In this episode: how commerce, tall tales, and xenophobia collide with notions of innocence and victimization to create the folklore of Portland’s Haunted Shanghai Tunnels.
Tag Archives: ghost tourism
54. Rispin Mansion
Perched on a tree-covered riverbank in the coastal town of Capitola, California there is a once-glorious mansion. Built by Henry Rispin, this “haunted house” has been abandoned for decades and now lurks in the shade just outside of easy view. In this episode, Matt discusses the history of the mansion, the ghosts who are said to haunt it, and its role in Santa Cruz County folklore.
53. Themes of the Podcast Part 2 (Ghost Stories and History)
Matt discusses how ghost stories both enhance and warp our understanding of the past. The relationship between historic understanding and the paranormal is complex and fascinating, and Matt tries to give a bit of insight.
51. Doubt and Paranormal Investigation (With Dr. Michelle Hanks)
Dr. Michele Hanks, an anthropologist who does ethnographic work with paranormal investigation groups, joins Matt to discuss the role of doubt in paranormal investigation.
34. Interview With Sara Head
In this episode, Matt speaks with fellow archaeologist and podcaster Sara Head about her show, Paranormal Archaeology, and the ways in which belief in the supernatural influences how people interact with physical objects and spaces.
31. Robert The Doll
of Robert the Doll, a haunted toy in Key West, Florida, contains more layers than it appears to when you first hear it. Matt discusses how this disturbing doll invokes ideas from psychology, modern gender politics, and the history of race relations in the United States.
29: Albie Robles and a Haunted Mexican Mining Town
Matt is joined by voice actor and host of the Scare Me Podcast, Albie Robles. Albie relates his own personal story about a ghost encounter in a mining town in Mexico and shares some of the tales he heard from his family’s experiences in that town.
28. Freetown State Forest
Freetown State Forest in Massachusetts is said to be a center for high weirdness. There are many different locations within this forest that are haunted, and UFO and Bigfoot sightings are also common. This episode provides an overview of the location and discusses some of the most prominent stories.
27. Calico Ghost Town
Ghost towns dot the American Southwest, and many are said to be haunted. But Calico is the only one that is haunted by the ghost of a dog that delivers mail. In this episode, Matt considers how our often self-contradicting views of the Old West tell us something about how we view ourselves in the modern world.
25. Dr. Michele Hanks Author Interview
For the 25th episode of Ghosthropology, Matt does something a bit different. Rather than focusing on a specific ghost story, this long episode is dedicated to an interview with Dr. Michele Hanks, an anthropologist who studies ghost tourism and paranormal investigators. Dr. Hanks provides some thought-provoking comments on the search for evidence, what belief in ghosts means, and how this all ties into larger cultural issues.
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