What if I told you Stranger Things wasn’t just inspired by the 80s - it was inspired by actual government experiments on unwitting citizens?

Project MKUltra was the CIA’s decades-long program testing mind control, psychic abilities, and psychological torture on people who never consented. We’re talking LSD dosing, sensory deprivation, electroshock therapy, and attempts to create actual telepaths.

This isn’t conspiracy theory bullshit - this is documented, declassified, admitted-to-by-the-government history.

Join me as we dive into the real Hawkins Lab, explore why the Duffer Brothers were obsessed with this story, and uncover just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Spoiler: it’s way darker than anything Netflix showed you. Are we ready? Let’s get into some truly creepy shit.

Content Warning: This episode contains discussions of non-consensual human experimentation, psychological torture, suicide, and government abuse. Listener discretion is advised.

Sources Referenced:

∙ Church Committee Hearings (1975)

∙ Declassified MKUltra documents (available via FOIA)

∙ “The Search for the Manchurian Candidate” by John Marks

∙ Testimony of CIA Director William Colby

∙ Frank Olson case files

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On April 20, 1989, 37-year-old Patricia Meehan crashed her car on a remote Montana highway, climbed out unhurt, and walked into an empty field—never to be seen again. Or was she? Over 5,000 people reported seeing her in the months and years that followed, always at truck stops, always alone, always talking to herself. But she was never found.

This deep dive explores one of the most bizarre and potentially paranormal missing persons cases in American history. Patricia Meehan’s disappearance defies conventional explanation: her footprints vanished into thin air, massive searches found nothing, yet thousands of witnesses swore they saw her wandering the Pacific Northwest for years.

Discover the haunting details: the silent stare after the crash, the footprints that led nowhere, the verified sightings across multiple states, and the heartbreaking search by parents who died without answers. Was Patricia suffering from amnesia? Did she intentionally disappear? Or did she walk into something paranormal we can’t explain?

35 years later, this case remains unsolved and deeply disturbing.

RESOURCES & REFERENCES

Primary Sources:

∙ The Charley Project: Patricia Bernadette Meehan

∙ NamUs Case File

∙ Doe Network Case #1071DFMT

Media Coverage:

∙ NBC’s Unsolved Mysteries, Season 2, Episode 6 (November 1, 1989)

∙ Wikipedia: Disappearance of Patricia Meehan

∙ The Seattle Times (September 1990)

∙ Associated Press reports (1989)

Additional Resources:

∙ The Trail Went Cold Podcast

∙ True Crime Time: “The Baffling Disappearance & Sightings of Patricia Meehan”

∙ Medium: Multiple articles by various true crime writers

Contact Information:

McCone County Sheriff’s Office: 406-485-3405​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

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Discover the dark history of Wisconsin’s most haunted abandoned mansion—the Alexian Brothers Novitiate in Gresham, Wisconsin. This true paranormal story features everything: a mother’s tragic grief, a peaceful monastery turned battleground, an armed standoff that made national headlines, and all the potential for some serious hauntings.

In this episode of Creepy Shit Podcast, I investigate a fan-requested haunted location right in our own backyard. Built in 1939 for a disabled daughter who died before ever seeing it, this 35-room limestone mansion became a Catholic novitiate before being seized by the Menominee Warrior Society in a violent 34-day armed occupation in 1975. The standoff featured gunfire, the National Guard, and even Marlon Brando. After suspected arson destroyed the interior, the mansion sat abandoned for decades—but paranormal investigators believe the spirits never left.

Listen Now & experience the heavy, watchful energy that still permeates this tragic location. With restoration currently underway and plans to convert it into an Airbnb, this haunted mansion may soon be open to ghost hunters and paranormal enthusiasts. Could you handle spending a night where monks prayed, warriors fought, and a young girl’s spirit may still be waiting?

This documentary-style investigation covers:

- The heartbreaking death of Jane Peters and her mother’s grief

- Life inside the Catholic monastery (1950-1972)

- The Menominee Warrior Society’s “Deed or Death” occupation

- Gunfire, National Guard intervention, and negotiation with Marlon Brando

- The mysterious fire that gutted the mansion in 1975

- Current paranormal activity and restoration efforts

- Why this location has every element needed for a genuine haunting

**Perfect for fans of true ghost stories, haunted history, abandoned places, Wisconsin paranormal activity, Native American history, and well-researched supernatural investigations. If you love shows like Morbid, And That’s Why We Drink, Spooked, or Lore, you’ll love this deep dive into one of the Midwest’s most haunted and forgotten locations.

REFERENCES & RESOURCES

Primary Historical Sources:

- Alexian Brothers’ Novitiate - Wikipedia

- Gresham Novitiate Official Website (greshamnovitiate.com)

- “The Abbey and Me” - J. Patrick Rick (2011) - Documentary & Book

- WTMJ News: “Deed or Death: The 1975 Alexian Brothers Novitiate Standoff” (February 2025)

Historical Documentation:

- Milwaukee Journal Archives (1941, 1975)

- Shawano County Historical Records

- Recollection Wisconsin: Novitiate Takeover Collection

- College of Menominee Nation Archives

Paranormal Investigation:

- “Mission Terror” - GRAGG Team Episode (2015)

Photography & Visual Documentation:

- Al Bergstein Historical Photos (1975 standoff)

- American Urbex: Alexian Brothers Novitiate Photo Documentation

- Star’s Visit Photos: @CreepyShitPodcast (Instagram/TikTok)

Location Information:

- Status: Currently under restoration (CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC)

- Future Plans: Potential Airbnb/wedding venue/retreat center

Related Topics:

- Menominee Tribe Termination Era

- Second Vatican Council reforms

- American Indian Movement (AIM)

- 1970s Native American activism

- Wisconsin haunted locations

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.