Best The Tape Library Podcasts (2025)

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Playback | The True Story of The Conjuring 4 - The Smurl Haunting 1:11:13

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9d ago1:11:13

1:11:13

The Smurl Haunting is the real case behind The Conjuring 4, and its story is far stranger and darker than any film adaptation could capture.Experience the horror firsthand with a comprehensive exploration of the chilling Smurl family haunting. From their unsettling move to a seemingly normal home to the inexplicable events that followed on Chase St…

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The Boy Mayor of New York 49:15

3d ago49:15

49:15

As New York City enters the final stages of a rather strange mayoral election in 2025, let’s look back on a decidedly more unusual contest over 110 years ago, pitting Tammany Hall and their estranged ally (Mayor William Jay Gaynor) up against a baby-faced newcomer, the (second) youngest man ever to become the mayor of New York City. John Purroy Mit…

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Introducing Strange Midnight AV • Vision Quest Video Club • The Disguised Mask Visualization 15:35

4d ago15:35

15:35

Here is an audio preview of one of the new shows coming out on our Strange Midnight AV YouTube channel. 📼✨ Lost in the static of time, Vision Quest Video Club is back to guide you to discover your innermost self. Recently unearthed from a shuttered mail sorting facility in Cedar City, Utah, this 80s subscription service delivered personalized journ…

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#468 Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue": A Jazz-Age Drama 1:06:27

10d ago1:06:27

1:06:27

On January 3, 1924, 25-year-old George Gershwin was shooting pool in a Manhattan billiard hall when his brother Ira Gershwin read aloud a shocking newspaper article: "George Gershwin is at work on a jazz concerto." There was just one problem—George had never agreed to write any such piece. What happened next would change American music forever. In …

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Introducing Strange Midnight AV • Whispering Winnie • Rapunzel 21:24

8d ago21:24

21:24

Here is an audio preview of one of the new shows coming out on our Strange Midnight AV YouTube channel. Originally broadcast between 1977 and 1986 on UK regional television, "Whispering Winnie" was billed as a gentle bedtime storytelling series for children. The premise? A young girl in a painted portrait would “come to life” and whisper fairytale …

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History Daily: Pirate Tales! 32:49

17d ago32:49

32:49

We love the podcast History Daily, a co-production from award winning podcasters Airship and Noiser, so we're presenting two episodes with a very similar theme -- pirates! -- July 6, 1699. The arrest of Captain William Kidd ends the reign of plunder of one of history's most infamous pirates and sparks rumors of buried treasure -- November 16th, 172…

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Introducing Strange Midnight AV • OTS STUDENT ASSESSMENT TAPES • BRELF 17:29

15d ago17:29

17:29

Here is an audio preview of one of the new shows coming out on our Strange Midnight AV YouTube channel. Originally produced for classrooms between 1976 and 1985, this data collection program was part of the OTS (Office of Technical Services) behavioral guidance system for students aged 8–13. Designed to assess cognitive flexibility, emotional respo…

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The Sandown Clown Girl Has Been Found – And She Says It Happened Again 51:06

19d ago51:06

51:06

The Sandown Clown case is one of the strangest paranormal mysteries ever recorded. In 1973, two children claimed to meet a bizarre entity on the Isle of Wight known as Sam the Clown. Now, new information has come to light. A man says he has found the girl from the original encounter, and according to her, she had multiple encounters with Sam throug…

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#467 The Brooklyn Theatre Fire: The Forgotten Gilded Age Tragedy 48:53

24d ago48:53

48:53

On the evening of December 5, 1876, the glorious Brooklyn Theatre caught fire, trapping its audience in a nightmare of flame and smoke. The theater sat near Brooklyn City Hall (today's Brooklyn Borough Hall), and the blaze which destroyed it could be seen as far away as Prospect Park. The terrible truth emerged by the morning -- almost 300 people d…

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Introducing Strange Midnight AV • Lotho's Library of Classic Horrors 38:12

22d ago38:12

38:12

Here is an audio preview of one of the new shows coming out on our Strange Midnight AV YouTube channel. In all of our stress disappearing we basically created 4 different 80s Found Footage Horror ASMR(-ish) TV series. First, there’s Lotho’s Library of Classic Horrors, an ’80s goth public access show where Lotho the Librarian whispers eerie tales pu…

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The Strange Case of the Hammersmith Ghost Murder 47:22

25d ago47:22

47:22

In the winter of 1803, a quiet village west of London was haunted, at least, that’s what the locals believed. A ghost, cloaked in white, was said to rise from the graves in Hammersmith’s old churchyard, terrifying anyone who dared walk near after dark. But when a man with a pistol tried to stop the so-called ghost, it ended in tragedy. This is the …

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Welcome to The Tape Library 1:21

25d ago1:21

1:21

The Tape Library is a documentary-style series exploring the paranormal, the strange, and the unexplained. Each episode blends immersive storytelling with firsthand accounts and historical research. From haunted houses to UFOs and forgotten legends, it investigates the line between myth and reality. Because in the end, everywhere has a ghost story.…

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#466 Pete's Tavern and McSorley's Old Ale House 1:23:56

1M ago1:23:56

1:23:56

The ultimate bar crawl of Old New York continues through a survey of classic bars and taverns that trace their origins from the 1850s through the 1880s. And this time we're recording within two of America's most famous establishments, joined by the people who know that history the best. In Part One, we introduced you to the origin story of New York…

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Playback | The Terrifying True Story of Sam The Clown 36:50

1M ago36:50

36:50

Dive into the eerie past with the mysterious encounter of two children who stumbled upon Sam, a peculiar figure in the fields of Sandown during the 1970s. Join us as we piece together the chilling details and explore whether Sam was a ghost, an alien, or something else entirely. This is the story of Sam The Sandown ClownSupport the channel with Pat…

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#465 The Oldest Bars in New York City 1:20:03

1M ago1:20:03

1:20:03

We’ve put together the ultimate New York City historic bar crawl, a celebration of the city’s old taverns, pubs, and ale houses with 18th- and 19th-century connections. And along the way, you’ll learn so much about the city’s overall history — from its changing shoreline to the everyday lives of its working-class immigrant populations. Being an old…

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#464 New York: The City of Oysters 1:24:27

2M ago1:24:27

1:24:27

Once upon a time New York City oysters were not only plentiful and healthy in the harbor, they were an everyday, common food source. The original fast food! For that reason, the oyster could be an official New York City mascot. Oyster farming was a major occupation. Oyster houses were an incredibly common place for people to eat. The greatest resta…

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#463 Gilded Age Golden Girls (Live At City Winery) 1:27:10

2M ago1:27:10

1:27:10

A special presentation of our live show Bowery Boys History Live, recorded at City Winery, July 2, 2025 Bowery Boys History Live is a storytelling cabaret of all-true tales and spellbinding secrets from the past, hosted by Greg Young of the Bowery Boys Podcast and brought to you by a rotating roster of the city’s greatest historians. And for this s…

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The Truth Behind Japan’s Most Disturbing Haunting 47:25

2M ago47:25

47:25

Hidden deep in the forests of Japan lies a story too terrifying to ignore. The Himuro Mansion legend tells of ancient rituals, gruesome deaths, and a haunting so intense it supposedly inspired Fatal Frame. In this video, we explore the brutal history, walk through the mansion’s ghostly halls, and separate fact from fiction. Was Himuro Mansion ever …

3101
Spirits Podcast: Urban Legends with Greg Young 54:03

2M ago54:03

54:03

Ready for a little summertime spookfest? This week we're thrilled to present to you a podcast appearance Greg made back in April on the Spirits Podcast. Hosted by Amanda McLoughlin and Julia Schifini, the Spirits Podcast is a weekly conversational show about all things ghosts, mythology, folklore and urban legends. If you like fun spooky things, ad…

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The Light Hit My Window...Then I Saw Them | Real Life Paranormal Stories | Night Drive 15 57:39

2M ago57:39

57:39

Tune into Night Drive Paranormal tonight to hear 4 brand new real life paranormal stories to keep you up all night narrated by @thetapelibrary Sign up to Patreon for early access and shout outs - www.patreon.com/thetaplibrarySubscribe now for more terrifying tales of the paranormal.If you have a story to share then you can email me at thetapelibrar…

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#462 The Jersey Shore Shark Attacks of 1916 48:58

2M ago48:58

48:58

TERROR ON THE BEACH! Seaside resorts from Cape May, New Jersey, to Montauk, Long Island, were paralyzed in fear during the summer of 1916. Not because of the threat of lurking German U-boats and saboteurs. But because of sharks.On July 1, 1916, Charles Epting Vansant was killed by a shark while swimming at a resort in Beach Haven, a popular destina…

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The Terrifying True Story of the Battersea Poltergeist 1:24:37

2M ago1:24:37

1:24:37

Between 1956 and 1968, a quiet house in Battersea, South London became the center of one of the strangest and most disturbing poltergeist cases in British history. For over a decade, a young girl named Shirley Hitchings was plagued by unexplained knocks, flying objects, and chilling messages from an unseen force. In this deep-dive documentary, we e…

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The Gilded Age Mansions of Fifth Avenue 1:29:27

2M ago1:29:27

1:29:27

At the heart of New York’s Gilded Age — the late 19th-century era of unprecedented American wealth and excess — were families with the names Astor, Waldorf, Schermerhorn, and Vanderbilt, alongside power players like A.T. Stewart, Jay Gould and William “Boss” Tweed. They would all make their homes — and in the case of the Vanderbilts, their great ma…

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#461 The Story of Inwood and Marble Hill 1:36:11

3M ago1:36:11

1:36:11

People who live in Inwood know how truly special it is. Manhattan's northernmost neighborhood (aside from Marble Hill) feels like it's outside of the city -- and in some places, even outside of time and space. Unlike the lower Manhattan's flat avenues and organized streets, Inwood varies wildly in elevation and its streets wind up hills and down in…

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The Horrifying Legends of Lake Superior 57:48

3M ago57:48

57:48

Lake Superior is full of secrets. They call it Gitche Gumee — the Great Sea. But the waters of Lake Superior hide more than waves and wrecks. They hide the unexplainable. Stories of ghost ships seen in the fog… of voices heard in lighthouses long abandoned… of fighter jets that vanish from the sky. This isn’t just a lake, it’s a graveyard, a myster…

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Children of the Gilded Age 50:01

3M ago50:01

50:01

The children of the Gilded Age were seen but not heard. Until now! Listener favorite Esther Crain, author and creator of Ephemeral New York joins The Gilded Gentleman for a look at the world of children during the Gilded Age. As she shared in the episode “Invisible Magicians: Domestic Servants in Gilded Age New York” with writings by actual servant…

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#460 The Brooklyn Museum and the Birth of a New City 52:03

3M ago52:03

52:03

While you may know the Brooklyn Museum for its wildly popular cutting-edge exhibitions, the borough's premier art institution can actually trace its origins back to a more rustic era -- and to the birth of the city of Brooklyn itself. On July 4, 1825, the growing village laid a cornerstone for its new Brooklyn Apprentices Library, an educational in…

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The Strange Mystery of Zigmund Adamski 45:55

3M ago45:55

45:55

Some mysteries fade with time. Others grow darker. In 1980, the body of a coal miner named Zigmund Adamski was found atop a coal heap in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, five days after he mysteriously vanished just miles from home. His clothes were clean, his watch and wallet were missing, and strange burn marks had been treated with an unknown gel. But…

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#459 Moses vs. Bard: The Battle for Castle Clinton 1:09:38

4M ago1:09:38

1:09:38

In 1939, Robert Moses sprung his latest project upon the world -- the Brooklyn-Battery Bridge, connecting the tip of Manhattan to the Brooklyn waterfront, slicing through New York Harbor just to the north of Governor's Island. To build it, Moses dictated that the historic Battery Park would need to be redesigned. And its star attraction the New Yor…

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The Trial of John Peter Zenger (Rewind) 48:25

4M ago48:25

48:25

A long, long time ago in New York — in the 1730s, back when the city was a holding of the British, with a little over 10,000 inhabitants — a German printer named John Peter Zenger decided to print a four-page newspaper called the New York Weekly Journal. This is pretty remarkable in itself, as there was only one other newspaper in town called the N…

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Night Drive Ep 14 - 6 True Paranormal Tales 52:22

4M ago52:22

52:22

Tune into Night Drive Paranormal tonight to hear 6 brand new real life paranormal stories to keep you up all night narrated by @thetapelibrary Sign up to Patreon for early access and shout outs - www.patreon.com/thetaplibrary Subscribe now for more terrifying tales of the paranormal. If you have a story to share then you can email me at thetapelibr…

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#458 Parkways and the Transformation of Brooklyn 55:43

4M ago55:43

55:43

When Prospect Park was first opened to the public in the late 1860s, the City of Brooklyn was proud to claim a landmark as beautiful and as peaceful as New York’s Central Park. But the superstar landscape designers — Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux — weren’t finished. This park came with two grand pleasure drives, wide boulevards that emanat…

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America’s Real-Life Village of the Damned | The Horrifying Legends of Dudleytown 49:25

4M ago49:25

49:25

Deep in the forests of Connecticut lies a village lost to time — and to something darker. This is the story of Dudleytown, a place plagued by insanity, disappearances, and whispers of an ancient curse. In this video, we explore the chilling history, the twisted fates of its inhabitants, and the legends that refuse to die. Support the channel with P…

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#457 FORD TO CITY: DROP DEAD 59:46

5M ago59:46

59:46

On October 29, 1975, President Gerald Ford walked into a press conference at the National Press Club and, using more precise, more eloquent words than legend remembers, but in no uncertain terms, told New York City that the federal government was not going to bail it out. The following day the New York Daily News -- the city's first tabloid newspap…

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The Disturbing Case of the Becker Haunting | The 1st Televised Exorcism 1:29:00

5M ago1:29:00

1:29:00

In 1971, America watched as a real-life exorcism played out on television. What they didn’t see was what came before & after—the terror, the unrelenting presence in their home, the slow decent into madness. When Edwin and Marsha Becker moved into their Chicago home, they didn’t expect the strange occurrences to escalate into a full-blown haunting. …

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#456 Walking New York: Manhattan History on Foot with Keith Taillon 59:07

5M ago59:07

59:07

Join us for an interview with Instagram historian Keith Taillon (@keithyorkcity), whose detailed posts about New York's history have earned him nearly 60,000 followers and launched a successful tour business. Keith shares the story behind his remarkable pandemic project of walking every single block of Manhattan in 2020, capturing the empty city in…

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#455 House of Beauty: The Story of the Frick Collection 1:12:10

5M ago1:12:10

1:12:10

We invite you to come with us inside one of America’s most interesting art museums – an institution that is BOTH an art gallery and a historic home. This is The Frick Collection, located at 1 East 70th Street, within the former Fifth Avenue mansion of Gilded Age mogul Henry Clay Frick, containing many pieces that the steel titan himself purchased, …

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The Strangest UFO Encounters Ever Recorded 47:39

5M ago47:39

47:39

Most UFO stories involve strange lights in the sky, but some cases take a truly bizarre turn. What if I told you there’s a case where aliens handed a man pancakes? Or that a cryptid with bat-like wings might be connected to UFO activity? From the Dade City Flowers case to the strange Space Penguins of Tuscumbia, these stories push the limits of wha…

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#454 Special Delivery: A History of the Post Office 1:22:59

5M ago1:22:59

1:22:59

The history of the United States Postal Service as it plays out in the streets of New York City -- from the first post road to the first postage stamps. From the most beautiful post office in the country to the forgotten Gilded Age landmark that was once considered the ugliest post office. The postal service has always served as the country's circu…

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Night Drive Ep 13 - Real Life Paranormal Tales 53:36

6M ago53:36

53:36

Tune into Night Drive Paranormal tonight to hear 5 brand new real life paranormal stories to keep you up all night narrated by @thetapelibrary Sign up to Patreon for early access and shout outs - www.patreon.com/thetaplibrary Subscribe now for more terrifying tales of the paranormal. If you have a story to share then you can email me at thetapelibr…

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#453 All The Beauty In The World: Guarding the Met with Patrick Bringley 58:53

6M ago58:53

58:53

A special bonus episode! Two years ago we featured Patrick Bringley on the show, the author of All The Beauty In The World (Simon & Schuster), regarding his experiences as a security guard at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the life lessons he learned strolling silently past priceless works of art. The book has become a massive best-seller world…

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The Horrifying True Story of The Wheatsheaf Inn | The Most Haunted Pub in the UK 1:08:53

6M ago1:08:53

1:08:53

Save 10% on your Manta Sleep order with this link - https://tinyurl.com/Tape10Lib Use the code TAPE at checkout. Deep in West Boldon, England, stands The Wheatsheaf Pub—an unassuming location with a terrifying past. Featured on A Haunting and once voted the most haunted pub in England, this chilling hotspot has been home to poltergeist activity, gh…

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#452 How New York Got Its Name 1:10:32

6M ago1:10:32

1:10:32

It's one of the most foundational questions we could ever ask on this show -- how did New York City get its name? You may know that the English conquered the Dutch settlement of New Netherland (and its port town of New Amsterdam) in 1664, but the details of this history-making day have remained hazy -- until now. Russell Shorto brought the world of…

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The Strangest Paranormal Case of All Time: Gef the Talking Mongoose 1:24:29

6M ago1:24:29

1:24:29

Was he a spirit, a hoax, or something else entirely? Gef the Talking Mongoose is one of the strangest paranormal cases ever recorded. In the 1930s, a small family on the Isle of Man claimed they were haunted by a mysterious talking creature with a mischievous personality. Some believed he was a ghost, others thought he was a cryptid, and skeptics c…

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#451 The New Yorker Magazine: Talk of the Town for 100 Years 1:11:29

6M ago1:11:29

1:11:29

The New Yorker turns one century old -- and it hasn't aged a day! The witty, cosmopolitan magazine was first published on February 21, 1925. And even though present-day issues are often quite contemporary in content, the magazine's tone and style still recall its glamorous Jazz Age origins. The New Yorker traces itself to members of that legendary …

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At The Movies with Meyers and Young (Side Streets) 59:35

7M ago59:35

59:35

Greg and Tom have taken off their historian hats and have become -- movie critics? Close but not quite! This week we're giving you a 'sneak preview' of their Patreon podcast called Side Streets, a conversational show about New York City and, well, whatever interests them that week. In honor of the Academy Awards, the Bowery Boys hosts pay homage to…

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Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum: A Real-Life House of Horrors 43:12

7M ago43:12

43:12

The Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum is one of the most notorious psychiatric hospitals in history. Thousands of patients were sent here, many never to leave. Overcrowding, experimental treatments, and horrifying conditions turned this facility into a nightmare. But what lingers within its walls today? With reports of ghostly voices, shadow figures, …

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#450 Harlem in the Jazz Age: A Renaissance in New York 1:23:32

7M ago1:23:32

1:23:32

This year marks the 100th anniversary of Alain Locke's classic essay "The New Negro" and the literary anthology featuring the work of Langston Hughes, Zora Neale Hurston, Countee Cullen and other significant black writers of the day. The rising artistic scene would soon be known as the Harlem Renaissance, one of the most important cultural movement…

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Night Drive Paranormal 12 - Ghost Stories From the Black Lodge 52:32

7M ago52:32

52:32

Tune into Night Drive Paranormal tonight to hear 9 brand new real life paranormal stories to keep you up all night narrated by @thetapelibrary Sign up to Patreon for early access and shout outs - www.patreon.com/thetaplibrary Subscribe now for more terrifying tales of the paranormal. If you have a story to share then you can email me at thetapelibr…

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#449 Italian Harlem: New York's Forgotten Little Italy 1:22:11

7M ago1:22:11

1:22:11

One of America's first great Italian neighborhoods was once in East Harlem, once filled with more southern Italians than Sicily itself, a neighborhood almost entirely gone today except for a couple restaurants, a church and a long-standing religious festival. This is, of course, not New York's' famous "Little Italy," the festive tourist area in low…