alternate reality gaming – Page 3

By Joseph Matheny August 11, 2023August 12, 2023

11th Hour Audio – Creature Feature of the Month – Jacob’s Revenge

Has the oppressive August heat had you pining for the woods? Well, If you take the New Jersey Turnpike to exit four and follow Route 70 east, you will reach … Continue reading 11th Hour Audio – Creature Feature of the Month – Jacob’s Revenge

By Joseph Matheny July 12, 2023

The Creepy Curse of Ong’s Hat Calls: A Haunting Mystery

This is weird. I think the authors of this piece are conflating this interview I did with David Jay Brown and Rebecca Novack with the Ong’s Hat mythos. Oh well. … Continue reading The Creepy Curse of Ong’s Hat Calls: A Haunting Mystery

By Joseph Matheny June 19, 2023June 27, 2023

Synchronicity and Scarcity

The strange magick of books and binary files NOTICE: The signature bundles are now completely sold out. No more will be produced. So, there I was a few weeks ago, … Continue reading Synchronicity and Scarcity

By Joseph Matheny June 16, 2023June 16, 2023

29.23 – MU Podcast – South Pole Secrets

Original Post and Audio: https://mysteriousuniverse.org/2023/06/29.23-MU-Podcast-South-Pole-Secrets MU Podcast 29.23 features the Flaming Plasma Fields, Weaponising the Paranormal, and Legend Tripping with Ong’s Hat Former military contractors, soldiers, pilots, and more have … Continue reading 29.23 – MU Podcast – South Pole Secrets

Near where New Jersey Route 72 intersects with Route 70, there's little left to mark what was once a small town called Ong's Hat - but it was, in fact, really there. You can find evidence of its history in things like a local street called Ong's Hat Road. Depending on who you ask, it may have once been a bustling town, or nothing more than a stopover point for a farmer with the surname Ong who was transporting goods from Little Egg Harbor to Burlington. Midway between, the farmer built a hut where he could spend the night, and over time, Ong's Hut became Ong's Hat. Whatever the case may be, the town (if ever was one) is no longer there, but it left its mark. In fact, there's an online conspiracy theory suggesting the town is gone because it's in another dimension. But if that's not the case, where did the story come from? The answer lies in a sort of alternate reality game (ARG) or a work of meta-fiction created by Joseph Matheny, among others, on early BBS sites and other places during the internet's early years. The story suggested that some Princeton scientists working in Ong's Hat had found a way to reach another dimension and, ultimately, took themselves and their studies to this alternate Earth. Alternatively, the government wiped them out to keep their discoveries quiet. If it is, in fact, widely known that this story of inter- dimensional scientists is fiction, why would people still believe it? Because, according to conspiracy theorists, its creators supposedly had to pretend it was fiction in order to protect themselves from the government.

By Joseph Matheny June 16, 2023June 16, 2023

Burrow Into Another Dimension?

Original article: https://ifunny.co/picture/burrow-into-another-dimension-near-where-new-jersey-route-72-pP7eomFaA

By Joseph Matheny June 10, 2023June 10, 2023

El Sombrero de Ong La Aterradora Leyenda Urbana que Debes Conocer

El sombrero de Ong es una de las primeras teorías de conspiración que se conocen tras la creación de internet. Se ha catalogado como un cuento o una broma pero … Continue reading El Sombrero de Ong La Aterradora Leyenda Urbana que Debes Conocer

By Joseph Matheny May 23, 2023

That Would Be Rad: S3 E15: Ong’s Hat – A Gateway to New Dimensions

Link to show: https://www.thatwouldberadpodcast.com/s3-e15-ongs-hat-a-gateway-to-new-dimensions/ Welcome back to That Would Be Rad! This week we dive into the strange and intriguing story of Ong’s Hat, a small town in New Jersey … Continue reading That Would Be Rad: S3 E15: Ong’s Hat – A Gateway to New Dimensions

Interdemensional travel, cults, & murder. The mysteries of ONG'S HAT, NJ

By Joseph Matheny May 12, 2023May 12, 2023

Interdimensional travel, cults, & murder. The mysteries of ONG’S HAT, NJ

PEMBERTON ongshat #conspiracy #conspiracytheory coolplaces funfacts haunted #hauntedhistory #weirdnj #dirtyjersey #southjersey #pinebarrens #locallore #lore #backroads #history #historylovers #historypodcast #americana #cranberry #cranberrybogs #ghosttown #urbanexplorer #urbex #fyp #pembertonnj #pinebarrens #piney #thepinebarrens #pineyproud … Continue reading Interdimensional travel, cults, & murder. The mysteries of ONG’S HAT, NJ

By Joseph Matheny May 10, 2023

They Invented Something Dangerous In This Cabin…

There have been many accounts of people finding portals to another world all over the world. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not so much. Today, we’ll look at the story of … Continue reading They Invented Something Dangerous In This Cabin…

Ong’s Hat is New Jersey’s most infamous ghost town. Credit: Rtsanderson, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

By Joseph Matheny April 27, 2023

Ghost Towns in NJ That Deserve a Day Trip

Ghost towns in NJ are a reminder of the state’s rich history and offer a glimpse into the past. County and Current Town: Burlington County, Pemberton Township ARTICLE LINK: https://jerseydigs.com/ghost-towns-in-nj/ … Continue reading Ghost Towns in NJ That Deserve a Day Trip

By Joseph Matheny April 26, 2023May 3, 2023

Some Ong’s Hat TikToks

Some random TikTok videos that recently popped up.

By Joseph Matheny April 21, 2023

Creepaway Camp 2023 – Day 6: Jacob’s Revenge & The Forest of Three

A coming-of-age take on legend tripping at Ong’s Hat and some other mystery stories for your enjoyment. LINK: https://shows.acast.com/creepy-1/episodes/creepaway-camp-2023-day-6-jacobs-revenge-the-forest-of-three Jacob’s Revenge Written and narrated by Owen McCuen The Forest of … Continue reading Creepaway Camp 2023 – Day 6: Jacob’s Revenge & The Forest of Three

By Joseph Matheny February 24, 2023February 24, 2023

Ong’s Hat: Eggheads, Gov’t Shills, & The Internet’s First Hoax | 323

Ever start telling a story as a joke and it gets out of hand? People believe it no matter how much you swear you made it up and try to … Continue reading Ong’s Hat: Eggheads, Gov’t Shills, & The Internet’s First Hoax | 323

By Joseph Matheny February 2, 2023February 1, 2023

The Ghost Of Ong’s Hat by Nigel Roth

LINK TO ORIGINAL POST In the 1980s, a writer and transmedia artist called Joseph Wayne Matheny, who was born on Christmas Eve in the early sixties, wrote The Incunabula Papers, … Continue reading The Ghost Of Ong’s Hat by Nigel Roth

By Joseph Matheny January 21, 2023March 9, 2023

Information Golem: New Mini-Series from TOOWi Arts

The Origin Story of Joseph Matheny and the Ong’s Hat ARG I sat down with Jerry Gaura of TOOWi Arts to discuss the origins of me as an artist and … Continue reading Information Golem: New Mini-Series from TOOWi Arts

By Joseph Matheny January 20, 2023June 23, 2025

Announcing The Incident at Ong’s Hat: Behind the Scenes

The series premiered on BBC 4 Radio Limelight on air and then as a podcast after every Friday broadcast for five weeks. It was a five-part series titled The Incident at Ong’s … Continue reading Announcing The Incident at Ong’s Hat: Behind the Scenes

By Joseph Matheny January 2, 2023January 4, 2023

Xen The Zen Of The Other – The Audio Drama, Free Version

As is my custom, after a year of making Xen: The Zen of the Other audio drama commercially available, I am releasing the entire bundle for free on Archive.org and … Continue reading Xen The Zen Of The Other – The Audio Drama, Free Version

By Joseph Matheny November 27, 2022

ONG’S HAT SQUATCH TALKS PODCAST S3 / EP43

Tonight we just have some things to discuss about upcoming investigations, and look back on what we are truly grateful for. Especially ‘You’ our viewers. Added to this is some … Continue reading ONG’S HAT SQUATCH TALKS PODCAST S3 / EP43

By Joseph Matheny November 21, 2022November 25, 2022

SPLINTERED STATES I ‘traveled back in time from 2036’ – the US capital will change after America breaks into 5 during a second civil war

Lots of people wholeheartedly believed Titor while other people obsessed over errors and inconsistencies, becoming online detectives trying to uncover his truth.A multimedia artist said that the John Tritor story … Continue reading SPLINTERED STATES I ‘traveled back in time from 2036’ – the US capital will change after America breaks into 5 during a second civil war

By Joseph Matheny November 8, 2022November 8, 2022

Lifehacker-11 Famous Places That Don’t Really Exist: Ong’s Hat

Slide 8 Located in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, Ong’s Hat was listed as a town on early maps of the area. It may have been the site of a … Continue reading Lifehacker-11 Famous Places That Don’t Really Exist: Ong’s Hat

By Joseph Matheny October 27, 2022

S01 E01 – Ong’s Hat and Weaponized ARG’s: A Conversation w Joseph Matheny, Ong’s Hat Creator & Transmedia Artist

Ong’s Hat and Weaponized ARG’s: A Conversation w Joseph Matheny, Ong’s Hat Creator & Transmedia Artist | RSS.com The Prop Anon Podcast explores the life and work of American novelist, … Continue reading S01 E01 – Ong’s Hat and Weaponized ARG’s: A Conversation w Joseph Matheny, Ong’s Hat Creator & Transmedia Artist

The most notorious is the legend of Ong's Hat. The Ong's Hat Trailhead is just off of Magnolia Road, which can be reached via Route 70 in Pemberton.

By Joseph Matheny October 20, 2022

Take these eerie, haunted hikes in the Pine Barrens, Jersey Shore

I had a wonderful conversation with Gabriela L. Laracca of Asbury Park Press which was a rather atypical interview about Ong’s Hat because it focused on one of my passions, … Continue reading Take these eerie, haunted hikes in the Pine Barrens, Jersey Shore

By Joseph Matheny October 14, 2022

Subliminal Deception: A Conspiracy Theory Podcast- Ep 173: Ong’s Hat and the Birth of Creepy Pasta’s

In this week’s Episode of The Subliminal Deception Podcast, Cody and Phil discuss what has been called the Internets first Viral Creepy Pasta, the legend of Interdimensional Travelers previously based … Continue reading Subliminal Deception: A Conspiracy Theory Podcast- Ep 173: Ong’s Hat and the Birth of Creepy Pasta’s

By Joseph Matheny October 3, 2022October 3, 2022

Ong’s Hat: Alternative Reality Games Are Not Games

Go to download We discuss an early example of the Alternative Reality Game genre of multimedia participatory “fiction.” Page for show: https://www.ivoox.com/en/ong-s-hat-alternative-reality-games-are-not-games-audios-mp3_rf_93239217_1.html The Long Seventies Podcast is an in-depth historical … Continue reading Ong’s Hat: Alternative Reality Games Are Not Games

By Joseph Matheny September 29, 2022September 29, 2022

JOHN TITOR: Soldier from the Future | Can this time traveler save us from destruction? (The Matheny/Ongs Hat Connection)

A rundown of the John Titor legend from one of my favorite Youtube Channels The Why Files. The part about yours truly starts at 23:42 or just watch the entire … Continue reading JOHN TITOR: Soldier from the Future | Can this time traveler save us from destruction? (The Matheny/Ongs Hat Connection)

By Joseph Matheny September 26, 2022September 26, 2022

Most People Have Forgotten About this Creepy Abandoned Town in New Jersey

New Jersey is one of the most historic states in the U.S.; because of this, it definitely has its fair share of abandoned and forgotten communities. The village known as … Continue reading Most People Have Forgotten About this Creepy Abandoned Town in New Jersey