The Haunting Truth

Join us as we explore a Philadelphia cave that looks like an innocent spring house but may just be the start of the first doomsday cult in America (related to Dracula according to Woo!)

Sources:

• Historical Society of Pennsylvania / PhilaPlace – “Cave of Kelpius: Johannes Kelpius and the Society of the Woman in the Wilderness” 
   
  PhilaPlace Article  

• Christian History Institute – “The Wissahickon Hermits” 
   
  Christian History Institute  

• U.S. History.org – “Cave of Kelpius” 
   
  USHistory.org Article  

• Friends of Wissahickon – “Kelpius & Hermit’s Cave” 
   
  Friends of Wissahickon  

• WHYY Philadelphia – “Cave a vestige of the Hermits of the Wissahickon” 
   
  WHYY Article  

• Wikipedia – Johannes Kelpius / Wissahickon Creek 
   

• Hidden City Philadelphia – “Doomsday Cult on the Wissahickon” 
   
  Hidden City Philadelphia  

• Reddit discussions and folklore references regarding modern legends and paranormal experiences associated with Kelpius Cave  

• A Brief Biography of Kelpius 

• Johannes Kelpius - Wikipedia 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

Join us for the next chilling Poison Garden episode, where we unravel the history of a silent killer that bridges Cold War espionage and modern pop culture.

Source Notes:

James Bond movies:  

From Russia with Love, The Spy Who Loved Me, A View to a Kill, GoldenEye, and The World Is Not Enough 

https://alchetron.com/Ricin 

Breaking Bad (TV Series 2008–2013) - IMDb 

Document Friday: The Poisonous Umbrella and the Assassination of Georgi Markov – UNREDACTED: The National Security Archive Blog 

James Bond Agent 007 #198170 - Operation KGB (Issue) 

www.kindpng.com 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

Join us as we celebrate May the 4th in true Star Wars fashion, with a deep dive into myth and legend followed by an entertaining retelling of Darth's shenanigans in financing the Death Star.

Source Notes 

• Star Wars (1977) – Created by George Lucas 
  https://www.starwars.com  

• Joseph Campbell – The Hero with a Thousand Faces 
  https://www.jcf.org  

• Taoist Philosophy (Yin & Yang, Qi) 
  https://www.britannica.com  

• Hindu Concepts (Prana, Dharma – Mahabharata) 
  https://www.britannica.com  

• Comparative Mythology Studies – Smithsonian Magazine 
  https://www.smithsonianmag.com 

• Theseus by Plutarch (75 CE), translated by John Dryden The Internet Classics Archive 

• Greek Mythology by Greek Mythology Worldwide greek.mythologyworldwide.com 

• Wikipedia entry on Theseus Wikipedia 

• Britannica entry on Perseus Britannica 

• Fiveable Greek and Roman Myths class notes Fiveable 

• Mahabharata (Vyasa), Bhagavadgita (Book 2), Litcharts character analysis, Hindu mythology summaries Wikipedia+4. 

 The Hero's Journey 

The Hero's Journey: Joseph Campbell on... book by Joseph Campbell 

Clash of the Titans (1981) — The Movie Database (TMDB) 

Darth Vader helmet robber Francis Anderson jailed - BBC News 

Darth Vader Robs Bank, Flees On Bike In Ohio | HuffPost Latest News 

Man Dressed As Darth Vader Robs North Carolina Bank At Gunpoint | HuffPost Weird News 

Watch: Darth Vader's robbery attempt foiled in Florida - UPI.com 

Costumed Dark Lord overcome by the 'force' of a jar of salad dressing in Jacksonville Beach 

Times Square Darth Vader used too much force for tips | New York Post 

Man Wins $95M Lottery — Shows Up as Darth Vader to Hide Identity - EMP PRESS 

Music courtesy of: Star Wars Music | No Copyright Song & MP3 Free Downloads - Pixabay 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

Join us as we travel to the cliffs above the Gauley River, deep in the mountains of West Virginia, where one of the early battles of the American Civil War unfolded. A place where visitors today still claim the past has not fully left. 

This is the story of the Battle of Carnifex Ferry… and the echoes some say still walk its hills.

Source Notes 

National Park Service – Carnifex Ferry Battlefield History 
https://www.nps.gov/articles/carnifex-ferry.htm 

West Virginia State Parks – Carnifex Ferry Battlefield State Park 
https://wvstateparks.com/park/carnifex-ferry-battlefield-state-park 

Civil War Trust / American Battlefield Trust 
Battle of Carnifex Ferry overview 
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/carnifex-ferry 

West Virginia Encyclopedia 
Battle of Carnifex Ferry historical entry 
https://www.wvencyclopedia.org 

New River Gorge Bridge - New River Gorge National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service) 

The Most Haunted Civil War Battlefield | Ep. 8: Carnifex Ferry State Park

e-WV - Okey L. Patteson 

A Bad-Looking Place to Attack: With Benham’s Brigade at Carnifex Ferry 

Contact Us

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

Join us as we discuss the phenomenon known as "Reefer Madness"; the history and some of the kooky crimes related to that special plant. We may even touch on a bbq flavored ear...

Parental warning- adult themes. Trigger warning for violence and self-harm.

Sources

· Harry J. Anslinger – Encyclopaedia Britannica https://www.britannica.com/biography/Harry-J-Anslinger

· Reefer Madness – Library of Congress https://www.loc.gov/item/mbrs01815162/

Bing Videos

· Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 – U.S. National Archives https://www.archives.gov/milestone-documents/marijuana-tax-act

· National Institute on Drug Abuse https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana

Mystery Science Theater 3000 All Episodes - YouTube

Seattle “Weed Fairy” story (2014) 

 The weirdest, wildest weed stories of 2022 | Leafly⁠ 

'The Weed Fairy' Visits Seattle, Gives Out Pot - CBS Colorado 

'The Weed Fairy' visits Seattle, gives out free marijuana 

Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield Reunite to Launch 'Holy Ears' Cannabis Edibles - Black Cannabis Magazine 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

Today on The Haunting Truth  we are traveling to a town that most maps no longer acknowledge, a place erased not by time or war, but by a fire that refuses to go out.

This is the story of Centralia, and the unsettling legacy left behind when an entire community was slowly forced to disappear. 

Sources and Reference Notes:

• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection – Centralia Mine Fire 
  https://www.dep.pa.gov 

• United States Environmental Protection Agency – Centralia Case Study 
  https://www.epa.gov 

• Kroll-Smith, J. Stephen & Couch, Stephen R. The Real Disaster Is Above Ground (University Press of Kentucky) 

• Smithsonian Magazine – “The Town That Was” 
  https://www.smithsonianmag.com 

• Library of Congress – Coal Region History 
  https://www.loc.gov 

• Centralia, Pennsylvania - Wikipedia 

• Bing Videos 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

Join us today to discuss one of the most enduring sea legends ever told, one that has spawned a cultural phenomenon and has at its heart a kernel of truth...validated by a king and evidenced in the name of a sorceress.

Sources & References:

• Boxer, C. R. The Dutch Seaborne Empire, 1600–1800. Hutchinson, 1965. 

• Bruijn, Jaap R. Dutch-Asiatic Shipping in the 17th and 18th Centuries. Rijks Geschiedkundige Publicatiën, 1979. 

• Dash, Mike. Batavia’s Graveyard. Crown, 2002. 

• Goss, Charles. The Romance of the Sea. Methuen, 1901. 

• Marryat, Frederick. The Phantom Ship. 1839. 

• Wagner, Richard. Der fliegende Holländer. 1843. 

• Briggs, Katharine. An Encyclopedia of Fairies and Folklore. Pantheon, 1976. 

• Simpson, Jacqueline & Roud, Steve. A Dictionary of English Folklore. Oxford University Press, 2000. 

• George V. Royal Navy Logbooks, 1879–1882. 

• “The Flying Dutchman.” The Times (London), July 1881. 

• Binns, Archie. The Ghost Ship of the Cape. Maritime Press, 1948. 

• Lehn, Walter H. “A Fata Morgana in the Strait of Messina.” Applied Optics, 1979. 

• Young, Andrew T. “Mirages and Atmospheric Refraction.” American Journal of Physics, 2001. 

• NOAA. “Optical Phenomena: Mirages and Refraction.” 

• Rediker, Marcus. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Cambridge University Press, 1987. 

• Earle, Peter. Sailors: English Merchant Seamen 1650–1775. Methuen, 1998. 

• Lloyd’s Register of Shipping Archives. 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

The Candyman legend didn’t start in a mirror — it started with real blood, real victims, and real cities. 

In this episode of Haunting Truth, join us as we uncover the true origins of Candyman and trace how his crimes helped shape one of America’s most enduring urban legends. 

*LISTENER DISCRETION ADVISED*

Sources:

Dean Corll & Houston Mass Murders 

• Texas Monthly – The Monster Next Door 
  https://www.texasmonthly.com/true-crime/the-houston-mass-murders/ 

• University of Houston Libraries – Houston Mass Murders Archive 
  https://guides.lib.uh.edu/houstonmassmurders 

• FBI Records on Dean Corll 
  https://vault.fbi.gov/dean-corll 

• Dean Corll - Wikipedia 

Candyman Urban Legend & Chicago 

• Chicago Historical Society – Cabrini-Green History 
  https://www.chicagohistory.org/research/ 

• Smithsonian Magazine – Urban Legends & Social Fear 
  https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ 

• Jan Harold Brunvand – The Vanishing Hitchhiker 
  (Foundational urban legend research) 

Lynching & Racial Violence Context 

Join us for the second in our Poison Garden mini-series. This episode focuses on the intersection of poison and punishment, a central moment in the history of philosophy that echoes throughout time.    

Sources & Reference Material: 

• The Internet Classics Archive | Phaedo by Plato  (Classical account of Socrates’ final hours.) 

• Xenophon's The Apology eBook | PDF | Project Gutenberg | Apology (Plato) 

• Mayor, A. (2009). The Poison King: Mithradates, Rome’s Deadliest Enemy. (Context on ancient poisons.) The Poison King | Princeton University Press 

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. “Conium maculatum: Toxicity Profile.” Conium maculatum L. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science 

• Acute Intoxication With Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum) - PMC 

• https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/99a8/2de0df0bb09c608633f964d506b64ff8a2f6.pdf 

• Socrates - Wikipedia 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]

Join us as we discuss the last person burned alive in Ireland -a case where folklore was not a metaphor but a justification for murder.

This is the story of Bridget Cleary and the ancient terror of changelings that helped seal her fate. 

Resources:

https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/bridget-cleary-the-last-woman-burned-to-death-in-ireland-1.3836933 

Angela Bourke, The Burning of Bridget Cleary: 
https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674088485 

National Folklore Collection, University College Dublin: 
https://www.ucd.ie/irishfolklore/ 

Irish changeling folklore overview: 
https://www.duchas.ie/en/info/cbe 

BBC History – Changelings and fairy belief: 
https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/ireland_folklore_01.shtml 

The Slaying of Bridget Cleary - Brutal Murder or a Faery Killing? - The Irish Place 

Contact Us:

Facebook: Jenn Woo Thehauntingtruth

Instagram: the_haunting_seeker

Email: [email protected]