Front Porch Mysteries with Carole Townsend
Author and veteran journalist Carole Townsend shares remarkable tales from the South, tales of mystery, terror, and wonder. Townsend has built a career on the premise that truth really is stranger than fiction.
Here in the South, we love our stories. We begin in childhood huddled around campfires, whispering of things best spoken in the dark, confiding in our small trusting circles. Why is that, do you suppose? I have researched and investigated Southern history for more than 20 years and I believe it has to do with this region itself. There's a lot that hangs in the ether here and much that is buried deep in the soil. There's beauty here in the South and shame and courage and, make no mistake, there is evil. There's always been the element of the unexplained, the just out of reach that we can all feel but can never quite describe. And the best place for telling tales about such things is the comfort and safety of an old front porch. So I invite you tonight to come up here with me, settle back into a chair and get comfortable, pour yourself a drink if you like, and I'll share with you some of the tales best told in the company of friends, tales that prove that truth really is stranger than fiction, and I'll turn on the light. You're going to want that. I'm Carole Townsend. Welcome to my front porch.
Front Porch Mysteries with Carole Townsend
Creatures in the Mist
The blue mist shrouding the Great Smoky Mountains hides more than just breathtaking vistas and ancient forests – it conceals centuries of mysteries that continue to elude explanation. This rugged wilderness, spanning Tennessee and North Carolina, draws millions of visitors annually to its trails and streams. Yet beneath its serene beauty lurks an unsettling statistic: the Great Smoky Mountains ranks among America's five deadliest national parks, with 101 recorded deaths in just thirteen years.
More chilling still are those who simply vanish without a trace. Since record-keeping began, at least five people have disappeared completely in these mountains – six-year-old Dennis Martin in 1969, teenager Teresa Gibson in 1976, Polly Melton in 1981, Derek Luking in 2012, and murder suspect William Bishop Jr. Despite extensive searches across the park's 522,000 acres, no remains have ever been found.
What could explain these disappearances? Native American traditions spanning centuries describe an intelligent, reclusive species inhabiting these forested regions – tall, hair-covered beings walking upright that avoid human contact whenever possible. From ancient cave drawings to modern encounters, the descriptions remain remarkably consistent: creatures standing 7-10 feet tall, covered in reddish-brown hair, emitting distinctive odors and vocalizations that can't be attributed to known wildlife. Scientists have analyzed audio recordings revealing what appears to be structured communication, including infrasonic capabilities that affect human physiology. Meanwhile, researchers continue finding physical evidence – from massive footprint casts to complex forest structures – suggesting the presence of something beyond conventional explanation.
Most compelling are the firsthand accounts from witnesses who have encountered these beings, from hunters frozen in mutual observation with these creatures to families documenting gift exchanges spanning generations. Their stories, told with unwavering conviction, challenge our understanding of what remains undiscovered in Earth's diminishing wilderness. As one witness poignantly observed: "I don't care if people believe me because I know exactly how this sounds, but I know what I saw and what I heard." Perhaps there's wisdom in acknowledging that despite our technological advances, mystery still dwells in the shadows of our ancient forests, reminding us how much remains unknown. Subscribe now to explore more boundary-pushing investigations and decide for yourself what lurks beyond the edges of the known world.
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For centuries, humans have reported seeing and even encountering strange creatures in the wild. Often called mythical beings, these creatures seem to appear and fade like wisps of smoke, and they've done so for centuries. Native American legends tell of one such creature. Their art depicts this creature. Storytellers tell of an unnaturally tall being covered in hair, with large features, a wide mouth and a shy, secretive nature. Early settlers here in the United States have recorded accounts of seeing and even interacting with this creature. Hikers and inhabitants of the Himalayas and Southeast Asia have reported seeing a similar being. Kenyans, south Americans and the Japanese have their own tales of this elusive beast. The stories span centuries, they span continents and the accounts are eerily similar. Come up here and sit beside me tonight and let's talk about this creature, where it lives and how it behaves. You may be surprised by what I have to share with you.
Carole Townsend:Is there anything better than a well-told story? I don't mean a movie or a social media reel. I mean a story told by a skilled storyteller. I don't mean a movie or a social media reel. I mean a story told by a skilled storyteller. I don't think so. An engaging tale told in the right place, at the right time and by the right person captures us. It captures our imagination. It takes us away from the here and now and carries us to the world of what if, when we were kids. Was there anything better than sitting around a campfire? The cold, dark night at our backs, the warmth and light of the fire drawing us closer, comforting us as we listen to a well-spun tale? I don't think that feeling ever truly leaves us, even as adults. Sure, it gets lost in the busyness that we create in our adult worlds, but it comes back to us in an instant, doesn't it? When we gather again to tell our stories. Here in the South, a welcoming front porch is often where we spin our tales now. It's familiar and it welcomes others to join us. At the end of the day, when we've put away our cares and responsibilities for just a few hours, we sit and we talk and maybe we rock in a comfortable chair and we're taken back to a time when the story was the thing, the only thing. So join me tonight, won't you, as we step into another tale that's rooted in both truth and in myth. And to keep the dark and cold at bay, I'll turn on the light.
Carole Townsend:The following podcast contains material that may be disturbing. Listener, discretion is advised.
Carole Townsend:The Great Smoky Mountains are a sub-range of the Appalachian Mountain Chain, spanning a line along the Tennessee and North Carolina borders. This mighty mountain chain got its name Shako-no-He from the Cherokee Nation, which, loosely translated, means Land of Blue Smoke, formed about 200 million years ago. The Great Smoky Mountain terrain is rugged and densely forested. Streams and waterfalls punctuate the otherwise deep blue-green vistas. Rock outcroppings and hidden caves also crouch among the trees, making this magnificent area a favorite destination for explorers and for nature lovers. An intricate network of hiking trails crisscrosses these mountains, beckoning more than 10 million visitors every year to lace up their boots, shoulder their packs and leave the stresses and anxieties of their everyday lives at the trailhead.
Carole Townsend:While the Great Smoky Mountains are indeed breathtaking in their beauty and impressive in their magnitude, visitors would do well to remember that these mighty mountains are ancient, foreboding and often treacherous. These great ridges have borne witness to the births and deaths of civilizations and there's something palpable, sometimes terrifying, in that silent watching and knowing. Only the most elite hikers and adventurers dare to veer off the rugged trails to explore the dense forests and craggy formations on their own. And yes, despite this region's popularity among nature lovers. A beautiful blue veil shrouds the mighty peaks and cloaks the deep green forests. It winds above and through the rushing and falling waters that feed those forests. It's dreamlike, it's mesmerizing and it's a reminder that mystery shrouds the many disappearances and deaths this area has claimed and continues to claim through the centuries. While the vast region was designated a national park by President Calvin Coolidge in 1926 remember this ancient ecosystem is millions of years old.
Carole Townsend:Recent data from the National Park Service names the Great Smoky Mountains among the top five deadliest national parks in the nation, recording 101 deaths in just the past 13 years. Now, nearly half of those deaths is attributed to vehicle crashes. And, of course, there are the inevitable bear attacks and even occasional run-ins with bobcats. When man and nature cross paths, there are deadly accidental falls, there are cardiac arrests, there are drownings, there are suicides and there are murders. And then there are the disappearances. Through july 22nd 2024, more than 2200 people had been at the center of search and rescue incidents in United States national parks. Many of those cases, of course, are children getting separated from their parents and soon being reunited at guest visitor stations. Others are more serious cases that involve multi-day searches, and some disappearances have never been solved and some disappearances have never been solved. In the past few decades alone, great Smoky Mountains National Park has swallowed four people whole possibly five, and has never spit them back out.
Carole Townsend:Six-year-old Dennis Lloyd Martin's disappearance is the oldest on official record in the park. On June 14, 1969, this little boy was playing hide-and-seek in Spence Field near the Appalachian Trail. He ducked behind a bush and has never been seen again. On October 8, 1976, 16-year-old Teresa Gibson was last seen hiking with her group back from Andrew's Bald Trail to the parking area of what was then known as Clingman's Dome. At around 10 minutes to 3 that afternoon she simply disappeared. One member of her group suggested that she might have tried to hike cross-country to Clingmans Dome rather than continue a half mile on the trail, but that suggestion is merely a theory. No one knows what happened to Teresa is merely a theory. No one knows what happened to Teresa. On September 25, 1981, polly Melton disappeared in the Deep Creek area of the park. She was hiking with two other friends, walked over a hill and was never seen again On March 3, 2012,.
Carole Townsend:Derek Luking was never seen again On March 3rd 2012,. Derek Luking was last seen leaving his hotel in Cherokee, north Carolina. Two weeks later, his car was found in a parking lot at Newfound Gap in the park and he was reported missing at that time. He has never been found.
Carole Townsend:There's actually one more person the FBI considered for years to be missing in the park. His name is William Bishop Jr. He disappeared in March 1976, but he was added to the FBI's most wanted list in 2014. According to the FBI, just one day before Bishop was last seen at a sporting goods store in Jacksonville, north Carolina, he allegedly bludgeoned his wife, mother and three sons to death in Bethesda, maryland. Bishop's car was found more than two weeks later in the Elkmont area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The FBI said he was charged with murder in Maryland and he faced the federal charge of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution. In 2014, for undisclosed reasons, the FBI believed Bishop might have assumed a new identity and could be hiding in plain sight. If this is the case and if he is still alive today, he would be 88 years old, but neither he nor his remains have ever been found anywhere.
Carole Townsend:Five people that might not sound like many disappearances over the years in a park the size of the Great Smoky Mountains, but even so, where did they go. Remember, records of these disappearances have only been kept for a very brief period of time, considering the age of the mountain range. What could have possibly happened to these people? No remains have ever been found, but remember, the park covers more than 522,000 acres. Much of that land is rarely, if ever, traversed.
Carole Townsend:And all of these questions lead us back to the reclusive creatures that dwell in the blue mist in the forest. Call the creatures what you will bigfoot, sasquatch, yeti, wendigo or any one of dozens of other names, given this being by various civilizations. Do they really exist? And if they do, could they somehow be responsible for or have knowledge about the disappearances of these people? 46% of the world is covered in wilderness, but that wilderness is occupied by less than 3% of the world population. So what else is out there?
Carole Townsend:The more I delved into researching the Great Smoky Mountains and the reclusive creature that's been reported for centuries to inhabit the area, the more curious I became. And when I began learning about Native American accounts of this creature, that's when I began seeing a correlation between sightings and disappearances. Listen, I know what you're thinking. The mysterious creature we know here in the South as Bigfoot is simply a myth, a tall tale spun by the lunatic fringe. I know this because I thought the very same thing, and I have for years.
Carole Townsend:But as I sat with a Native American man recently whose Salish ancestors inhabited the Pacific Northwest hundreds of years ago, I watched his face as he told me the stories his grandfather and great-grandfather told him. I looked into his eyes as he shared photographs of cave drawings that clearly depict a very tall, very hairy creature that walks upright and towers over mere men. I heard from this man the beliefs that his people held about Salish Sasquatch or Sasquatch that these creatures are part of a shy, retiring but advanced and highly developed civilization that avoids encounters with humans whenever possible. I suppose I can understand that, given our track record. Some civilizations, this man's Salish ancestors included, have imbued this being with supernatural powers, though I have a hard time imagining that. There's one thing I've learned in my many years of investigative journalism I don't know everything. My conversation with this man left me wanting to know even more. My curiosity led me to the world's largest Bigfoot museum, located in Blue Ridge, georgia, with life-size replicas of the creature, footprint casts and unexplained audio recordings that hint at an actual intelligent language. I was drawn into the sheer mystery of it all language. I was drawn into the sheer mystery of it all.
Carole Townsend:The guttural sounds, whoops and screams sound terrifying, but those can be faked, couldn't they? Scientists all over the globe have indeed identified many sounds as being those of other animals and even humans, but there are recordings of sounds such as the 1971 Sierra Sounds recording that can't be identified by experts as being made by any currently known creature. These recordings include 80 hours of Sasquatch or Bigfoot communication that's been verified by linguists, investigators and even a naval officer trained to identify human and animal sounds. Other recordings reveal communication between these creatures by banging rocks together or by striking trees in a recognizable pattern. And then there are the infrared sounds emitted by these same creatures, at least according to linguists and other scientists. These infrared sounds are intense, the range is striking and the sound quality has a physical effect on those who hear it, ranging from fear to nausea to paralysis.
Carole Townsend:And the descriptions of this elusive creature are strikingly familiar Tall, broad, covered in hair, walking upright on two legs. They live in densely forested areas. They've been spotted peering from behind trees, resting on rock surfaces and wading in creeks and rivers. Hunters and researchers have found large shelters made of twigs, leaves and branches tucked away deep in the forest, clearly built with intelligent design and purpose, with beds made of leaves and moss, and even with food caches. There are too many reports to count in which hunters and explorers report rocks and sticks being thrown at them from the cover of trees, often from more than one direction. They report the sounds and movements of a very large creature that remains out of sight. They consistently report a terrible smell that seems to accompany the creatures, a smell similar to that of a skunk. They report strange formations found in the woods, made of branches and rocks that appear to mark areas for some unknown designation. Such accounts again span centuries, not just decades.
Carole Townsend:There are many sightings and stories throughout Tennessee, georgia and North Carolina. In the Smokies, in fact, the phenomenon has grown so much that there is now an annual Smoky Mountain Bigfoot Conference where researchers, biologists, linguists and other experts gather to discuss and dissect these sightings and communications. Some are debunked, some sightings and sounds are attributed to other animals in the wild, such as bears and coyotes, but others simply cannot be explained away. A bipedal animal that stands 8 to 10 feet tall and weighs around 500 pounds, covered in hair, found in heavily forested areas, often with treacherous terrain, a creature that, no matter the geographical area, seems to communicate with screams, howls and low guttural noises, even infrared noise that has a clear impact on the human brain. They bang rocks together and hit trees with sticks too, to communicate or to warn. There are videos of this creature, but I've personally never seen one that isn't terribly grainy and, frankly, suspect. But there's definitely something out there. What could it possibly be? I had to know more. So I went back to my research in an attempt to find someone who's actually seen the creature, and I did.
Carole Townsend:This particular incident took place in the Cumberland Gap in Tennessee. I reached out to this man, a hunter, at the suggestion of a Bigfoot researcher who had spoken at the Smoky Mountain Conference on several occasions foot researcher who has spoken at the Smoky Mountain Conference on several occasions. It took a few weeks, but eventually the man, who understandably wishes to remain anonymous, sat across the table from me at a popular diner, clearly both eager and anxious about sharing his experience with me. Here's what he said and I'm quoting with me. Here's what he said and I'm quoting I was a teenager at the time and I was out hunting squirrels.
Carole Townsend:I was crouched against a tree, waiting and listening for any activity. When I heard what I believed to be squirrels running along the floor of the forest you know that sound, leaves rustling and clearly headed in a certain direction, I nodded yes, because as a young girl I often played in the woods and can remember that scurrying shuffle very well. Quoting again here, I looked around the tree and saw something big, covered in reddish-brown hair, walking down the hill through the woods. It walked on two legs like a man, but it was probably seven or eight feet tall. I could see it clearly from where I sat and it was clear to me that he had spotted me. We just stayed there looking at one another, not moving, and I was so scared I really thought I was going to vomit. This probably lasted just a few seconds, but it seemed like hours. Then it just kept walking, taking long strides and swinging its arms, and when he got far back enough into some tree cover, he turned and looked at me again before he disappeared into the forest. Then he let out a blood-curdling scream and began hitting a tree with the branch, and he was hitting it in a distinct pattern. It kind of reminded me of Morse code, and the smell it was awful, like skunk, but worse. I'll never forget it. That's the end of his quote. When I asked him if, all those years ago, he might have remembered this incident with a young boy's imagination, he answered no before I even finished the question, adding I don't care if people believe me because I know exactly how this sounds, but I know what I saw and what I heard. I asked if he has had other encounters with such a creature, and he has not. Now, I'm no psychologist or a behaviorist, but I have learned over the years to read people's body language as I interview them. This man did not fidget. He did not look away or seem to be reaching for details as we spoke. In other words, I believe he believes what he told me.
Carole Townsend:I was fortunate enough to locate and sit down with another gentleman who claims to have spotted and actually interacted with this creature. In late October 2008, this man's 18-year-old son called on his cell phone, obviously nervous and very excited. Get down here quick, he told his father, and bring a flashlight and your shotgun. The son was smoking a cigarette on the back porch of the home and his father was upstairs asleep. Within minutes, the man was standing beside his son shining his flashlight out into the heavily wooded area behind their house. Once the son pinpointed where his father should be shining the light, both of the men gasped.
Carole Townsend:About 40 yards away, standing behind a large oak tree, was a very tall creature standing upright as would a man. It was large and covered in hair and it was careful to remain behind the tree. When the man would move the flashlight to the right or the left, the creature would step out from behind the tree but quickly dart back behind it. When the light returned. The three stood where they were, looking at one another until the creature turned and walked deeper into the woods, taking inhumanly big strides. Within about two minutes of its departure, the father and son heard a blood-curdling series of whoops and screams, followed by the unmistakable sound of a large branch hitting the trunk of a tree.
Carole Townsend:I listened to the audio recording, as the son did have the wherewithal to commit their conversation and the subsequent sounds to the voice memo option on his cell phone. What I heard made my blood run cold and the hair on my neck bristle. I've never heard anything like those screams and howls. The son also tried to video the encounter, but the quality of the images is dark and poor.
Carole Townsend:And then there's the man who I met while in Tennessee, when I went there to button up my research. If so, I thought His family land abuts the national park, and he told me a story that I still turn over and over in my mind, trying to figure out what to make of it. When his father was a young boy, hunting or exploring or doing whatever young boys do when they get lost in the woods and daydreaming, he encountered what he came to believe was Bigfoot. He told his son all of the things I've just shared, that others saw and heard. In the same situation, he encountered a very tall, hairy creature who walked upright and who smelled terrible. I suppose that, being a young boy, such an experience could either be terrifying or intriguing, but this child was intrigued, not afraid. So he began his son told me, going back to the same spot in the forest and leaving items presents. He called them in a tree hollow for this creature. He would leave things like a coke bottle, a hair ribbon, a top and some jacks, things like that, and one day, to his surprise, he found items in that same hollow that he hadn't put there. One time it was a glittery, water-polished rock, another time it was four shotgun shells. This exchange continued well into my new friend's childhood and young adulthood Shoelaces, discarded sunglass lenses, the skeleton of a squirrel, a skate key, back and forth. And one time, in the spring of 1970, the creature left something that haunts my new friend to this day. He left a young boy's t-shirt. It was old, dirty and tattered, but the creature had placed it there in that tree hollow as a gift of sorts for the young man had. The being simply found the shirt? In the dark interior of the forest Maybe. What other explanation could there be? I get it.
Carole Townsend:I too have always been a skeptic and have thought of the legend of Bigfoot as far-fetched mountain lore passed on by people with wild imaginations or some sort of angle. These encounters might be more believable if they happened on the busy streets of Chicago or in a New York pub with a lot of witnesses, but they don't. For obvious reasons, these creatures prefer the wilderness. For obvious reasons, these creatures prefer the wilderness, an uncrowded habitat far from the reaches of man. Is it beyond the scope of reality to entertain the notion of an undiscovered creature, reclusive, that lives in the deep cover of forests in the dwindling unoccupied areas of the world. Again, all I know for sure is this I don't know everything. I know that there are mysteries lurking in the depths of the ocean that are still being newly discovered, even today. Is it so far-fetched to at least consider that there are creatures such as this one living in densely forested areas, foraging for food, living in caves or in natural structures they themselves have built? Is it silly to think that there could be rare encounters with one of these creatures? I'm not so sure anymore, and one must ask the question why do some states, particularly those with what seem to be hot spots for Bigfoot sightings, have laws that make it illegal to hunt and kill the creature known as Bigfoot? Perhaps we'll have the answer someday.
Carole Townsend:I'm Carole Townsend, veteran newspaper journalist and six-time award-winning author. You can find me on social media and check out my website at www. caroletownsend. com. As always, thanks for listening, and if you're enjoying these tales of Southern history and lore, I hope you'll tell your friends. Subscribe to this podcast on Spotify, apple Play, iheart and anywhere you listen.
Carole Townsend:My team and I referenced the following materials to bring you this episode of Front Porch Mysteries Smoky Mountain Living Magazine. An article titled A Fascination with Bigfoot by Marla Hardy Milling, october 1, 2020. Expedition Bigfoot the Sasquatch Museum in Blue Ridge, georgia. Various interviews with individuals, the website BigfootEncounterscom and the National Park Service website npsgov.
