Monsters Among Us — Season 19, Episode 44:

Civil War Ghosts, Virginia Pale Crawlers, and a Psychic Dogman

Release Date: September 11, 2025
Host: Derek Hayes

Overview

In this episode of Monsters Among Us, host Derek Hayes curates a campfire-worthy selection of first-hand paranormal stories submitted by listeners. This week's tales navigate the uncanny spectrum—ranging from heartwarming “signs” from loved ones lost, to chilling encounters with Civil War spirits, elusive pale crawlers in Virginia's woods, and even psychic exchanges with the infamous Dogman.
The show stitches together witness calls with Derek’s commentary, analysis, and supportive research, offering both validation and fascinating context for each terrifying or mysterious experience.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Signs from Beyond: The Lost Grandfather’s Photo

[04:16 - 07:16]

• Caller Marie recounts a profound episode involving her mother’s late father. On a family trip to Europe, Marie’s mother lost a cherished photo of her dad to pickpocket thieves in Rome—a unique, irreplaceable keepsake she always carried. Yet, upon returning home weeks later, the photo mysteriously reappeared, neatly placed on her vanity mirror.

• The family was stunned; Marie emphasizes that her mother never displayed photos this way, nor would she have left it behind or retrieved it herself.

  “She just said, thank you, dad. Thank you so much.”
  —Marie ([06:52])

• Host’s Response: Derek is awestruck, struggling to find a logical explanation, and leans into the conclusion that this was, in some way, a message of love from beyond.

2. Civilian Rocket or…? UFO Sighting Dispelled

[08:07 - 08:44]

• Caller Eric (Connecticut) saw a fast-moving, comet-like object in the sky, wondering if it was a UFO.

• Derek investigates and determines it was likely the Polaris Dawn rocket launch, noting such spectacular displays are not uncommon near launch sites, but encourages listeners to check the social media photo and see for themselves.

  “If you’re rushing there in hopes of seeing a real genuine UFO, I’m sorry to disappoint, but I know exactly what is pictured here…”
  —Derek Hayes ([08:22])

3. Civil War Ghosts and Shadowmen

[12:44 - 15:55]
[41:07 - 44:20]

• Shelby (MS/AR border) shares a childhood experience in a Civil War-rich region, witnessing a shadowy, cloaked “man” silently cross a room in broad daylight while she and her babysitter watched in stunned silence.

  “All of a sudden this manifestation of a man…in this black dark cloak, enters from the left wall and walks four or five steps into the next wall and just disappears…”
  —Shelby ([13:27])

• Derek’s Analysis: Links Shelby’s experience to global legends of the “shadow man” or “hat man,” noting the consistency of such encounters worldwide.

• Pete (Wyoming/Florida) relays a Civil War reenactment turned ghost encounter: After a mock battle near Gettysburg, he saw a Confederate officer beckon him, only for the figure to vanish with no reenactor nearby.

  “Was it a ghost? Was it maybe a little time portal?...What would have happened to me if I did?”
  —Pete ([43:28])

• Derek’s Theory: Suggests their historical attire and the charged location acted as 'trigger objects,' possibly encouraging residual spirits to reveal themselves—a tactic often referenced in paranormal investigations.

• Supplementary Story: Derek shares a “Haunted History” anecdote where Civil War ghosts purportedly hitched a ride in a local’s truck during filming for the movie Gettysburg.

4. Apparitions at Home: The Lady in White

[18:11 - 21:53]

• Major (Anna, TX / childhood in another home) describes a harrowing encounter with a 7-foot-tall, veiled “woman in white” standing in his bedroom doorway. Validation comes when a previous occupant details having seen an identical apparition.

• Major connects this to a family story of his parents sharing the same dream—of a woman in white floating over their bed, in different rooms.

  “She says, ‘Okay, so one night I was sleeping in my bed, and I wake up in the middle of the night…and there was a woman standing in my doorway…’ I was like, are you serious? That’s exactly what I saw.”
  —Major ([20:35])

• Derek notes 'lady in white' spirits are often reserved for remote or tragic locations, but such occurrences in suburban Texas homes suggest these classic apparitions can crop up anywhere.

5. Phantom Voices and Family Hauntings

[24:58 - 28:23]

• Jay (Raeford, NC) reports hearing his own name called in public spaces and even through his sister’s voice, leading to a chilling, shared experience. His family, accustomed to the paranormal, recommends a cleansing.

  “All I could think to say to her was, ‘don’t you find it weird that our family has to deal with this so often…that you could say that with a straight face?’”
  —Jay ([27:54])

• Derek observes some people become desensitized or resigned to eerie phenomena—possibly a survival mechanism—and appreciates Jay’s openness.

6. Poltergeists and Shaking Beds

[29:49 - 32:08]

• Kathy (Mississippi) tells of her bed shaking rhythmically during her teens—a recurring phenomenon even her skeptical sister later experienced.

• She realizes she was counting squeaks aloud as the bed shook on its own.

  “What I was counting was my bed was shaking. It wasn’t shaking fast, it was shaking kind of slow, but it was squeaking…”
  —Kathy ([30:43])

• Derek’s Reaction: Acknowledges the classic poltergeist motif, and thanks Kathy for the simple but effective tale.

7. Virginia’s Pale Crawler and Cave-Dwelling Humanoids

[32:43 - 39:18]

• Danielle Duros (Fairfax, VA) describes spotting a gaunt, pale, hairless humanoid—ribs and bone structure visible—skulking near woods behind her home. Its presence gives her a deep sense of dread.

• Derek brings up “pale crawlers,” a creature often reported in the caves and wilds of Virginia and the Midwest, sharing a corroborative story from a Shenandoah National Park ranger who saw a similar being.

  “It was very shocking. I’ve always gotten an eerie feeling being back there at night…I was calling for my cat and I see this strange very skinny, hairless humanoid creature…”
  —Danielle ([33:26])

• The ranger's account included clicking sounds, a possible sign of echolocation.

8. Dogman, Psychic Communication & Uncanny Warnings

[47:41 - 55:46]

• Tony (Tacoma WA/Austin TX) recalls a terrifying two-part encounter: In Tacoma, he’s woken with the word “werewolf” in his mind, hears a large animal moving outside, but an internal voice warns him not to look; later, in Austin, he sees persistent, 7-foot-high glowing orange eyes shifting through the woods.

• Researching, Tony discovers the Dogman phenomenon and its occasional telepathic elements.

  “I hear the word werewolf in my head… there was, like, something my subconscious said, ‘do not look outside or you’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.’” —Tony ([48:48])

• Derek validates Tony’s experience with similar creature reports near both Tacoma and Austin (using stories collected by the North American Dogman Project), and references the late cryptozoologist Linda Godfrey, who documented rare telepathic Dogman interactions.

• To further ground the notion of animal psychic communication, Derek references parapsychologist Rupert Sheldrake’s research—dogs often know when their owners are coming home, suggesting a real, if mysterious, psychic link:

  “About 50% of dogs are going to the door or window when their owner’s on the way home…they were responding to the person’s intention to come home.”
  —Rupert Sheldrake ([61:48])

9. Secret Story: UFOs and Telepathy in Dallas

[67:57 - 71:23]

• Anonymous (Dallas, TX) describes witnessing an orb and a seemingly silent “aircraft” making repeated circles in the sky. The craft’s horizontal row of lights then responded to her spoken requests—changing colors (blue, then red) on demand.

• The caller feels she’s telepathically communicating with the object and mentions repeated similar phenomena.

• Derek compares her experiences to The Man Who Sees UFOs documentary and suggests her story could be much larger in scope.

  “Can you change the color blue? The craft—all the lights—one by one, turned blue. I go, okay, thank you. Can you turn the color red? All the lights again, turn the color red…”
  —Anonymous caller ([70:46])

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On shadow people:

  “The hat man, the shadow man, shadow people, whatever you want to call them, they’re witnessed and reported regularly from all over the world.”
  —Derek Hayes ([15:57])

• On “trigger object” theory:

  “Given that you and your fellow reenactors were dressed to the nines…perhaps that acted as a trigger object to the spirit, bringing the activity to life.”
  —Derek Hayes ([44:27])

• On telepathic Dogman encounters:

  “Linda [Godfrey]…found that only two out of the 33 [dogman encounters] involved some sort of telepathy…”
  —Derek Hayes ([61:22])

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment | Description | |-----------|------------------------|--------------------------------------------| | 04:16 | Marie’s photo story | Lost and found photo “from beyond” | | 08:07 | Eric’s rocket sighting | UFO explained as Polaris Dawn rocket | | 12:44 | Shelby’s Civil War ghost| Shadowman apparition in Arkansas | | 18:11 | Major’s Lady in White | Recurring home and family apparition | | 24:58 | Jay’s phantom voices | Name called, shared familial nonchalance | | 29:49 | Kathy’s shaking bed | Classic poltergeist phenomena | | 32:43 | Danielle’s pale crawler| Emaciated cave-being behind her home | | 41:07 | Pete’s reenactor ghost | Civil War officer near Gettysburg | | 47:41 | Tony’s Dogman tale | Telepathic warning; orange eyes | | 67:57 | Anonymous UFO caller | Lights respond telepathically in Dallas |

Conclusion

Derek wraps with his signature mix of appreciation and curiosity, tying together the threads of coincidence, personal validation, and folklore. The show closes with additional calls in the After Show (for Patreon subscribers), a reminder to “keep it spooky,” and the promise that community-driven paranormal storytelling is alive and well.

Tone & Language:
The host maintains a mix of journalistic curiosity and campfire camaraderie, often validating callers' feelings and reinforcing the legitimacy of their experiences. This creates a supportive space for sharing the unexplained.

For new listeners:
This episode typifies Monsters Among Us: crowdsourced, atmospheric, and always seeking to balance rational investigation with an open mind for “high strangeness.”