Founded less than 100 years previous to the attacks, mattoon has a rich railroad history and has seen many famous civil war icons passing through on their way to shape modern america. And that very same night there was a women that was attacked by a tall man dressed in all black and she told the. May 08, 2014 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. The following year, donald johnson, an undergrad at the university of illinois, wrote the only really scholarly article about the episode, the phantom anesthetist of mattoon. The press later identified this person as the mad gasser of mattoon.
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 that occurred in mattoon, illinois, during the mid1940s. The incidents began on august 31, 1944, and lasted two weeks. Mattoon public library local history center volunteer chris suerdieck opens the mad gasser file on in the center. In 1944, the people of mattoon, il lived in fear of a madman that was going around spraying homes with toxic gas. Which brings me at last to the mad gasser of mattoon. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
Mattoon was the site of the mad gasser attacks of the 1940s. The committees adviser is ingrid minger, pictured far right. Emma just happens to live in the illinois city of mattoon. Imagine you wake up in the middle of the night unable to move, then you notice a strange, sweet smell in the air. To this day, the identity of the mad gasser remains a mystery, as does the reason why he chose to wreak havoc in mattoon.
The tale of the mattoon mad gasser, one of the first scientifically documented. Aug 05, 2011 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. Still, as a case study in mass hysteria, the mattoon epidemic is a useful example in how quickly fear can arise and how easy it is to spin out of control. View more property details, sales history and zestimate data on zillow. Public boat launching facilities are available and the city of mattoon 2178952922 or 2343611 collects a. More than two dozen separate cases of gassings were reported to police over the span of two weeks, in addition. Feb 11, 2020 the press later identified this person as the mad gasser of mattoon. The mad gasser of mattoon, illinois historic mysteries. Mattoon trailer sales 1616 dewitt ave mattoon, il retail. Claim this business 217 2351221 favorite more directions sponsored topics.
The mad gasser of mattoon print email details written by dr. Among its manufactures are paper products, electrical and fireprevention equipment, machinery, and signs. Low this article has been rated as lowimportance on the. Public boat launching facilities are available and the city. The gasser had been described as carrying a flit gun, an agricultural tool for spraying pesticide, which he purportedly used to expel. 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 lifes 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. Did mattoon have a mad scientist or a mad population io9. Mad gasser of mattoon updated 2112020 during the two weeks between august 31 and september of that year, there were over 20 reports of citizens being temporarily paralyzed by a mysterious odor. Some have claimed that there was indeed an attacker whilst others dismiss the claims as. 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. Consider americans today, reading and viewing stories over and over, day after day.
In 1944, mattoon, illinois succumbed to the best known and most commonly cited case of mass hysteria in the twentieth century. Romeo vitelli, the mad gasser of mattoon, james randi educational foundation swift blog, april 23, 2011. The mad gasser of mattoon, tiger king and outlandish true crime. Discover mattoon, illinois with the help of your friends. He was given that infamous moniker for a very good reason. The mad gasser of mattoon ultimately generated three main theories. The real numbers are those numbers that can be expressed as terminating, repeating, or nonrepeating decimals. Its the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard of, and its a prime example of how the. If you would like to participate, please visit the project page, where you can join the discussion and see a list of open tasks.
Order online tickets tickets see availability directions. Your premier car wash the best details located in coles county, illinois 1217 2540559. In 1944, residents in the town of mattoon in illinois came under a. On the ground covered by a piece of plywood is the in search of the mad gasser of mattoon letterbox. 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. The mad gasser of mattoon the dark histories podcast. Other newspapers quickly picked up the story, and soon the entire country was reading about mattoons rumored mad gasser.
Stories have suggested that mattoons gasser was anything from a mad scientist to an apeman although who knows where that came from. If you click log in with facebook and are not an cityseeker user, you will be registered and you agree to the cityseeker terms and conditions. Home construction of mattoon 1020 old state rd mattoon, il. Mattoon towers photo gallery mattoon, il apartment pictures. Possible explanations for the mad gasser of mattoon exemplore. Outbreak the encyclopedia of extraordinary social behavior 2009 anomolist books, tx, u sa. Outbreak the encyclopedia of extraordinary social behavior. 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. The mad gasser of mattoon became one of the most famous case studies in mass hysteria. The mad gasser of mattoon eastern illinois university. 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 that occurred in mattoon. Some have claimed that there was indeed an attacker whilst others dismiss the claims as an example.
In search of the mad gasser of mattoon chuck straub. Dec, 2016 the legend of the mad gasser of mattoon was born but the case has remained unsolved ever since. She does all of the illustration and design for the singular fortean society. Sep 14, 2016 who was the mad gasser of mattoon illinois. Possible explanations for the mad gasser of mattoon. With a then population of only 16,000 people, mattoon, illinois was a fairly quiet town and police were rarely called in for more than routine cases. The odor, or gas, was often accompanied by sightings of a tall, dark man believed to be the assailant. The best details car wash and detail service in mattoon, il of coles county. According to his podestamattoon profile, dan mattoon is a veteran of the washington political arena. The 10 best restaurants in mattoon updated april 2020. In august and september 1944, a series of mysterious attacks were reported in mattoon, illinois.
The city is home to a burger king that is not related to the worldwide burger king chain. Lake mattoon is located approximately twelve miles southwest of mattoon and about 1. The night of august 31st, 1944 would change all that and bring mattoon into the history books of the strange and. View listing photos, contact sellers, and use filters to find listings of land for sale landwatch. For more than thirty years, he has provided political and strategic legislative counsel to house republican members, and is a trusted. Dispelling the hysteria kindle edition by maruna, scott. It just sounds so cool and mysterious, even though it was probably just a case of mass histeria. More than two dozen separate cases of gassings were reported to police over the span of two weeks, in addition to many more reported sightings of the suspected assailant. 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. Japans world war ii balloon bomb attacks on north america. 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. 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. Nearby are many oil wells, a fish hatchery, and lake mattoon. Create marketing content that resonates with prezi video.
Jan 21, 2011 which brings me at last to the mad gasser of mattoon. You may have just been poisoned by the mad gasser of mattoon. Panic took hold as locals tried to figure out what was happening in their small illinois community. In 1944, a bizarre criminal assaulted the small town of mattoon, illinois. 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.
The case of the mad gasser of mattoon illinois times. 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. The attacker was supposedly a masked man or woman who went about at night trying to spray some sort of gas into peoples faces, sometimes while they slept, for reasons unknown. The number is the basis of any imaginary number, which, in general, is any real number times i. A study of mass psychogenic illness and social delusion 2001 mcfarland publishing, usa.
Elementary school secondgraders are learning about the city of mattoon. 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. The tale of the mattoon mad gasser, one of the first scientifically documented mass hysteria cases in u. 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. Mattoon, illinois leisure and entertainment directory. The mad gasser of mattoon history, philosophy, and newspaper. Anyway, im actually filming a horror movie with my group and the mad gasser is part of it, heres a still from the scene. The lake covers 1050 surface acres with a maximum depth of 31 feet and average depth of 11.
Little green men, meowing nuns and headhunting panics. Mattoon lies near the little wabash river impounded to form lake mattoon, about 45 miles 70 km south of champaign. The gassers supposed victims reported smelling strange odors in their homes which were soon followed by symptoms such as paralysis of the. Wwii era mattoon, illinois, is descending in madness. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading mad gasser of mattoon. This article falls under the scope of wikiproject paranormal, which aims to build a comprehensive and detailed guide to the paranormal and related topics on wikipedia. Jan 22, 2017 the riddle mattoon high school year book 1927. 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. Mattoon is a city in coles county, and was the site of the mad gasser attacks of the 1940s. Victims reported smelling a sickly sweet odor in their bedrooms before being overcome with nausea and a feeling of paralysis. In the first half of september 1944, a phantom anesthetic prowler, a mad anesthetist, a mad gasser threatened the city of mattoon, illinois. If you would like to participate, you can edit the attached article, help with current tasks, or visit the project page, where you can join the project and discussions.
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. They have researched the history of mattoon and created two power points included below. It is a principal city of the charlestonmattoon micropolitan statistical area. Prowler, the mad gasser of mattoon jason lee brown on. The small towns fears of an enemy within, stalking them like prey. It is a processing, rail, and industrial center for a farming region. From left to right, back row, gabe freeman,lance chaney, ava bowen, sage owen, charleigh curry. A tense and fearful public was primed during wartime to believe with little evidence. Mattoon article about mattoon by the free dictionary. Mattoon illinois in the summer of 1944 was just a typical small town of about 16,000 inhabitants. 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. I have family in chicago who always ask if i could bring up villa pizza with me because they love it. The secondgraders and their teachers visited several mattoon locations oct. In this weeks episode of the futility closet podcast well pursue the mad gasser of mattoon, who vanished as quickly as he had struck, leaving residents to wonder whether he had ever existed.
After this night, the mad gasser of mattoon was never seen or heard from again. This article is within the scope of wikiproject illinois, a collaborative effort to improve the coverage of illinois on wikipedia. 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. Aug 28, 2019 illinois historian scott maruna believes farley was the culprit. Dec 14, 2005 other newspapers quickly picked up the story, and soon the entire country was reading about mattoons rumored mad gasser. Mattoon trailer sales 1616 dewitt ave mattoon il 61938. Oct 10, 2016 the mad gasser of mattoon ultimately generated three main theories. Rumor, fear, and the madness of crowds by j p chaplin. Dec 20, 2016 and so, within two weeks of its birth, the mad gasser of mattoon became one of the most famous case studies in mass hysteria. Find 27 listings related to mc ready mix in mattoon on. I do have some friends that say they dont care for it, however, they love dominos pizza to give you an idea of their opinion. Student representatives from mattoon middle schools reading committee presented the read across mattoon selected title to school board members dec. Mattoon community unit school district 2 i will always.
Mattoon mad gasser incidents began 75 years ago this month. The legend of the mad gasser of mattoon was born but the case has remained unsolved ever since. Illinois historian scott maruna believes farley was the culprit. Mattoon is a city in coles county, illinois, united states. Mar 05, 2018 shut the windows and change your mask filters, the mad gasser of mattoon is prowling the podcast. The story of the phantom anesthetist or, more popularly, the mad gasser of mattoon.
The mad gasser of mattoon is probably one of my favorite myths ever. One of the main factors determining the settlement of mattoon and coles county in general was the topography. Dispelling the hysteria, maruna points the finger squarely at llewellyn. The mattoon mad gasser looking back at a textbook case of. Mattoon cofounded podestamattoon, a dcbased bipartisan government relations and public affairs firm, in 1988 with anthony t. B this article has been rated as bclass on the projects quality scale. For several weeks in september 1944, people in the town of mattoon, illinois, showed the symptoms of exposure to poison gasnausea.
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