Citegeist

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...