The William Floyd Estate

Our blog story for today is a freaky tale that you might not want to read alone. Many times we get stories that are nice, friendly and fun. This is not one of those. It takes place on a closed estate that has its very own graveyard. Add to that the house and grounds have a history of being haunted by ghosts. Where is this place? It is the William Floyd House in Mastic Beach, New York.

In September of 1862, the Civil War reached the William Floyd Estate. At that time the Old Mastic House was the home of John Gelston Floyd, Sr., and his wife Sarah. Their fourth child, John G. Floyd, Jr., enlisted and joined the Union army at Staten Island along with 27 other Long Island men. John served as a 2nd Lieutenant in the 145th New York Volunteer Regiment, Company G. John was killed in the battle of Gettsburg. The battle took a heavy toll on the 145th and the remaining enlisted men were transferred to the 107th, 123rd and 150th Infantry. The regiment was discontinued. John’s body was returned home at the request of his family. He was buried in the cemetery and is said to walk the grounds looking for his men.

On July 16th, 1867 John’s sister was out riding her horse. She lost control of the animal after being startled by a rabbit. The horse ran headlong into a grove of apple trees. Mary, who was 12 years old, failed to duck and literally lost her head. It is said that both headless rider and horse can be heard and seen to this day in the apple groove.

Charles McGrainy was a convicted killer. He was on his way to prison to be executed for his crimes. He was able to break free and found himself on the grounds of the estate. He thought to “enter” the main house to take the supplies he needed to get away. What he got was a shotgun blast to the face by John Sr. It is said that he walks the main house looking for revenge against John Sr.

There are other stories that I could have related, but I think you get the idea. The William Floyd Estate is one haunted place. Our story comes from Oliver Robertson who resides in Brookhaven, NY. John is a ghost hunter and he sent this in:

William Floyd House in Mastic Beach, New York

Hello Ron. First thank you for sharing my story. I have been a ghost hunter for ten years now and for the most part it has been pretty calm. That is until I met up with the William Floyd Estate. A couple of our members have never come back after this one.

We had gained special permission to roam the grounds at night. They would not let us enter the main house, but had access to the graveyard, stable and corn fields. It was late October that there was a corn maze that had been set up. That was where we decided to begin our investigation. Mostly because it sounded like fun and partly because it ended up at the entrance to the graveyard. Very creepy endpoint, don’t you think?

We had night cameras, audio recorders and a ghost box with us. Four of us took on this challenge while the rest of the group headed to the apple orchard. Rumor had it that there was a headless girl there. The path through the maze required that we go single file. I was in the lead followed by Janice, Anita, and in the rear was big Mike. We were about six minutes in when Big Mike began to squawk, “Something is following us!”

I stopped and sure enough I could hear the corn stalks behind us rustling, “The Wind?”, I asked.

“What wind?” retorted mike.

He was right, there was no breeze at all. I called out thinking one of the group had decided to join us. There was no response. I told Anita to start recording and Big Mike headed back to investigate. We stood silent listening and waiting. We could all hear the racket that Mike was making, but nothing else. It was then that Mike let out a scream. It tore through the night like a banshee.

He came running back. I shined my flashlight at him and he was pale. Also he had a long scratch on his right cheek. “What happened?” , I asked.

‘It tore into me, it was big, had claws, and looked like some kind of impossible humanoid raven!” he was raving., “we gotta get out of here!”

Well not that way. Deep down I wanted to confront whatever it was, but safety made more sense. We continued along the maze right into a dead end. We would have to head back after all. Mike was so shaken that I traded places with him and took the lead heading back. Any thoughts of collecting evidence were long forgotten.

We were almost back to the intersection when another scream rocked the corn field. This time it came from behind us and it was not human. Decision made! We made our way back to the entrance and were huffing and puffing as we broke out.  I turned back to look over the maze. A dark figure about six feet tall flew out of the corn field and was heading towards the main house. It was dark but his form seemed to have some kind aura surrounding it.  I felt chills go through me. 

We got back to where we made base camp. We had set up some cameras around the estate and our tech guy was there monitoring them. He had not caught anything that we had seen, but he too had heard the screams. We waited for the rest of the group to arrive and called it a night. We have no evidence to support our claims other than the scratch on big mike’s face. He and Anita left the group vowing to never go ghost hunting again. 

What happened? Heck if I know. There is quite a history to this place, but nothing that even suggests a large humanoid raven that glows. – Oliver Robertson

This Week’s Podcast: On the program this week we have an episode of the OTR series The Inner Sanctum. It stars the great character actor Peter Lorre. A man falls prey to love and has to murder to get it. Also, on the show Ron will review the audiobook Paranormal Pet Sitting – True Stories of the Paranormal by Susan Hill. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can.

Social Links:
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RAS #637 – Paleface

Welcome to Ron’s Amazing Stories, a podcast that brings you the most fascinating and entertaining tales from history, literature, and beyond. 

On this episode we have a review of the new audiobook Strange and Obscure Stories of the Civil War. This book is a fascinating collection of stories that offer a unique perspective on the American Civil War. Humorist Tim Rowland delves into the lesser-known aspects of the war, such as the experiences of everyday soldiers, and the surprising ways in which the war affected people’s lives.

Next up, we have a thrilling tale of adventure on the most haunted road in New Jersey. Join Theo as he embarks on a journey down Clinton Road, a winding stretch of asphalt said to be home to countless ghosts and spirits. From eerie apparitions to unexplained phenomena, Theo encounters it all as he navigates the curves of this haunted highway.

And finally, we end the show with a classic comedy from the legendary Bob Hope. In this story, Hope plays the character of Painless Potter, a hapless dentist who finds himself in a wild adventure in the old west. With his signature wit and impeccable timing, Hope delivers a side-splitting performance that is sure to leave you laughing.

So sit back, relax, and enjoy this episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories. We hope you find it to be a truly entertaining and informative listen.

Featured Story – Paleface

Screen Directors Playhouse - Paleface

Our featured story comes from the OTR series Screen Directors Playhouse. What you will hear is an adaptation of the movie Paleface. It is a 1948 Comedy Western film directed by Norman Z. McLeod and starring Bob Hope as Painless Potter and Jane Russell as Calamity Jane. The film was a major hit and of course The Screen Directors Playhouse had to adapt it.  It first aired on March 3, 1950.

Stories Include – The Book Case, Review – Obscure Stories of the Civil War, Chaos on Clinton Road, and Paleface (with Bob Hope)

Program Notes: Here are the links for this week’s episode Clinton Road: A Dark Ride and New Jersey’s “Iceman:” guilty of 5 or 200 murders?

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible – You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.

Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.

Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Social Links:
Main Podcast Site by LibSyn
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Contact Links:
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Story Submissions
Contact Ron

 

Why Did It Have To Be Snakes?

Our story this week comes from Jeremy Reigns. He lives in Atlanta, GA and has titled this story Why Did It Have To Be Snakes. I have never really had a fear of snakes. As a kid I would go to the tall grass at my local park and try to catch them.  However, I live in the Northwest and dangerous snakes really aren’t a thing here.

Here is Jeremy’s  story:

Hello Ron, I want to start out by saying that I hate snakes. Georgia is fortunate to have among the highest biodiversity of snakes in the United States with 46 species. Snakes can be found from the mountains of northern Georgia to the barrier islands along the Atlantic coast. The rich diversity of snake species makes Georgia ideal for observing and learning about snakes. I guess I can live with that, but no one ever told me that there were ghost snakes. Yes, you read that right.

Ghost Snake

My wife and I just moved from Atlanta to Cordell. It is a small town in the southern part of the state. My work took me there to take over a coal mining project that was begging for fresh management. I was excited at the prospect of being out of the big city and moving on to small town life.

Things went well at work. I was received with open arms and after a few short weeks the mine was back on track and we were setting in. My wife and I decided it was high time we explore the countryside and planned a fishing trip to the Flint River area. We made our camp near Angus Gholson Nature Park. We picked an open camp area. No set sites, no other campers around, and all you need a permit for set up and one for a fire pit. It was all rather wonderful. That is until that night.

Most ghost stories start out the same way. We were minding our own business … blah blah blah. This one starts out strange and gets stranger. I was asleep when I felt something in my sleeping bag. I knew that a snake had crawled in. Not knowing what kind I quietly called out to my wife. We were both terrified. I could feel the thing moving around. It was real. My wife got out of her bag and switched on the lantern. She could see the thing moving. We tried not to scream.

As I mentioned, we were alone. She went for her phone but as you might guess there was no cell service. The odd thing is that the snake kept moving around. Normally they crawl in to get warm and then go to sleep. I could feel this thing writhing about and my wife could see it moving as well. Finally we made a plan. She would carefully unzip the bag to get a look at the snake to determine what kind of trouble we were in. 

I remember hearing the sound of the bag and still feeling the snake moving around my leg. After about five minutes of careful unzipping she was able to lift the bag up.  Slowly she peered in using a small pen light. There was silence. Then she let out a gasp. I felt a surge of fear go through my body. It was bad I thought, real bad.

Then she laughed and said there is nothing in your bag and threw off the cover. Sure enough there was no snake, nothing at all. However we both saw it moving and I felt it. What happened?  What was it? Neither of us were ever able to figure it out. 

I tried to do some research and I could not find any story like mine. Did we both dream this? That seems rather unlikely. The only ghost I could find in the area involves a headless horse discovered by Dink Melvin. Not a snake, but another animal ghost at least. – Jeremy Reigns

Jeremy, I too did some research and did find a reference to a  ghost snake. However, this snake is native to Madagascar and is very much alive. That makes your story very strange and very unique. Thank you for sharing it with us.

This Week’s Podcast: On the show this week we have a western with a twist. It comes from The Screen Directors Playhouse and stars the great Bob Hope. An Indian uprising must be stopped and Painless Potter is just the man, or rather dentist to do it. Also, on the show we review the audiobook Strange and Obscure Stories of the Civil War by Tim Rowland. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can.

Social Links:
Main Podcast Site by LibSyn
The Blog Site by WordPress
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Contact Links:
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RAS #636 – The Sense Of Wonder

On this episode of Ron’s Amazing Stories, we have a special treat for you: a throwback edition of Johnny Is It True featuring four intriguing stories that will challenge your ability to discern fact from fiction. Get ready to put your detective skills to the test as you try to unravel the mystery and figure out which ones are real. 

Following that, we have a captivating story discovered by listener Gary Richardson. The vast and enigmatic state of Texas is a breeding ground for legends, some of which are nothing more than tales. However, Lon Schuyler’s story, titled Stampede Mesa, has a certain ring of truth to it that will leave you speechless.

Next up, we transport you back to the golden age of radio with a thrilling episode from the classic series X Minus One. In a world where one man’s ship can be another man’s prison, we present the thought-provoking story titled The Sense of Wonder.

So, sit back, relax, and prepare yourself for an extraordinary journey into the realm of mystery and imagination.

Featured Story – The Sense Of Wonder

X Minus One - The Sense Of Wonder

Our featured story comes from the world of science fiction and the pen of Milton Lesser. One of the stories Milton wrote for Galaxy magazine was titled The Sense Of Wonder.  It looks at a society that is told what to do, when to do it, and who it is acceptable to do it with. But what if you were born different and had your own notion between what is and what is not. What consequences would that lead to? Milton’s story has been adapted for radio by the OTR series X Minus One and it first aired on April 24, 1956.

Stories Include – The Plane Crash Murder, Johnny Is It True – Foul Moments, Stampede Mesa, and The Sense Of Wonder

Ron’s Amazing Stories Is Sponsored by: Audible – You can get a free audiobook and a 30 day free trial at audibletrial.com/ronsamazingstories.

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can. Links are below.

Music Used In This Podcast: Most of the music you hear on Ron’s Amazing Stories has been composed by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) and is Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0. Other pieces are in the public domain. You can find great free music at FreePd.com which is a site owned by Kevin.

Program Info: Ron’s Amazing Stories is published each Thursday. You can download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link.

Social Links:
Main Podcast Site by LibSyn
The Blog Site by WordPress
Facebook Link
Twitter Link

Contact Links:
Email
Story Submissions
Contact Ron

 

Battle In The Restroom

Our story for this time comes from Apple Sheran of Boston. I wrote back to Apple about her name. She told me that her parents “met” in an apple orchard the night she came into being. They decided that would be her name. For the record her full legal name is Apple Orchard Sheran and here is her story:

Hey Ron, So this happened a bit ago. I was in my high school production of Oklahoma. We had a cast party the closing night of the play. It was held at the school. My friends and cast were there from around 9:00 pm to 12:00 am. Near the end of the night I left the party to go to the bathroom. As I was in the cubicle I heard a man and a woman arguing just outside my door. As far as I knew I was the only one there! I was nervous, so I kept quiet, but they just wouldn’t leave! Finally, I decided to let them know I was there. “Hello”, I said. Everything went quiet, and I didn’t hear the bathroom door open or close. I opened my stall and found the room empty!

Battle In The Restroom

I headed back to my friends only to see them bolting down the stairs towards me. They had all heard strange noises and screaming. Even the drama teacher and chaperones came flying out of the party room. A few of us went back up there to check things out. There was no one up there, and no one downstairs either so we decided to end the party and go home. I never found out why or what happened. – Apple Sheran 

Well Apple, that is  an amazing story. An entire party of people having the same experience is so very rare. I don’t think we have ever had anything like it before. I guess that it could have been a major prank, but that doesn’t explain your experience. So very strange. Thank you for sharing it

This Week’s Podcast: On the program this week we head to space (or is it?) We have a post apocalyptic story about a colony spaceship and the strange culture that they live in. It is titled The Sense Of Wonder and comes from the OTR series X Minus One. You can listen to this podcast on Thursday at Ron’s Amazing Stories, download it from Apple Podcasts, stream it on Stitcher Radio or on the mobile version of Spotify. Do you prefer the radio? We are heard every Thursday at 10:00 pm and Sunday Night at 11:00 PM (EST) on AMFM247.COM. Check your local listing or find the station closest to you at this link

Your Stories: Do you have a story that you would like to share on the podcast or the blog? Head to the main website, click on Story Submission, leave your story, give it a title, and please tell me where you’re from. I will read it if I can.

Social Links:
Main Podcast Site by LibSyn
The Blog Site by WordPress
Facebook Link
Twitter Link

Contact Links:
Email
Story Submissions
Contact Ron