One of the last things you’d probably expect to find in a Goodles pasta box of Mac and Cheese is an encrypted note that contains strange ramblings and allusions to alarming conspiracies. But if you live around central Pennsylvania you may have already found one of these notes yourself as more and more people have shared their weird discoveries online in the last few months.
A confused shopper took to Reddit to ask if anyone could help after they opened their box of pasta and found a small, folded note tucked away inside. The note seems to have been typed on a computer and printed out. Upon reading it they were baffled by the strange, seemingly coded sentences and conspiracy buzzwords that alluded to secret societies, swastikas, presidents and pedophiles, and so much more.
The words are broken up in weird ways, with asterisks and brackets often separating what should be one word. One person responding to the original post described it as “schizophrenic.” There are no complete sentences but there’s just enough information to pique the interest of those who read them. Upon sharing it to Reddit, one commenter told the original poster that what they had found was known as a Shuylkill note.
What is a Schuylkill note?
Surprisingly this goes much deeper than the single note found in a box of Goodles pasta. In fact, this is an epidemic that has spread across much of the northeastern and central parts of Pennsylvania and it has been going on for years too. The notes were named after Schuylkill county, where many of the notes were initially found.
Others have shared similar discoveries on TikTok although they are just as confused as the Reddit poster.
According to an article from The Philadelphia Enquirer, the notes have been found as far back as 2015. Sometimes they are found in sealed food packaging by unsuspecting shoppers, other times the notes are discovered hanging on trees and wrapped around stones along hiking trails. They all contain the same, or similar, messages but it’s not clear who wrote them or what they are trying to say.
Internet investigators have been scratching their heads over the bizarre notes for years and the subreddit, r/schuykillnotes has been set up to share any information on the subject. Many believe that the notes are a warning as opposed to a threat but that’s about all anyone could figure out from the insane ramblings contained within.
For now this remains yet another bizarre mystery that may never be solved. Unless the person, or people, responsible for the Schuylkill notes come forward, we may never decipher their true meaning.
