Metivier Inn Mackinac Island Michigan

We found the wonderful, AND affordable, Metivier Inn on Mackinac Island!

Geraldine Sutton Stith and Kelly Kentucky

I have bumped in to Geraldine Sutton Stith a few times here and there over the years.  Back when the Kelly Green Men Festival was going strong, I was able to chat with her.  I was thrilled to see her again at the recent "Goat Man Festival".

The Kelly Incident is one of my favorite strange tales.  In 1955 a family in Kelly Kentucky claimed that some small beings attacked their home.  There was a UFO sighting, and several hours of encounters.  The family even drove to nearby Hopkinsville asking for the help of the police.

To me, this is one of the more believable strange stories.  None of the family ever wavered from their account.  All described similar creatures.

As a person who grew up a couple of hours (and a few decades) away from this area/event, I can kind of relate to the family.  Me and my cousins would explore the rural woods near our homes.  Country people like this family (and like mine) are observant.  I can think of several times that my cousins and I saw something that confused us- something we couldn't understand.  We would look and investigate, and within seconds, we would know what we were looking at.  This family spend several hours observing, and interacting.  The story, to me, is credible.

Geraldine's dad and other family members were there that night.  She has written a lot about that night.  Any credible documentary on the incident has her involvement.

At the Goat Man Festival, I picked up a couple of books from her.  The Kelly Green Men "Alien Legacy Revisited" and "Where is Kelly Kentucky?"  The first one gives the accounts of the night, and Geraldine's thoughts about it.  She also includes some other strange stories involving her family.

"Where is Kelly Kentucky?" is pretty much a nice collection of newspaper articles about the Kelly Invasion.

Geraldine also sells some stuffed aliens and 3D printed figures of the aliens her family saw that night.
 

Hopkinsville Kentucky

We enjoyed a nice day in Hopkinsville Kentucky!

The Mailroom Clarksville Tennessee 2024

We had a great meal at the Mailroom, in Clarksville, Tennessee!

Battletown Witch Festival October 26 2024

We were able to attend the Battletown Witch Festival in Brandenburg this year!

Unknown Confederate Soldier Cemetery with Storm Damage Union City Tennes...

We topped by the "Unknown Confederate Soldier Cemetery" in Union City Tennessee.  Unfortunately, this place had seen some recent storm damage.  

Bell Witch Fall Festival Adams Tennessee 2024

We were there last year...  and we were lucky enough to get to go this year (2024) too!  Check out the Bell Witch Festival in Adams Tennessee!

Morehead Kentucky Screaming Woman UFO Incident

A couple of decades ago, several weird things occured in Morehead Kentucky that are still a bit of a mystery.

Sue Mundy Grave Franklin Kentucky

If you are interested in the Civil War....  you know Sue Mundy.

Concert Memories: REM, Lexington, KY 10/20/1995

I have scanned in a lot of my old ticket stubs for future posts...  I just want to make sure I have an interesting story before I post them.

I saw REM at Rupp Arena back in 1995.  That seems so long ago now.  And I guess it was (I just did the math on it).  I saw this one while in college.  We had fun, the music was great.  I am glad I got to see REM before they called it quits.

I have mentioned it before, but the first time I saw 10,000 Maniacs back in 1993, Stipe was a surprise guest and came out to sing with the band.

Well, I was at a local coffee shop the other day, and they were playing some REM.  I asked who the REM fan was, and a young lady spoke up while making my drink.  Her dad spent some time in the Athens area, and I think she was spoon fed on REM as a kid.  I mentioned that I saw this show back in 1995, adding that was probably before she was born.  She let me know her parents were there too that night.

I had a seat at the coffee shop and flipped through some books.  "Seven Chinese Brothers" came on.  Hadn't heard that song in a while.  After a bit, "Rockville" came on.  I know we all have a few songs that shake us up, or make us remember an emotion, or a moment.  This is one of mine.  I could go on and on about it....  but, if you are a music fan, you know what I am talking about.

Every time I have had to move, or leave something in life, I think of that song.
 

Goatman Festival Oct 2024

I REALLY love what "The Legend at Pope Lick" in Louisville is doing.  It is a cool place, and they are putting on a lot of stuff....  for free!

They have been doing free movie nights for some time.  AND they just hosted their 2nd annual "Goatman Festival."  It too was free!

If you are in to cryptids, UFOs and just general strangeness, this was a great event to attend.  They had several authors, vendors, and just cool people in general.  I was particularly excited that Geraldine Sutton Stith was there talking about her family and their association with the Hopkinsville Goblins.

The event started Friday night, then started back up on Saturday around 3.  I was only able to stay a couple of hours on Saturday, but those were a great couple of hours.  I will have to make sure I can stay longer next year.

West Virginia Bigfoot Museum Sutton WV Sept 2024

In Sutton West Virginia, literally walking distance from the Flatwoods Monster Museum, is the West Virginia Bigfoot Museum!

The Mantell Incident Franklin Kentucky 2024

We visited Franklin Kentucky to check out the strange "Mantell Incident".  A young pilot was killed while chasing a UFO!

Flatwoods Monster Museum Sutton West Virginia 2024

West Virginia is suck a great, "weird" state.   Two of my favorite "monster" stories originated there within a couple of hours from each other......  In Sutton, there is the great Flatwoods Monster Museum!

Driving around Sutton and Flatwoods West Virginia 2024

While in the area visiting locations associated with the Flatwoods Monster sighting, we drove around the sibling towns of Sutton and Flatwoods!

"Edgar Cayce's Hometown: Hopkinsville Kentucky" by William T. Turner and Chris Gilkey

"Edgar Cayce's Hometown:  Hopkinsville Kentucky" by William T. Turner and Chris Gilkey came out over a decade ago but I just found a copy recently.  This is a really fun book for anyone fascinated with Cayce and/or Hopkinsville.

Hoptown is a really interesting town with a lot of pop that doesn't get the attention it deserves.  There is a lot of interesting and other worldly legends around, not to mention nearby Civil War ties.

But, many people know about Hopkinsville as the hometown of Edgar Cayce.  If you aren't up on Cayce, google him.  He would go in to trances, and give medical advice, along with other thoughts that were new age.

So, Turner and Gilkey have put together a book (similar to the "Images of America" series) that shows various photos of Hopkinsville around the time Cayce would have been around (very late 1800s- through early 1900s).  There are few pictures of Edgar himself, but an impressive collection of pictures the "Sleeping Prophet" took himself, as he was a photographer.

Like I said, Hopkinsville doesn't get the attention it deserves, but it is a fascinating little town, and this is a great book to add to its underrated legacy.

Flatwoods Monster Convention West Virginia 2024

We had a really fun time at the Flatwoods Monster Convention in Flatwoods West Virginia!

San Francisco California Old Postcards

I love the vibrant colors on these two old linen postcards showing various landmarks in San Francisco California.  Both are unused and undated.

 

Seelbach Hotel Louisville Kentucky 2024

We had a great stay at the legendary Seelbach Hotel in Louisville!  We enjoyed their restaurants, took a historic tour, and learned about the famous ghost, The Lady in Blue!

Yankee Rebel Tavern Mackinac Island Michigan

We had a nice time at the Yankee Rebel Tavern while on Mackinac Island!

Coffee Connection Hopkinsville KY 2024

We found "Coffee Connections" in Hopkinsville kind of by accident, but we loved the vibe and the spirit of this coffee shop- where NOTHING is charged!

"Finding Daniel Boone" by Ted Franklin Belue

I read "Finding Daniel Boone:  His Last Days in Missouri & the Strange Fate of His Remains" by Ted Franklin Belue and I really enjoyed this one.

Most people in Kentucky and Missouri learn in elementary school that the remains of Daniel Boone and his wife were moved from Missouri to Kentucky years after his death.  Very briefly, some people from Frankfort hoped to sell some plots in their cemetery by getting Boone reburied in the state.  Through some slick talking (and promise of a new, grand memorial) they convince Missouri to let the remains go.

As the story progressed, a rumor starts that, instead of taking Daniel's remains, the remains of someone else were taken.  The rumor does reek of racism, as the story involves slaves, and Kentucky taking the remains of a black man instead of Daniel.  Also, multiple stories lead to this rumor, including confusion about where is grave was, and deception in other stories.

Many know the basics of the story, but Belue gets credit for tracking down the sources of the legends...  He tracks down who said what, and when.  He finds two source descriptions of the coffins (that are different).  He also tells how the transfer happened, and he paints a picture of the crowded city of Frankfort, when Daniel and Rebecca Boone are buried again.

MORE INPORTANTLY, he covers the fact that a cast and copies of parts of Daniel's skull were made.  He gets opinions from experts about whether or not the skull could have come from an elderly Caucasian. 
 

"The Big Muddy Monster" by Lewis/Voss/Nelson

While on our recent roadtrip going through southern Illinois, we stopped by Giant City State Park Lodge.  LOVED the lodge and park by the way.  I was really excited to see that the Lodge had a lot of cool local interest type books in their gift shop with many of them signed!

I picked up "The Big Muddy Monster:  Legends, Sightings, & Other Strange Encounters."  It has been a fun read, giving info on all of the sightings involving "The Big Muddy Monster."  It also covers a lot of the other strange history in the area.  The book has a great chapter by Kevin Lee Nelson going deep in to explanations for the supernatural and sightings.  It is a smart and thoughtful chapter.

I really enjoy a book that is a complete, deep dive into a legend, and the authors of this book have done that, and they have done a good job.

It seems that the area is getting a related festival going too!
 

"Somewhere in Crime" by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone

I picked up "Somewhere in Crime" by Dave McVeigh and Jim Bolone while we were on Mackinac Island.  It was a perfect book to read in the area where the book was based.

A bit about the book...  It is a book about a young boy staying on Mackinac Island and trying to solve an unsolved murder, while the filming of the legendary film "Somewhere in Time" is going on.  The entire book is pure fiction, EXCEPT for the movie.  The movie (and it's stars) are legendary, but the story in the book is all made up.

I love the movie, and figured this would be a lot of fun to read while in the same area described in the book.  I was right.  I got my copy at the great book store "Island Bookstore" while there.

This is a really fun read from a 1979 perspective of a 12 year old boy on the Island.  He and some friends realize there is an unsolved murder, reward money, a cute new girl on the island, AND some A list actors are around to make a movie!

It is a very fun adventure, and had a great flow to it.  Its an easy 300 page read, and its the kind of book that keeps you interested, and feels believable.  
 

"Waverly Hills Sanatorium: A History" by Lynn Pohl

 I wanted to quickly mention "Waverly Hills Sanatorium:  A History" by Lynn Pohl.

I really don't know a ton about the historic building located in Louisville.  Heck, I have seen the usual ghost shows, and other brief documentaries on it, but I wanted something with a bit more RESEARCHED and historical information on the place.

Pohl's easy to read volume was exactly what I wanted!  You won't find any ghost stories here, this is all facts.

Actual facts, and authentic records are hard to find, and the author acknowledges, many were destroyed (thanks to the 1937 flood and many others were destroyed after the closing of the sanatorium in the early 60s).  She was able to piece a lot of the story together from some interesting sources, giving credit to the photo collection of a resident/employee in the 1910s and 1920s.  A black newspaper provided a lot of info to her also.

What is seen in Louisville now is the only surviving structure of a once massive campus.  There were facilities for men and women, and also for black and white patients (you can guess which facilities were lacking in quality and resources).

The author talks a lot about TB and how it was treated nationally, and how trends affected Waverly Hills and its residents.  The rise of factories, and military bases affected things, as groups of people suddenly found themselves closer together.

Again, Pohl doesn't cover the overly told stories about ghosts, but she doesn't really need to.  The facts relating to a facility like this can be sad and terrifying enough.  She dismisses the often quoted death numbers of 50,000 and higher, but shows that there were still several thousand.  Documentation of the "Death Tunnel" and it's use is rare, though employees have reported that it was used to transport dead bodies.  One of the most disturbing parts of the book involved some suggestion about how Waverly disposed of General Hospital's garbage AND amputations.

This book gets a big thumbs up from me.  Pick this one up when you can!