Seneca Lake Mysteries

In this episode, I'll share the story of a UFO encounter from 1980 that was submitted by a listener. The sighting lines up with the incredible, multi-witness sighting that occurred in Ovid that same year (a story covered in Episode 13).Then, we'll hear a tale from the late 19th century about the search for buried treasure in Lodi, NY, and whether that treasure was ever found.Finally, Rick from Alpine is back for part two of our investigation into ancient stone piles on Connecticut Hill, aka the Alpine Portal, a site known for decades as a hotspot of paranormal and anomalous phenomena. Rick and I discuss our latest visit to Connecticut Hill, and just like last time, we ended up finding much more than we could have imagined.Photos and videos of three stone piles on Connecticut Hill - 9/7/25New episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.comSupport the show via Venmo @senecalake

In this episode, we revisit the mysterious round craters that were recently discovered at the bottom of Seneca Lake believed to be caused by methane gas seeping through the lakebed. Then, we'll examine other cases of craters found at the bottom of the ocean, including one that has some striking and distinct similarities with those found at Seneca Lake...although scientists have concluded that site has nothing to do with methane leaks.Next, we'll dive into the possibility that an ancient civilization once roamed the Finger Lakes area. We'll start with one of the most enigmatic prehistoric stoneworks in North America, the Bluff Point Stoneworks on Keuka Lake, and how that site just may be connected to another mysterious spot near Seneca Lake.Finally, I'll take you through a bizarre UFO sighting from Ovid, NY back in 1980, which was seen by numerous people and even some strange physical effects on at least one witness.And yes, believe it or not, I'll also share an old vampire legend from the west side of Seneca Lake!How Robots Solved a 280,000-Year Seafloor Mystery Hidden Beneath Big SurThe Lost Civilization Of Bluff Point, New YorkLegends of the Lost, Season One: The Bluff Point Ruins - Welcome to the BluffNew episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.comSupport the show via Venmo @senecalake

In this episode, we explore the extraordinary life of Dresden, NY native Bolton Coit Brown. An accomplished artist, painter, lithographer and mountaineer of the late 1800s and early 1900s, Bolton spent his childhood exploring the woods and streams near Seneca Lake. Did his strange youthful rituals in the waters of Seneca Lake inspire or influence him to live a life of consequence and leave a legacy that includes a mountain named after him?Next, we'll go back to a summer evening in 2011 when Eileen was traveling near Burnt Hill and the Finger Lakes National Forest and encountered a brightly glowing orb floating motionless about 100 feet up in the night sky. When the orb began to move, she followed it...and then things got weird. Soon, four other witnesses would watch the arrival of multiple aerial lights in the sky. Utilizing several internet sources, along with an interview I conducted with the primary witness several years ago with me, I've compiled a narrative of the entire high strangeness event in the witnesses' own words.Finally, we look at a rare Bigfoot report from the Seneca Lake area in 1962. A fisherman realizes he's being observed by large, hulking creature covered in black fur and standing around 8 feet tall on the banks of Catherine Creek not far from Montour Falls. The witness recalls some intriguing details of the sighting, which was first reported on Episode 155 of the Bigfoot: Terror in the Woods podcast.The Unbendable Bolton Brown (Stanford Magazine)UFO Chronicles 161Bigfoot TIW 155New episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.comSupport the show via Venmo @senecalake

On July 9th, 2025, a resident of Rochester, New York captured footage of a large cat, believed by state DEC officials to be a cougar, on their doorbell camera, with the video going viral and putting the city in the media spotlight. The Seneca Lake area also has reports of large cats in the past decade or so, with multiple witnesses spying what appeared to be a black leopard in two locations including the Town of Benton. Was it an escaped pet? Or was it linked to the Alien Big Cats (ABC) phenomenon, which are often seen near military bases and areas with high rates of UFO and paranormal reports?Next, we revisit one of the most widely-reported Seneca Lake UFO sightings ever: the 1952 Watkins Glen silver sphere splashdown. The incident occurred during one of the biggest UFO waves in American history, when the arrival of “flying saucers” over the U.S. Capitol in Washington forced the Pentagon to publicly admit for the first time their interest in UFOs. The Watkins Glen story is well-documented in books and publications, but some additional details reported in a local newspaper have been almost completely overlooked for the last seventy-plus years. These forgotten details provide another layer of credibility to the '52 flying silver sphere sightings near, over and in Seneca Lake.We wrap up with a listener's story of an unsettling experience several years ago on Connecticut Hill, also known as the Alpine Portal, a hotspot of UFOs, ghosts, Bigfoot, and other reports of the paranormal and unexplained. The story begins with a troubling visit to Connecticut Hill Cemetery, location of the reputed “witch's grave,” before things get weirder, culminating in missing time . Was it just a case of someone getting spooked in a creepy graveyard and letting their imagination take over? Or did something far more strange happen that day at the Alpine Portal, where warps in reality aren't unexpected?New episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.comSupport the show via Venmo @senecalake

In this episode, we'll look into two separate orb sightings that took place around the spring of 2022, both in the same neighborhood on North Street in Geneva at the northern tip of Seneca Lake. Not only were the two orbs seen moving through the air at a low altitude, one of the orbs was caught on video, which was seen by several witnesses, and even interacted physically with a resident's car. I'll talk about what the witness told me about the orb, what happened to the car, and whether or not the video is still out there somewhere (hint: it likely is).Next, we'll head back to the early 19th century through the early 20th century, when steamboats traveled the waves of Seneca, day after day, year after year, moving countless passengers and cargo to locations around the lake's shores. Things get weird, though, when we dive into the wild and offbeat stories of those steamboats, and how the people of the day believed that there was curse, or hex, upon those steamboats.Finally, we'll talk about the Portadora, a gasoline-powered luxury passenger vessel well known around the northern end of the lake in its heyday that eventually turned to a life of crime which led to its sudden demise.New episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.comSupport the show via Venmo

For this episode, we go on location at Willard Cemetery with Seriah Azkath, host of the “Where Did the Road Go?” podcast, for the first of two parts of our conversation from a June evening at one of Seneca Lake's most mysterious spots.First, we dive into the history of the Willard State Psychiatric Hospital, from its inception in 1869 as the Willard Asylum for the Chronic Insane through its current status as a mostly abandoned property soon be repurposed.Next up, we discuss Willard Cemetery, where 5,776 former patients are buried in mostly unmarked graves. We remember Lawrence Mocha, "The Grave Digger." Seriah, who spent much of his teenage years hanging around the cemetery with friends, goes in-depth with memories of the site and how it's changed since the 1980s. Seriah then shares his own strange stories from Willard Cemetery, including whistles echoing in the wind, a mysterious moving tombstone, shaking trees, the “Oz effect,” something in the treetops, and much more.Plus, three surprise guests (one guy on a lawnmower and two white-tailed deer)!www.WhereDidTheRoadGo.comNew episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.com

In this episode, we'll look at the recently announced research project to solve the mystery of the Seneca Lake Drums, the newly-released data showing dozens of “holes” on the bottom of Seneca Lake.Next, we'll get into the iconic Seneca Army Depot, the land where it's located, the people who lived there, the depot's founding, its influence on global history, its ties to the Manhattan Project and the massive nuclear arsenal once stored in the secretive Q area.Then we'll leave the depot and cross route 96a to run through some of the Sampson Naval Training Center, including an appearance from Adolf Hitler's nephew.And finally, inspired by the newly announced study of the Seneca Lake Drums, we'll go through some of the old stories of underwater tunnels at the bottom of Seneca Lake, which were rumored to be connected to the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and even a small lake in Elmira, NY.NYS DEC Seneca Lake Bathymetry DataEdited Seneca Lake Bathymetric MapDeer Haven Park (Seneca Army Depot)Sampson Memorial Naval and Air Force MuseumNew episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.com

In this episode, I introduce the new podcast and cover some intriguing and wild stories including a search for hidden gold, giant whirlpools, bizarre creatures by the railroad tracks, April Fool's Day terror on the water, a missing piece from a forgotten manuscript and much more.Mystery manuscriptNew episodes on the 7th, 17th and 27th of each monthpodcast@senecalakemysteries.com607-307-1167SenecaLakeMysteries.com