welcome to the CLUB OF NO RETURN. Keep an open mind and talk to good people who can help you." MH, Boyertown, PA

NOTE: Once again, it's difficult to imagine what we are really dealing with. The witness is an upstanding citizen in the community and very forthright. I have reached out to another local cryptid team in order to conduct a proper investigation.

At this time, none of the details of our research and investigation will be disclosed. But I do feel that it is important that the witness' sighting report be made public. If anyone has witnessed this creature, please contact me by email - Lon

Have you had a sighting or encounter?
Contact me by email - Thanks. Lon

If you wish to comment on this Phantoms & Monsters post, please go to Phantoms & Monsters Post Comments

-----

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS FORTEAN RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE - Current Investigations - Lon Strickler (Host)

Phantoms & Monsters Radio presents a Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research Roundtable discussion. We will be discussing current investigations and other cryptid / unexplained incidents & sightings. Joining Lon will be James West, Chad Redding, Kit Taylor, & Bernadette McDaniel.

James West is a 2-time Dogman experiencer, has had multiple encounters with the paranormal including shadow people/creatures, suspected demons, and ghosts, and has been physically possessed on one occasion by an unknown dark entity. James is also currently in the process of writing a nonfiction book about cryptid beings in the United States, entitled "50 Cryptids in 50 States." In addition to this, James is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

-----

Chad M. Redding grew up in the Pigeon Hills region of western York County, Pennsylvania. A lifetime of roaming the woods, hills, and hollows led Chad to develop his passions and skills as a woodsman. Very much an avid lover of old traditional ways and old things. His love of the forests and mountains know no bounds. For he has camped, rambled, gathered, canoed, and fished. In all 4 seasons.

As a lover of local history and folklore, wanderer of forgotten places, and life-long experiencer of the strange. Chad also contributes to and works with Timothy Renner of Strange Familiars Podcast.

Chad has also given back to the community, woodsman or otherwise. For as a traditionalist, he believes that knowledge should be passed on. From demos at various festivals, his foraging walks he gives regularly, on the various charity campouts he has organized. He has sought to help others and educate them.

Chad became the proprietor of Ruck Rabbit Outdoors a company that supplies old-style crafted, curated, refurbished, and surplus gear to the woods folk community.

Chad is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

----

Kit Taylor is a film and Television actor, writer, producer, and documentarian. His latest work includes a short documentary on the Fayetteville Incident (the Bledsoe Family story) titled "Burden of Truth."

Kit was an investigator for MUFON and has recently become a member of the Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team. Having first-hand, life-altering experiences, Kit's approach to investigating is from an empathetic point of view and hopes to contribute positively, to the world of high strangeness.

-----

Bernadette McDaniel, Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research member will co-host this episode. Bernadette will soon be hosting 'A Paranormal Life' on Phantoms & Monsters Radio.

Join us on Friday, September 2nd at 9PM ET / 6PM PT

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, & SHARE - THANKS!

-----

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-----


We are asking the worldwide public to come forward with your sightings & encounters. Contact us by email - Thanks. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' - Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map - Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.

-----

-----


-----

TODAY'S TOP LINKS







'BABY FROM HELL!' / DC SUBURB BIGFOOT / 'WHITE' DOGMAN - Lon Strickler (Host)


New Updates Captain Mark Richards: True Crime Meets The UFO Community, with Ryder Lee | Podcast #806

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Anchor

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify

**********

Please Consider a Donation to 'Phantoms & Monsters'

Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. This all depends on you, the readers & followers.

Please use the PayPal donation buttons on the blog site. You can also go directly to Phantoms & Monsters donation. Thanks again for your loyalty and continued support. Lon




This blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.

Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS® / PHANTOMS & MONSTERS® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler

© 2005-2022 Phantoms & Monsters - All Rights Reserved

Tuesday, August 30, 2022

Possible Mimicking Bigfoot Unsettles Family in Remote Minnesota

A family, with a disabled son, rents a cabin along a remote lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. A possible Bigfoot begins mimicking the sounds made by the son. Very interesting account.

The following account was recently referred to me:

"We had traveled up near the Canadian border in St. Louis County, Minnesota a few summers ago. We rented a cabin off the grid in the middle of nowhere. Our son is severely disabled and while he’s nonverbal he definitely isn’t quiet. He makes very loud sounds. Guttural shrieks and whoops. This particular spot takes about an hour off-road to get to. It’s near logging roads but there are no people. Very rugged roads. The cabin is on 320 acres of lake and surrounded by well over 40 acres of forest. It’s just us there. Plenty more acres but that is just the acreage around the cabin.

That night my son was standing on the deck. It’s on the second level of the cabin. He was jumping and bashing and howling. The pounding of his jumping on the deck was reverberating throughout the forest. This was something we would usually worry about but not here. It felt great not to have to worry. This is the very reason we are here. No one to judge us or get upset by our sounds.

Off to the west, we began hearing something. It sounded as if it was mimicking my son. Just didn’t feel real at first. It was a “no way this is happening moment.” It mimicked him unbelievably well. It was loud and sounded as though it had the lung capacity of 20 men. It was definitely an animal. It didn’t sound angry at all or menacing. It was just a strong mimicking sound. I don’t really know how to explain it.

We went inside and did our best to ignore it. I felt the entire rest of the trip as if we were being watched. I couldn’t shake that feeling. It was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever felt in my life. I cannot explain it. Just thinking about it now makes me uncomfortable. There were other very odd things that occurred that week but I don’t really feel comfortable sharing. Almost supernatural. I know that sounds silly. Smoke alarms going off at night, etc. Just weird things. 

We ended up going back the next summer as we didn’t let on to our other son who was asleep at the time that anything had occurred. We have had no incidents like that again. No feeling of being watched and nothing uncomfortable but that incident, that week, will always stay with me." N


Have you had a sighting or encounter?
Contact me by email - Thanks. Lon

If you wish to comment on this Phantoms & Monsters post, please go to Phantoms & Monsters Post Comments

-----

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS FORTEAN RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE - Current Investigations - Lon Strickler (Host)

Phantoms & Monsters Radio presents a Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research Roundtable discussion. We will be discussing current investigations and other cryptid / unexplained incidents & sightings. Joining Lon will be James West, Chad Redding, Kit Taylor, & Bernadette McDaniel.

James West is a 2-time Dogman experiencer, has had multiple encounters with the paranormal including shadow people/creatures, suspected demons, and ghosts, and has been physically possessed on one occasion by an unknown dark entity. James is also currently in the process of writing a nonfiction book about cryptid beings in the United States, entitled "50 Cryptids in 50 States." In addition to this, James is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

-----

Chad M. Redding grew up in the Pigeon Hills region of western York County, Pennsylvania. A lifetime of roaming the woods, hills, and hollows led Chad to develop his passions and skills as a woodsman. Very much an avid lover of old traditional ways and old things. His love of the forests and mountains know no bounds. For he has camped, rambled, gathered, canoed, and fished. In all 4 seasons.

As a lover of local history and folklore, wanderer of forgotten places, and life-long experiencer of the strange. Chad also contributes to and works with Timothy Renner of Strange Familiars Podcast.

Chad has also given back to the community, woodsman or otherwise. For as a traditionalist, he believes that knowledge should be passed on. From demos at various festivals, his foraging walks he gives regularly, on the various charity campouts he has organized. He has sought to help others and educate them.

Chad became the proprietor of Ruck Rabbit Outdoors a company that supplies old-style crafted, curated, refurbished, and surplus gear to the woods folk community.

Chad is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

----

Kit Taylor is a film and Television actor, writer, producer, and documentarian. His latest work includes a short documentary on the Fayetteville Incident (the Bledsoe Family story) titled "Burden of Truth."

Kit was an investigator for MUFON and has recently become a member of the Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team. Having first-hand, life-altering experiences, Kit's approach to investigating is from an empathetic point of view and hopes to contribute positively, to the world of high strangeness.

-----

Bernadette McDaniel, Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research member will co-host this episode. Bernadette will soon be hosting 'A Paranormal Life' on Phantoms & Monsters Radio.

Join us on Friday, September 2nd at 9PM ET / 6PM PT

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, & SHARE - THANKS!

-----

-----

-----


We are asking the worldwide public to come forward with your sightings & encounters. Contact us by email - Thanks. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' - Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map - Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.

-----

-----


-----

TODAY'S TOP LINKS







'BABY FROM HELL!' / DC SUBURB BIGFOOT / 'WHITE' DOGMAN - Lon Strickler (Host)


New Updates Captain Mark Richards: True Crime Meets The UFO Community, with Ryder Lee | Podcast #806

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Anchor

PHANTOMS & MONSTERS RADIO Podcasts on Spotify

**********

Please Consider a Donation to 'Phantoms & Monsters'

Your financial support of Phantoms & Monsters and our other pursuits is much appreciated. This all depends on you, the readers & followers.

Please use the PayPal donation buttons on the blog site. You can also go directly to Phantoms & Monsters donation. Thanks again for your loyalty and continued support. Lon




This blog and newsletter are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Work 3.0 United States License.

Registered trademark PHANTOMS AND MONSTERS® / PHANTOMS & MONSTERS® - USPTO #90902480 - Lon D. Strickler

© 2005-2022 Phantoms & Monsters - All Rights Reserved

Anomalous Lights / Spirit Manifestations on Juniata College, PA Mound

The witness recalls anomalous lights and entity manifestations on a mound located on the Juniata College campus in Huntingdon, PA. Was this energy retained from a previous event on the mound?

I recently received the following account:

"Hi Lon,

A friend of mine who I've known for a while and told about my experiences with the paranormal recently showed me your site, which I quite like by the way, and recommended I contribute a little. I'm from south-central Pennsylvania originally, though I live in Canada now. I grew up in a very haunted house and have many different ghost stories I could share. But what I really want to share is a different, weirder story that I still can't explain after almost two decades. Share this on your site if you like, but I'd really love to know if anything like this has ever been reported before. I've read many paranormal materials over the years and recently dug back through your site's old posts quite away and have never found anything close to this weird experience.

So, starting from the beginning, this all happened in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, in July of 2005 when I was 17 years old. This incident happened on the campus of Juniata College, specifically at a place called "round top" behind the Brumbaugh Science Center. This is basically a small hill, which has a big grassy area stretching north to the south up and down both sides of the hill, with tree-filled areas lining the eastern and western sides. In the winter the middle grassy section is a popular sledding spot for local kids. On both outer sides of the "forested" areas of the hill are streets as this is right in the middle of the town. The northern side of the slope is steeper (the sledding area) and the southern side slopes more gradually down to a parking lot behind the science center and some houses not far beyond that. From the top of the hill down to the parking lot is maybe 70-100 yards. It's been many years and I'm bad at determining distances but that's my best guess. The back of the science building and the parking lot behind it were illuminated with lights, and there was a row of 4-5 trees in the grass in between the parking lot and the building. Also about halfway down the hill is a small observatory for the college astronomy classes to use. It's a round brick building with a steel-looking roof and quite small, holding maybe 8-10 people at most. I've been inside it once and felt quite cramped with only a few other people in there lining up for the telescope. Not sure about the dimensions exactly but it's really not that big. (I'm including a picture of the hill taken from google earth where I point out all these relevant spots.)

My best friend at the time lived less than 3 minutes walk away from the round top and so in summer we would often meet there at night and hang out together. We were both aspiring writers at the time and would sit, talk about ideas and inspirations, write in our notebooks, etc. for long periods of time. We did this on countless occasions with zero weird incidents. It's worth mentioning also that my grandparents' house was directly adjacent to the west of the round top, and I had spent hours and hours on that hill as a kid without ever seeing anything strange. 

One night in July my friend and I are sitting at the very top of the hill, facing south down towards the Science Center. We sat there running over ideas and stories, etc., as we had done many times before. I'm not sure of the exact time but it must have been around 1:30 or 2 AM, something weird happened. We had been sitting there looking down at the parking lot/science center for hours and hadn't seen a single person go by. They would have been easy to see under the lights at that distance. Anyway, suddenly the base of one of the trees (the one closest to the science center door) suddenly without warning turns into a bright glowing orange/reddish ball. It looked a lot like glowing coal from a campfire at first, but then after a second started spreading up the tree, branching off wherever there were splits in the trunk, and then eventually to all the smaller branches. When it peaked the entire outline of the tree's trunk and branches were a bright glowing orange/red like neon. Then just as suddenly as it had started, all of it disappeared and the tree went back to being just a normal-looking tree.

My friend and I both saw all this happen, and all of it took place in about 30 seconds. We both knew what we saw and had no explanation for it. No one had been around that tree in hours, we would have seen them. In fact, no one had been anywhere on the hill in hours. Huntingdon is a small town, almost no one is out after 9 pm anywhere. And nothing we knew of could make that kind of weird light show. After a minute or two of excitement and confusion, we headed down the hill to look at the tree close up. This is where things get weirder.

We walked down the hill quickly as we were excited to check out the tree. (Again, here I remind you this is not a big hill, and there are lights from the parking lot and the science building dimly illuminating the entire hillside, we are definitely NOT walking in pitch black.) I was also definitely alert and paying attention to my surroundings as this was quite a weird thing that had just happened. As we walked down, we passed right by the observatory, me within arm's reach of it. Again, I could see my friend clearly beside me and could see all the way to the tree lines to the east and west. We were alone. We kept going down past the observatory, and maybe 20 seconds later, when we reached the edge of the parking lot, for some reason I turned around and looked back up the hill. I grabbed my friend's arm immediately and forced him to look back up at the exact spot we had just then walked through. Spread out all over the hillside near the observatory were maybe 20-30 silhouettes of people, standing meticulously evenly spaced  (about 3 feet) apart from each other, all of them with their arms at their sides and looking like they were staring upwards at the sky. The hillside was illuminated enough that we could see each of the figures clearly, but not clearly enough to make out any details or see any faces or clothing or anything like that. But they were very clearly there, in the space we were in seconds before when it was completely empty. I cannot emphasize enough, if they had been there when my friend and I walked through, we would have been within inches of several of them if not running into them altogether. We didn't hear a single sound, see a single movement, anything. They just appeared behind us and stood there motionless in total silence.

We both stood there in shock for a moment because this was literally impossible. We hadn't seen anyone on that hill for hours, and we had just walked through that space and hadn't seen a thing around us the whole time. Finally, it sets into my mind that there is something deeply wrong with all this, and I pulled my friend hard into running out of there without looking back. We ran back a couple blocks until we were deeper into the town and walked home the rest of the way, trying to figure out any explanation for this. We couldn't come up with anything at all, the tree thing was too odd, and the figures were too numerous and strange to have been normal people. They were too uniform, all about the same height and build as far as I could tell, and they were spaced too perfectly apart like they had measured it out.  Impossible also for such a large group of normal people to have filled that area so quickly and perfectly without us seeing or hearing them, unless they were operating with pre-planned and practiced military precision, which seems unlikely. Also, on a side note, we did go back in broad daylight a few days later to look at the tree up close. There was no sign of anything strange had happened there. No burn marks, charring, nothing.

Life took my friend and I separate ways a year or two later but even though we went different ways after high school we still got together every so often, and nearly every time we would go over our recollections of this experience again. I also eventually after many years brought it up with my dad (who worked in the Brumbaugh Science Center for a long time) and my sister (who attended Juniata college for 4 years). Neither my friend nor I, nor my family was ever able to come up with a satisfactory explanation for that experience. The tree thing on its own would be weird and hard to explain enough, but then followed by the silhouettes that could not have been there, it's impossible. My friend's best theory over the years was that whoever or whatever those things were, they wanted us off the hill for some reason, and the tree lighting up was a distraction to do just that.

What do you make of this? Has anyone ever reported something like this to you before?

Thank you." LW

NOTE: my sense is that the hill may have retained spirit energy from a previous event or series of events. The lights could have signaled the coalescing of energy prior to the figure manifestations.

I found this passage in reference to the history of Huntingdon: "The earliest inhabitants of this region were the Juniata Tribe of the Standing Stone, which took their name from the stone obelisk displayed in the middle of their village. The Shawnee and Tuscaroras tribes, allied with the Iroquois, dispersed the Juniata but kept the name “Standing Stone” for the location, which ultimately became the borough of Huntingdon."

Maybe there was significant energy retention at this mound location? I have witnessed anomalous activity at supposed sacred native locations throughout south-central Pennsylvania. Lon


Have you had a sighting or encounter?
Contact me by email - Thanks. Lon

If you wish to comment on this Phantoms & Monsters post, please go to Phantoms & Monsters Post Comments

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PHANTOMS & MONSTERS FORTEAN RESEARCH ROUNDTABLE - Current Investigations - Lon Strickler (Host)

Phantoms & Monsters Radio presents a Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research Roundtable discussion. We will be discussing current investigations and other cryptid / unexplained incidents & sightings. Joining Lon will be James West, Chad Redding, Kit Taylor, & Bernadette McDaniel.

James West is a 2-time Dogman experiencer, has had multiple encounters with the paranormal including shadow people/creatures, suspected demons, and ghosts, and has been physically possessed on one occasion by an unknown dark entity. James is also currently in the process of writing a nonfiction book about cryptid beings in the United States, entitled "50 Cryptids in 50 States." In addition to this, James is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

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Chad M. Redding grew up in the Pigeon Hills region of western York County, Pennsylvania. A lifetime of roaming the woods, hills, and hollows led Chad to develop his passions and skills as a woodsman. Very much an avid lover of old traditional ways and old things. His love of the forests and mountains know no bounds. For he has camped, rambled, gathered, canoed, and fished. In all 4 seasons.

As a lover of local history and folklore, wanderer of forgotten places, and life-long experiencer of the strange. Chad also contributes to and works with Timothy Renner of Strange Familiars Podcast.

Chad has also given back to the community, woodsman or otherwise. For as a traditionalist, he believes that knowledge should be passed on. From demos at various festivals, his foraging walks he gives regularly, on the various charity campouts he has organized. He has sought to help others and educate them.

Chad became the proprietor of Ruck Rabbit Outdoors a company that supplies old-style crafted, curated, refurbished, and surplus gear to the woods folk community.

Chad is a member of Phantoms and Monsters Fortean Research.

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Kit Taylor is a film and Television actor, writer, producer, and documentarian. His latest work includes a short documentary on the Fayetteville Incident (the Bledsoe Family story) titled "Burden of Truth."

Kit was an investigator for MUFON and has recently become a member of the Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research team. Having first-hand, life-altering experiences, Kit's approach to investigating is from an empathetic point of view and hopes to contribute positively, to the world of high strangeness.

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Bernadette McDaniel, Phantoms & Monsters Fortean Research member will co-host this episode. Bernadette will soon be hosting 'A Paranormal Life' on Phantoms & Monsters Radio.

Join us on Friday, September 2nd at 9PM ET / 6PM PT

PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, & SHARE - THANKS!

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We are asking the worldwide public to come forward with your sightings & encounters. Contact us by email - Thanks. Lon

Have you had a sighting of a winged humanoid or huge bat-like creature in the Chicago, Illinois metro area / Lake Michigan region? The entity has also been referred to as the 'Chicago Mothman', 'Chicago Owlman' & 'O'Hare Mothman.' - Chicago / Lake Michigan Winged Humanoid Regional Interactive Map - Please feel free to contact me at lonstrickler@phantomsandmonsters.com - your anonymity is guaranteed. Our investigative group is conducting a serious examination of his phenomenon. We are merely seeking the truth and wish to determine what eyewitnesses have been encountering. Your cooperation is truly appreciated.

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