The Sky King

Recently, on Show 300, I mentioned one of Time's magazine's top inventions of 2009. The Sky King Paper Airplane. You should give it a try. Here's how to make it.



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Atlanta, GA - Crypt of Civilization

Thornwell Jacobs decided to make one of the first modern era "time capsules" in the early 1930s. He was inspired by the recent openings of the Egyptian pyramids in the 1920s. So he gathered up a bunch of stuff sealed them up and now they sit waiting 6000 years to be opened.

The date of their opening will be 8113 CE. I believe that's like Star Trek-era time periods. This date was determined by the time that had passed from the creation of the capsule to the first record of human civilization. (4241 BC). That time, 6177 years, was added to the current date to determine when to open the capsule.

So there is a long wait still ahead. The crypt is about 20 feet long and 10 feet high and sealed air-tight. It contains audio recordings, films, books and even a "negro" doll and a Budweiser. To remind a future generation or alien being of our racism and drunkeness.

Over the years, the Crypt was big news and constantly in the press with marketing pushes, However, since the 1970s the buzz on the time capsule has died down significantly. It is housed in the basement of Phoebe Hearst Hall at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta. I guess we'll just have to wait 6000 years to see if anyone remembers to open it.

Michael Jackson a Hometown Tale?

Is Michael Jackson a "hometown tale". We think so. Gary, Indiana definitely touts their reputation of being the hometown of the Jackson 5 and the King of Pop himself. Then of course, there is Neverland Ranch, a portion of land in Santa Barbara County, CA. It's closest "towns" are Los Olivos and Santa Ynez but it was once just a ranch of land until Jackson purchased it and created his own private amusement park and estate. The financial hard times would force Jackson to abandon most of the ranch and sell portions of it. Although, there are no longer rides and amusements, Michael's recent death has kindled rumors of creating a "Graceland-like" memorial for Jackson at the ranch.

So 2 "hometowns" have strong tales of Jackson. What else normally make great fodder for the Hometown Tales brand? Here's a list and some reasons why he fits in;

HUMAN ODDITY
You could say Jackson was odd but more relevant was the classic rumors of Jackson wanting to purchase the bones of another hometown tale, John Merrick, the famous "elephant man". Merrick is an unfortunate example of how cruel the rest of society can be to those who are different. Although, Jackson got a lot of heat from the tabloids about his interest in Merrick. It's actually not that odd. The story of Merrick is pretty fascinating . The bones of Merrick are owned by a Museum, Jackson was interested in buying them for his collection. Any tale-lover could be interested in such a thing.

OXYGEN TANK
And then there is the oxygen tank. Remember, when the rumors circulated about Michael Jackson sleeping in an oxygen tank. What every happened to that craze? The fad was that you could live until 150 years old. Sounds like good material for our show. Walt Disney would be proud.

ALIENS
Isn't the post 1993 Jackson really an alien replacement anyway? Actually, the real Michael Jackson is still around. His alien replacement is who recently died.

ABANDONED
The Neverland Ranch has been more or less abandoned since the criminal investigation of Michael Jackson. Just imagine how much fun it would be to explore the remnants of an old Merry-Go-Round or Zoo. Is the rumor true that they just let the animals go when they closed the zoo? Are they still lurking the valley? Stay Tuned to Hometown Tales.

Preserve Greystone

I recently attended a meeting regarding the preservation of Greystone Psychiatric's historic Kirkbride Building. You've probably heard us discuss Greystone often on our show. It was once the largest structure in the nation, when you include it's underground tunnels, until the Pentagon came along. Greystone became an enormous mental health institution and it surely had it's share of tales.

Sadly, Greystone became overcrowded and tormented by abuse allegations and other questionable activity that was so prevalent in most of the mental health field at one time. Over the years it has become a shadow of it's former self. The institution has obviously reformed and even has new building for adequate treatment. However, many of the old classic abandoned buildings have been torn down. There is a growing movement to keep New Jersey from tearing down the famous and classic Kirkbride building.

Hometown Tales strongly supports this movement. Please check out PreserveGreystone.org

As well you can view some snapshots Hometown Tales took several years ago on one of our many visitors to the grounds. Unfortunately, many of the building in these photos are no longer standing.

Kalaupapa, HI - The Leper Colony

For decades, the names “Kalaupapa” and “Molokai” were synonymous with sorrow, banishment, disease and the living damned. Surrounded on three sides by the Pacific ocean and cut off from the rest of Molokai, the village of Kalaupapa was void of all amenities: No buildings, shelters nor potable water. It was the perfect place to hide away community of people that the rest of us feared and loathed. It was the perfect place to make them disappear and remain forgotten.

They hadn’t committed a crime, yet they were sentenced to a life of banishment. They were lepers.

Because of the deformities, the absence of treatment (until the last 60 years) and mystery of causes, Leprosy has been feared in almost every culture for centuries. Places like Kalaupapa were felt by many to be necessary.

The first shipments of leprosy victims came to Kalaupapa 1866, sometimes having to swim through the surf when the sea ran too high for a boat to land. Occasionally a strong rope was run from the anchored ship to the shore, and they pulled themselves painfully through the high, salty waves, with legs and feet dangling below like bait on a fishing line. The ship’s crew would then throw into the water whatever supplies had been sent, relying on currents to carry them ashore or the exiles swimming to retrieve them.

In 1873, Catholic missionary Father Damien arrived at Kalaupapa to help serve the leprosy patients. He built homes, churches and coffins, as well as, arranging for medical services. Damien contracted the disease and after 16 years of service died in 1889. Source: Visit Molokai.

Niihua, HI - The Forbidden Island

They call it the “Forbidden Island”. Although for a hefty price you can take a private helicopter tour, run by the islands owners, for a quick lunch on the island.

The Robinson Family has been a prominent family in Hawaiian history for decades. They own large amounts of property all throughout the Hawaiian islands. Through elite marriages, pineapple farming and sugar cane production they have acculumated vast wealth and prestige over the islands. The family purchased Niihua from the Kingdom of Hawai’i in the late 1800s.

Although the Robinson’s are very private, sometimes eccentric and often shy away from much press, they have engaged in many philanthrophic acts on the islands.
One being the forbidden island of Niihau. The island has always had a small population of residents and today only houses a little under 200 native hawaiians. All the residents still speak Native Hawaiian (the only island to do so) and maintain many original customs and traditions of Hawaii. Most of which are self-sufficient.

At one time the small population of the island were all employed by the farmlands and pastures. The Robinsons shut those farmlands down for lack of profit but have been working to find ways to employ the residents while still preserving the culture.
Keith Robinson still tends to many of the native plants and trees on the island. Often removing any plants or species that are not native to the area.

Although the future preservation of the island is in question, today it is still the most untouched, untamed and reminiscent of the ancient Hawaiian kingdom.

Dalton, GA - Carpet Capital of the World

Shag, Scatter Rugs, StainMaster®, Runners, Berber, Area Rugs and Wall to Wall: some town has to do it better than all the rest. That would be Dalton.After the Civil War, Catherine Evans Whitener revived the art of “tufting”) a way of making bedspreads, quilts, doilies) She sold tufted bedspreads for $2.50. Other women go in on the action and by the early 1920s bedspreads turned into scatter rugs. By the 50s, this small cottage business was turned into a multi-billion dollar carpet industry.Today, employing more than 30,000 people throughout the area, Dalton’s carpet industry has created over 150 manufacturing plants.

Elberton, GA - The Guidestones

Elberton, GAThe Guidestones of Elberton: six 19 foot-high slabs of granite. Carved into the stone are ten guiding “commandments” in eleven laguages: English, Sanskirt, Babylonian cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphics, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Arabic, Chinese, Russian, Spanish and Swahili.

Maintain humanity under 500,000,000 in perpetual balance with nature.
Guide reproduction wisely - improving fitness and diversity.
Unite humanity with a living new language.
Rule passion - faith - tradition - and all things with tempered reason.
Protect people and nations with fair laws and just courts.
Let all nations rule internally resolving external disputes in a world court.
Avoid petty laws and useless officials.
Balance personal rights with social duties.
Prize truth - beauty - love - seeking harmony with the infinite.
Be not a cancer on the earth - Leave room for nature - Leave room for nature.

In June, 1979 a man named “R.C. Christian” hired a company to build the stones and the inscription on behalf of a group who wanted to offer direction to humanity. Many are unsure who R.C. Christian was or if it were even his real name.

More info - The Elbert County Chamber of Commerce

Homestead, FL - The Coral Castle

“I have discovered the secrets of the pyramids, and have found out how the Egyptians and the ancient builders in Peru, Yucatan, and Asia, with only primitive tools, raised and set in place blocks of stone weighing many tons!” - Edward Leedskalnin

Reclusive and heart-broken, Edward Leedskalnin built the Coral Castle (today on the National Register of Historic Places) with his own two hands in the 1920s. All alone he moved over 1100 tons of rock and coral harvested from his property. What he created is a vast assembly of massive 8′ high coral rock walls, multi-ton doorways that open with the slightest pressure, a rocking chair weighing thousands of pounds that can be rocked with a finger, an underground structure reached by climbing down a one-piece spiral stone staircase to a subterranean refrigerator and a five thousand pound heart-shaped coral rock table with a red blooming ixora growing from its center.He spent 28 years working on the Coral Castle. Ed was working on the Coral Castle up until his death in December of 1951.

Ed’s notebooks are laden with schematics for magnetism and electrical experiments. Although he possessed only a fourth-grade education it seems he had discovered a means to reduce the gravitational pull of the earth. He wrote a series of pamphlets which included his theories on magnetism and cosmic force that have engineers baffled even today.Why do he do it? For the love of his “Sweet Sixteen” Agnes Scuffs. Coming from his native Latvia, Agnes had promised to marry him and then changed her mind at the last minute. Ed never married and died a single man. Although she was invited several times to visit the Coral Castle, Agnes never saw Edward Leedskalnin’s great achievement dedicated to her.

Lewes, DE - Punkin' Chuckin'

If you’re ever interested in witnessing a mile-long flight of a pumpkin, come to Lewes.

The correct festival name is Punkin’ Chunkin’ and it takes place near Lewes the first Saturday and Sunday after Halloween. Different classes for competition exist for human-powered and machine-powered distance throws and target competition. Some pumpkins are blasted from machines at speeds up to 400 mph.

Waterbury, CT - Mini Holy Land

It was every avid church-goers dream. A replica of the biblical holy land right here in the New World. Holy Land, USA was the creation of a religious lawyer, John Greco, who built the theme park of religious history in the 1950s. The “amusement park” was a big hit in the 60s and 70s as nearly 50,000 visitors walked amongst the miniature versions of Bethlehem and the temple of Jeruselem. However, John Greco was just an ordinary and humble man. Like any mortal he passed away after 90 years on this earth. After his death, the theme park closed and began to falter.

The property was left to the care of a local religious order. But like many religious orders, the organization lacked funding and resources. And since then, the park has spawned ghostly and demonic rumors. That’s what happens when religious statues and biblical theme start to fall apart. Now Waterbury is stuck with a creepy, decaying, often vandalized 17 acres of eyesore.
Is it any surprise that the religious order who cares for and owns the land are often rumored to be a mysterious cult? When teenagers trespass on the property at night to decapitate religious statues is it a shock that nuns who where long habits would get a little p.o.-ed? Thats basically where many of these rumors come from.

Holy Land U.S.A is not the home of some demonic cult. Just a poor religious order trying to keep some semblance and order to a large property that once housed a unique theme park.

San Luis Obis, CA - Bubblegum Alley

In the year 1928 bubble gum was invented by Walter Diemer; an accountant from Philadelphia. Across the country in San Luis Obis, has invention has help to create Bubble Gum Alley (at once one of the coolest and most disgusting sights you’ll ever see.)

No one is sure how this tradition got started, but for some reason, everyone who passes through this alley leaves their gum on the walls. In the early 1960’s a few wads of gum appeared stuck on a wall in the alley, then more and more. By the 1970’s the shop owners complained and demanded the gum to be cleaned off but it was too late, because the gum just kept appearing.

There are tens of thousands of multicolored wads squished one on top of another creating a pop culture frieze 70 feet long and 15 feet high. At the top, the gobs have been blackened by age and weather. Only in America can you investigate bubble gum erosion.

Every day, forty million pieces of bubble gum are chewed and about 300 people visit Bubble Gum Alley. They get creative, too: high relief sculptures of names and faces are now the latest trend.

Photo Courtesy of Shannon Ortega

Juneau, AK - How It Got Its Name

Chief Kowee, an Auk Indian who lived on Admiralty Island, should receive much of the credit for the discovery of gold in the Juneau area. With hopes of bringing prosperity to his people, he brought ore samples to Sitka where an entrepreneur named George Pilz offered to reward Indians who could lead his mining teams to gold. Pilz sent Joe Juneau and Richard Harris, two veteran prospectors, along with Kowee to locate the source of the gold. Legend says that Kowee literally dragged these reluctant prospectors up Gold Creek to what is now Silver Bow Basin.
Juneau and Harris loaded 1000 Ibs. of gold ore in their canoe and headed south to Canada instead of returning to Pilz in Sitka. Another of Pilz’s prospectors encountered them en route and brought them back to Sitka at gunpoint. Thus began Alaska’s first big gold rush, 16 years before the Klondike.

A boomtown was created: first called Harrisburg, then Pilzburg, then Rockwell, but the final name of Juneau was chosen when Joe Juneau used his first summer’s earnings to buy the votes of his fellow miners.

Lanett, AL -The Cemetery Doll House

Thanks for Eric Vaughn for filling us in on the Cemetery Doll House in the town of Lanett, Alabama.

Basically a Doll House was built over 4 year old Nadine Earle by her parents. Nadine died back in 1933 one week before Christmas. It's said that she had wanted a Doll House for Christmas and even asked for it. "Me want it now" is displayed on the marker.

There are certainly many gravesite oddities across the country but this one is certainly worth a mention. You can find more info at The Greater Valley Area website and enjoy these pics from Eric. At first it just looks cool


But when you see the inside, it gets a little creepy as the doll stares you down.