In October 1872, a small Georgia community was bursting with visitors and curiosity seekers in an attempt to discover the truth behind mysterious happenings at the family home of Allen Powell Surrency. In what many consider to be one of the most documented ghost story in American history, the Surrency family home seemingly became the epicenter of a destructive entity. From the benign—doors slammed open and closed and objects floated above the ground, to the life threatening—a child thrown from b...
Oct 14, 2024•32 min•Ep. 159
If you're a fan of Southern Gothic, then check out our brand new audio fiction series Fear Daily! Fear Daily takes you into the shadows of the past, unearthing the 1990's most terrifying tales of monsters, madness, and life after death. Join us as we explore the ghost stories and supernatural encounters left on an old online bulletin board that continues to operate somewhere in an unknown part of the Pennsylvania Rust Belt - a time capsule of society's greatest fears. Written by Brennan Storr, c...
Oct 07, 2024•27 min
If you enjoyed our last full-length episode Legacy of the Battletown Witch and want to hear more about this year's Battletown Witch Festival, join Brandon as he sits down for a brief conversation with the festival's co-founder and chair Annie Hamilton Emond of Meade County Tourism. Make Plans to attend the Battletown Witch Festival today! When: Saturday, October 26, 2024 Where: YMCA Camp Piomingo in Otter Creek Park of Brandenburg, Kentucky Cost: Free! VIP tickets are available at BattletownWitc...
Oct 03, 2024•13 min
On Saturday, October 26th, Meade County, Kentucky, hosts its third annual Battletown Witch Festival, a family-friendly celebration inspired by one of the region’s most infamous local legends. This tale, passed down through generations of Battletown families, claims that a young woman buried in the old Elizabeth Daily Cemetery continues to haunt the hills and hollers after being unjustly killed for being a witch. Her name was Leah Smock, and while the lore may not be well-known outside of the sta...
Sep 30, 2024•52 min•Ep. 157
On July 26, 1911, Major Archibald Butt, the military aide to President William Howard Taft, wrote to his sister-in-law about something rather odd that had been happening inside the walls of the White House for months: “My dear Clara, It seems that the White House is haunted." The Major then continues on to describe some of the interesting and eerie claims made members of the White House staff, folks who claim to have come into contact with an entity that has since become known simply as "The Thi...
Sep 23, 2024•36 min•Ep. 156
According to local legend, visitors to Savannah’s Historic Wright Square have been known to encounter a young woman dressed in 18th-century style clothing. Some are said to have been approached and begged for their assistance in finding the woman’s lost son. Yet when folks begin to search the area, the girl disappears. Many believe this is the ghost of Alice Riley, the first woman executed in the colony of Georgia. Alice Riley arrived in the American Colonies in January of 1734 as an indentured ...
Sep 16, 2024•49 min•Ep. 155
Y'all we're going live with a little good old-fashioned storytelling on Thursday, October 17th in Nashville, Tennessee! Prepare for an unforgettable night as Brandon Schexnayder, the voice behind the popular podcast Southern Gothic, takes the stage to weave eerie ghost stories from the haunted South. This is not just a show—it's an intimate, spine-tingling journey into the darkest corners of Southern history. With limited seating to create a truly personal and immersive experience, Brandon will ...
Sep 12, 2024•31 min
On the morning of January 31, 1921, Surfman C.P. Brady of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Cape Hatteras Station No. 183 stood watch over the treacherous waters of the "Graveyard of the Atlantic." His early morning shift, had been uneventful until the mist began to lift around 6:30. What appeared before him was chilling: a massive, five-masted schooner, sails still raised, had run aground on the Outer Diamond Shoals. Its name was the Carroll A. Deering. But if this sight wasn't strange enough, when the Co...
Sep 09, 2024•39 min•Ep. 154
Southern Gothic: Live in Nashville is happening on October 17, 2024... be sure to get your tickets now!! Built in 1881, Sloss Furnaces was the first of many blast furnaces in Birmingham, Alabama to manufacture pig iron. The furnaces aided in catalyzing an Industrial Revolution in the postwar south. It was in Alabama, that the iron industry took off, providing the rest of the country with the material necessary to build everything from country bridges to the first skyscrapers. But this lucrative ...
Sep 02, 2024•27 min•Ep. 153
There's been some pretty big changes to a classic story! Join us as we explore a classic Alabama ghost story that claims an old dormitory on the campus of Huntingdon College is haunted by the spirit of a former student. ...but that ain't all! We also had a chance to chat with Dr. Anthony Leigh, the current president of Huntingdon College. Dr. Leigh discusses a little bit of the college's history, the legacy of storyteller Kathryn Tucker Windham, and of course the Red Lady herself. This episode i...
Aug 26, 2024•54 min•Ep. 152
Serial killers. Gangsters. Gunslingers. Victorian-era murderers. And that's just the tip of the iceberg. Each week, the Most Notorious podcast features true-life tales of crime, criminals, tragedies and disasters throughout history. Host Erik Rivenes interviews authors and historians who have studied their subjects for years. Their stories are offered with unique insight, detail, and historical accuracy. Follow Most Notorious! on your favorite podcasting app today! Learn more about your ad choic...
Aug 19, 2024•1 hr 10 min
For almost two centuries, the Pensacola lighthouse has stood overlooking the entrance to Pensacola Bay guiding generations of mariners safely through the treacherous waters of the Gulf of Mexico; but over the last few decades, this historic maritime landmark has become notorious for the purported spirits believed to call it home. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? Patreon: Ad-Free Episodes, Premium Releases, Bonus Content & More Southern Gothic Premium on Spotify Southern Gothic Prem...
Aug 12, 2024•40 min•Ep. 151
This week we flip the script and present a handful of tales told to us by your fellow listerners. 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 Podcasts Into History: History Without Interruption Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @So...
Aug 05, 2024•34 min
Just west of Chattanooga, Tennessee is the Nickajack Cave, a historic natural wonder flooded in 1967 due to the construction of the Nickajam Dam. Carved by the Tennessee River over millennia, the cave has a rich history filled with tales of the Chickamauga, Confederate soldiers, and even the notorious Man in Black, Johnny Cash. Today the cave is a wildlife refuge for a colony of endangered bats, but back in 1992, after it was shut off to the public for this purpose, a man named David Gant dared ...
Jul 29, 2024•38 min•Ep. 150
In our most recent episode, we explored the life and legend of Robert Johnsons; however, there is one mystery that we left out! For over fifty years after his death, no one knew exactly where Robert Johnson was buried, and as a result, there are now three cemeteries that feature memorials to the blues legend. 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 Podcasts...
Jul 22, 2024•13 min•Ep. 149
In 1931, Robert Johnson walked into a juke joint in Banks, Mississippi with a guitar strapped to his back. Only a little less than a year before he mysteriously disappeared from the Delta after being teased for his lack of musicianship. But now Robert Johnson was back and he was ready to take the stage and show everyone in that juke what he could do, displaying a musical mastery that left everyone shocked. From that day on, the legend of Robert Johnson has become one of the most notorious pieces...
Jul 15, 2024•52 min•Ep. 148
On Saturday, October 21, 1899 the New Orleans Times-Democrat ran an article under the headline: “Real Ghost Story. The Old Carrollton Jail Said to be Haunted.” Through the use of the exact words of police officers, the article chronicled eerie occurrences at the local jail. But while many of the police officers who served at the Carrollton Jail stated that they didn’t believe in ghosts, most agreed that the strange things happening there seemed to defy rational explanation; and over time, everyo...
Jul 08, 2024•41 min
On History Daily, we do history, daily. Every weekday, host Lindsay Graham (American Scandal, American History Tellers) takes you back in time to explore a momentous event that happened ‘on this day’ in history. Whether it’s to remember the tragedy of December 7th, 1941, the day “that will live in infamy,” or to celebrate that 20th day in July, 1969, when mankind reached the moon, History Daily is there to tell you the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world—one day at a time...
Jul 01, 2024•23 min
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 ...
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 S...
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 ...
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
