STATE OF THE UNKNOWN

STATE OF THE UNKNOWN

Stories That Exist at the Edge of Explanation

State of the Unknown is a documentary paranormal podcast about real people who encountered something they couldn't explain.

Each episode follows the story first—through the people who lived it—before examining the evidence, the explanations, and the questions that remain.

From UFO sightings and creature encounters to haunted objects, disappearances, and local legends, these are stories that exist at the edge of explanation.


OUR PODCAST

Latest Episodes

Fragments | The Kentucky Meat Shower: When Flesh Fell from a Clear Sky — Ep. 05
STATE OF THE UNKNOWNAugust 25, 202600:10:147.08 MB

Fragments | The Kentucky Meat Shower: When Flesh Fell from a Clear Sky — Ep. 05

In March 1876, residents near Olympia Springs in Bath County, Kentucky, reported one of the strangest events ever recorded in the state: pieces of what appeared to be raw meat falling from a perfectly clear sky. Join host Robert Barber as he revisits the bizarre event that became known as the Kentuc...

Fragments | The Leadville Ghost: The Tenants Who Refused to Go Back — Ep. 04
STATE OF THE UNKNOWNAugust 22, 202600:08:075.62 MB

Fragments | The Leadville Ghost: The Tenants Who Refused to Go Back — Ep. 04

In April 1907, two miners in Leadville, Colorado, rented a small house and paid three weeks in advance. Four nights later, they were done. Join host Robert Barber as he follows a strange newspaper account of a paranormal encounter that frightened two working miners badly enough to abandon the house—...

Creature Encounter: The Lake Worth Monster | The 1969 Sighting That Sparked a Monster Hunt — Ep. 64
STATE OF THE UNKNOWNAugust 18, 2026x
64
00:29:0820.06 MB

Creature Encounter: The Lake Worth Monster | The 1969 Sighting That Sparked a Monster Hunt — Ep. 64

In July 1969, six people were parked near Greer Island on Lake Worth, just outside Fort Worth, Texas, when something came down from a tree and landed on their car. John Reichert would later describe a strange creature covered in fur and scales, with long, claw-like hands. Within days, his report had...

Paranormal Encounter: Bobby Mackey's Music World | The Caretaker Who Started the Legend — Ep. 63
STATE OF THE UNKNOWNAugust 11, 2026x
63
00:25:3117.57 MB

Paranormal Encounter: Bobby Mackey's Music World | The Caretaker Who Started the Legend — Ep. 63

When 20-year-old Carl Lawson took a job helping renovate Bobby Mackey’s Music World, a country nightclub in Wilder, Kentucky, he had no idea he was stepping into what would become one of America’s most infamous paranormal haunting cases. What began with footsteps echoing through an empty dance hall ...

Fragments | Franklin Castle: The Ghost Who Confessed to Murder — Ep. 03
STATE OF THE UNKNOWNAugust 04, 202600:09:186.45 MB

Fragments | Franklin Castle: The Ghost Who Confessed to Murder — Ep. 03

Two listeners pointed me toward Franklin Castle, one of Ohio’s most famous haunted houses and the center of decades of ghost stories and paranormal claims. I expected to find another ghost story. Instead, I found something far stranger. In 1980, a woman living inside Franklin Castle claimed the spir...

Fragments | Blackbeard’s Ghost: The Light That Never Left Ocracoke — Ep. 02
STATE OF THE UNKNOWNJuly 28, 202600:09:376.66 MB

Fragments | Blackbeard’s Ghost: The Light That Never Left Ocracoke — Ep. 02

In November 1718, the pirate known as Blackbeard was killed in the waters near Ocracoke Island. His head was carried away as proof of his death, while his body disappeared beneath the surface. But around the Outer Banks, people believed the story didn't end there. Join host Robert Barber for a short...

FROM THE BLOG

Recent Posts

Creature Encounter: The Lake Worth Monster | The 1969 Sighting That Sparked a Monster Hunt — Ep. 64

Around midnight on July 10, 1969, a quiet fishing trip near Lake Worth, just outside Fort Worth, Texas, turns into one of the state’s most e...

Paranormal Encounter: Bobby Mackey's Music World | The Caretaker Who Started the Legend — Ep. 63

Bobby Mackey’s Music World in Wilder, Kentucky has been called a haunted nightclub for decades, but the story doesn’t begin with TV crews or...

Creature Encounter: The Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp | The Night Browntown Road Changed Forever — Ep. 62

In the summer of 1988, Christopher Davis, a 17-year-old in Lee County, South Carolina, finishes a late shift and drives home past Scape Ore ...

Curious About Me?

I got my start in broadcasting while still in high school, working on-air at a local radio station where I introduced big band music and learned the fundamentals of audio production. That experience sparked a lasting interest in narration, recording, and the power of sound to create atmosphere. I'm also a guitarist, and over time, those creative threads have stayed central to my work.

By day, I lead training projects in the corporate world. But outside of that, I’ve always been drawn to the strange and unexplained—haunted places, forgotten history, and the kinds of stories that linger in the background. State of the Unknown brings all of that together. It’s where I explore what’s just out of sight—usually with my yellow lab Rosie close by.

Read MoreMy Blog

“I listen to lots of paranormal/cryptid podcasts and this one is definitely top of the list. Thank you for making an amazing podcast!”

- Listener feedback (original Spotify comment)

WHAT THE PEOPLE SAY

Reviews

We're grateful and humbled to get these types of reviews. We couldn't ask for more from our listeners. Read what people exactly like you are saying about our podcast

All Reviews
Apple Podcasts
Very well produced , and great honest storytelling. With perfect narration.

The stories are told with respect to those who lived them. I really like the way Robert narrates! His voice is perfect and he gives the truth. He doesn’t try to add what the story doesn’t need. Just the little sounds added actually makes it feel creepier ! He understands the whole “less is more” deal. I joined the Patreon to support the show , so we don’t have to hear ads. I truly hope more people do the same! Thanks Robert and your team if you have one !

Apple Podcasts
Very, very interesting!

Just found you. Only listened to 1 episode so far. Very good ! I’ll be catching up . They all sound interesting. Thank you.

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