It was a chilly evening in April of 1810 when Alexander Hostler sat alone in his room with a single candle flickering in the darkness. Only days before, Hostler’s lifelong friend Samuel Jocelyn, Jr. had been found dead, leaving the young man absolutely devastated. But on this particular night, his suffering was interrupted by the sound of a voice calling to him from the stillness– a voice all too familiar. Join us as we explore the lore behind this classic Wilmington, North Carolina legend. Want...
Jun 24, 2024•32 min•Ep. 147
On November 6, 1936 Verna Garr Taylor was found in a ditch on a rural road in Kentucky with a bullet hole through her chest. Suspicion immediately fell on her purported fiancé Henry Denhardt. The former Kentucky politician claimed Verna had committed suicide, but the evidence suggested otherwise, leading to one of the most sensational court cases in the history of the state. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? Patreon: Ad-Free Episodes, Premium Releases, Bonus Content & More Southern Goth...
Jun 17, 2024•15 min•Ep. 146
Since its grand opening on May 1, 1905, the Seelbach Hotel has stood as one of Louisville, Kentucky's most lavish and luxurious establishments. It has hosted an array of notable figures, from U.S. Presidents and legendary actors to notorious bootleggers and mobsters. As a result, the hotel is steeped in lore, with some claiming it was here that F. Scott Fitzgerald first encountered the inspiration for Jay Gatsby in the underground Rathskeller barroom, while others say Al Capone used the tunnels ...
Jun 10, 2024•40 min•Ep. 145
"The Witch of Pungo" Originally Aired in June 2022 On Wednesday, July 10, 1706, scores of people arrived at what is now known as Witch Duck Point on the Lynnhaven River in Virginia. They were there to witness a unique but brutal legal proceeding that would never again be carried out in the colony of Virginia– the trial of forty-six-year-old Grace Sherwood by ducking. It is unknown exactly what happened when she hit the water, but what was clear to the folks who came that day was that Grace Sherw...
Jun 03, 2024•37 min•Ep. 80
Detective Louis N. Scarcella was a legendary figure in New York City during the '90s. In a city overrun with violent crime, he cracked the toughest cases and put away the worst criminals. But the story changed when a group of convicted murderers-turned-jailhouse lawyers made a startling discovery that linked all their cases: Scarcella was the cop who helped put many of them away. They made a vow: Take down Scarcella. And with the help of a relentless New York Times reporter, they did just that. ...
May 27, 2024•18 min
On March 28, 1869, Knox Martin was hanged for murdering John and Elizabeth Wittenmeier in their Nashville home. Curiously, only several days prior, Martin had made a deal with local physicians to sell his body to them for experimenting following the execution-- experimentation that looked an awful lot like something out Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? Patreon: Ad-Free Episodes, Premium Releases, Bonus Content & More Southern Gothic Premium on Spotify South...
May 20, 2024•37 min•Ep. 144
In 1891, miners in the Coal Creek Valley, the most lucrative mining region in the state of Tennessee, decided they were tired of being replaced by convict labor and were going to do something about it. So on the night of July 14th, 300 men, armed to the teeth, descended upon the stockade in Briceville where the convicts were housed, took control, and proceeded to send the prisoners back east to Knoxville on a train. It was not only a brazen display of defiance against the coal companies, but als...
May 13, 2024•13 min•Ep. 143
The Banner Mine explosion of April 8, 1911, in Alabama claimed the lives of 128 men, predominantly African American prisoners leased to the Pratt Consolidated Coal Company by the state. This devastating event underscored the dire conditions of convict-lease labor, a system exploiting carefully tailored laws to target black men for profit-driven incarceration. Despite the tragedy, reforms to address the systemic injustices perpetuated by this exploitative practice were not made in Alabama for ano...
May 06, 2024•31 min
In September 1962, Mr. and Mrs. Daughtery, an elderly couple residing in Portsmouth, Virginia, along with their great-great-grandson Cleveland Harmon, found themselves at the center of inexplicable occurrences. Within their home, objects began moving on their own, and furniture inexplicably flew about, leaving no rational explanation for the chaos. As news of the bizarre happenings spread, curious onlookers and psychic investigators from far and wide converged on the Daughtery residence. The inv...
Apr 29, 2024•15 min•Ep. 141
At 1:20 pm on Saturday, July 19, 1970, a fire broke out in an abandoned home in Hadsboro, Mississippi, that was well known throughout the community as haunted. But what made the incident so unbelievable wasn't necessarily the claim of spirits there, but rather the fact a psychic had foretold of the Cahill House's fiery demise less than a year prior. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? Patreon: Ad-Free Episodes, Premium Releases, Bonus Content & More Southern Gothic Premium on Spotify Sout...
Apr 22, 2024•29 min•Ep. 140
Historical Blindness is a podcast about history’s myths, mysteries, and misconceptions. By examining cases of outrageous hoaxes, pernicious conspiracy theory, mass delusion, baffling mysteries and unreliable historiography, host Nathaniel Lloyd searches for insights into modern religious belief and political culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Apr 15, 2024•44 min
On Tuesday, September 8, 1987, 77-year-old Minnie Clyde Winston stepped out of her bathtub onto the tile floor and felt something sticky under her foot. Holding a towel, she looked down and discovered she was standing in a small puddle of red liquid—a substance that would later be identified as human blood. But if that wasn't alarming enough, Minnie and her husband Willie soon found instances of blood spatter like this in almost every room of their house. As disturbing as this must have been, wh...
Apr 08, 2024•32 min•Ep. 138
“Blood Seeped Under the Door, Down the Steps, and into the Street…” On the corner of Orleans Avenue and Dauphine Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans is a stately three-and-a-half-story mansion that is said to be the site of a massacre so significant that blood flowed from the building and into the street. It is the tale of a mysterious Turkish gentleman, perhaps even the brother of a Sultan, who arrived in New Orleans, threw wild parties, and was then viciously murdered. But is this stor...
Apr 01, 2024•34 min•Ep. 137
For almost a century, folks who dare head out to the old L&N train tracks at night, on the edge of the small town of Chapel Hill, Tennessee, have found themselves face-to-face with a strange ball of light that eerily bounces down the line. Some say the light is the spirit of a headless railroad worker, others a murdered woman, but no matter what has caused it, hundreds have purportedly witnessed the strange phenomenon. Additional Resources for This Episode: Tennessee Ghosts and Legends Podcast G...
Mar 25, 2024•31 min•Ep. 136
In our recent episode Mamie Thurman's Lingering Spirit, we explored the unsolved murder of a woman whose spirit purportedly haunts 22 Mine Road, just outside of Logan, West Virginia; however, there is one mystery that we didn't discuss-- the place where Mamie Thurman was buried. So this week's minisode does exactly that. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? Patreon: Ad-Free Episodes, Premium Releases, Bonus Content & More Southern Gothic Premium on Spotify Southern Gothic Premium on Apple ...
Mar 18, 2024•11 min•Ep. 135
Head southwest out of Logan, West Virginia and you’ll end up on an isolated strip of road up in the Appalachian Mountains where folks claim the spirit of a lady in white has been hitchhiking with coal drivers for almost a century. The tale isn’t that much different than others seen in ghost stories all over the world, but here on 22 Mine Road, folks know exactly who the specter is– a woman named Mamie Thruman, who was murdered and left here in the mountains almost a century ago. Tragically, whil...
Mar 11, 2024•34 min•Ep. 134
Admit it: you’re obsessed with royal families – watching them, gossiping about them, wanting to be them. It’s the stuff of fantasy. But for real-life royals, the crown jewels can be more like shiny handcuffs. There are expectations and rules – and if you break them, the consequences are big and very public. And there are royal families and wild royal tales from around the world and throughout history that you have never heard before. Even the Royals is a new podcast from Wondery that takes you i...
Feb 22, 2024•8 min
In 1816 a mysterious couple arrived in Alexandria, Virginia and isolated themselves in Room Number 8 at the now historic Gadsby’s Tavern. Unfortunately, the young woman was deathly ill and despite receiving assistance from a local doctor, she passed away. After burying his supposed wife, the man then disappeared, but the headstone he purchased for her remains, complete with an eerie inscription that has fueled centuries of speculation surrounding the mystery as to the identity of that poor woman...
Feb 19, 2024•29 min•Ep. 133
Theodosia Burr Alston was a pioneer for early American women and was celebrated for her education and intellectual achievements, but to this day many remember her for her mysterious disappearance. On December 31, 1812, the daughter of notorious politician Aaron Burr, boarded a schooner headed for New York, but the ship never arrived. Key Highlights The political ambitions and rivalries that led Aaron Burr to exile. Educational achievements and intellect of Theodosia Burr. Theodosia’s marriage to...
Feb 05, 2024•38 min•Ep. 132
Constructed between 1858 and 1881, the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum was initially a symbol of progressive treatment for the mentally ill, based on the philosophy and designs of Thomas Story Kirkbride. With an emphasis on therapeutic sunlight, fresh air, and humane treatment, it promised a new dawn in psychiatric care; however, as decades passed, the asylum became a harrowing example of the system's failure. Overcrowding, poor living conditions, and the implementation of barbaric treatments, in...
Jan 29, 2024•33 min•Ep. 131
When a charismatic young doctor announces revolutionary treatments for cancer and HIV, patients from around the world turn to him for their last chance. As medical experts praise Serhat Gumrukcu’s genius, the company he co-founded rockets in value to over half a billion dollars. But when a team of researchers makes a startling discovery, they begin to suspect the brilliant doctor is hiding a secret. From Wondery, the new season of Dr. Death: Bad Magic is a story of miraculous cures, magic and mu...
Jan 22, 2024•6 min
In 1871, Clara Robertson’s life was forever altered by an encounter with a ghost. The blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl witnessed a haunting vision of a transparent, emaciated young girl in a tattered pink dress while practicing piano upstairs at the Brinkley Female College in Memphis, Tennessee. The sensational series of events that followed was widely covered in the media of the day, causing a frenzy in town and making the tale of Pink Lizzie one of the most infamous hauntings in Memphis history. ...
Jan 15, 2024•33 min•Ep. 130
Andersonville Prison, officially known as Camp Sumter, was a Confederate prisoner-of-war camp during the American Civil War, operating from February 1864 to April 1865 near Andersonville, Georgia. Notorious for its horrific conditions and high mortality rate, it was designed for 10,000 prisoners but held over 32,000 at its peak, leading to severe overcrowding. The prisoners endured appalling conditions with inadequate shelter, contaminated water, insufficient food, and rampant disease. As a resu...
Jan 08, 2024•33 min•Ep. 129
The legend of Julia Legare has been passed down for generations, likely due to the fact that it brings into focus a far-reaching human anxiety, the fear of being buried alive. In 1852, while visiting her relatives at their home in Ediso Island, South Carolina, 22-year-old Julia Legare fell ill. Her diagnosis was not good, Julia had been struck with diphtheria and there was little that they could do for her. Eventually, Julia just slipped further away deep into a coma, and after many days and nig...
Jan 01, 2024•28 min•Ep. 128
Happy Holidays Y'all! In honor of Christmas, we're bringing you a couple of old, spooky Victorian tales courtesy of our friend Amanda Woomer's book A Very Frightful Victorian Christmas: Twelve Ghost Stories, Six Victorian Recipes. Want to hear Brandon read more of these tales? Join us over on Patreon to view a reading of all twelve of these Very Frightful Tales! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 24, 2023•47 min
The North Island Lighthouse sits just across Winyah Bay from Georgetown, South Carolina. For over two hundred years it guided ships safely into port, but according to local lore the apparition of one of the old lighthouse keeper's daughters has been said to appear to sailors to warn them of impending storms. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Join our New Facebook Group! Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.so...
Dec 18, 2023•27 min•Ep. 127
Our True Crime Podcast focuses on bizarre, lesser-known crime cases from around the globe delivered with respect, a bit of humor, and a smidge of song. Everything you’ve come to love from Jen and Cam. Listen now: https://pod.link/1404686511 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Dec 13, 2023•3 min
Rocky Hill Castle, once a majestic plantation house in Alabama, now stands only as a memory, shrouded in tragic history and chilling tales of the paranormal. Built between 1858 and 1861 by Colonel James Edmonds Saunders, the mansion was a marvel of its time, showcasing a unique blend of Greek Revival and Italianate architectural styles, but today its legacy lives on through the folklore surrounding it. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic ...
Dec 07, 2023•32 min•Ep. 126
The Winecoff Hotel was once a one of Atlanta's most luxurious hotels, not only known for its elegant accommodations and convenient location, but also its infamous designation as "absolutely fireproof." However, on the morning of December 7, 1946, a fire broke out, and the Winecoff became the site of the deadliest hotel fire in American history. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Join our New Facebook Group! Website: SouthernGothic...
Nov 20, 2023•33 min•Ep. 125
History Uncovered is brought to you by the digital publisher All That’s Interesting, where we explore all things weird and bizarre in the natural world and the world past. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Nov 13, 2023•51 min
