A mysterious sound that only a handful can hear is tormenting local residents. Described as a hum, a throbbing sound, or a low rumbling, the sound has been keeping many living in the suburbs of Eden up at night. “It has a rhythm to it,” says 59 year-old Joanne Lovell. The lifelong Eden resident goes on to describe the inexplicable noise as sounding “like a loud tumble dryer somewhere in the house and you want to go and ask somebody to shut it off, but you can’t.”
Apart from sleepless nights, others plagued by the incessant vibration complain of headaches, dizziness, nausea, and even nosebleeds. In addition to physical symptoms, constant exposure can cause anxiety, depression, and even paranoia. There have also been unconfirmed reports of recent suicides linked to the mysterious sound.
One would be mistaken in thinking that this is a recent phenomenon. Back in the late ‘70s, some 500 people claimed to have heard the mysterious hum. But it wasn’t until the spring of 1991 that widespread media attention was given to the phenomenon, when close to 2000 residents complained of a constant, droning hum.
A number of explanations for the hum have been offered ranging from the plausible to the sensational. Some say it’s a series of underground engines or emanations from a UFO crash site. Some of the more outlandish claims made by local conspiracy theorists include vibrational pulses from Eden’s own “Stonehenge”, monolithic remnants of what historians believe to be an ancient ceremonial altar found in Eden’s Northern Woods.
More logical possibilities include unusual seismic activity, high power lines, high-pressure gas lines, and otoacoustic emissions, or vibrations of tiny hair cells from within the ear. It could also just be a case of mass hysteria, but most experts don’t think so.
