A Liverpool merchant spent 30 years tunneling beneath his own neighborhood and never said why. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli weigh seven theories about Joseph Williamson and his mysterious underground labyrinth.

https://youtu.be/GuEb4R5XLRg

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

• Jim Moore, Underground Liverpool: Joseph Williamson—The King of Edge Hill (Bluecoat Press, 1998)
• Richard Whittington-Egan, Liverpool Characters and Eccentrics (The Gallery Press, 1985)
• David Clensy, The Mole of Edge Hill (2006)
• James Stonehouse, Recollections of Old Liverpool by a Nonagenarian (1863)—full text at Project Gutenberg
• Charles R. Hand, “Joseph Williamson, the ‘King of Edge Hill,’ II,” Transactions of the Historic Society of Lancashire and Cheshire, vol. 79 (1928), pp. 86–111
• Friends of Williamson’s Tunnels (FoWT)—excavation, tours, primary research
• Williamson Tunnels Heritage Centre / Joseph Williamson Society
• Williamson Tunnels—Wikipedia overview with references

• Please spread the word about the podcast. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
• Purchase the books and other material from this and other episodes at the Mysterious World Bookstore.
• Join the conversation at the Starquest Facebook page and the Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World Facebook page.
• Be part of the StarQuest Discord community at SQPN.com/discord
• Send your feedback or comments to feedback@mysterious.fm or send a tweet to @mys_world
• You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515

Chapters:

• 0:00 – MYS424
• 0:12 – Intro
• 0:44 – The mystery: thirty years of tunneling, no explanation
• 1:37 – Who was Joseph Williamson?
• 3:46 – The Liverpool Mercury obituary (1840)
• 5:26 – Edge Hill and the geology: New Red Sandstone
• 8:06 – The eccentric houses above ground
• 9:51 – What Charles Hand found underground
• 12:03 – Boys exploring the tunnels: Hand’s childhood expeditions
• 14:43 – Hand’s adult revisit (1926): the descent
• 17:19 – James Stonehouse’s 1845 tour
• 19:34 – The two underground four-room houses
• 20:02 – Williamson’s character and eccentric dress
• 21:53 – The window tax story
• 23:04 – The beans and bacon test dinner
• 24:56 – His religious life: St. Thomas’s Church
• 27:23 – The Rambler’s 1837 appreciation
• 29:10 – Death, burial, and the suppressed Stonehouse manuscript
• 31:30 – Modern excavations: Friends of Williamson’s Tunnels
• 33:16 – Thank you to Patrons
• 33:50 – Sponsor: Peter’s Barque presented by The Grady Group
• 35:36 – Theories overview: seven proposed explanations
• 37:49 – Analysis: Freemasonry theory
• 38:32 – Analysis: Smuggling theory
• 39:06 – Analysis: Apocalyptic refuge theory
• 42:12 – Analysis: Storage / wine cellars theory
• 43:19 – Analysis: Personal eccentricity theory
• 44:48 – Analysis: Quarrying theory
• 48:24 – Analysis: Charity theory
• 53:07 – Reason Perspective
• 54:01 – Faith Perspective
• 55:03 – Bottom Line
• 56:02 – Further Resources
• 56:47 – Mysterious Feedback: #413 The Shocking Secret Manuscript of the Anna Eklund Exorcism
• 1:00:11 – Your mysterious feedback
• 1:00:48 – Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
• 1:00:55 – Jimmy’s YouTube channel
• 1:01:51 – Next Time: Voice-to-skull technology
• 1:02:34 – Share and follow the show
• 1:02:47 – Get your Mysterious merch
• 1:02:56 – Show notes
• 1:03:03 – Become a Patron
• 1:03:11 – Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
• 1:03:37 – Outro

This Episode is Brought to You By:

Rosary Army. Featuring award-winning Catholic podcasts, Rosary resources, videos, and the School of Mary online community, prayer, and learning platform. Learn how to make them, pray them, and give them away while growing in your faith at RosaryArmy.com and SchoolOfMary.com

The Grady Group, a Catholic company bringing financial clarity to their clients across the United States. Using safe money options to produce reasonable rates of return for their clients. Learn more by visiting GradyGroupInc.com.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

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A bottomless pit in central Washington, 80,000 feet deep and impossible to fill. In 1997, one phone call to Art Bell turned a piece of local folklore into a national mystery. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli investigate Mel’s Hole.

https://youtu.be/MPfOoCjG6EQ

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

• “Mel’s Hole” (Wikipedia)
• “Mel’s Hole” (Grokipedia)
• Mike Johnston, “Getting to the bottom of Mel’s Hole” (Ellensburg Daily Record, March 31, 2012)
• John Zebrowski, “Expedition seeks paranormal pit” (The Seattle Times, April 14, 2002)
• Brian Dunning, “Falling into Mel’s Hole” (Skeptoid #156, June 2, 2009)
• Audio archive of original Mel Waters Coast to Coast AM appearances
• “Mel Waters” guest page, Coast to Coast AM

• Please spread the word about the podcast. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
• Purchase the books and other material from this and other episodes at the Mysterious World Bookstore.
• Join the conversation at the Starquest Facebook page and the Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World Facebook page.
• Be part of the StarQuest Discord community at SQPN.com/discord
• Send your feedback or comments to feedback@mysterious.fm or send a tweet to @mys_world
• You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515

Chapters:

• 0:00 – MYS423
• 0:13 – Intro
• 2:42 – Mel’s first call (Feb. 21, 1997)
• 5:01 – Neighborhood dump
• 6:50 – Measuring with fishing line
• 9:14 – Stone retaining wall
• 10:48 – No echo and spooked dogs
• 11:50 – The dead dog that came back
• 13:06 – Native American connection
• 14:00 – Second call (Feb. 24, 1997)
• 17:04 – Government arrives
• 19:26 – The black beam of llight
• 20:27 – Third call (April 2000)
• 22:00 – Australia relocation
• 23:38 – Twelve days missing
• 27:02 – 1943 Roosevelt dime
• 32:37 – Final call (January 2002)
• 32:51 – Nevada hole
• 35:06 – Ice experiment
• 38:36 – Lowering the sheep
• 40:12 – Seal-like creature
• 44:08 – Basque elder and second dime
• 45:23 – Mel goes off-grid
• 49:44 – After Mel
• 51:21 – Thank you to Patrons
• 51:54 – Sponsor: Transformed – The Legend of Rising Eagle
• 52:35 – Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
• 52:58 – Theories
• 53:20 – Reason Perspective
• 1:04:27 – Faith Perspective
• 1:07:42 – Bottom Line
• 1:08:58 – Further Resources
• 1:09:37 – Mysterious Feedback: #412 The Earling Exorcism
• 1:15:10 – Your mysterious feedback
• 1:15:48 – Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
• 1:15:53 – Jimmy’s YouTube channel
• 1:16:31 – Next Time: Joseph Williamson’s Tunnels
• 1:16:57 – Mysterious World store
• 1:17:05 – Get your Mysterious merch
• 1:17:13 – Show notes
• 1:17:21 – Become a Patron
• 1:17:29 – Sponsor: The Grady Group
• 1:17:49 – Outro

This Episode is Brought to You By:

Rosary Army. Featuring award-winning Catholic podcasts, Rosary resources, videos, and the School of Mary online community, prayer, and learning platform. Learn how to make them, pray them, and give them away while growing in your faith at RosaryArmy.com and SchoolOfMary.com

The Grady Group, a Catholic company bringing financial clarity to their clients across the United States. Using safe money options to produce reasonable rates of return for their clients. Learn more by visiting GradyGroupInc.com.

Available now on Amazon in ebook and paperback.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

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The most famous lost object in history — the Ark of the Covenant — vanished from Scripture before 586 BC and was never seen again. Jimmy Akin and Dom Bettinelli examine what it was, trace its history, and weigh nine theories for where it went.

https://youtu.be/OiAOWcLk454

Help us continue to offer Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World. Won’t you make a pledge at SQPN.com/give today?

Links for this episode:

• David Falk, The Ark of the Covenant in Its Egyptian Context
• Graham Hancock, The Sign and the Seal: The Quest for the Lost Ark of the Covenant
• Tudor Parfitt, The Lost Ark of the Covenant: Solving the 2,500-Year-Old Mystery of the Fabled Biblical Ark
• Randall Price, Searching for the Ark of the Covenant
• Paul Raffaele, “Keepers of the Lost Ark?” Smithsonian, December 2007
• Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews (Whiston translation)
• Mishnah, Yoma 5:2/21b, 53b–54a (Sefaria)
• E. A. Wallis Budge, trans., The Queen of Sheba and Her Only Son Menyelek (Kebra Nagast)

• Please spread the word about the podcast. Leave us a review on Apple Podcasts!
• Purchase the books and other material from this and other episodes at the Mysterious World Bookstore.
• Join the conversation at the Starquest Facebook page and the Jimmy Akin’s Mysterious World Facebook page.
• Be part of the StarQuest Discord community at SQPN.com/discord
• Send your feedback or comments to feedback@mysterious.fm or send a tweet to @mys_world
• You can also leave a voice message on the Mysterious Feedback Line at (619) 738-4515

Chapters:

• 0:00 – MYS422
• 0:11 – Intro
• 1:43 – What Is the Ark of the Covenant?
• 8:50 – Physical Construction
• 13:43 – Contents of the Ark
• 18:08 – History: Conquest and Judges
• 21:26 – David and Uzzah
• 23:50 – Solomon’s Temple
• 24:50 – Silence
• 27:09 – The Babylonian Destruction
• 32:36 – Ancient traditions about its fate
• 36:06 – The Ark in the New Testament
• 37:30 – Thank you to Patrons
• 37:59 – Sponsor: Transformed – The Legend of Rising Eagle
• 38:41 – Sponsor: Rosary Army and School of Mary
• 39:03 – Theories
• 40:45 – Reason Perspective: Alien/ET removal?
• 43:29 – Knights Templar?
• 46:26 – Translated to heaven?
• 58:59 – Samaritans?
• 1:00:41 – Jeremiah hid it?
• 1:06:18 – Under the Temple Mount?
• 1:09:27 – Aksum in Ethiopia?
• 1:21:12 – Pharoah Shishak?
• 1:24:08 – Destroyed by Babylon?
• 1:33:26 – Faith Perspective
• 1:36:44 – Bottom Line
• 1:37:56 – Top. Men.
• 1:38:47 – Further Resources
• 1:40:01 – Mysterious Feedback: #411 George Adamski, Alien Contactee
• 1:42:51 – Your mysterious feedback
• 1:43:26 – Thank you to Oasis Studio 7
• 1:43:31 – Jimmy’s YouTube channel
• 1:44:17 – Next Time: Mel’s Hole
• 1:44:39 – Share the show
• 1:44:51 – Get your Mysterious merch
• 1:44:58 – Show notes
• 1:45:06 – Become a Patron
• 1:45:13 – Sponsor: The Grady Group
• 1:45:33 – Outro

This Episode is Brought to You By:

Rosary Army. Featuring award-winning Catholic podcasts, Rosary resources, videos, and the School of Mary online community, prayer, and learning platform. Learn how to make them, pray them, and give them away while growing in your faith at RosaryArmy.com and SchoolOfMary.com

The Grady Group, a Catholic company bringing financial clarity to their clients across the United States. Using safe money options to produce reasonable rates of return for their clients. Learn more by visiting GradyGroupInc.com.

Available now on Amazon in ebook and paperback.

Want to Sponsor A Show?
Support StarQuest’s mission to explore the intersection of faith and pop culture by becoming a named sponsor of the show of your choice on the StarQuest network. Click to get started or find out more.

Direct Link to the Episode.

Subscribe on iTunes. | Other Ways to Subscribe.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download