Citegeist

Sleepy Hollow is more than just the Headless Horseman...but all its ghosts seem to have a complicated relationship with history. In this episode we'll take a look at the history and folklore behind the Headless Horseman and try and uncover the identity of this headless Hessian. Along the way we meet other specters like Raven Rock's Woman in White, Hulda the Witch, and the ghosts that allegedly hau...

Deep in the Appalachian foothills, two gay men built a castle, named their mastiffs after demons, and welcomed visitors with homemade wine. But when they were murdered, Corpsewood Manor became something else entirely as the narrative was distorted by the Satanic Panic and growing homophobia surrounding the emerging AIDS crisis. Secret drug labs; Satanic rituals; a "pleasure chamber"; and a portrai...

The Double Eagle restaurant in Mesilla, New Mexico, is reportedly haunted by two young lovers whose romance ended in murder. It’s a great ghost story. There’s forbidden romance, a controlling mother, and a tragic confrontation. There are also haunted chairs and ghosts who like to enjoy a romantic date over a bottle of wine. Like a good telenovela, the dramatics are accounted for. The documentation...

Three girls left a Halloween party in Akron, New York, in 1890. Only one of them came home. Sadie McMullen was just 17 when she was accused of throwing two young girls from a railroad trestle into Murder Creek. But the story gets even stranger from there. Sadie claimed she couldn't remember what happened, and at her trial, her family described years of seizures, blackouts, strange behavior, and me...

On this episode we examine the Radiant Boy: what he is, where he comes from, and why so many castles and estates try to claim one of their own. On this episode I'll untangle Viscount Castlereagh’s ghostly encounter from later retellings that include a prophecy of power and death and explores the curious claim that the Radiant Boy only appears to gay men...if you love haunted history, weird folklor...

A Salem ghost tour claim sent me on a search for the real Clue house . While the Gardner-Pingree House, and the murder of Captain Joseph White, are said to be the story behind the game...that may not be true. Learn about the sensational 1830 Salem murder of Captain White and join the search for the real rea. Was the Gardner-Pingree house really the inspiration for the American version of Clue ? An...

On this first episode back from hiatus I wanted to do something a little different...and tell you my own paranormal encounters! I know, I know, I'm a skeptic but even despite all these encounters...I still am. You have to let me know after listening...should I be? Or would you be a believer? Key Topics [00:00:00] - Intro [00:01:40] - Story 1: The Red Lady [00:09:52] - Psychic? Experiences [00:15:1...

If you’ve been wondering where I went, this update explains the pause and what comes next for the podcast. It’s a candid check-in on grief, burnout, and the reality of trying to make a highly researched audio show sustainable. The plan is to try again with a few new episodes for spooky season, but with a format that feels more sustainable and more connected to listeners. If you have any ideas or f...

Stowe, Vermont has more than New England charm and renowned ski slopes...it is also full of ghosts. Most famously, Stowe boasts the haunted Emily's Bridge (Gold Brook Bridge) and a tap-dancing spirit said to haunt the Green Mountain Inn. This episode follows both tales through oral tradition, local history, and the frustrating reality of trying to pull out the truth from the legend. This episode's...

A haunted mansion. A tragic history. An an official government document that seems to confirm it all...except...its wrong. The Winderbourne Mansion in Boyds, Maryland has long been surrounded by stories of death, misfortune, and ghosts, but what happens when you peer into the archive? In this episode, we revisit a case I first covered in 2021 and attempt to untangle the twisted threads of a widely...

During the height of the Spiritualist movement, a spirit named Katie King appeared in darkened séance rooms across America and England. She was like nothing the world had ever seen. She materialized before witnesses, speaking, walking, and even allowing herself to be touched. Scientists, journalists, and believers alike insisted she was proof of life after death. Katie King claimed to be the daugh...

Anna Wheeler's ghost haunts College Hall at the Vermont College of Fine Arts...at least that’s what campus lore says. In this episode of Citegeist , we investigate the ghost of Anna Wheeler and the strange happenings reported in the building’s tower. But the real history is something far juicier than what the college's oral history would lead you to believe. In fact, Anna likely never even step fo...

Golden Gate Villa is said to be cursed, haunted, and steeped in violence. The the story goes that a man who was in love with his step-daughter and murdered her and committed suicide when he couldn't have her for himself...but what does the historic record actually say? In this episode, we look into the life and times of Major Frank McLaughlin; learning about the man behind the murder to better und...

Pluckley, Kent, has long claimed the title of “most haunted village in Britain,” even earning a spot in the 1989 Guinness Book of World Records. With at least a dozen named ghosts, including the Red Lady of St. Nicholas Church, the White Lady, the Watercress Woman, the highwayman...the list goes on... it’s become a pilgrimage for paranormal enthusiasts. In this episode of Citegeist, we begin with...

Ocean-Born Mary is one of New England’s most enduring ghost stories and folk tales about a child born at sea, pirates, and long lost pirate's treasure. In this episode of Citegeist , we trace the legend back to its earliest sources and follow how a real, historical figure named Mary Wallace was transformed into a paranormal celebrity tied to buried riches, the awakening of Lorraine Warren's psychi...

Kingsley Plantation is often remembered for its hauntings, but the person most often reduced to legend is the woman who ran it. In this episode, we learn about Anna Kingsley (born Anta Madjiguène Ndiaye, also known as Anna Kingsley, Anta Majigeen Njaay or Anna Madgigine Jai,): a West African princess who was enslaved as a child and later became a plantation matriarch, landowner, and one of the mos...

Perched high above Eureka Springs, Arkansas, the Crescent Hotel is marketed as America’s "most haunted hotel". Ghost tours tell of restless spirits, wandering patients, and a mad doctor who tortured patients. But before the Crescent became a haunted hotel, it was a luxury resort, a women’s college, and later, the setting for one of the most disturbing medical frauds of the twentieth century. https...

Welcome to the Holiday Special! On today's episode we learn about the Christmas ghost story of Lake Jean at Ricketts Glen State Park. According to legend, a young boy testing out new skates fell through the ice, followed by his parents, all three perishing in the freezing water. Visitors still report seeing figures beneath the ice, strange lights on the lake, and whispers of strange voices in the...

Joan Rivers often joked that her New York apartment was haunted by a ghost she called “Mrs. Spencer.” It’s a story that’s been repeated for years, usually as a quirky aside in Rivers’ life, but rarely examined any further. In this episode of Citegeist , we dig into the origins of the haunting and ask: who was Mrs. Spencer? Using property records, census data, newspapers, and archival sources, this...

Join me in uncovering the truth behind the legend of Angola's Pigman. This half-man, half-beast specter stalks Holland Road in Angola, New York just outside of Buffalo. In life he was a brutal butcher responsible for murdering teens and countless others, in death he still terrorizes those who dare step foot on his property...or was he? We use archival resources to dissect the legend and discover w...

On this premiere episode of Citegeist, we uncover the tragic history behind Chicago’s Iroquois Theater Fire and the ghosts said to linger in Death Alley. Spirits have been seen by many, including Ana Gasteyer as she was starring in Wicked as Elphaba in what is now the Nederlander Theatre. WATCH on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/@Joshua. Spellman 0:00 Intro 1:46 Story Portion (Alleged History) 11...

Citegeist isn’t your typical paranormal podcast. Every episode, we dig into ghost stories, historic true crimes, folklore, and legends — all through a critical, archival lens. Here, we put the “ahh!” in bibliography and look for the truth behind our favorite tall tales. Each episode begins with a story as it’s usually told and then we head to the archives and have a ghoulish gossip sesh where we e...