Is This a Ghost?

It's hard to even say the name of this episode with a straight face. We're so sorry about that. But listen, here's what we will say--this episode kicks it up to 11 about halfway through. When the seances start, the world falls apart. Is what they say.

This is the story of the ghosts of Cock Lane. Come for the ghosts, stay for my live-in Patrick, Olyde Eynglysh, the approximate ages of children, deep cut Muppets, acceptable levels of e. coli, and syphilis of the bottom. Now, who wants a t-shirt that says TRUST THE GHOST?

Sources:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cock_Lane_ghost
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stoke_Ferry

Have you ever seen the ghost of a monkey? How can you be so sure? HOW WOULD YOU KNOW IF A MONKEY IS A REAL MONKEY AND NOT A GHOST MONKEY? What if monkeys actually went extinct a thousand years ago, and everything that we think is a monkey is actually the ghost of a monkey? Makes you think, doesn't it? Makes you think.

This is the story of the aptly named Monkey Bridge. Come for the ghosts, stay for organs (various), a big, tough bridge, assess and teakettles, how Bitcoin started, snobby occultists, and turtles: the raccoons of the ocean.

Sources:

• https://www.athensreview.com/news/historic-athens-what-s-with-fuller-park/article_fc685500-a9cd-11ea-9cf1-bb006ec9ccf5.html
• https://us105fm.com/monkey-bridge-athens-texas-ghost-story/
• https://www.athensreview.com/news/local_news/unraveling-athens-mysteries/article_54113054-bdc4-11e7-9401-f7cd94c30ba6.html
• https://tylerpaper.com/news/local/the-legend-of-the-haunted-monkey-bridge/article_96bc924c-3923-56fd-9bf9-43c6ab8ffe73.html

Some holes need filling. And some of those holes can never feel truly filled, even when they're as full as a person can make them. Boy this is uncomfortable, isn't it?

This is the story of Bill Sketoe's Ghost Hole. Come for the ghost, stay for this media environment, the last few strips of Marmaduke, the finer points of smiting, the importanace of getting his boots off, and, of course, the evidence hole.

Sources:

• https://www.themoonlitroad.com/ghost-bill-sketoes-hole/
• https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alabama/ghost-story-al/
• https://anomalien.com/the-story-of-the-ghost-of-bill-sketoe-the-hole-that-will-not-stay-filled/

Who among us hasn't been in a college dining hall and thought, "I wonder if this burger's cow came from a diseased lab eighty feet away?" If you want to throw that stone, go ahead, but we won't, because we wear our shame on our sleeves, and if that's not freedom, we don't know what is.

This is the story of Roy Simms, Texas A&M's Meat Lab Ghost. Come for the ghost, stay for the three worst states, Oppenheimer's thing, vibranium-level knives, the prescience of Patrick Swayze, and the 37th parallel (question mark?). This meat lab ghost is just Kenough.

That YouTube video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkuHdNOW8M8

Sources:

https://texashighways.com/things-to-do/5-of-the-most-haunted-locations-in-texas/

https://www.goodbullhunting.com/2013/10/30/5044886/texas-am-haunted-building-ghost-roy-simms-animal-industries

Bridges are weird, right? It's like, "Hey, if you stop existing right now, I'll die," and there aren't a whole lot of non-organ things you can say that about. And that sure is exciting.

This is the story of Stuckey's Bridge. Come for the ghost, stay for bootlegger Mike, "Whatever happened to au gratin?", ITAG vs. The Bear, a ductet of crime, the problem with hubris, a requisite discussion about Barbenheimer, and Bob Odenkirk, will you come on our podcast?

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalton_Ganghttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meridian,_Mississippihttp://andspeakingofwhich.blogspot.com/2012/07/stuckeys-bridge.htmlhttps://southernhauntsblog.com/?p=189https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/stuckeys-bridge

When I dream / On my own / I'm alone but I ain't lonely / For a dreamer night's the only time of day / When the city's finally sleeping / And my thoughts begin to stray / And I'm on the train that's bound for Santa Fe / And I'm free / Like the wind / Like I'm gonna live forever / It's a feeling time can never take away / All I needs a few more dollars / And I'm outta here to stay / Dreams come true / Yes they do / In Santa Fe

If you didn't hear those words as sung by a young Christian Bale as you read them, Clayton's not sure how to best continue with your friendship.

This is the story of famous Santa Fe ghost, Julia Staab. Surprisingly, there's only one Newsies reference. Come for the ghost, stay for bathroom prudes, the wrong time to be Adolf, a bishop’s knob hobnob, Santa-Spider, Bishop Sex Machine, and one of them eatin’ ghosts.

Sources:

• https://www.hcn.org/issues/44.17/the-soul-in-suite-100-a-ghost-story
• https://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/books/readings_signings/julia-staabs-restless-spirit-lives-on-at-la-posada-american-ghost-reading/article_7ed34f01-8a1d-5f80-96a2-e71b84afa00a.html
• https://www.jwi.org/articles/jewish-ghost-story
• http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art68636.asp
• https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Schuster-497

In our first and almost certainly only installment of Child Actors of the California Gold Rush, we dig into the early life of Broadway legend David Belasco. Then we talk about his mid-life, then his end-life, and then it gets really good in the afterlife. If you've been waiting dramatically for the ghosts of Broadway to mystically appear, then my friend, this is the episode for you.

This is the story of the haunted Belasco Theatre. Come for the ghost, stay for the Kleenex Dumpster of gin, nerd mobs, Neil deGrasse Tyson ruins everything, carbonated stew, and, you know, buttholes at the mall.

Sources:

• https://nyghosts.com/belasco-theater-2/

• https://www.britannica.com/biography/David-Belasco

• https://www.britannica.com/art/Western-theatre/The-American-theatre

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theatrical_Syndicate

• https://shubert.nyc/theatres/belasco/

• https://shubert.nyc/theatres/lyceum/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Belasco

• https://www.artic.edu/artworks/111326/the-hippodrome-london

• https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1926/02/23/100052251.html?pageNumber=23

In an episode recorded purely for the SEO of the moment, the guys explore the story of the original Titanic ghost! Other words that we should include to really maximize organic search are submersible, billionaire, vacuum implosion, and, what the hell, orcas. Is it working?

This is the story of Edward J. Smith, captain of the Titanic. Come for the ghost, stay for the death march of birthdays, land ships, the youth of today, the Dead Sea Captains Club, more Titanic ghosts every single day, and How handsome is your horse?

Sources:

• https://boroughsofthedead.com/ghosts-of-the-sea/

• https://www.encyclopedia-titanica.org/ghostly-tales-from-the-titanic.html

• https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/haunted-mirror-possessed-ghost-titanic-13608741?int_source=amp_continue_reading&int_medium=amp&int_campaign=continue_reading_button#amp-readmore-target

• https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2125619/amp/My-haunting-goes-Couple-sell-house-haunted-ghost-Titanic-captain-born---hauntings-include-flooded-kitchen.html

• https://www.foxnews.com/science/titanic-ghost-spotted-couple-photobombed-by-supposed-captain-of-ill-fated-ship-at-famous-pub.amp

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etruria_Industrial_Museum

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Adriatic_(1906)

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic-class_ocean_liner

Ah, Wisconsin. Home of cheese curds, water slides, and a whole lot of people who were left confused by Aaron Rodgers' whole deal. We've done Wisconsin stories before, but we haven't done them like this--we have a special guest host for this episode, Jennifer Swanson, lifelong Wisconsinite and, more importantly, big fan of all things Clayton and Disney.

This is the story of the Durkee Mansion. Come for the ghosts, stay for the snake people, mustard sauce, a Mario on every corner, ugh, Moms, and Patrick versus Sebastian the crab.

Sources:

• https://kempercenter.com/

• https://www.milwaukeemag.com/kenosha-kemper-center-hauntings/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Durkee

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Soil_Party

• https://a.co/d/0fhQPUF

• https://kenoshanews.com/news/curious-kenosha-exploring-the-city-s-haunted-places/article_3b9d334d-4663-59c9-bf9d-fb74481e7158.html

Chairs. You love them, we love them, our butts can't get enough of them. But what happens when a chair castle becomes a haunted mansion? This is the sort of question we know you rely on ITAG to answer. And answer it, we will.

This is the story of the S. K. Pierce House. Come for the ghosts, stay for Papa Shaq, traveling with vegans, American butts, sitting wars, the neighbor of the Beast, and “I don’t think it’s in Uranus.”

Sources:

• https://hauntheads.wordpress.com/2017/07/04/s-k-pierce-and-chair-city/
• https://www.thegardnernews.com/story/news/2021/07/29/then-and-now-s-k-pierce-standard-chair-manufacturers-gardner/8090340002/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sylvester_K._Pierce_House
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardner,_Massachusetts
• https://www.jbsa.mil/News/News/Article/2322093/smoking-in-bed-is-the-leading-cause-of-fire-deaths/
• https://www.housebeautiful.com/lifestyle/a38046654/sk-pierce-haunted-victorian-mansion/
• https://www.skhauntedvictorianmansion.com/