Haunted Iowa

Episode Transcript
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(00:04):
Weird wed Hello everyone, and welcometo Scary Stories. We tell the podcast

(00:49):
where well we talk about spooky,weird, thrue, crime stuff. It's
just kind of a catch all.We're here to talk about weird stuff.
On this episode, we're going tobe talking about Haunted States one again.
But the voices you're going to behearing are not the voices that had been
covering this for the last almost fouryears. Now you're gonna hear two voices
that are normally spending time talking aboutweird shit on YouTube, uh, primarily

(01:12):
YouTube for the most part. Thatthose two voices being Emma Hello and Dustin
Hello and yeah. On this episode, the three of us are going to
be talking about Haunted States, focusingprimarily on well, Dustin's favorite state of
all time. It's it's such agood and yet don't you can't they can't

(01:32):
see you. He's putting his thumbsdown and gestures don't work right, not
in this Mese. Can't we can'tupset a whole state, Dustin, Dustin
bite, But where I'm not goingto I've never had a problem with the
lovely state or people of Iowa.But hey, I also didn't grow up
in Nebraska, and apparently anyone whogrew up in Nebraska has a bone to

(01:55):
pick with the state of Iowa.So I mean it's a football thing,
right, dust and football all aroundsports. Yeah, and any time.
I mean too. I mean,here's the thing, Texas and Oklahoma,
same thing, And it's neighboring states. It's neighboring states, right, Like
not every state was Civil War,you know, not every reason to hate
the state is like Kansas and Missouribecause that is Civil War related. But

(02:19):
yeah, I mean, look,I moved to Nebraska, so I have
no nothing against Iowa, and Emmalives nowhere near Iowa. I'm so far
roofed from this. This is notmy bit. I have no dog in
this place. It looks so pettyfrom over here. I mean to be
fair, I mean to be fair. I mean, there is a state

(02:40):
and city that borders where you livethat I think has the same problem with
you know, where you live fora similar reason, just because of proximity,
right, Like how many jokes aremade about where you live by people
who live there to not give awaywhere you live? I mean not really
people in the big city. TheyI mean, I overhear other people saying

(03:04):
stuff to us, where we canafford a house, why would we hate
this place? Now most people aremoving out of the city. Yeah,
and they're coming back here. Yeah. Yeah, well there, I guess
to be fair, we live inone of the two cities in the state
that we live in that borders Iowaand Iowa. What Iowa only has,
I mean, Iowa has some bigcities, but similarly to the state that

(03:27):
we live in, Dustin it onlyI mean, like the state only really
has two big cities. Iowa haslike Des Moines Davenport and like Cedar Rapids.
And that's kind of it. Likeit's it's not any bigger of a
state than Nebraska. I wouldn't say, right, And it's I think probably
we get confused for Iowa just asmuch as they get confused for us,
because again, no, no,no, I mean like for most people,

(03:50):
if you live on one of thecoasts, we are an unintelligible mass
of states in the middle. Ohyeah. Absolutely asks me to pinpoint where
you were on a map, Icould not, right, And that's okay,
Like that's not as the failing ofthe American education. Fair, But
Iowa is the twenty sixth largest statein total area and the thirty first most

(04:13):
populous out of fifty, so youknow, batten in the lower half.
So you know, again, likethat's the thing about the Midwest is you
know, some states have more peoplethan others. Really is what it feels
like like. And on the statesthat we live in, it's like two
cities and that's it, and likethe rest is just rural and very rural
and a lot of corn and alot of flat and a lot of like

(04:35):
in between here and Des Moines isliterally like jack shit After o Maha,
there's nothing. So and if youdrive you have a question, what so
with the list, I'm assuming thelast on the list is Alaska. What's
like the one after Alaska? Ohin populous? Yeah? Uh so that's

(04:57):
funny because Alaska is not not thelast really, no, the last is
again there are there are four beneathit, but these aren't our territories,
I believe is what they're classified as, so not states. The last is
actually Wyoming. Huh And that's Imean, that's not surprising, Dustin.
You and I have friends that havethat lived in Wyoming, right, yeah,

(05:19):
And it's like I'm like half thepopulation, yeah, is in like
one of them and them two ishalf of four. Uh so it's actually
Wyoming. And then up in yourneck of the woods, fifty first is
Vermont, and then also up inyour neck of the woods is District of
Columbia, which I mean sure,sure, and then right everybody, you're

(05:42):
fucking sure, and then forty nineis a last okay, then followed in
our neck of the woods by NorthDakota and South Dakota. So you know,
four of these that have been mentionedare all like in the same spot
or touching one another, and welive in a state that is also touching
one of them with South Dakota,so because we share a pretty long,

(06:03):
long length border with South Dakota.So but I definitely think that like as
you get further back in the list, you know, when you have less
people in an area, I thinkthere tends to be creepier shit happening.
Well that's the thing. So yeah, like Emma just mentioned, we're talking
about we've all brought to the tablesomething and we're going to talk about those

(06:26):
things, and then we'll talk aboutit the way we normally do this,
which is we kind of tell thestory and then we talk about it.
That's the way we've done it before, because I'm technically the only one who's
ever done one of these before,and I did these a lot with Jess,
but Jess and I have not recordedin a while, not for any
specific reason, just because, hey, things happen, and you know what,
it's a new year, and somepeople are busy and some people aren't,

(06:46):
and I'm not as busy as Jess, which means we can do one
of these together. And hey,Iowa feels like a good choice because,
again, like we've already mentioned,it's not a state that people necessarily have
a lot of preconceived notions unless youlive here, and then you know,
I think that's also a good thing, because, like you mentioned, Emma,
the range of things can be verydifferent from the places that are again

(07:11):
older America like the East Coast,or newer America like the West Coast.
So this is kind of an interestingmiddle ground as well. So so on
that note, Emma, I'm gonnakick it to you first. What are
you gonna tell us about Iowa that'sless specific than this is the twenty first
most populous state. Just rattling offbullshit information that actually doesn't matter. I

(07:32):
think that could be an entertaining podcastto someone. Yeah, that's like a
TikTok video, Like tell me thefive most populated states, bro go ugh,
New York. I've seen. Idon't know those, like I don't
want to like drag it, butof those, you can guess it,
you get twenty. But oh yeah, like, oh, tell me a
song that starts with em oh,I got that one. Yeah like that,

(07:55):
Money's just gonna go back on thetable and you guys are gonna make
more content. That's all we're tryingto do here. So Emma regale us
with some stories of Iowa. Yeah, so what I want to talk about
today is the Edinburgh Manor. Isome ofled across this when I was looking
up, so obviously I'm like,what are the most haunted places in Iowa?
What are the creepiest locations? SoEdinburgh Manner. It was actually first

(08:18):
built in eighteen fifty and it wasconsidered quote unquote a poor farm, which
is apparently very common around that time. And the idea behind a poor farm
is that, you know, theless fortunate people would be provided with shelter
and food in exchange for work andlabor. The only issue is that it

(08:41):
wasn't just you know, people thatdid not have money. A lot of
other people got grouped into that aswell, like disabled, elderly and also
people with severe mental illness. Andso getting all of that, you know,
in one location to work together forsurvival is I think an interesting uh

(09:03):
setup. But yeah, uh ohduring that time, there were over two
hundred and thirty documented deaths on theproperty, and I think that is a
really good setup for uh, likefor a scary movie like that's uh.
I can imagine like that being thesynopsis. But Chris, you you've seen

(09:24):
more scary movies than me. Whatwould happen? I mean, I mean,
here's the thing already, like you'relike, and then like almost three
hundred people have died. It's like, what the fuck's going on? Already?
Like you're already I well, likehere's the thing, Like anything like
this, I'm already like why how? How could? I mean? It
probably just comes down to poor management. And all the time though, it's

(09:50):
like every time this we hear oneof these kinds of stories, this is
how it starts. Right, It'slike, oh, they just weren't managing,
and it's like, well, ifwe're not managing these places? What
are are we managing? Right?Like, I mean, I think it's
safe to say that like a lotof them, since many people did come
through already being ulterly or having mentalillness, I think it's safe to say

(10:13):
that. You know, for somepeople it could have just been old age.
For some people it could have beenunfortunately taking their own lives. And
so I don't want to say thatit's just you know, just poor management.
But you know, it's hard tosay, like what the health conditions
were. It's hard to say,like did fights breakout amongst people? But

(10:33):
I think what was maybe the saddestpart is that whoever didn't have family to
be returned to, we're just buriedon the property. Yikes. Right,
So, with that lovely setup,the original building was then demolished and then
replaced in nineteen ten, and thenit opened in nineteen eleven as the end

(10:56):
of Burke Banner, which was youwant to get yes, like, oh
what it became? Yeah? Whatdid they turn it into? Oh?
I'm sure it's not so it islike a bed and breakfast. No,
it's probably too big to be that, right, what do you think venue?

(11:18):
I mean, it's probably like ahotel. Right, try mental institution.
Oh we get it, mental institutionup on the Buck courstitution. Yeah,
I read. Who would have guessed, right? Obviously not you two,
but I'll blame you so. Yeah. So the Edinburgh Manor opened in
nineteen eleven as a mental institution andit was like that or a very long

(11:43):
time. However, obviously due tonot so safe conditions and some not so
good practices. In the two thousands, the residents were moved from the property
after it was deemed and this isa quote dangerous and not conducive to have
disabled people live there. And thiswas in the wind mid two thousands.

(12:05):
It was in the two thousands thatthey were finally moved from this atrocious place.
A hundred almost over one hundred yearslater, basically, yeah, oh
my god boy. And I don'twant to hear people say, oh,
we take care of the mental healthof this country. Oh yeah, do
we? I mean, at leastnot back then? I mean, and
what about the other ninety fucking yearLike, what about the other ninety fucking

(12:30):
years? Yeah, I mean it'shard to explain away when it's like and
then in the mid two thousands,like that was like fifteen years ago.
I mean, first things First,is like if I had learned that,
like the mental institution I was goingto used to be a poor farm where
two hundred plus people have already diedand eighty of them were buried on the

(12:52):
property, I don't know. Idon't think that that's great for my mental
health. Yeah, I mean,I mean it can't be. But it's
not worse worse to having disabled people. I that's the thing. I love
that it was called the blatantlyn dangerousand so it just makes me wonder like
how like it doesn't really go intolike what ways was it dangerous? But

(13:15):
I'm assuming structurally unsound. Well that'sjust fucking insane. Like again, if
you get because if you sit hereand think to yourself, all right,
the idea here is to provide aplace for these people to be. And
I'm saying these people as in likeyou couldn't just treat it at home,
because again, like this has notnecessarily shown to be a thing that works
clearly for a number of reasons,one of them being because the system was

(13:39):
never in place to actually just hateall the mental health people and put them
somewhere else and then let's also forgetto take care of them while they're there,
Like what is going on? Butit's again, it's like the thing
is, I'm not getting mad aboutthis because like this is the only one
that's It's like, this is justone in a long list of, if

(14:03):
not all of these sanitariums, sanatoriums, any of these kinds of places,
because for the most part, thestory is the same. We made this
place for all these people to go, and then we stuck them there and
forgot about it. What in theonly l we think is gonna happen in
these places, like a lot ofinstitutional abuse and then people fucking dying and

(14:24):
being buried in fucking nameless graves,and then what happens there? Well,
if you believe like we do,they're probably haunted as fuck, right,
that's what happens. Next. Youwanted me to answer, there's your answer.
Now you're gonna tell us this isa haunted fucking place, guy,
Well, I actually there there wasone other thing. What do you think

(14:45):
they wanted to then turn it intoafter all of the disabled people, all
the mentally ill removed to someplace hopefullysignificantly better, we knowing this system,
it was probably marginally better. Uh, I'm gonna go out on a limb
here and be a real piece ofshit, because it would strike me that
the people who are doing this areprobably real pieces of shit. Like a

(15:05):
fucking retirement hols. That would havebeen hilarious in the worst way. Uh,
they so hilarious in the worst possibleway. No. Uh, turns
out that there were plans to potentiallythey were like talking this through, like,
oh, what can we turn thisinto? You want to know,

(15:26):
Chris, you were so close.You should have said it later Bed and
Breakfast. Oh boy, yeah,but here you want to know why they
didn't. But you want to knowwhy they did it Not because of the
horrible history of the place. No, Uh, it's because the cost would
have been too high to repair it, because the building was just straight up

(15:48):
unsafe, Like you could not itwas unlivable to get it up to code.
You mean to get it up.You would have cost too much money
to get it up to code inorder for it to be about in breakfast.
Them's is good business people, rightthere. So what's really funny though,
And like, here's the funny thingabout this entire situation, Like,
can I just say low key thatif a bed and breakfast is haunted,

(16:10):
I'm way more interested in going there. Oh like hey, like that's the
thing, Like can we just liketake a pause here, because it being
a bed and breakfast makes the mostsense because like the best kinds of these
places are like this is a hauntedbed and break Oh yeah, it's a
gimmick. It's part of floor.Yeah, this ghost is you know,
shaking your fucking bed at night orsome shit like there for the thrills.

(16:32):
There to test your bravery. Iwent to an airbnb in northern Missouri.
The woman who owns it is reallynice. If anyone wants to go there,
DM me, I'll tell you theplace because it's fun. It's like
it's like in like an old likefarmhouse where like the like the people used
to like take care of the farmwhere and they like redid it into this
like cute little airbnb that three peoplecan stay at. But it's haunted where

(16:53):
like it's fucking haunted. And she'slike, I don't tell people that because
and it's like I don't tell peoplethat because some people want to know and
some people don't. And it's likethat's why I won't say where it is.
It's just in Missouri somewhere, becauseI don't want someone to be like,
well is it this, this,and this? But that's the thing
like it for me is a benefitfor it to be haunted. But at
the same time, you know peopleout there, like I won't stay at

(17:14):
a haunted place as well. Idon't know if I would seek it out?
Would you not stay there if someonewas like, and it's haunted,
I it would have to be likea really like beautiful place that like nothing
like malicious has been documented as well, Like the only way that I can
could be the first Yeah, thanks, I mean you could. I mean,

(17:37):
I'm just saying theoretically anything as possible. True. I definitely I would
not go alone, That's for sure. Maybe with like if a bunch of
friends wanted to, But like,I don't think I'd be able to sleep
very well. I'd be paranoid thewhole night. I'd be like, did
I see something out of the cornerof my eye? I can't turn off
that part of my brain and Ican't. I'm not good at just like

(17:59):
vibe being with the idea of potentiallylike having something in the room with me
while I'm vulnerable in a sleep.That's fair. So I very much applaud
people who do you know, theparanormal investigations and they go to places like
this because that to me, likeand I've said this, I've said this
on the podcast before, but likeI am so on the fence when it

(18:22):
comes to like this type of stuffbecause I've never had these experiences. But
that being said, just because Ican be skeptical does not mean that I'm
not scared shitless regardless, like Ihave those things that have happened to me
are you know. That's the thingthough, is like you don't have to
believe it fully for the concept ofit to still be terrifying and for it

(18:45):
to fuck with you. And alsoto be fair, it doesn't care if
you believe. Oh yeah, right, Like that's the other thing, like
if and that's the thing, likepeople who don't believe, that's fine,
but if it exists, it doesn'tI mean, like you could say the
same thing about God or what youcreation or whatever, Like God doesn't give
a shit if you don't believe,because God exists either way. Like,
and that is the way I lookat all of these things, Like you

(19:07):
know, a lot of these thingsdon't give a shit if you don't believe.
And to be fair, some ofthe people that don't believe are the
ones who get fucked by these thingsthe worst because I know, but I
not like that. But to befair, like, because I know,
Dustin, you're like you are alot more of a skeptic than Emma and
I, and like we've had thatjust if you want, if you want
proof, go listen to the discussionyou and I did many moons ago.

(19:30):
But like, I also appreciate thatyou are a skeptic. I know you're
willing to be a skeptic. Unironically, you're not just doing it just because,
right, we are on like thefull spectrum here. I love that.
I would I would like to stayin places like that because mainly just
to see what the you know,the gimmick they're selling is. But I

(19:52):
sleep like a baby, right,But I'd be fine, right, I
know you would. Right, Butthen that's the thing, like if nothing
happened, It's like, if nothingwere to happen, like, how would
that make you feel? Would thatbe like, well, there's one more
check in that box or is itlike you'd be disappointed? Me? No,
I was saying, well, Imean, yeah, sure, but
like Dustin, but dust Dustin's askeptic. Is a skeptic disappointed if they

(20:15):
go somewhere haunted and nothing happened.I wouldn't expect anything to happen. That's
why I feel like I can't bedisappointed. I feel like a very small
part of you would have been like, man, that could have been cool.
I mean, yeah, something right, Okay, something totally blew me
away. It would be that wouldbe cool to be like, oh wow,
I mean it's probably and I'm notsaying this to be difficult, but

(20:37):
if anything did happen, it'd probablybe something orchestrated by the people. Wow,
I'm not saying this would be difficult. But but here's the thing though,
And I was thinking about this,Dustin, because I knew that given
the three of us broaching this topictonight, because not saying surreal tube doesn't,
but like surreal Tube calls for avery different thing. And like this

(20:57):
is like some of this is likebecause I know what dust Is going to
talk about. And it's not thatit's not this, but like, it
isn't this, it's a it's adifferent kind of this. I think the
only thing realistically that would make youa believer, Dustin. And I'm just
spitballing here, so tell me howwrong I am. It would have to
be something immensely and deeply personal,like not something where you like, go

(21:19):
to a fucking place that's already hauntedand something happens there. And I'm not
saying that something happening there wouldn't besomething that would like make you go like
whoa che and like some of thepeople I know that do this professionally,
that's what happened to them. ButI think for you, someone like yourself,
like again, someone would consider avery close friend like I do,

(21:40):
Emma, like, it would haveto be something immensely a deeply personal where
you would have to be like incontrovertiblein your mind that this is someone important
to me reaching out from the otherside. Actually, I would have to
rattle me to my core right,which would have to be something like deeply
personal. Yep, So like atlike and and like again, like we're

(22:00):
all adults right now at various stagesin our lives, having had various stages
of grief. Things happened to us, both friends passing away, family members
and like, I haven't ever hada deeply personal thing happen to me.
I'm already, I already am.I consider myself a believe, not a
skeptic, but a believer with ahealthy dose dose of skepticism, because I

(22:25):
think that's the right way to doit me personally, is to not believe
everybody. But I mean, again, you can't not believe somebody. But
like, I've never had any ofthese None of these things that ever happened
to me have been personal. They'vejust been like a weird noise or a
thing. And like, because Emma, you and I have been podcasting together
since a lot of these things havehappened like and they've been like and this,

(22:48):
you know, they a couple thingshappened before, but a lot of
the things have happened since I've beendoing this show. But they're not like,
I don't know, it's not likeI felt my grandfather reach out to
me. It's all like very justlike a weird thing. I can't explain
that. I that I could explainevery other one of these things, but
this one. And like I,like I said, I'm a believer in

(23:10):
this stuff, but at the sametime, I'm kind of like yourself,
Dustin. Like, if I getto the end of my life and nothing
like this has ever happened, Imight be like, well, I'm kind
of disappointed, because, like,the thing that would really make me a
real like cement it permanently, wouldbe something happening that's like deeply personal to
me. And I'm not wanting thatto happen by any stretch of the imagination,

(23:30):
because that would mean that someone inmy life is no longer there is
passed away or something. Because again, like I believe that the emotional charge
nature. I mean, like thereason this fucking place is haunted, right,
Emma, Like why is this placehaunted is because it's an emotionally charged
place where people were dying, aslike, and that's what I believe a
moment like that would necessitate, wouldbe like something like that happening. And

(23:53):
I don't want that to happen toanybody in my life right now. So
I'm okay with those things not happening. And it's just it being so weird.
Ass thing that I see out ofthe corner of my eye is a
lot more exciting than I felt.My friend who just died come into my
bedroom and sit at the end ofmy bed and tell me that they love
me, like I don't want thatbecause I know what that means in relation

(24:14):
to the thing happening. So that'sall I'm saying. But I'm just I
think we're at the healthy scale,you know, Yeah, I think we
all we have we have dusted onthe skepticism side. We have you on
the I've definitely had like the weirdexperience as side, And there's like me
in the middle where I'm like,I've been exploring spirituality, but I've never
had an experience like that. I'vehad a lot of serendipitous moments that I

(24:37):
think are I think what a lotof other people that our skeptics would refer
to as coincidences in terms of likelife events and potential signs, but like
not anything ever particularly ghost related.I see it much more as as a
as a being connected to the universe. So, Dustin, I haven't done

(25:02):
a tarot reading for you, haveI? Oh boy, oh god,
oh no, dude, do youknow you know? Do you know this
story about Emma with the tarot cardreadings? I've heard, I've heard about
topic. I mean, but that'sthe thing we have never done an episode
like this, the Three of Us. It's true. So now it's all
coming out. I mean, andthat's the funny thing to your point,

(25:23):
Like you heard the stories about howof a host of this show got a
tarot reading and then all of asudden they weren't a host for this show
for a while. Yeah, it'sa wild story. It's sometimes Taro tells
you what you need to hear,not necessarily what you want to hear,

(25:44):
and it's a great mirror for selfreflection. But I thoroughly enjoyed like the
intuiting process. If we have time, and if you want not necessarily on
the podcast where we could tonight,Oh god, you don't want it on
the podcast. You might want it, but you don't want it on the
podcast. I made the mistake ofhaving it on the podcast for all the

(26:04):
world. I love Arthur read forme on the podcast at least like three
times. I know. But butyeah, but you are also still you
don't forget. Yeah, I mean, I think it's gonna say I to
Emma, who knows that's the problemwith per I pull the card and it
actually just like reveals like your deepest, most embarrassing secret. It's like,

(26:27):
oh no, it's the deep embarrassingsecret card. Yeah, that's fair.
But I mean again to your point, we are all on a very good
scale with one another in terms ofthe belief system. And that's the thing,
Dustin, I think before we goany further, just to clarify for
the audience, because again Emma andI had done these episodes before, but

(26:47):
given that again you would have togo back and find the episode of you
and I talking to hear it quickrundown on your personal belief scale in terms
of like paranormal Yeah, and Imean paranormal spiritual religion. Uh, it's
kind of see it all like wrappedinto that one. I mean for me,
it's all stories of entertainment or comfortor whatever. That's that's really it,

(27:11):
all of it. Yeah, Imean that's fair. We're we're just
we're just another species on the planet, Chris, justin, Dustin, this
is the way a cult starts,you know that. I guess someone's gonna
be like, I really like thisguy's message. Where can I like listen?
I mean you do. I mean, if you grew your hair out,
it kind of christ like, OhI could see it. I would

(27:33):
follow you more than I would followsomebody from three thousand years ago. I
mean, I'm not saying, like, give me some flavoring and I won't
make sure it's not poisoned. Butbut but I might not check it immediately,
not poisoned, just tequila. Yeah, okay, fair, But that's
the thing. I mean, toyour point, like, in a lot
of ways, like I agree withyou, I mean, I agree with

(27:56):
the idea of like this is alljust in a lot of ways, like
we're just another fuck and like yousaid, we're just another fucking species looking
for a way to explain things.We ye Unlike a lot of the other
all of them, we have alanguage that we understand and that has allowed
us to craft stories. But Imean, I'm not going to sit here
and say that animals don't have thatbecause we don't know what we don't know,

(28:18):
but there's more than zero percent chancethat they have their own similar ideas
about things. So you know,it's again, we're the only species that
is self aware enough to know thatwe know we're asking questions about ourselves.
But you know that has led usdown some very dark fucking roads as a
species. Yeah, But I mean, to your point, Emma, like
I think it's I think it's healthyto have three very complimentary spaces of attack

(28:45):
doing something like this, because likeyou want three people saying the same shit.
No. But like, I thinkwhat makes this work is that,
regardless of what we all believe ourselves, we're also all open minded. Like,
you know, does it if somethingwere to happen to you like that,
you know you could not explain.I don't think you would just outright

(29:07):
deny that it ever happened. Youwould probably still not know what to think
of it, but you would beopen minded to the possibility of it maybe
being something that you could not explainwith science. I could accept the fact
that something couldn't be explained at thatpoint in time, but I would Emma,
no, Dustin is Like, whatI'm saying is is that would you

(29:32):
entertain the idea for a second ifyou ran through all the scenarios just based
off the amount of knowledge that youhad in that moment, if something happened
that you could not explain away withscience or psychology or whatever, would you
then say, maybe it was maybesomething spiritual. I feel like you wouldn't
be the clause. But I don'tknow. I don't know if I've asked

(29:56):
him this question. I've asked himthis question before. Emma. Well,
and I'm really curious. He's atruth Dusted is a true skeptic. Like
the closest thing I could ever acceptto something like from the beyond is alien
life, not little green men.But universe is a big place. Sure
someone even consider that like paranormal though, so like Little Green Mags, I

(30:22):
just wanted to get a laugh otherthan New York Little Green Mags, but
la a little green man. Uh. But here's the thing though, because
like that's that's why I said thething about it being deeply personal, Emma,
because like that's I like, that'show deep I think Dustin is.
Like that's like how seated. Yeah, like but that's like what I mean,
like that is but that thing likefor I think to say that for

(30:44):
you is one thing, But Ithink for anybody, right, like anybody,
if that happened to anyone, Ithink anyone would have a hard time
overlooking it and being like that's somethingelse. But like that's the thing.
It would have to be deeply personalto where it's like there's no way you
would have to be in like aroom by yourself and like nothing else,
like nobody knows anything, Like itwouldn't be like a fucking medium or something,

(31:06):
because they could know. I'd haveto have some sort of like obi
Wan apparition right that looks like mygrandpa, And I'd be like, oh,
got me right, And that's thething. So but question then,
Dustin, if I do a readingfor you and I tell you something that
otherwise I would not have known,how are you going to feel about that?
Are you going to think that likeChris like texted a city or something.

(31:30):
No, I would never feel.Uh. So I've had a palm
reading before. Uh, And sothat's my only experience with that. But
the person spoken generalities that could betrue for anybody, sure, like you
have family, Yes, I do. I handle it, you know,
and they just start wow, dude, whit to throw all those palm readers

(31:52):
right into the same bust again.It's almost like playing twenty questions right would
be fair? Palm reading is init of itself like a methodology. It's
cold reading. It's like the specificI don't know much about palm reading,
but what I do know is likethere are specific lines. Those lines are
all labeled and so like you cansee those lines on your hand, like

(32:15):
you could google, like what doeswhat are these lines? And what does
it mean when they look like this? And there are set answers and so
because it's not like they're just lookingat your hand and gazing into your past
or your future, like they're literallylooking at what your hand looks like,
and it basically going off of thelist in their mind of what these well
known symbols in palm reading allude to. So it's less of like the oh,

(32:38):
you know, it could be generalcould read anything like there was there's
like one specifically that relates to likehow many children you are going to have,
and like there's people that are likeI'm asexual and I never want to
have kids, and a reader justtold me I'm going to have five kids,
and it's like, well, that'swhat your hand looks like. That's

(33:00):
all it means is that that's whatyour hand looks like. So I don't
know how I feel about palm readingspecifically, because again, you know,
when you have a methodology like that, and people can like prove certain things
to not be true just by sayinglike you know, oh, well,
I'm past the age that I canhave children and I only had to you

(33:20):
said I was gonna have seven.But like I, there are ways to
disprove that. But I do thinkthat there are other means of divination that
are less focused on a methodology likethat and more focused on intuitiveness and being
able to into it. And Imean, we can talk about this later
because we got to give back towhat we were originally talking about. But

(33:44):
being able to into it. Imean it's for me personally, and maybe
it's different for other people. Butwhen I pull a card and I know
the symbols of the card or readthe description of a card, I think
for a moment and then I kindof just word vomit and whatever comes to
mind. I don't really go basedoff of like some what I know about

(34:05):
a person. I sort of justsay what comes to mind, and I
word vomit for as long as wordswant to vomit, And then I go,
did any of that make sense?Well? How much taro is power
suggestion? That's a great question.Absolutely. I sreeak these things to somebody.
Yeah, and then people, youknow, they might walk away and
be like, yeah, yeah,power positive, that's going to happen.

(34:30):
Yeah, I like that's manifestation,right, I mean it's this, It's
yeah, it's I mean they goin, they go hand in hand,
right, I mean I think theydidn't used to, but they do now.
Like it's more the discussion is beinghad more about manifestation as well now.
But like some of it is likethe power of positive thinking, that's
also just one aspect of it.I mean, right, sure you can

(34:50):
ask Taro about your future, butthere are so many things you could ask
Taro about. I mean, obviouslyyou can ask Taro about your past.
That's something that can't be changed.And those readings, especially for people that
I did not know their past,they always tell me how accurate they are,
and I don't know. Maybe they'relying to me, but I'm not
lying to them. But maybe theywant to maybe they want to save my
feelings. I don't know. That'sto be fair, I've never had you

(35:13):
do anything other than like that forwardwhat your your your notorious tarot reads are
always future bound. Well that's becausethat's always what you wanted to know.
It's not just me situation. Tobe fair, my life has not been
the one changed by your terror reads, so I can I can sleep soundly
at night, but that's the thing, I mean to your point, Like,

(35:35):
in a lot of ways, someof it is just like this is
it like like you said, likehow much of this is just I was
already there anyways, and this isjust the universe giving me back that one
percent more. And sometimes you're inninety nine percent and sometimes you're at eighty
four percent, and it's just onemore. Like sometimes it doesn't need to
be the straw that breaks the camelsback, and we sit here and joke

(35:55):
about it, but it wasn't evenin the situation that we're joking any more
than it ever would be for anybodywho's hopefully going into this as not going
to say an adult, but assomeone who is able to think through things
rationally and doesn't just make decisions basedon guards like like you said, like
you can't just make a decision likethat anyway. The way that I use

(36:19):
Taro for myself when I want toclarify a situation that I'm going through or
I want to learn more about somethingfrom the past for myself, it is
as I said before, it's it'smore about guidance and reflection than it is
about telling the future. You know, it can tell you what to potentially

(36:39):
expect. But at the end ofthe day, like you are in control
of your path, and like ifyou decide that like that's not the future
that you want, you can makechoices that take you away from that.
Like it's I feel like people havea very like and I did too.
Before I got into Tara, Ihad a very different view of like what
taro and what divination is is becauseof how it's presented in media. But

(37:01):
it for me, it's much moreabout the advice and the guidance and the
reflection than it is about the futuretelling. But as I said before,
like there are some serendipitous moments thatlike I can't explain, like how crazy,
like cards start to echo each otherout of nowhere, like and I

(37:22):
use multiple deck Like it's cool dustSoon We're going to do a poll for
you. Anyway, back to Iowafrom twenty twelve, guess what it was
open to paranormal investigations of course,I mean everyon what else were they going
to do with it? I mean, to be fair, it is condemned
for all people that are disabled.So as long as long as you're going

(37:45):
in I can live there. Likenothing good other than if they just took
the place down, which like Iguess they don't want to do because it's
a historical building. At this point, like just can't live there. You
just can't live there. But youcan go in there all you want,
Okay. So of course they dohave tours where they talk about the past,
the history. There is like awebsite as well where they document some

(38:09):
of the evidence that they have.And there's like one picture that I want
to show you guys that I thinkis pretty cool. Before we get into
that, I just wanted to goover like the types of spirits that are
like the most commonly scene. Soit starts with on the first floor,
Uh, most commonly, there isa little girl that is heard giggling,

(38:31):
singing, playing in the halls.Apparently her name is Susie, So that
would have to be someone from thefarm days, right, most likely?
Okay, because that's the other thingI want to like figure out, Like,
let's as you go through these likethat's a fast figure out. Well
that has to be well, thathas to be right, Like well,
during I believe an EVP session,she told investigators that she was dropped off

(38:53):
there, right, you have beendropped off in a farm you. I
mean, I think like a lotof parents that and take care of their
children. You know, where elseare they gonna go? Or maybe she
was of what they probably would havereferred to as a disturbed child, and
it could have been the asylum days, like what we just call it child,

(39:15):
a disturbed child or just a child? I mean fair but like I
assumed child you mean like someone lessthan the age of ten, Like they
have someone that young at this placeas an institution, And I mean that's
what it seems to be. Ok. I think that's I just assumed you
couldn't But again, oh oh youabsolutely there. I mean it depends on

(39:36):
the place. But I mean thisplace does not seem to have many regulations.
So I feel like if a kidgot dropped off there, what are
they gonna do? Turn the childaway? Are they going to say,
Okay, now here's your very unsafebedroom. Yeah, condemned den but yeah,
so so that's susie. Uh.And then there is also another spirit

(39:57):
on the first floor who is amanned that is believed to have committed suicide
by hanging himself with a bed sheetand the janitor's closet. I'm gonna guess
that's probably asylum days. I'm gonnaassume as well, right that that that
feels much more asylum, right.But yeah, and then we get to
the second floor. So one thingis that there's a toy fire truck and

(40:19):
it's said to like move throughout thebuilding. And obviously I'm sure the skeptic
in dustin is going, well,they're holding tours there, so somebody's moving
it. Duh. The draft building, those drafts are carrying that fire truck
a long way. I mean tobe fair, though, if you were
just like walking through the hallway atnight and you saw this like fire truck

(40:40):
like slowly creep like down the hall, get out of here. I see
you moving the right, I mean, would you be like, well,
actually the building is on a slighttilt here my level on my iPhone.
That is the question, like,what would happen if this shit? You'd
be like, I'm fucking out ofhere. I'm also more than willing to

(41:04):
say, like, there can bealternative explanations, but regardless, I'm shitting
carried the shit out of me.Yeah, in the moment, you'd be
like, somebody there, come out. I know you're playing or The alternative
is there's somebody hiding behind a cornerand they have like an invisible like string
and they're like slowly pulling trying tograb it. Is bulwed away, fucking

(41:30):
fishing line. Jesus Christ and anotherthing that happened on the second floor.
So a little backstory. So thecurrent owner spent a night in the room
two hundred and he felt as ifsomebody was squeezing his big toe, which
is interesting, it's a very specificfeeling, but that's what he's claimed.

(41:52):
So he stayed in this room overnightand while he was staying there, he
felt that somebody was squeezing his toe. And then much later on, his
nephew and a friend investigated the room. They were like butting, you know,
paranormal investigators, and they got anEVP reading that said I grabbed ooh

(42:16):
horrifying, I grabbed your toe.I just like the idea this guy's like,
I know what it feels like tohave him a big toe grabbed.
And this was that failing My spirit'sbest spirit grabbed my big toe, Like
okay, I mean the idea thatthis person's like, I know what that
feels like. Like I think weall do because that's not a thing that

(42:38):
anyone is. I think anyone cansay that they know what being squeezed feels
like, and you can assign thatto any body part. It's not a
feeling I've ever had out of nowhere? Have you ever felt that? I
have never felt anyone squeeze my bigtoe out of nowhere? What about you?
Dustin should have stubbed my toe?Sure, I wasn't asking you to

(43:01):
explain it away. I believe hewas in bed, laying down and out
of nowhere he felt that sensation.So I've never felt that type of sensation.
Uh looked down and saw someone justsucking on his toe. Cursed.
So you have said so many cursedthings throughout this this entire evening, and

(43:23):
most of them are not on therecording. And I don't know if that's
a good thing or I mean,this one deserved to not be and yet
it is, so there you go. I mean, what else is?
Why can I ask a theoretical questionif it is a ghost, why would
the ghost be grabbing your big toelike what? I don't know. There

(43:43):
was a lot of a lot ofweird people with a lot of fixations that
stayed there it's a Quentin Tarantino ghost, That's what it is. I really
just like your feet. I reallylike your feet. Dan Schneider goes over
to your ear and it like,oh yeah, I like your feet.
You want a model for me?It's a fucking that's some cursed shit right
there. I mean, hey,you know what ghosts? You know?

(44:04):
Don't want to yuck any paranormal yumsall? Are there any other ghosts in
this building? Craze grabbing anything else? Yeah? Actually, believe it or
not. In the basement, mostnotably, there is a potentially malevolent spirit
and I love this. People havereferred to him, not not that he

(44:25):
named himself, but people refer tohim as the joker. You were to
say, I really was hoping youwere going to say something funny like Yank
Dong. They named him. Hisname's Yank Dong. Why did they name
him that? I don't have anyidea, but that's his name, Yank
Dong. Are stories? I mean, the joker? Wow? Good way

(44:45):
to co opt, way to coop something. But why is he called
the joker? Yeah? Right,it's not just a phase, mom God.
But apparently he wanders the basement andappears in any of the rooms.
Supposedly he was held in a smallcell that was down there, and eventually

(45:06):
he had hung himself. That beingsaid, now, as a spirit,
he has been known to throw dishesand cause a general sense of dread,
which, to be fair, Ithink I also would feel a general sense
of dread if dishes started flying atme out of nowhere. But here's the
question. Is he called He's calledthe joker because he throws stuff. I

(45:27):
guess they didn't say why they're calledwhy Billy Boy? Like, what the
fuck? Kind of nelly? Sucha weird nickname for a ghost. I
know, I'm not a fan ofit. I gotta admit it really kind
of cheapens the vibe they're They're not. They should have named them the Midnight
Tokyu. You know, Dustin.That's the dad joke for those of you

(45:49):
listen to to like Steve Miller.Uh. Okay. So at the end
of the day, this is nowa double heavy negative energy place that is
now become a paranormal hot spot,right, super haunted? I mean right,
this is like a this is aknown thing. Obviously. Well,
uh, glad you said that,because the last thing I wanted to mention

(46:12):
is that this was actually featured onGhost Adventures. Oh yes, oh yes,
you know what we should do onPatreon or if we ever had a
Patriots we should watch good watch Ghosters. Well, yeah, because ghost Hunters.
We've talked about it plenty of theseplaces. Like I was gonna ask,
like, as our dear bread misterBegan's gone there, listen here,

(46:32):
fucking ghosts, anyone want to comeand punch me in the dick? Like,
I mean, can I just pointout on the record here Zach Began's
does not need to intimidate ghosts.That's the wrong thing to do. If
you talk to any ghost hunter,the last thing you're supposed to do is
ask the ghats to hurt you inany way. And yet Shane Maday from
BuzzFeed on saw I Can't hate heactively is like he's like kill me,

(46:59):
kill me right now? He justright. He does it in a much
more millennial way than Zach Beacons.Zach Begans has some like very unbridled gen
x or energy like ch goo jeansand my cool hair and my glass is
like I would be pretty cool ifyou killed me. Yeah, Like he's
just a millennial who wants to diefrom ghosts, so that, you know,

(47:19):
just because it's like he's so.I love how he is like very
much like I've gone all of theseadventures and like, yeah, weird shit's
happened, but it's not ghosts.It's not real. I've told them to
kill me. They haven't killed me, so and that's have they gone here?
He's like they got here, hethreatened, like the Annabell doll.
Yeah, I know, I've seenthat one. I love it. I
mean, hey, you know whatif nothing has happened, then I guess

(47:42):
he's right. So maybe it's justa spite. That's fair? Would you?
I would tell that's the thing,you know. That's the thing.
I mean. This place is thisis close enough to Dustin and I that
we could go here for like aweekend. It's only probably like five hours
away. Anything with a potential maliciousspears it is something that I want nothing
to do with because, like Isaid, you know, whether or not

(48:05):
you believe in this as a whole, God forbid that it is real.
And then you go there and somethingnegative becomes attached to you and you struggle
to remove that attachment. Five anda half hours away, Dustin, we
have five and a half hours,baby, we can go. You want
to go? I mean, you'reon the way to New Jersey, Yeah

(48:27):
it is. I support you guys. All I'm saying is I would not
choose to go to a place withmalicious energy because I have enough shit in
my life. I don't need toadd to it. I would I add
to the bullshit that already occurs inmy day. Why would I add to
the negativity. It's one thing tobe like, yeah, you want to

(48:47):
go to this bed and breakfast andthey have like this cute, like little
girl ghost that goes around and likepulls tidy pranks, Like that's fine,
sure, you know what, it'llsty'll scare the shit out of me.
But whatever, Why would I goout of my mind? Why would I
go out of my way to belike, oh yes, demon basement blates
Like I offer an alternate explanation.If someone tells me, and I quote,

(49:14):
we have a ghost of a littlegirl here, and she's not that
malicious, you know what that is? That's a fucking demon ghost disguising itself
as a little girl, Because youknow what, you could never know if
it's actually a little girl, ifit's a fucking demon. Very true,
now, I would point I couldpoint out that for all of us playing
ang and all said people that areon or within the more psychic spectrum that

(49:37):
believe that they are more susceptible andopen to sensing energies can usually tell or
claim to that whether something is oflight or something is of dark, And
it has to do with the feelingthat you get when you are around set
thing. I most spiritualists, I'llhear them say, like, you know,
I'm surrounding myself with only love andlight, and only beings of love

(50:00):
and light are allowed to speak withme. If you are not a being
of love and light, you arenot allowed to interact with me. And
I mean, if you're going tobelieve that those are, you know that
there are beings out there. Ifeel like a lot of the laws that
people have prescribed to them, suchas like you know, demons need permission
in order to possess you, like, I think a lot of that all
starts to go very hand in hand. So it's like, if I'm going

(50:23):
to go there under the assumption thatghosts are real, I'm also going to
go there under the assumption of likeenergy protection and knowing that. Like,
if I'm with somebody who is verysusceptible to sensing energies, if they tell
me they're sensing something bad, thatmeans there's something bad like and I would

(50:43):
listen to that. That's fair.Hey, Dustin, just so you know,
it's two seventy five, one tofive people, no matter how many
people. One to five people.Emma, you could cut. We could
go now, we go overnight,we could go this weekend. They have
availability as soon as this, assoon as tomorrow's fun. You too,
better document it. I want videos, I mean, I Dustin. Dustin

(51:06):
was there when I told him wewere going to the Sally House. You
remember that, right, I toldyou. I was like, do you
want to come? I don't didI ask you? I don't know.
If I asked you, I don'tthink you would. I mean, I
don't know. It would be fun. I mean, it would be fun
to go and something happens to you. It'd be like whoa, of course,
But I think I asked Alex,the guy who does the music for
the show, if he wanted togo, and he was like, I
can't. And then COVID happened thenext week. Nothing happened to me at

(51:29):
the Sally House. I can actually, you know, say, I've been
somewhere haunted where people have been hauntedby things on video, and nothing happened
to me. And I will tellyou I was disappointed, but I wasn't
disappointed enough to lie, right,No, And yeah, that's also important,
you know, right. So,speaking of which I would consider this
perhaps going into the evidence side ofthings. I wanted to show you a

(51:52):
few pictures that they have on theirwebsite and I know obviously the lovely listeners
can't see it, so hopefully wecan do a little description for them,
or you can just go to theEdinburgh Manor website and go onto the evidence
tab. But so they have afew pictures, so this one. So

(52:12):
this photo here was taken in thebasement back in the hallway, coming from
the padded room. Love to hearthe padded room. And here's the thing.
When it comes to evidence photos,especially these days, it is so
difficult to tell if something is doctored, if something has been photoshopped. I
have no idea, and I'm goingto go in with the assumption that these

(52:36):
have not been tampered with. Solet's dustin let's look at this under the
lens of This has not been tamperedwith in any way. Nobody's taken this
through photoshop, nobody's done any editing. This is just they took a picture
on their phone. They didn't seethis in real life, and then they
took the picture and this is whatshowed up. What am I supposed to
see here? It's like this,So it's an opened door and it's like

(52:58):
this all moved. It kind oflike has has like the outline of a
body. Maybe I see like ahead and a torso and like maybe an
arm. I'm gonna go out anda live and say, I don't see
anything, but there is some weirdI would describe this as like visual energy
happening. It's it's a white lightwith some like blues mixed in and like

(53:21):
very like wavy pattern looking like it'sgoing through the door, through the open
door. And I mean, Idon't know, but I mean that's that
would if I if I took apicture somewhere and that showed up on my
phone that, I mean, Idon't know how I'd feel about that.
How would you guys feel about that? I would chalk it up to use

(53:43):
her hair, even me really deleteit. Well that's the rightest answer.
Well, I mean to here's thething, Like I I don't look,
and I'm sure we're going to seea picture that it's like and then I'm
like, well, this looks likea thing and that's gotta be fake.
Like I've seen a lot of picturesor of orbs and stuff before, and

(54:05):
I will say orbs and stuff forme now in twenty twenty four, not
the most overwhelming evidence. Does thatmake sense? And that's just a me
thing, so I can I canconcede that. So something like this for
me is not really going to movethe needle. And I'm someone who's more
amenable to these kinds absolutely, Solet me have this lovely one taken in

(54:25):
a dark room. It looks likeperhaps with flash and very blurry, but
the caption rates photo of a facein the mirror on the second floor on
the men's wing, taken during anevent. And so I believe this like
oval thing here on the wall isthe mirror, and it appears to be

(54:45):
somebody young within the mirror, somebodynot just the person taking the picture.
It was my first thought, butI guess not. I'm just asking because
like that for me is like theobvious answer here, right, Like that's
just the that was the first thingI thought. But I mean, I'm
assuming if this person submitted it asevidence to the team of people that you

(55:07):
know, run this website, theywould be like, well, you don't
look like this person in the mirror, right right, and again like I
get that. So like again,I'm assuming, like you said, with
the last picture, not doctor,that the person who's taking this picture doesn't
look like the person in the photoexactly. And this is called suspension of
disbelief a little bit because I thinkit's important to look at these things with

(55:30):
the lens of as if everything istaken and presented authentically, because I feel
like the more important conversations happen whenyou assume people aren't inherently lying or trying
to trick you, because if youcan't explain it, it's really easy to
explain it away with oh it's photoshop, Oh it's altered. Oh they had
somebody stand behind the person and they'rejust in the room. Like that's super

(55:53):
easy to explain away, and Ithink that's boring. So instead of that,
I'd like to assume only the bestintentions and the most authentic intentions,
and then how could I explain itfrom there? And if I can't,
then I can say it's possible itwas doctored. Sure, it's possible that
it was some you know, especiallythis first one could be some sort of

(56:15):
you know, lens flare. I'venever seen a LUNs flair like that,
but that doesn't mean I'm an experton LUNs flares like but I definitely think
that looking at things like this withan open mind, assuming that it was
all done in good faith, thatis when the interesting conversations happen. So
that being said, there's one morethat I want to show you. I
will say, in that photo youjust showed the what looks like hair coming

(56:39):
next to the face. Oh yeah, I like great. Here to me
almost looks like is a reflection ofthe thing to the right of it.
Oh I can see that too.Oh yeah, it does say that it
was taken in the men's wing becauseit kind of looks like long hair.
So I originally was like, thislooks like a young girl, but that
would make more sense zoom man Ia little bit. I mean it gets

(57:00):
blurry, but yeah, it' justassuming one more can you click in just
one more time. It's like,just like the features look weirdly distorted.
I don't know how to describe it, but like it looks the the features
look very like cartoonish. I mean, I see like a high cheek high
cheek, right, it looks likeit looks it looks like a mask,

(57:21):
like you know the drama comedy masks. Whoa, it looks like the bike
Is there one of those in thebackground or you know, on the other
side of the camera. It's likeit looks like the baby doll mask from
the what the hell's that movie calledThe The Strangers. Oh yeah, it's
like very like distorted features like Dustin'sright, Like even and even those comedy
and drama and drama masks are happyand sad as where the fuck they are?

(57:44):
Those are very exaggerated features in andof it themselves. It doesn't look
like a guy. That's I thinkthe question that to me, it looks
like a like a very adorable,pudgy child. To me, it looks
like someone with really high cheek bones. To me, it looks like specifically,
it looks like to me, likea young girl, like a very
young like I'm saying like six yearold girl, like the way that the

(58:07):
cheeks are shaped to me, ifyou know, fill in the blanks,
like I see the outline of likea face specifically, like you know,
with like baby leftover, baby fat. But yeah, it's the Internet.
To me, it looked like aleprechaun to me. Fair this this amateur

(58:29):
sketch. So I want to showyou one last tight is this is this
what going to move the needle?You think I don't know? I definitely
think again, go into it withsuspension to disbelief because I think it.
It is so easy to say,oh, come on, that's totally like
that's probably photoshopped. But for thesake of the conversation, let's assume good

(58:50):
faith. So this is the photokesorry trigger photo courtesy of Mysteries of the
Night paranormal photo taken on the frontto Edinburgh. Where you zoom in,
you can see a face behind them. So just I'll zoom just a little
bit. But they do have azoomed in Are we talking about between the

(59:12):
guy with the skeleton and the womanon the right. Is that what we're
talking about? Like right, yeah, it looks like yeah, it's like
Mike Myers. I was about tosay the same No, no, no,
no, no, it looks justlike Michael Myers. I can I
can see that. Yeah, yeah, so I mean, what is that
that's supposed to be a face?Yeah, I mean again, I can
see nose, I can see eyes. This looks like a much older person.

(59:32):
It almost looks like they have likea really big like receding hairline.
It's a what's what's it called.When the eye sees faces, it puts
together random like oh yeah, Imean yeah, it's that's what this is,
right, It very well could be. And see like that's what I'm
saying. Those are the interesting conversationsrather than ooh it's photoshop. Yeah,

(59:54):
and that makes a lot of sense. Like we as humans were evolved to
seek patterns and see faces where theremight not be any because it was a
survival tactic, you know, stayingup late throughout the night and keeping watch
over our families or our tribes,and keeping watch in low light situations.

(01:00:17):
We are so we were able tosurvive as a species because we were so
hyper vigilant and pattern seeking and beingable to see faces where there potentially aren't
any was a survival tactic. Forsure, and so yeah, I mean
again, I think the quality ofboth of these images is pretty similar in

(01:00:39):
terms of like you can just barelykind of make out a face. I
mean the second one, the secondone looks much more like a face than
the third one. That one,but that's the thing, like I don't
know that. Here's the thing,like if you look at the photo of
those people and like just if youmove it over to the left so we

(01:00:59):
don't don't have to see the zoomednthing, Like if you didn't know that
they were telling you that there wasa face in there somewhere, would you
have looked at that picture and said, I see something between those two people.
I might have. I don't know. It's hard to say because obviously,
like when I saw this, Isaw the caption and I saw this.
I mean like when you go onthis page, it is like impossible
to ignore it, Like you can'tunsee this photo in this context ever.

(01:01:22):
Again, right, I mean thetest I showed it to you first without
it like I was really careful notto weave in too far. But the
problem is like again, like likeyou said, there's nothing you could do
about the fact that like it's onthis website. So like if you this
to someone, like a completely thirdparty person and been like, is there
something in this photo, like justtell me if you see anything strange,

(01:01:43):
and they picked this out and theysay that looks like a face, Like
that's what I wonder because again,like everyone is very susceptible here because this
is taken where it's taken and dD D D D D, well,
it is a face. People inour lives in the same way that I
zoomed so you could not see thisphoto over here. You can do that
and you can test it and youyeah, I'm curious, it's I don't

(01:02:06):
I don't know. I feel likeit's a it's not that much of a
face, really, I don't know. The second one is a lot much,
a lot more of a face,I would agree. But the problem
that I have is like it's ina mirror, and like it's positioned,
it's positioned exactly where the person whowould be taking his picture is to the
point where you can almost even seethe light being reflected onto the face of

(01:02:27):
the thing from whatever they're using toilluminate in front of them. I'm not
saying that wouldn't be the case.Anyways. But I mean again it's I
don't know. If this were takenfrom like way off to the side and
you could see a face, thatwould be one thing. But like you
can tell that the person taking thispicture or that's in this footage just like
right there. Yeah, but Ialso suppose that the interesting thing about that

(01:02:50):
is because it says that it wastaken at an event, I feel like
if it was taken at a weirdangle, you know, maybe it would
be easier to explain away is itwas probably sobody at the event. That's
fair, that's fair. And sofor it being head on, it makes
more sense to me because like youwould obviously know as the person taking the
photo of somebody was like right therein front of you. But if you

(01:03:13):
took it, like if it waslike in a weird you know angle far
away, it very well could bereflecting somebody from you know, twenty thirty
feet away. I mean, obviouslyit looks a lot closer, but it
also is very blurry. So yeah, well, I mean they always are,
they always are. They're always blurry, that is, that's for certain.

(01:03:34):
That is the Edinburgh manor cool.When did did you say when this
first started or when it first openedas a it was a yeah, the
nineteen ten, nineteen eleven, thatwas when they turned into it asilunce.
I've got to believe that they wereprobably doing experimental treatment. Oh, most
likely like lobotomies, an electroshock,and yeah, most places were doing stuff

(01:03:58):
like that. That's that could havekilled for a lot of deaths, oh,
easily, a lot of negatively chargedenergy, to no pun intended to
be fair, I did not findanything about how many deaths happened, Like
I don't because when it gives thisnumber, the two hundred and thirty plus,
it doesn't say when or how thatwas documented. So was it documented

(01:04:19):
from the poor farm? Was itdocumented for the poor farm and the asylum?
I'm reading it as the poor farm. That's how I read it as
well, since it came before.But then you know, they don't say
that any deaths were documented at theasylum. But then again, it's like
inevitable right for them being open aslong as they were as an asylum.

(01:04:42):
That it was basically open at leastninety years and Michael don't have to necessarily
die there for it to be negativelycharged energy. Also true, also very
true it's not a requirement that youknow, mass quantities of people dropped dead.
But it makes me wonder like werethey avoiding documenting death? I mean,
I'm sure any of these places probablywere in theory. Is it a

(01:05:05):
success rate if people are dropping dead? No, not usually, So probably
wasn't something they were I mean Iwould just go out on a limb to
say that that's probably not something thatwas being reported with any amount of urgency
because again, most people were beingcared for anyways. And secondly, even
if they had that information, notlike anybody was doing anything about it right
for one hundred years, you know, accessibly. Yeah, anyway, I

(01:05:29):
want to hear what you guys wantto bring to the table. Yeah,
justin now. Mine was the vanMeter Monster or also known as the van
Meter visitor. So this was whatwould today be described as a cryptid like
creature that was experienced in van Meter, Iowa. So the story goes,

(01:05:51):
and this is set in like earlynineteen hundreds, nineteen oh three to be
exact. And so we're coming,you know, out of the gay nineties,
eighteen nineties, that's what it wascalled the Gay nineties, like seven
years removed from a bunch of peoplesomewhere in Iowa being interred in this horrifying
place that I much just told usabout. Oh it's the gay nineties,

(01:06:15):
but then the early night for milesaway, but then the early nineteen hundreds,
it was a period of like progressionand prosperity and people starting farms and
things like that. And so townof Van Meter was just that. It
was a startup town, agriculturally centered. There was a mine nearby, so

(01:06:36):
there was also a mining operation.So anyway, story goes that Ulysses Griffith
was coming home from a late nightat work and walking down main street in
Van Meter, and Ulysses Griffith wasa business owner in Van Meter, well
respected, likely part of the decisionand making group of the town. Small

(01:07:01):
town, by the way, lessthan a thousand people and is tiny.
Yeah, And he reports that henoticed a figure on top of a building
and didn't quite didn't think much ofit, you know, kind of cross
his mind, like, what's somebodydoing up there? Could it be a
robber of some kind? But thensomebody just chilling on top of the building

(01:07:24):
could be a robber, I guess. So well, then the figure turned
and there was a light emitting fromthe figure. Not a robber or or
just a very radioactive Robert yeah,right, bioluminescent robber. Yeah. And
supposedly he hollers out at this figurelike, hey, what do you tow

(01:07:46):
it up there? Oh? Justlike that? I hope it was just
like right, yeah, right right, I love it going. Can you
do the rest of the podcast?Enough? Have to whistle when you talk
to like an old miner went off, fire o man, their roof,

(01:08:06):
and as he hollered to the figure, it vanished. Oh shit, just
like before his eyes. We werelike to like jump jumped down and a
few seconds later it was on topof there was another There was a figure
that appeared on a building across thestreet. Yeah, the same light coming
from somewhere on the figure. Andas he kind of kept watching it,

(01:08:28):
it kind of went off and vanished. He went home, he went to
bed, thought nothing of it,as you do in the nineties. Well
that was well, that was weird. I guess I'll go back to my
very exceedingly normal life. Can Ijust say, like the American dream,
you guys say, for the fuckingrecord, if I went outside right now

(01:08:48):
and I saw some ship on myroof, jumping around. The last thing
I would do is just go that. Guess I'm going to bed. That
was a weird Thay, I'm downfrom there. Yeah, all right,
you flew away or just fucking disappeared. Guess I'm going to bed now,
good night. Yeah. And here'sthe thing. I live in a house
with electricity. I'm not just goingto fucking bed. These yo yos are

(01:09:10):
out in the middle of nowhere.Just like, well, that thing that
disappeared that had light coming out ofit, which by the way, would
be in and of itself a shockingthing to see. Three, Like we're
thinking about this in com he hada candle or something I don't know,
a lantern, candle in candy face. I mean it said it was light

(01:09:30):
was emanating from it, so likeI've got a suit. Was it like
its face or body or just likewas it like a glow at this point
he just saw a light. Itwas at a distance, a light coming
from the figure at this point,So like I said, could be a
candle. Okay, okay, Emmaplaying the Emma playing the role this evening
of Dustin's understudy of the Skeptic.The following morning, yeah. The following

(01:09:57):
morning, Ulysses decides to tell hisfellow townspeople what he saw the next morning,
mind you not, I know,as long as they don't consider him
a witch, heretic, last famer. He saw demons take him out back
and put them in a well.Seas got him. But the townsfolk were

(01:10:19):
all aghast, right, yes,same, I would assume so they they
had questions they that he couldn't answer. He just shared what he saw,
and people were kind of on edge, like, oh my gosh. Everybody
at this point is still thinking couldbe a robber, you know, admitted
for a way into these buildings torob us. Yeah, freakings. And

(01:10:43):
if you think about think about thetime of nineteen oh three, what are
you afraid of back then? Imean they don't have our experiences obviously,
so really their fears are probably likeweather strangers, you know, people not
from the community, right, anypeople the roots with lights shooting out of
their fucking faces. Evidently not tooconcerned about that. But that's the thing,

(01:11:08):
Like, genuinely, if this happenedto you right now, you'd be
scared out of your mind. Like, I just don't under I don't understand
the laxadaisical attitude that any of thesepeople are having, because I feel like
it's not gonna be rewarded in thefuture that they're like, oh, this
is fine, this is not athing such such islands. Huh right,
see see what I mean. Ifit were Nebraskans, they'd be we're gonna

(01:11:30):
kill it. Yeah, we'd beeating it. Yeah. Well this teasted
good. God so the next andand just to backtrack a little bit,
it's said that he saw this thingaround one am in the morning, so
dark at night. Yeah, yeah, pitch black. Uh. Now,
this is also not that far frompeople having electricity ish light bulbs. I

(01:11:57):
mean light bulbs came about kind ofthe late eighteen hundreds, So this being
a new town, it's likely theyhad access to light somehow. Someway,
there's a mine, there's a miningcommunity, you know, lightbulbs, don't
know, lanterns. More than likelythey had light at night. If this
guy's going around at night, right, yeah, so they just can't.

(01:12:18):
He carries around like a candle opera, like a Victorian woman in your mansion.
This is bustle. Yeah, she'slike a fuck. Yeah, he
got his dog with him because he'sgoing to a graveyard. So the next
day, come nighttime, there's anotherprominent figure within the town named doctor Atwell,

(01:12:39):
Fred at Well I think it was, And he reports again around one
am that he heard something outside hiswindow and opened his eyes and saw light
coming in through his window and kindof this like guttural noise. Wait wit
so like sitting in bed he sawit out of his window. Yeah,

(01:13:00):
so he got up back to bed. He got up and looked out his
window and saw this figure and noticedthat the light was shining from like this
horn on its head. That wasnot what I had on my big go
card. So he grabs his gun, runs outside, as we do.

(01:13:23):
He grabs his gun, runs outof a doctor, the physician of the
town, grabs his gun, runsoutside and to get a good look at
it and try to get a shotat it. And that's when he gives
a more detailed account of what thisthing looks like. He describes it as
a humanoid like figure with bat likewings and a blunt horn with light coming

(01:13:45):
from it. He took five shotsat it and seemingly either hit it and
it did nothing, or didn't hitit it ran off. Well, like
you said, he is the townphysician. Hey, we're relying on him
for food. They were. Hewas in the town of Hunters, So
what a shame it was this guy. At least he gave a good description.

(01:14:08):
So you say how big the hornwas, like it's a blood horn,
but like does that mean like ithad like a because here's the question
rid, like, what's this fuckingambulance go by? Did they did they
say how big the horn was?I don't recall hearing how big the horn
was. Interested there's there's drawings ofthe account that make it look like very

(01:14:30):
pterodactyl, like with a big oldlike oh wow, or in coming.
I'll look this up. Is ittoo soon for me to look up what
this thing looks like? No,not at all, Okay, I want
to do it with that. I'llkeep talking the van meter monster or visitor
it was. Don't look up themeter monster though if I get the wrong
thing. It was changed to visitorto soften the name of it so it

(01:14:50):
wouldn't skip it people, to makeit more appealing to move to van meter.
Yeah, that a cattel kuanal.It looks like a fucking tarodactyl.
Well, it's not far removed fromwhat people would draw the Jersey devil or
like the mothman or the mothman becauselike some of these have red eyes,
which is like a mothman. Uhhuh, and an interesting look in some

(01:15:13):
of this stuff up. So thatarea, like the Native American tribes of
the area, the i Away andlater the Sioux, they had legends of
a thunderbird, which was a wingedthing with lightning eyes that would pick like
pick up. Looks like a fuckingketzel kattal. Well, that's one rendering.

(01:15:35):
There's others, but no, thisis a this is a no,
that's just a kets of Oh okay, okay, yeah, it does look
like that thing, right, likethe it's the way that the wings are
like folded. Yeah, but it'sit's not very big though, right like
this is what like maybe like fivespy feet tall. But yeah, they
say it's like humanoid in shape andfigure, I mean it was there,

(01:15:57):
it was their size but had wings. Continue So the so the doctor explains
to Ebody what happened the next dayaround one am, not joking, around
the same time. Uh, thebanker of the town decided that if this

(01:16:19):
is a robber, he's gonna bethe one to take him down. So
he stayed the night in the bank, and he didn't listen to the guy
before who said, like, thisis you're telling me that someone still could
think this is a robber at thispoint. Yep, they still think at
this point. The town's kind ofdivided. According to articles, Okay,
there's there's believers, and then there'sones that are like this as somebody's pulling

(01:16:43):
our chain, or there's like someonetrying to break into places with a light.
We have a really hard time believingthat someone would be stupid enough to
be like I'm gonna find out,I'm gonna find Oh yeah, well,
his innovation was to protect the town'smoney. It's his job, right though.
He stayed the night at the bankwith a shotgun loaded at the buck

(01:17:05):
shot and fell asleep in the bank. Woke up to a light scanning the
bank in the window, and hereports that he gets up and tries to
like get a better look, makesa noise, and the light shifted to
him. At that point. Atthat point, he pointed his shotgun and

(01:17:30):
took a shot at the light.Yeah, and apparently like there's a glass,
you know, door there in thebank and apparently the glass door is
all shattered and everything. Doesn't thinkhe hit it because of the glass door,
but he did. Hear it shriek, run off, and it left
a foul, just terrible odor thathe describes stupefied him. Huh. It's

(01:17:54):
a weird way to describe a stupefyingodor. Yeah, stupid before he saw
his shotgun, I don't know,scared the shit out of the monster.
I guess, I get. Imean, I guess yeah. Or a
peepe poopoo peepy peepe or poopoo.Maybe that's how you know it's getting late.

(01:18:14):
I mean. So then another accounthappens the next night, again in
the mid in the middle of thenight. This is like four or five
nights of terror for the townspeople.Uh. And there was another business owner
who lived above his business son like, and that was common practice. You
live above the place you work,so you just go downstairs and get to

(01:18:35):
work. No work life balance,I would love to see it. That's
that American dream right there. Thisis the monster that showed everyone the true
meaning of a work life balance.The van Meter monster is he to slow
down with your lives. Well,and this business owner, these are and
if you've noticed, he's all beenprominent members of this of the town,

(01:18:57):
right, like business owners, physicians, bankers. I was also going to
say they've all been men. They'veall been men. Interesting that you pointed
that out. I'm just saying it'sreally easy to notice as a woman.
Yeah, but just this gender whiteguys in Iowa saying they saw a pterodactyl
sounds like they're fragile male egos externalized. Am I right? Or am I
right? Somebody had to say it. I mean I'm here. Also,

(01:19:23):
so this guy heard something out ofhis window, went to good look,
saw a figure sitting on basically thetop of a telephone hole, and opens
his window, decides to take ashot. And this guy is known as
the crack shot in the town.Like he is the he's got that sharp
shoot, thank god. And hetakes a shot, is pretty sure he

(01:19:45):
hits it. He's about fifteen feetaway from it, so like the length
of like a school bus, maybea little less, and gets a piece
of it and it goes off somewhere. He runs outside and says he found
a piece of like you know,chunk of it that from when he shot
it. And he said it smelledlike a corpse. Stunk a chunk.

(01:20:05):
So the next day a chunk ofthis, a chunk of meat. Huh.
Townspeople get together again, and theyall kind of decided, Uh,
we've got a like, you know, this is a real you know,
torch and pitchfork, pitchfork moment forthe town of Van Meter. Townspeople get
together and they're gonna get rid ofthis thing. So they're all convinced that

(01:20:26):
it's come. It's like lives inthe old mine. So they start marching
to the mine and wow, yeah, I love that. Town is great.
This is a theatrical story. I'menjoying. I'm enjoying the shit out
of this. Man, you shoulddo this more off, you can come
around these parts more and tell story. Townspeople make it to the mine and
there's not one, but two figuresjust outside the front of the mine,

(01:20:51):
and they're just like, they're like, fuck, there's two of these fucking
things. Now. Townspeople open fire. I'm not leaving anything to chance.
Boys get long. The figures runinto the mind, oh Jesus, and

(01:21:12):
they decided we're not leaving anything tochance. That they dynamite the opening of
the mine closing it shut. Ohfuck, that's cool. That's a cool
And that's where this ends. Andthat's pretty much where this ends. They
canonical ending to this story. Weird. They had some people camp out in
front of the mind to make surenothing showed up again. And that's kind

(01:21:32):
of the last you saw of thevan Meter visitor. Oh, like the
van Meter stay at or it's reallylate, got a kind of that's that's
that good content you cover here beforecationer, Yeah, here we go. I
mean I kind of feel bad forthe van Meter creature because like it,

(01:21:55):
you know, like it was juststinky. He is a steaky boy,
he's so steaming looking for a friend. But he had a friend. Obviously.
You said that there were two ofthem, right, perhaps a lover,
perhaps a band Meter lover. Canthey were lovers out there? They
were in love? I mean,who knows? I personally, because I've

(01:22:17):
been looking at pictures of the creature, I like to believe that this is
them. These they're like so adorabletogether, really cute, those two,
and they want these You want thesetwo to be together, right like that.
Honestly, I'm kind of rude forthem, right, So you're telling
me that the people of band Meter, Iowa. Instead of instead of killing

(01:22:42):
it and taking the bodies or doinganything reasonable, they were like, we're
gonna just fucking lock them in themind forever, fuck them and like and
there you go. That was reallyand as they say, the rest was
history and they were like done,all done, and that's it. So
here's the next question. Why isthis still Did they say why this is
still a thing, Like, like, why is this still a thing?

(01:23:04):
If ostensibly you couldn't you can't unprovethis. I guess the mine is probably
closed up in Van Meter and wasit actually closed because of this or was
it closed for another reason? Andthis is just the urban legends, but
kind of I just want to Ifeel like there should be. If there
isn't a movie about this already,there needs to be one where somebody like

(01:23:26):
opens up the mine and I leave. That's still waiting. So apparently back
in the early nineteen hundreds when thiswas going on, it reached national news.
There were newspapers in New York Citythat actually had published articles about the

(01:23:47):
goings on in Van Meter, Iowa. Wow, and so that's kish Iowa.
That's that's pretty big. And I'msure people read it and just thought
of it as like, go,Okay, what's Iowa? And that's a
crazy story, what a fun creativewriting prompt, right, But it did
get me thinking like what could theyhave seen? You know? Nineteen oh

(01:24:11):
three I did some looking, andthe government forced Native American tribes to move
out of that same area in thelate eighteen hundreds, only for a Sioux
tribe that was able to buy backa bunch of land and near the same
area. And I got to kindof going down the rabbit hole of that

(01:24:35):
thunderbird legend and looking at some photosand drawings of like sue tribalwear for you
know, I'm trying to say dancesthat they did. Oh Dustin, Oh,
is this where you're going with this? So I kind of low key

(01:24:56):
love this thought. Other than hopefullythe bar where they don't die, there
are there are images of Native AmericanSioux in a birdlike garb for whatever ceremony
or it could have been for youknow, a war type garb, right
right, So, going kind ofdown that path, if they were getting

(01:25:20):
their land back, this town showedup since they had left. Could could
there have been scouts or something outtrying to check out this town. See
what's going on? You know,if you think back to the first sighting,
there's a figure up on a roofand then they shows up across the
street. Could have been two peopleright right now, there's two people in

(01:25:45):
this story already, so it's noteven that far to jump because two has
been established as a possible possible outcome. Well, then I got to thinking
about the light. Light Bulbs existed, so it's very possible. Also,
lanterns existed, and mirrors existed,so there's way too ways to emit light.

(01:26:06):
There just are, And is tosay that that they weren't equipped with
that at the time of all this. The report of there being a very
foul stench, well, who knows, there's probably a lot of cow poop
and buffalo poop out there, noshowering, who knows anything can make you

(01:26:26):
stink right like a corpse though.Yeah, that's that's real stinky. That's
pretty stinky. I don't think I'veever smelled something so stinky, because that
is the one kind of thing that'shard to explain away. What's the explanation
for that? That and the screech? To me? Well, yeah,
I mean yeah, I can makea noise that you wouldn't guess few men
in the dark. So if you'rewearing a carcass of some kind, would

(01:26:49):
they Why would they have to weara carcass though, of an animal?
I mean, don't they don't youlike do something to make it not stinky
or is it just our like hidesperpetually stinky. Maybe the stink is just
part of the intimidation factor. Couldbe too rub yourself in it. I
mean again, it's dark, it'slate. Maybe you're trying to imitate an

(01:27:11):
animal. I mean, I mean, a an animal that eats meat,
doesn't necessary like animal, I mean, animals out in the wild don't smell
good. Like that's just a realityof if you're trying to scare the white
man. Yeah, I mean,I mean again, like it's part of
the scare tactic. I could seethat that's a more believable explanation than they're
wearing a carcass, I think forme at least, I mean, my

(01:27:34):
my answer like for why it mightnot be is because I feel like that
would just attract wolves, like whatI feel like that would be putting themselves
in danger. There aren't wolves inIowa, though, I don't know.
Fucking there are wolf there are wolves, I don't know. Yeah, but
people are big. Coyotes aren't thatbig. But you know what I'm saying,

(01:27:55):
I got I get what you're Iget what you're getting at. If
you wear a carcass, an animalcarcas, I feel like you're opening yourself
up to being attacked by animals.It's fair, but it's not immediate because
it's not like I put on acarcass and there's animals trying to eat me.
I do think this is an interestingI do think this is an interesting
path of reasoning to go down.Though. Well, and I had another

(01:28:16):
one, and it goes back towhat Emma said. These were all the
prominent men in town that were sayingthe same seeing the same thing, all
saying it happens around one am,which is odd. They're all kind of
the town's leaders of the town.So I think city council, right,

(01:28:39):
right? Is this some like Illuminatishit? So they were also all members.
They were also all members of somethingcalled like the Woodsman Society, and
which is kind of turned into likean insurance company. That's a whole weird
story, but this the society waslike a group of men freedoms only then

(01:29:00):
yep uh. The business owners hadan insignia on their buildings for this woodsman
group, so that were part ofthis group together there are probably leaders of
the town. I started thinking aboutwhat if this small town that's trying to
become, you know that they're anew town there, want to attract a

(01:29:21):
population. Maybe could this be somesort of like cooked up marketing scheme.
I mean it made national news.I mean Van Meter, Iowa was in
the news in New York City.Yeah, and that's kind of low key,
wholesome and like a better curiosity ofthis town to be like, what's

(01:29:42):
going on there? We should checkit out? Blow up their own mind,
that's what That's what I was askinga story, That's what I was
if the mind was already grown up? Did anyone ever vet it? Did
anyone ever like there's been dated Idon't know, there's been people that have
been out there there, like asrecently a few years ago. The mine's

(01:30:04):
been opened back up, don't knowwhen, but it's been opened back up.
When the videos of people going there, it's open and I guess we
learned because they've released the evil intothe world. The evil had been sealed
away, right, That's how wegot the Jersey dep That's right. It
just moved it just it just movedto New Jersey, right, that's what

(01:30:28):
it is. So wait, okay, so you can go into the mine
now, so probably not too far. I mean, I wouldn't imagine it
would be very safe when it isopen to the public. Theoretically, Yeah,
And they've never like found any likescratches or anything on the wall to
den like that's something large and possiblyclaw having was in there. Nothing reported.

(01:30:49):
Now as a bummer, you know, kind of just wish the mine
had stayed closed, But then itmakes you wonder if it was, if
it were people you know there,there could be another way out of the
mine. Yeah, it may notbe the only way in and out.
Fairy it's ever been cited again,Like that's the thing, Like it's gone
like the van It's not like Imean, I was I was maybe waiting

(01:31:10):
for the moment in the story whereyou're like and they reopened mine and then
all of a sudden, Van MeterIowa was besmirched with sightings. Again,
it's like there's none of that becauseagain, like I mean, what it
how much fun is it to havea story where you're like, welcome to
our town that has a cryptid likeyeah doors, Is that like a fucking
selling point? Like that feels likea script for like a Wes Anderson movie,

(01:31:33):
like come to our town where Bigfootlives around the corner, like played
by Willem Dafoe. Like that's youknow what I mean, That's what it's
like. That's what it seems like. Like I don't know Asteroid City,
I do know what you mean.Yeah, like that, I don't understand
how like realistically again, to goback to the idea of a rational person,
is a rational person going to moveto Van Meter fucking Iowa because someone

(01:31:56):
said there might be an alien there? Well, it's it's it's true to
think about what we've talked about withthe Mothman and Jersey Devil Thunderbird and then
this is cooked up also, orthat there's this similar thing very Jason.
Yeah, but in twenty thirteen theystarted a Van Meter Visitor Festival in Van
Meter, Iowa. Or is theygoing every year since? Ah, that's

(01:32:20):
really wholesome. Yeah, I likethat. That's a nice ending to the
to the in Nebraska, we havea Bigfoot festival. I love that for
you guys. We should go.I wanted to go the Year of COVID,
but I don't think they did itthe year of COVID. I would
go to the Van Meter Visitor Festival. It soun's like it could be a
lark, right, It could befun, could be fun in front of

(01:32:40):
the mine. Yeah, Van Meter'sprobably only like a couple hours from here.
That'd be fun. Emma, youcould meet us there. We all
go on the Van Meter Visitor tour. We get to see where he was.
Is this entire podcast you guys tryingto get me to come to Iowa?
I mean, I mean, wouldI mean clues? Yeah? Would
you go and see the mind wherethe creatures were locked away? I think

(01:33:02):
at this point I would, Butlike what if? What if? But
like what if? What if?Well, here we go. They showed
up when we were there at likewhat if, and we were just like,
we know, we love you somuch. Our friend Emma loves you
guys so much, like take heraway please, And that's how Emma got
taken away by the Van Meter Visitor. There's gonna be at least four people

(01:33:27):
that are going to be very upsetwith well is that so that's what I
wonder, So like Van Meter visitorskind of in the same space as like
the Fresno Nightcrawler or like the LovelandFrog. Do you guys know what I'm
talking about with those two? No, they're like they're like hyper regional cryptids.
Like this is a thing that's likeI have not I mean, like
you mentioned Mothman, right, butlike this is like oddly specific in only

(01:33:47):
one place. This only happened inone place, like the Loveland Frog,
which we had James Renner on totalk about like eons ago, only in
Loveland, Ohio, like and theFresno Nightcrawler only in Fresno, California.
Like those are like so specific,it's part of the name. Do you
know what I mean? It's likeit's not just a regional cryptid because I'm
Offman's kind of been seen all overthe place, as it were, or

(01:34:09):
the like the Jersey Devil, right, like hyper regional because it's only in
one place. But I kind oflow key love those cryptids as as a
whole, more than just like Bigfoot, because as much as I do love
Bigfoot, like it's like eight millionthings. Frankly, like Ohio Grassman is
technically a bigfoot. Yetti is technicallya bigfoot, you know what I mean?

(01:34:30):
Like this is like, this isthis its own thing? Are there
things similar? Sure? But thisis very much a specific thing in a
specific place. We could go visitbecause they have a festival about it,
because of course they do, andthey probably sell toy and have like t
shirts and all kinds of bullshit,right right, I'm sure like they get
like some like bootleg ketzel coladal likeI mean lushies and like alter them a

(01:34:53):
little bit. I mean, thisis this reminds me in a lot of
ways of when you go to thePacific Northwest and you see like bigfoot stuff.
But again, like that's just likethat's bigfoot. Like this is such
a specific thing. I don't know. I love it. I'm glad to
know it's in Iowa because we couldgo. We could go see it.
We could It's close enough, couldgo, say hi. I feel I

(01:35:14):
feel like if the head of thetown, the townsmen, if their goal
was to draw people to van Meter, It's finally come to fruition in twenty
thirteen. That's fair. There isa wholesome story dusted that I love this
Dustin. That was fair. Yeah, that was such a that had such
a wholesome ending that only you couldreally provide. But to be fair,

(01:35:39):
you're right, I mean, evenif it is in the smallest of ways,
like we right now are talking aboutVan Meter, Iowa, which isn't
that did they not ultimately win inthe end, Like I didn't know they
existed until like I don't know,twenty five fish minutes ago, right and
I and I've looked more into itnow than I probably ever would have if
they had never done something like that, which most towns haven't. I honestly

(01:36:01):
think that's probably what it was nowon gay marketing right there. I mean,
but here's the thing, Like you'vegot to assume that they were living
in the time of P. T. Barnum, right, Like that's the
thing, Like sensationalism does sell,and if you have it is weird to
me, Emma you mentioned the femalething, like it's all the town elders
effectively, Like that's a little oldfishy to me. We're all part of

(01:36:26):
the same society, right like again, like it's I think that's less unbelievable
than anything else to think that abunch of the old white dudes in the
town were like, what's the easiestway we could get people to take notice
of Iowa and our town cook havesome bullshit about a dinosaur flying around,
because that's essentially what it is nowstories sting dinosaur, a glowing dinosaur.
And then again, like I mentionedthe thing about the ending, like you

(01:36:49):
know what, if you can claimthat the mind got blown up and those
fucking things are dead, you cankill two birds of one stone. You
can say we're a town on themove, moving away from mining and doing
other things, so come here.And also we can the monster's gone,
so you don't have to worry aboutit, but you can live in the
town that everybody has heard of thathad this monster. So that has put

(01:37:12):
us on the map. But atthe same time, like we don't have
to worry about the threat of itbecause it's in the mine and the mind
is closed and we're never going toopen it in you know, until twenty
thirteen, when again the town eldersprobably would never have thought in a million
years that people would embrace it.That's the thing they probably never would have
anticipated. Well, and the firstguy I mentioned, Ulysses Griffith, Griffith.

(01:37:34):
The business he owned was a farmimplements store. So if they're trying
to turn into more of an agriculturalcommunity, here's a guy who sells the
agricultural stuff and trying to draw peopleinto town. Well that's going to benefit
him. The doctor going to havemore patience, the fucking banker gonna have
more money. Yeah, just seemsall too convenient. Yeah. Well when

(01:37:58):
you say, like, when youadd the those pieces of information, it
really changes the way the story canbe interpreted. But at the same time,
I mean, you gotta love acommunity for having some weird ass bullshit
just cooked up to be like,well, this is a but that's the
thing. Like is that crazier thanlike anything else? Like, I guess
not really, Like the biggest ballof twine, you know, the world's

(01:38:19):
biggest squirrel made out of concrete?Like, is that any different than our
claim to fame? Is something wemade up? Versus like Texarcana where they
have a yet to ever be solvedmasked killer. Like, no, that
wasn't their choice, but that putthem on the map. I guess if
you want to choose it. Iguess the Pterodactyl's not a bad thing to

(01:38:41):
choose. I guess then that begsthe question where all the townspeople in on
it, or was it just thisgroup and they terrified their community for five
days? I mean again, ifyou know at the end of it that
you're going to make the thing goaway, I don't think. I don't
know. I think if the threeof us were having to make this decision,
I think you could get to thepoint where even Emma, who is

(01:39:02):
probably the most morally just out ofthe three of us, would be able
to be convinced that the ends mightbe able to justify the means here.
I mean perhaps to an extent,right, Like, it's like, it's
not the end of the world toscare the people in your town if you're
going to have an escape hatch atthe end where you're like, and we
got rid of it. See,we did our job. Here's the other

(01:39:25):
thing on the timeline. The firstsighting was September twenty ninth, and it
lasted for five days into October.Well holiday is close to that, it's
fair. I mean, I meanagain, like, and that's the time
for spoopy season, right, Andthat's the other thing. It only lasted
five days, Like tell me anothercryptid that's like this that they have,
like and then we blew it upand it was gone. We killed them.
Yeah like that, That to meis a very weird ending to that

(01:39:48):
part of the story because it's justnot a thing that you hear in these
kinds of stories. You don't hearwe killed it. That's why it's gone.
It's just like, oh, it'sgone because no one ever saw it
again, like the like, thereare so many cryptids that are just we
haven't seen it in a while,not we gild it like was let's I've
heard someone say I killed Bigfoot.That's why we don't see them anymore.

(01:40:08):
That's it's it's that's the craziest partof this story for me. It's thinking
that like that might actually answer whatthis is because if you have that part
of it, like I said,there's nothing to be scared of theoretically,
theoretically there's nothing to be scared of. It is just a gimmick. I
mean, think about think about Roswellright, like it's the same thing.
And if all this was just agimmick, I like the addition of the

(01:40:30):
detail of and it was stinky,yeah, mag stinky. It had farts.
I mean again, like it's justlike one of those things where it
just it's like, well you wouldn'twant to get near it, you know,
so stay away for this. Yeah, yeah, all more reason to
stay back. Yeah. But again, if they even saw anything, like
again, if they all just agreelike like they like we've said, if
they all just agreed that they sawsomething, let's just get our stories straight.

(01:40:54):
What did we all see? BecauseI mean that's the other thing,
Like they wouldn't have seen anything.They would have literally just been sitting their
fucking beds, right, and thenthe next morning being like you won't believe
what I saw last night. Wellthat's I mean, it just it makes
sense. Yeah, why was heso not freaked out? I mean again,
I point that it pointed that outin jest, but I do answer.

(01:41:15):
I do answer that question now,maybe on my own, which is
because there was nothing to be scaredof to begin with, because you knew
the whole time that you were justmaking this ship up. And yeah,
if you're making this shit up,there is no immediacy. That it explains
the lack of immediacy. And Idon't want to be the person to like
debunk shit like you said it's notfun But at the same time, isn't
that way more interesting to have atown just like kind of committing broad wholesale.

(01:41:42):
I mean, that's a that altogether, that is a that shit
straight out of a movie like thatwould be It sounds kind of That's kind
of why I loved this story.When I was looking stuff up, I
was just like, it's so funny. Before I looked into it, I
was like, and I kind ofsubscribe to the latter here of the townspeople
cooking this up. But and thatjust is just funny to me that the

(01:42:05):
lengths they would go to prosper welljust put their name on the map,
even if it is for five minutes. Yeah, Like like we've said,
like if you're able to get inthe major news in nineteen oh three,
like that's that's pretty impressive. Likeeven now that would be impressive. But
in nineteen oh three, like VanMeter, Iowa, it's not like that's

(01:42:26):
not even a place that if youask someone where's Van Meter, they wouldn't
say Iowa immediately. Like that's theother thing. It's just it's such an
unknown place outside of everything else.So I'm down to Iowa and meet the
heroes of Van Meter. Yeah,that blew up the mind with the monster
inside killing it and taking away ourhopes and dreams of ever meeting a monster,
because apparently that I mean, that'sthe thing. It's like they're The

(01:42:47):
more fun explanation is that there wasa monster and that it was there,
and that they were all scared shitlessand the monster died because the townspeople killed
it. That's the much more funinterpretation. But and I gotta believe they
acted all this out too, likethese guys led the bob and We're going
to get the monster, will beback. There's two figures down here.

(01:43:09):
Don't come any closer. Yeah,it's like offscreen choking yourself. I've got
him. He's got hold of me. Ow hew hel Yeah, I mean
that, I mean, hey,yeah, I mean that's that shit would
be fucking hilarious. Hey, youknow what it kind of reminds me of.
It's like a It's like a mirroredversion of the thing that Orson Wells
did. It's like that, butintentional, you know, because it was

(01:43:30):
like, well, I'm gonna scarethe shit out of people, but I'm
not trying to do it intentionally.These people are like, you know,
what would be really funny is ifwe scared the ship out of the townspeople
for five consecutive evenings. God,I mean, you're right, this should
be a movie. Yeah, rightshould They were sleeping on the van meter.
The van meter visitor softens the blow. Yeah, the man eater visitor.

(01:43:53):
That's a different kind of monster.So on that. On that note,
Emma Dustin thank you both so muchfor joining me for doing one of
these haunted states. Like I said, we had never done one before,
but I don't know, I'm lookingforward to doing them again because getting to
talk about these kind of things isfun and I'm always up for cryptids.
For me, Cryptids one loove,the love of the cryptid. And that's

(01:44:14):
where we'll leave it. So untilnext time, you can hear Dustin and
I and Emma over at Scary Storiesweetell dot com, where we do more
or less just surreal Tube up intothis point, but who knows what we'll
be doing past here. But surrealTube is the thing the three of us
do where we talk about YouTube contentand sometimes we can get to talk to
the creators. So yeah, checkthat out over at Scary Stories. We
tell and for other audio diversions,Weirdingwaymedia dot Com is where you can go

(01:44:40):
to find this show Bollywood Cinema Club, which Dustin is on. We recorded
those episodes months, if not yearsago, but they're still airing chronologically,
they're still airing, so you canfind those with a whole lot of other
things that I'm not on, whichare better than most things that I am
on, like eighties TV ladies,feminine critique twisted in encore to our you

(01:45:00):
know, keeping the funny with thetrue crimes. So yeah, all those
can be found a Weirdingwaymedia dot com. As for this show, Scary Stories,
we tell dot com big thanks toDustin, Maggie and Alex all who
help make the show sound and looka lot better than it has any right
to because I am immensely untalented whenit comes to those kinds of things,
and they are not. And yeah, as always will let our good friend

(01:45:21):
be former host, So sietings,mister Tim White lead us out. No
mystery is closed to an open mind.

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