The Southern Blueprint Podcast

For decades, people across Florida have reported seeing something large, hairy and foul-smelling moving through the swamps, mangroves and forests of the state. They call it the Skunk Ape. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint, we head into the Florida wilderness to trace the strange history of one of the South’s most famous cryptids. We’ll look at the terrifying 1977 encounters that drove the...

Few names are as deeply woven into the history and folklore of New Orleans as Marie Laveau. She was a real woman who became something much larger: a Voudou leader, healer, devout Catholic, confidante, and eventually the legendary Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Nearly 150 years after her death, stories still surround her—secret ceremonies, gris-gris, Grand Zombi, courtroom magic, mysterious disappear...

In July of 1987, 42-year-old Ann Robertson Jones was found murdered inside her home in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. At the time, Pigeon Forge was becoming one of the South’s most familiar family vacation destinations. Dollywood had opened the year before. Tourism was booming. Families were pouring into Sevier County for cabins, souvenir shops, mountain views, and the promise of a Smoky Mountain getawa...

In the summer of 2015, North Carolina experienced one of the most unusual shark-bite clusters in its recorded history. Over just twenty-four days, eight people were bitten along the coast, from Ocean Isle Beach and Oak Island to Surf City and the Outer Banks. Two teenagers lost arms during attacks that occurred less than ninety minutes apart, while several other swimmers suffered serious injuries...

In 2006, Abraham Shakespeare went from working-class Floridian to multimillionaire overnight after winning a $30 million Florida lottery jackpot. For most people, that kind of money sounds like freedom. For Abraham Shakespeare, it became the beginning of a nightmare. As word of his fortune spread, so did the requests for money, the business schemes, the lawsuits, and the people looking to profit f...

In January of 1991, a bizarre story out of Channelview, Texas, became a national obsession. Wanda Holloway, a mother from a blue-collar town east of Houston, was accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill the mother of her daughter’s junior high cheerleading rival. But behind the “Pom-Pom Mom” headline was a deeper story about ambition, motherhood, resentment, small-town status, family dysfunction...

For more exclusive content, bonus episodes, book club discussions, access to our Discord community, The Aviary Bird Club, and behind-the-scenes Southern Blueprint content, join The Hidden Pine Lodge on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/TheHiddenPineLodge Anne Bonny is one of the most famous pirates in history, but she may also be one of the most mysterious. Born in Ireland and raised in colonia...

On September 14, 1987, Circuit Court Judge Vincent Sherry and his wife, Biloxi city councilwoman Margaret Sherry, were found murdered inside their home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. At first, the case seemed to point in several directions: local politics, city corruption, organized crime, revenge, or someone from Judge Sherry’s legal past. Margaret had been an outspoken critic of corruption in Bi...

On November of 1999, a 24-year-old woman named Cherica Adams made a 911 call from a dark road in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had been shot four times. She was eight months pregnant. And before the call ended, she told police exactly who was responsible. That name was Rae Carruth — a first-round NFL draft pick for the Carolina Panthers. In this episode, we take a step back and look at the full p...

In October 2006, one of the most disturbing crimes in New Orleans history unfolded in the heart of the French Quarter. Zack Bowen, an Iraq War veteran, and Addie Hall were known throughout the Quarter’s late-night bar scene. Friends described them as inseparable, passionate, and chaotic—two people drawn together by the intensity of post-Katrina New Orleans. But behind the music, the drinking, and...

Somewhere in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, a fortune may still be waiting. The Beale Treasure is one of America’s most enduring unsolved mysteries — a story of buried gold, encrypted messages, and a man named Thomas J Beale who vanished without a trace. First made public in an 1885 pamphlet known as the Beale Papers, the story describes a massive cache of gold and silver hidden...

For a brief, wild stretch in the 1970s, South Carolina became one of the most important drug smuggling corridors in the United States — and in Part 2 of this series, the federal government finally strikes back. This episode dives deep into Operation Jackpot, one of the largest and most consequential drug investigations in American history. As marijuana and hashish pour into the Lowcountry in stagg...

When most people think of American drug smuggling, they picture Miami and South Florida. Few realize that for a brief, wild stretch in the 1970s, South Carolina became one of the most important gateways for marijuana and hashish in the country. In this first installment of a two-part series, we dive into the rise of the Gentleman Smugglers—a loose network of intelligent, well-connected Southern ou...

In this deep-dive episode of The Southern Blueprint , host Matt Swift returns to NASCAR after nearly two decades away… just as the sport enters one of the most chaotic and transformative moments in its modern history. This episode explores: • NASCAR’s moonshine roots and Southern identity • How the 1980s–90s became the sport’s golden era • The leadership missteps of the 2000s • Why many longtime f...

In the dark swamps of Louisiana, where the moss hangs heavy and the night hums with life, stories still whisper of a creature that walks between man and monster. Known as the Rougarou — or Cajun werewolf — this beast has haunted the bayous for centuries. Born from French loup-garou legend and baptized in Catholic superstition, the Rougarou is said to punish sinners, stalk the unfaithful, and prowl...

The Hatfield and McCoy feud, fought along the Tug Fork of the Big Sandy River in West Virginia and Kentucky, left a trail of violence, betrayal, and tragedy that captured the nation’s attention — and still fascinates us today. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast , we uncover the real story behind the Hatfields and McCoys: ⚔️ Civil War loyalties that fueled deep animosity. 🐖 The infa...

In the 1970s, Cullen Davis was the wealthiest man ever tried for murder in the United States — a Texas oil heir whose fortune, family drama, and criminal trials gripped the nation. Accused of killing 12-year-old Andrea Wilborn, wounding his estranged wife Priscilla Davis, murdering her boyfriend Stan Farr, shooting Priscilla's friend Bubba Gavrel, and later plotting a judge’s death, Davis face...

In this gripping true crime episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast , we unravel the chilling mystery of John and Elizabeth Calvert—a wealthy Hilton Head Island couple who vanished without a trace on March 3, 2008. The last man to see them alive, their accountant Dennis Ray Gerwing, was found dead days later in a luxury hotel, covered in stab wounds and surrounded by suspicion. Were the Calverts...

In this episode of The Southern Blueprint , we crack open one of the wildest true crime tales in bourbon history — the infamous case known as Pappygate . What started as a few missing bottles quickly unraveled into a sprawling investigation involving stolen barrels of rare whiskey, anabolic steroids, black-market dealings, and a close-knit Kentucky community blindsided by betrayal. At the center o...

Step into the world of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil , the true crime saga that captivated readers and filmgoers alike. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast , we take a deep dive into the book, the 1997 Clint Eastwood film, and the real-life murder of Danny Hansford at the infamous Mercer-Williams House in Savannah, Georgia. We’ll explore Jim Williams’ four dramatic trials,...

Step into the wild world of Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, the legendary pirate who ruled the Southern seas. In this episode, we explore Blackbeard’s daring exploits, from his infamous blockade of Charleston to his final battle at Ocracoke Island. Learn about the discovery of his flagship, the Queen Anne’s Revenge , and the treasures it revealed. Along the way, we’ll uncover the stories...

Step into the murky depths of Scape Ore Swamp as we unravel the tale of the Lizard Man, the legendary creature that gripped South Carolina in fear and fascination. From the first chilling encounter in 1988 to the countless sightings that followed, we dive deep into the history, the hype, and the lasting appeal of this mysterious cryptid. Why do people love stories like these, and what keeps the le...

Deep in the Mississippi Delta lies Yazoo City, a place haunted by a chilling legend that has been passed down through generations. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast , we unravel the dark tale of the Witch of Yazoo—a mysterious woman who was said to curse the town with her dying breath. Exactly 20 years later, her prophecy seemed to come true when a devastating fire consumed over 20...

In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast , host Matt Swift takes you on a captivating journey through the rebellious world of moonshiners and bootleggers during the Prohibition era. Learn how the 18th Amendment sparked a nationwide black market for alcohol, fueled by Southern ingenuity and the rise of illegal distilleries. We explore the fascinating stories of legendary figures like Amos...

Welcome to the inaugural episode of the Southern Blueprint Podcast! In this debut episode, we plunge into one of the most intriguing treasure hunts of all time—Byron Preiss' "The Secret: A Treasure Hunt." We first crack open a tasty Golden Ale from Lost Worlds Brewing called the Eucre and then take a closer look at the five treasure locations buried in the South: Charleston, Roanoke, Houston, New...