The ODDentity Podcast

S6 Ep. 1: Palms Up

This week, I’ll be talking about the practice of palmistry, its origins, and one of the more famous palmists, Chiro. Palmistry has a long and interesting history and is still practiced today. I think you’d be hard-pressed to find an outdoor carnival or Halloween party that didn’t feature some type of fortune-telling or palmistry.
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
 
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Sources:
Palmistry for All (Free Online Access) https://www.gutenberg.org/files/20480/20480-h/20480-h.htm
Link to Carroll’s book https://www.amazon.com/Skeptics-Dictionary-Collection-Deceptions-Dangerous/dp/0471272426/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2H89GOJBPHVUX&dchild=1&keywords=the+skeptics+dictionary&qid=1594314795&sprefix=the+skeptics+dicti%2Caps%2C161&sr=8-1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmistry
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheiro

S5 Ep. 12: Old Sweet

This week, I bring you an interview with Cindie Harper, an author and the Director of Historical Research and Paranormal Documentation of Sweet Springs Resort Park Foundation and Sweet Springs Sanitarium in Sweet Springs, West Virginia. Cindie is also the official paranormal documentarian for Sweet Springs Sanitarium. Cindie’s connection to the paranormal runs deep. In childhood, she experienced seeing mist-like apparitions and poltergeist-type activity. She used cassette recorders and cameras to conduct her own paranormal experiments and enjoyed reading and collecting ghost stories. Cindie has many years of experience in paranormal research and maintains an active role within the paranormal community by managing tours of Old Sweet (as it’s affectionately called) and continuing to document paranormal experiences. 
If you enjoy this week’s episode and would like to learn more about Sweet Springs Sanitarium, you can visit their website at www.sweetspringssanitarium.com. You can find them on Facebook as haunted sweet springs and on Instagram @sweetspringssanitarium.
For more information about Cindie’s books, visit her Amazon author page at amazon.com/author/cynthiaharper. I’ll drop a link to her Memorial Cemetery book into the show notes.
For more stories about Cindie’s experiences with the paranormal, find her page on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/hauntedharper/
If you’d like to arrange a private paranormal investigation or exploration of Sweet Springs Sanitarium, please email Cindie at: sweetspringssanitarium@gmail.com 
If you’d like to donate toward the preservation efforts at the sanitarium, you can go to https://www.sweetspringsresortpark.org/donate.
 
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted
 
Show Notes:
Find Sweet Springs Sanitarium and get social!https://www.facebook.com/hauntedsweetsprings/ instagram: @sweetspringssanitarium
Cindie’s Books/Infohttps://www.amazon.com/Memorial-Cemetery-Monroe-County-Virginia/dp/1733965726
Cindie’s Amazon Author Page:
https://www.amazon.com/Cynthia-Harper/e/B07R4G5TRG
Follow Cindie on Social Media:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/femmeforce 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sweet-Springs-Sanitarium-1046408435539952/
https://www.facebook.com/hauntedharper/Website: www.sweetspringssanitarium.com
https://www.sweetspringsresortpark.org
My personal paranormal experiences Facebook page: 
https://www.facebook.com/hauntedharper/
Twitter: @sweetsspringssan
Instagram: @sweetspringssanitarium

S5 Ep. 11: A Burking We Will Go

This week, we tag along to the local cemetery with the resurrection men, men who dug up fresh corpses for the purposes of medical study. We’ll examine the history of body snatching, the purpose, and practice, and learn about Burke and Hare, two notorious murderers who were also body snatchers and grave robbers.
This episode contains a body under a bed, some wooden shovels, a waving corpse, and some crafty body snatchers.
The ODDentity Podcast has 12 episodes per season and the final episode for this season is fast approaching. Episode 12 features that unforgettable interview I mentioned at the start of this season and I think it’s a great note to end on. Season 6 will be a little delayed as I’ve got some other projects that need my attention, but I’m hoping the downtime will be no more than 6 weeks. I hope you’ll still continue to subscribe so you’ll know when the new episodes are available and that you’ll continue to follow me on social media as I’ll still be posting things that I hope will bring your odd little hearts much joy.
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
 
SOURCES:
https://www.livescience.com/51591-gruesome-grave-robberies.html
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/in-need-cadavers-19th-century-medical-students-raided-baltimores-graves-180970629/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_snatching
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortsafe
https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/body-snatching-around-the-world/
https://www.theguardian.com/science/blog/2012/oct/19/doctors-dissection-resurrection-men-museum-london
https://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetectives/feature/body-snatching-around-the-world/
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofScotland/Burke-Hare-infamous-murderers-graverobbers/
Sappol, Michael (2002). A traffic of dead bodies: anatomy and embodied social identity in nineteenth-century America. Princeton, N.J: Princeton University Press. ISBN 0-691-05925-X.
A little something extra:
"The Body Snatcher" is a short story by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894). First published in the Pall Mall Christmas "Extra" in December 1884, its characters were based on criminals in the employ of real-life surgeon Robert Knox (1791–1862) around the time of the notorious Burke and Hare murders (1828)”
A link to an audio download is below. Enjoy!
https://librivox.org/search?title=The+Body-Snatcher&author=Stevenson&reader=&keywords=&genre_id=0&status=all&project_type=either&recorded_language=&sort_order=catalog_date&search_page=1&search_form=advanced

S5 Ep. 10: Urban Legendary

Hello ODD Pod Listeners, and welcome back to another episode.
This week, I tell the tale of the Vanishing Hitchhiker and unravel the urban folklore that surrounds this fascinating legend. It’s an old story, some written accounts dating back to 1948, and it seems as if there are many incarnations of this particular urban legend. I’ll get into the history of this legend, dissect the historical tellings that exist, and introduce you to some theories about how it originated. You might even meet some new hitchhikers along the way.
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps.
 
Sources:
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/the-vanishing-hitchhiker/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanishing_hitchhiker
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asgvJQtwwpU
http://myths.e2bn.org/mythsandlegends/origins13483-the-hitchhiker.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZIQ9S8G5fA
https://www.livescience.com/7107-urban-legends-start-persist.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/understanding-highway-hypnosis-4151811
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4466855/

S5 Ep. 9: Big Bad Bodie

Hello ODD Pod listeners and welcome back!
This week, I bring you an in-depth look at Bodie California and the ghostly history that still lingers within some of the dilapidated buildings. I realized recently that I hadn’t taken you to a haunted location for a little while and I thought Bodie would be perfect.
This episode contains a possible curse, a wild west ghost town, a lasagna sadly lacking in garlic, and *some* hospitable spirits.
Pay your respects to the spirits of Bodie at https://www.bodie.com/history/cemetery/
 
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodie,_California
https://www.visitmammoth.com/blogs/history-and-geology-bodie-ghost-town
https://ghost.hauntedhouses.com/california_bodie_bodie_cemetery#

S5 Ep. 8: The 13th Child

This week, I bring you the tale of a favorite cryptid of mine, The Jersey Devil, and the folklore that surrounds this fascinating creature. This show suggestion has been hanging around for a little while and I thought with all the unknowns we’re dealing with in our crazy world, a cryptid wouldn’t go astray.
I’d also like to fill you all in as far as what’s happening in my world right now. Currently, I’m in the process of editing the thesis for my MFA program (a 200-page document) and I’m fitting that in between work and the podcast. For the next couple of weeks, I won’t be posting episodes as I’ll be waist-deep in that document, but I’ll return on the 27th with a new episode.
This episode contains a very shitty Benjamin Franklin, a creepy cryptid, and some unreliable news sources.
Notes:
Support the Wilde Collection:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/please-help-us-rebuild-the-wilde-collection?utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=customer&utm_campaign=p_na+share-sheet&rcid=6b3b3524d42c43898c28d272f67908b3&fbclid=IwAR0hrX6RL12uGWbl-XRsvOOHM-iPIQePd8BP_ijJ9LBnUQtB3H4SOfoa-dc
That weird cell video I told you about:
https://youtu.be/cXjUDCA2ovI
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Speaking of sources...
https://pinelandsalliance.org/learn-about-the-pinelands/pinelands-history-and-culture/the-jersey-devil-and-folklore/https://web.archive.org/web/20131204044250/http://www.pinelandsalliance.org/history/devil/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jersey_Devil
https://weirdnj.com/stories/jersey-devil/
https://theweek.com/articles/442631/mysterious-origins-jersey-devil
https://www.inquirer.com/news/new-jersey/jersey-devil-history-fake-news-norman-jeffries-20190123.html
https://www.nj.com/entertainment/2016/10/13_places_the_jersey_devil_has_been_spotted_in_the.html
https://www.atlantic-county.org/history/jersey-devil-pg1.asp

S5 Ep. 7: Electronic Biceps

Spiritualism and mediumship, two topics I keep coming back to as this podcast progresses. This week, I bring you the tale of the charlatan who swindled Mary Todd Lincoln and his connections to a presidential assassin and tales of other first ladies who entertained mediums at the White House. I’ll also discuss a medium that Jane Pierce swore was the real deal and even told the woman that, when she resided in the White House, she would bring the woman in via the front door, an illustrious entrance indeed.
This episode contains a treacherous humbug, a cranial laceration, a big, haunted white house, and a set of electronic biceps.
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!
Sources:
 
Herbert Mitgang, editor, Noah Brooks, Washington in Lincoln’s Time, pp. 66-68.
Daniel Mark Epstein, The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, p. 385.
Epstein, The Lincolns: Portrait of a Marriage, p. 386.
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-spiritualist-who-warned-lincoln-was-also-booths-drinking-buddy-180954317/?page=2
https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/in-1926-houdini-spent-4-days-shaming-congress-for-being-in-thrall-to-fortunetellers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1988/05/04/mediums-and-messages/e28b3463-2c78-4ab6-8cca-9382357fd018/
https://www.whitehousehistory.org/seances-in-the-red-room
http://www.mrlincolnswhitehouse.org/residents-visitors/marys-charlatans/marys-charlatans-charles-j-colchester/
https://rogerjnorton.com/Lincoln44.html
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/xwzvwn/the-first-ladies-who-brought-witchcraft-to-the-white-house
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortune-telling

S5 Ep. 6: Q & A

S5 Ep 6: Q & A
This week I answer listener questions about me, the podcast, and my creepy collection. I welcome my dear friend Patti Wolf to ask away and peel back my crusty layers. :D
This episode contains MANY excellent questions, a chat about anxiety and treatment, and various dead things from furry to wet.
PLEASE NOTE: Patti had to call in for this episode and the audio is a little odd in some parts. I’ve tried to clean it up as best I can, but without a mixer it’s a bit trying.
NEXT EPISODE: March 30
The ODDentity Podcast is brought to you on a weekly basis by host Janine Mercer.
The podcast is written, produced, and edited by Janine Mercer (unless otherwise stated), and the music is provided by Garage Band.
Find the odd pod on Twitter and Instagram @oddentitypod and on Facebook as The Oddentity Podcast. You are welcome to email suggestions for future episodes to theoddentitypodcast@gmail.com and if you’d like a transcript of this episode, one will be available at theoddentitypodcast.wordpress.com.
Please take a moment to leave a 5* review on iTunes and, if you haven’t already, please make sure to mash that Subscribe button to be sure you’re in the know when a new episode drops. Sincerest thanks to those who have promoted The ODDentity Podcast to their family, friends, and coworkers. Every little bit helps!