According to eyewitnesses, numerous sightings, and even physical. The list below includes 7 free or cheap things to do in or near mattoon, illinois, including 32 different types of inexpensive activities like parks, movie theaters, historic districts and bowling. Ebenezer mattoon sr 17201806 wikitree free family tree. The mad gasser of mattoon, the novella championship run, and the poetry chapbook blue collar fathers. Oct 10, 2016 the mad gasser of mattoon ultimately generated three main theories. The city is home to a burger king that is not related to the worldwide burger king chain. Mattoon, city, coles county, eastcentral illinois, u. For the past 10 years or so i potraied the famous assailant at the former ashmore estates haunted attraction, wrote a series of mini stories about a new mad gasser and was going to make a film turning him into a anti hero.
Find a comprehensive view of events in mattoon for april and may 2020 updated daily. He was given that infamous moniker for a very good reason. I was able to go to the journal gazette in the mid90s when the newspaper was still based intown and go through the old microfiche of the newspapers at the time of these events. Coach house garages of mattoon in mattoon coach house. A wwiiera midwestern mystery, the mad gasser of mattoon held a small town in a gaseous grip of fear for 2 weeks with no explanation and few suspects. He is the series editor of new stories from the midwest and a contributing editor of river styx.
The mad gasser of mattoon, illinois historic mysteries. She does all of the illustration and design for the singular fortean society. The first occurred in botetourt county, virginia in 19331934. It is true not many people in mattoon know what the mad gasser story is. Why am i hear you must be thinking, i am thinking that too. Three of them were found with crushed ribs and fractured skulls, but no visible defense marks or other signs of a. For two weeks a mad gasser or phantom anesthetist who sprayed a gas into the bedroom windows of innocent women terrorized the small towns populace. The mad gasser of mattoon also known as the anesthetic prowler, the mad anesthetist, and the phantom anesthetist, the mad gasser of roanoke, or simply mad gasser was the name given to the person or persons believed to be behind. The mad gasser of mattoon, tiger king and outlandish true crime. Find steve mattoons phone number, address, and email on spokeo, the leading online directory for contact information.
As far as the project goes, we usually concentrate on one monster a month, and post columns and art related to it, but we thought the holidays would be a good opportunity to focus on some of the more specifically small or oneoff sightings. To this day, no one knows exactly who perpetrated a series of alleged gas attacks, nor has. Shut the windows and change your mask filters, the mad gasser of mattoon is prowling the podcast. The mad gasser of mattoon, also known as the phantom anesthetist or anesthetic prowler, was the supposed perpetrator of a series of alleged gas attacks targeting the residents of mattoon, illinois. Find 11 listings related to mattoon township in mattoon on. Tags mad gasser mattoon men in black nick redfern works full time as a writer, lecturer, and journalist. For two weeks a mad gasser or phantom anesthetist who sprayed a gas into the bedroom windows of innocent women terrorized the. The mad gasser of mattoon, tiger king and outlandish true crime on thursday, august 31, 1944, mr. I have done, seen, and heard of some ridiculous things in my time, but nothing compares to the story that im about to relate to you. Police discovered a skeleton key on the porch where mrs.
He writes about a wide range of unsolved mysteries, including bigfoot, ufos, the loch ness monster, alien encounters, and government conspiracies. The best details located in coles county, illinois 1217 2540559 best details, located just west of route 45 on marshall ave in mattoon, illinois. This nefarious figure came to be dubbed the mad gasser of mattoon, but. Originally called pegtown for the stakes that marked lots for public auction, it was founded in 1854 at the junction of the illinois central and the terre haute and alton railroads. Mattoon police department, coles, il police arrests. During the early 1930s through mid40s, an individual or group of individuals set off a number of gas attacks in the virginia and illinois area. Dec 21, 2016 jason lee brown is the author of the novel, prowler. The mad gasser first came to notice on the night of sept. Aug 05, 2017 in 1944, the town of mattoon, illinois was plagued by reports of a madman using toxic gas to target residents. Other newspapers quickly picked up the story, and soon the entire country was reading about mattoons rumored mad gasser. He came to be known as the mad gasser and by the time his gassing spree ended, over. Now whatever the case maybe the mystery of the mad gasser is one of americas most strangest cases and dozens of people have dedicated their life s hopping that they would be the one to finally crack this case once and for all but so far this bizarre mystery still remains unsolved.
The mad gasser of mattoon in mattoon, illinois in the early 1930s, reports started popping up of a man or woman deliberately spraying poisonous gasses into peoples homes via the windows, and in some cases, building crude barricades to keep the victims inside. Lucy scales, who also describes him shooting blue flames from his mouth. Concerts, sports, arts, live music, nightlife, theatre and comedy shows in mattoon, illinois. Wednesday, april 2, 1975 gazettes id nattomal wtaltftt siiyicf fottcasi l. What do springheeled jack, the mad gasser of mattoon, and the. Regarding the latter, the police chief would say that all of the gas attacks were caused by chemicals carried by the wind from nearby industrial plants, that there was no mad gasser at all. With the exception of the 1938 martian panic triggered by the orson welles radio dramatization of war of the worlds, mattoon, illinois, probably holds the distinction of hosting the most widely discussed twentiethcentury mass delusion in the united statesat least among those who specialize in studying such. Apr 23, 2014 10 fabulous, forgotten gassers from drag racings golden age posted on april 23, 2014 by mcg in the 1960s, the gas coupe and sedan categories featured some of the coolest and most colorful race cars ever seen on a drag strip. Did mattoon have a mad scientist or a mad population. Some say it was merely mass hysteria, or some other skeptical claim. A nocturnal gas attack was hot news in a town like mattoon, a generally. Prowler, the mad gasser of mattoon by jason lee brown goodreads. Japans world war ii balloon bomb attacks on north america.
With the exception of the 1938 martian panic triggered by the orson welles radio dramatization of war of the worlds, mattoon, illinois, probably holds the distinction of hosting the most widely discussed twentiethcentury mass delusion in the united statesat least among those who specialize in studying. However, local newspapers reported that the incident was the first attack made by the mad gasser of mattoon. Compare yourself against athletes in your district, your state, or the nation. Whitepages people search is the most trusted directory. Mattoon lies near the little wabash river impounded to form lake mattoon, about 45 miles 70 km south of champaign.
In 1944 they kept those windows open only a crack, because many of the men were away, fighting in. It just sounds so cool and mysterious, even though it was probably just a case of mass histeria. In the case for a mad gasser being an actual, physical attacker, there is some amount of evidence. Select the best result to find their address, phone number, relatives, and public records. Prowler, the mad gasser of mattoon jason lee brown on. Lake mattoon, illinois community and visitors guide. I never got awesome views, but the door would crack open and a hand would come out. The mad gasser of mattoon is probably one of my favorite myths ever. A tense and fearful public was primed during wartime to believe with little evidence. Mattoon is a city in coles county, and was the site of the mad gasser attacks of the 1940s. Attention will be given to providing a deeper knowledge of our number system, experience with quantitative reasoning, study of the nature of proof and of the techniques of critical thinking, and knowledge of the contributions mathematics has made and.
Cordes found the cloth and some believed a burglar. Anyway, im actually filming a horror movie with my group and the mad gasser is part of it, heres a still from the scene. A case from victorianera england, very similar to the mad gasser of mattoon, was the legend of spring heeled jack, a reported supernatural entity who had lengthy claws, could leap great distances, and shoot blue fire from his mouth. Panic took hold as locals tried to figure out what was happening in their small illinois community.
Welcome to the quasi official page of the mattoon mad gasser. Rankings for middle school, high school, and college athletes. The mad gasser of mattoon also known as the anesthetic prowler, the phantom anesthetist, or simply the mad gasser was the name given to the person or people believed to be responsible for a series of apparent gas attacks that occurred in mattoon, illinois, during the mid1940s. In 1944, mattoon, illinois succumbed to the best known and most commonly cited case of mass hysteria in the twentieth century. The mad gasser of mattoon, also known as the phantom anesthetist or the anesthetic prowler, was the supposed perpetrator of a series of alleged gas attacks targeting the residents of mattoon, illinois. One of the most dramatic and unusual events in the history of the entire spiritualist movement occurred in october 1930. Wwii era mattoon, illinois, is descending in madness.
Anyone with information is urged to contact the mattoon police department at 2172355451, or private message us on facebook. The mad gasser of mattoon the dark histories podcast. This week we crack open its fleshy cover and take a peek inside. The mad gasser of mattoon in 1944, a strange night prowler is believed to have made poison gas attacks in illinois. Victims reported smelling an unusual, often sweet odour in their home, which caused nausea, paralysis or difficulty breathing. In search of the mad gasser of mattoon chuck straub. Just two days after the huge british airship, the r101, had gone down in flames on a hillside in france killing 48 of its 54 passengers the halting voice of a man claiming to be its captain spoke through the lips of a medium in london. If the morning newspapers dedicated more space to the gasser, more reports came in that day. In 1944, the people of mattoon, il lived in fear of a madman that was going around spraying homes with toxic gas. And if the mad gasser actually existed he never tried to break into any ones house before, making some believe that this was the work of someone else. Mattoon hitmen baseball po box 1154 mattoon, il 61938 indoor baseball facility headquarters 1281 hayes avenue mattoon, il 61938. Journal gazettetimes courier historical newspapers. Invisible man of palmetto mad gasser of mattoon maryland goatman man in the plastic bag mauston birdman.
The mad gasser of mattoon in early september 1944, a strange series of events occurred in the small central illinois town of mattoon. The mad gasser of mattoon ultimately generated three main theories. In the 1930s and 1940s, there were accounts of a mad gasser operating in two locations. Explore journal gazettetimes courier archive, both historical and recent editions. Find newspaper articles and clippings for help with genealogy, history and other research. And rumors started to spread that the real mad gasser was from an insane asylum and he had just recently escaped. And that very same night there was a women that was attacked by a tall man dressed in all black and she told the police that this person did try to break into her house. We found 3 records for dean mattoon in new york, iowa and tennessee. But yet again this did not fit the tactics of the mad gasser so it did seem that some shady people were trying to take advantage of this situation making the residents within this community even more nervous. The tale of the mattoon mad gasser, one of the first scientifically documented.
The incidents began on august 31, 1944, and lasted two weeks. We provide the best car detailing and car washing services for your car, rv, boat, truck or anything else that has wheels and needs a shine. Find archives for journal gazette, mattoon gazette, mattoon daily journal. Originally called pegtown for the stakes that marked lots for public auction, it was founded in 1854 at the junction of. The gasser had been described as carrying a flit gun, an agricultural tool for spraying pesticide, which he purportedly. No min 500 sqft 750 sqft 1,000 sqft 1,250 sqft 1,500 sqft 1,750. Bring your own wheels to the burger joint and easily park nearby. Weird wikipedia mad gasser of mattoon the mad gasser was credited with a series of attacks in botetourt county explore the greatest unsolved mysteries of the world featuring cryptozoology, supernatural, paranormal, secret societies, lost civilizations the mad gasser was credited with a series of attacks in botetourt county, virginia in. Dean mattoon phone, address, background info whitepages.
And the mad gasser was as silent as the newspapers during that initial 2day labor day publishing break. On the ground covered by a piece of plywood is the in search of the mad gasser of mattoon letterbox. Kearney reported suffering from a burning sensation on her lips and throat. The mad gasser of mattoon history, philosophy, and newspaper. Journal gazette from mattoon, illinois on april 2, 1975. Mattoon illinois in the summer of 1944 was just a typical small town of about 16,000 inhabitants. Aug 05, 2011 did the mad gasser of mattoon really exist. The small towns fears of an enemy within, stalking them like prey. The mad gasser of mattoon was the name given to the person or people believed to be responsible for a series of apparent gas attacks. An investigation showed that the prowlers motive was probably robbery. Mattoon is a city in coles county, illinois, united states. The mattoon police department is still investigating a matter that occurred at walmart in mattoon, and needing assistance from the public in identifying the male in the attached images. The mattoon mad gasser looking back at a textbook case of. Dec 14, 2005 other newspapers quickly picked up the story, and soon the entire country was reading about mattoons rumored mad gasser.
Sep 14, 2016 who was the mad gasser of mattoon illinois. One of the main factors determining the settlement of mattoon and coles county in general was the topography. The mad gasser of mattoon also known as the anesthetic prowler, the mad anesthetist, and the phantom anesthetist, the mad gasser of roanoke, or simply mad gasser was the name given to the person or persons believed to be behind a series of apparent gas attacks that wikipedia. Also known as the anesthetic prowler and the phantom anesthetist, these names were given to the person or people believed to be responsible for a series of gas attacks that were. Media in category mattoon, illinois the following files are in this category, out of total. Other theories of the mad gasser of mattoon range from the somewhat understandable, in the case of there actually being a gasser on the loose, to the downright absurd, including multidimensional apelike beings attacking residents with spray guns.
Steve mattoons phone number, email, address spokeo. There was a peculiar heavy odor in the bedroom and i at first thought it was gas. If you know your supernatural tales and history, youll know that back in the 1940s, the city was plagued by a terrifying creature that became infamously known as the mad gasser of mattoon. Consider americans today, reading and viewing stories over and over, day after day. Near the intersection of lake land blvd and oklahoma ave 217 23489 today. Back in the 1940s, the people of mattoon, illinois were plagued by a sinister character that became known as the mad gasser of mattoon.
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