This abandoned hospital outside Boston, Massachusetts was originally conceived as a place to help people with mental health issues. But it wound up doing a lot of harm.

 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/medfield-state-hospital

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Joe Magarac is a folk hero that allegedly was born from the stories of immigrant steelworkers in the early 20th century. He is the Paul Bunyan of Steel Country. But is the legend of Joe Magarac an American immigrant folk story or is he the product of the imagination of writers and the steel executives?

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Last month, we asked you for stories about your first trips abroad. That really struck a chord – we got too many great stories to fit in a single episode. So today, we’re sharing MORE of your stories from your first international trips. This time we hear about traveling...

For half a century, horse diving was one of Atlantic City’s biggest attractions. One day in August 1964, a young girl attended one of these shows, and witnessed something that would change her life forever. 

Read Diana Hubbell’s story about horse diving in Atlantic City.

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Dylan and producer Johanna take your questions.     

Have a question for Dylan? Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message. You can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com, or simply send your question via email. 

And if you want to listen to Dylan’s episodes about getting shipwrecked in Antarctica, check out Beechey Island Graves Part I and Part II. 

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One of Australia’s greatest stories of escape and survival centers around this rock formation in Point Lonsdale. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/buckleys-cave

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In 1998, a giant drawing of an Aboriginal man mysteriously appeared in the Australian Outback. Some locals were thrilled. Others wanted it destroyed. Producer Elah Feder goes looking for the culprit, and is led to a key piece of the puzzle – but not one she expected.

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Every summer, along a 15 mile stretch of the Alabama coastline, an almost magical natural phenomenon washes up on the beaches. Hundreds of fish and sea creatures usually hidden in the deep swim towards the shore. Locals call it the Mobile Bay Jubilee – and the jubilees are hard to predict and activate a different side of these coastal communities. 

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A traveler in Vang Vieng, Laos writes a letter to a fellow traveler. This essay was edited by Lenora Todaro and originally appeared in Off Assignment. 

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Sasquatch is Southern. And its cultural and economic impact in Appalachia is sizable. Today, we bring you an episode of The Broadside, a podcast produced by WUNC in Durham, NC.

Appalachia is Bigfoot territory. In a big way. Today, we give you a taste of The Broadside, a podcast produced by WUNC in Durham, NC. In this episode, you'll hear about the mythical beast's legend, lore and sizable economic impact in the region. And follow one reporter’s journey through the mountains and foothills of western North Carolina in search of Sasquatch. Featuring Emily Cataneo, reporter for The Assembly. Check out Emily's story on Appalachian Bigfoot culture at The Assembly here.

 

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This memorial marks the life of a pup who sparked riots over animal rights issues in London.

 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/brown-dog-statue

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If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to run away and join the circus, this episode is for you. Dylan talks with Jack Lepiarz, also known as Jacques Ze Whipper, about how he created a life for himself on the Renaissance Festival circuit. 

 

Learn more on Jack’s website. 

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When Peter James first stumbled on the Lowfield Heath Windmill, it was falling apart. Determined to save it, he embarked on a years-long effort with the town that would lead to its complete deconstruction before being rebuilt somewhere new.

Find out how you can visit the Lowfield Heath Windmill or donate to its ongoing restoration efforts.

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In the 1980s, a team of Soviet scientists dug a hole in the Earth’s crust so deep that they reached Hell… complete with high temperatures, unexplained happenings, and even the tortured screams of damned souls. At least, that’s what a popular urban legend at the time claimed....

Listener stories about traveling abroad for the first time – from a trip to Germany in 2020, to a chalet in Switzerland in 1986, to a trip to Iran just before the Shah revolution. 

Plus, we want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave us a message telling us your story. Or better yet, record a voice memo and email it to us at hello@atlasobscura.com.

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The Endangered Wolf Center in Eureka, Missouri was founded by zoologist and wildlife TV host Marlin Perkins and was home to an extraordinary wolf who gives us hope for the future of wolf survival. 

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Zach Stafford found great career success at a very young age – he’s a writer, producer, and co-host of the news & culture podcast Vibe Check. His intense work schedule has taken him all over America, and each of the cities and towns he found himself in has shaped him in some way. And through it all, Zach has been searching for a very specific feeling.

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In the year 1329, a woman named Christine Carpenter was enclosed in a tiny cell in the walls of a church in Shere, England. She was expected to spend the rest of her life praying in almost complete isolation. But the reason we know her name is that she did something very unusual – she broke out.

Learn more about our guest Professor Diane Watt’s work about the lives of medieval women in England, and about St. James’s Church in Shere.  

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Dylan and producer Gabby Gladney dive into the colorful world of art cars, from Houston’s epic parades to DIY creations in Minneapolis. 

Then, Dylan talks to his own father about the multiple art cars they’ve had over the years. 

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Writer Joshua Rigsby takes a very strange journey into the birthplace of Cabbage Patch Kids. After he returns, he can never look at the dolls the same way again.  

Read Joshua’s essay about his trip to BabyLand General Hospital, and check out his bookstore, Pretty Good Books.

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We’re (almost) back! And we want to hear your New Year’s travel resolutions. 

Send a voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

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For a brief period the small frontier city of Sioux Falls, South Dakota drew in socialites and celebrities who were desperate to end their marriages.

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Ultimate slow travel adventurer (and friend of the show) Bernie Harberts returns to tell us what happened when he spent months floating alone at sea. Bernie is also an author and filmmaker. 

You can read more about Bernie's travels at his website www.riverearth.com.

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The 1980s birthed a gleaming creature that spread its wings of scrap wood and glass over the intersection of two iconic Brooklyn, NY neighborhoods for thirty years. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/broken-angel

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On the tiny Kinmen Island, a bow-tie-shape strip of land between China and Taiwan, sits a giant weaponized wall of sound that still stands--and still broadcasts--today.

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/beishan-broadcast-station-art

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This garden in Lynchburg, Virginia is the key to unlocking the writing and mind of Harlem Renaissance poet Anne Spencer.

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Just a little check in. Plus: We want to hear your stories of traveling with a significant other for the first time – the good, the bad, and the strange.

You can send an email or voice memo to hello@atlasobscura.com. Or, give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message.

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A listener in Lawrence, Kansas takes us on his journey of discovering the secrets of his hometown.

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Dylan sits down with guest Blake Pfeil about what inspired him to begin exploring abandoned spots, what those spaces have taught him about escapism, sobriety and the sometimes blurry line between real and unreal that he finds there. 

MORE: Blake is an artist and adventurer. He’s also the creator and host of the podcast “Abandoned: All-American Ruins.” Check it out here.

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We visit a park in Palo Alto, California, home of the world’s most famous donkey. 

READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-donkeys-of-barron-park-palo-alto-california

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