Hometown Haunts Podcast

EPIDSODE 120: THE POPE LICK MONSTER WITH JAY B. KALAGAYAN Tonight Kat, Jen, and Christina welcome back Jay Kalagayan, the writer of the new graphic novel THE GOAT: POPE LICK CREEK MONSTER, a new cryptid adventure horror comic book with illustrations by Ethan Pope. FOLLOW AND GET JAY’S COMICS HERE: www.messedcomics.com https://www.facebook.com/MeSseDComics/ @messedcomics.bsky.social https://ko-fi.c...

EPISODE 119: HAUNTED DOLLS An article about Annabelle, the infamous haunted doll, coming to Scarefest in Lexington prompted Kat, Jen, and Christina to talk about creepy haunted dolls. The conversation takes a bizarre turn to Zombies and eating brains! Sources: https://www.wlky.com/article/annabelle-doll-lexington-kentucky-scarefest/69072425 https://allabout-japan.com/en/article/1357/2/ https://en....

EPISODE 118: HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR PART 2 Kat, Jen, and Christina read MORE haunting stories from listeners in the second of 2 GIANT episodes! Plus, we talk a little about Kelton House Museum and Gardens, a well known haunted location in Columbus, Ohio, which just burned down. Sources: https://www.wosu.org/arts-culture/2025-10-24/for-the-love-of-ghost-stories-a-look-at-two-of-columbus-haunted-his...

EPISODE 117: HALLOWEEN SPOOKTACULAR PART I This is a very spooktacular episode of the show since we’re recording it just shy of our five year anniversary. Scare-a-versary? In October of 2020, Christina, Jen, and I gathered around our microphones and recorded the first episode of the Hometown Haunts Podcast, then known as the Cincinnati Cabinet of Curiosities podcast, a sister project to the comics...

EPISODE 116: HAUNTED PUGET SOUND Kat, Jen, and Christina discuss haunted places in Kat’s neck of the woods in Washington in honor of Christina's visit in July. Haunted places discussed: The Edmonds Theater The Edmonds Masonic Lodge (Which became the Opera House) Point Wilson Lighthouse Sources: https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20031022/haunt22n/edmonds-theater-one-of-several-local-haunts-a...

EPISODE 115: HAUNTED PAINTINGS Kat, Jen, and Christina discuss four haunted paintings just in time for Halloween! Note that if you are listening to audio only, the paintings are in the YouTube broadcast if you want to see and judge for yourself! Sources: https://blogs.libraries.indiana.edu/iubarchives/2023/10/26/happy-spooky-season/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_painting...

EPISODE 114: STORIES FROM ITALY, JUNEAU, AND GHOSTS, OH MY!  Catch up on Kat, Jen, and Christina's Spring travels and the ghosts of Juneau! Sources: https://www.nps.gov/articles/khns-princess-sophia.htm https://www.juneauempire.com/news/spirits-from-shipwreck-still-spooking-downtown-business/ Haunted Inside Passage: Ghosts, Legends, and Mysteries of Southeast Alaska  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

Episode 113: THE MYSTERIOUS MURDER OF BILLY FEE WITH BRANDON WAGNER It was a hot, sticky night in August 1890 when Billy Fee fell into the dark depths of the Ohio River. No one confessed to his murder, no one was even charged. So maybe this is why his ghost has been seen lingering along the shoreline haunting all those who approach. Tonight Kat, Jen, and Christina welcome back guest artist Brandon...

Episode 112: UFO Chase It is 5 in the morning when two Portage County Ohio sheriff deputies stop at the side of the road to investigate an abandoned car. Suddenly, they hear this strange humming noise, and when they turn around a giant UFO is hovering overhead. The UFO rises from behind the trees and hovers over them, drenching the ground around them in light. Kat, Jen, and Christina discuss the U...

Episode 111: THE LADY IN BLACK It is an early misty morning in Cincinnati’s Eden Park and you’re taking in the quiet serenity when you notice you aren’t alone in the park. Just before you standing before you is a lady dressed in black from head to toe in what looks like vintage clothes. She stares sad and mournful over the rippling water of Mirror Lake. You approach her, but before a sound could p...

Episode 110: DO YOU DARE? HALLOWEEN GRAVEYARD DARES HALLOWEEN EPISODE! Kat, Jen, and Christina discuss three creepy Graveyard Dares. Sources: https://www.vermonter.com/ghosts-and-legends-black-agnes/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Aggie https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/almID/1202675184739/ https://www.visitindiana.com/blog/post/haunted-cemetery-in-indiana/ https://www.butlercountyconnec...

Episode 109: Scary Stories with Jen and Kat Jen and Kat discuss their experiences at Waverly Hills Sanatorium in Louisville, Kentucky and The Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. News: Join Christina's SKETCHING AND PAINTING WORKSHOP in Tuscany, May 2025! https://www.lisastatkus.com/christina-wald-a-sketching-obsession-in-tuscany-may-7th-16-2025/ Email us your hometown haunt story and we wil...

Episode 108: The Faceless Woman of the Woods Outside of Mammoth Cave in Southern Kentucky is the small unincorporated town of Chalybeate in Edmonson, County. It is a sleepy town, too small even to have its own post office. But there is one resident who has never left, she lurks in the forests around the town as a reminder of a bygone era- the Faceless Woman of the Woods. Kat, Jen, and Christina di...

Episode 107: The Ohio Grassman “Don’t go into the tall grass, or the Grassman will get’cha” a beast that lurks in the tall grasses and forests of Ohio who stories serve as Boogyman tales to young children. Eye witnesses have reported seeing the creature stalk across yards and farmland, or hear it’s chilling howls at night. Tonight Jay Kalagayan and Tim Fuller join Kat, Jen, and Christina to talk a...

EPISODE 106: THE ROEBLING BRIDGE SEA SERPENT The mighty Ohio River flows through the heart of the Cincinnati region. Without it, the area would not exist as we know it today. The Ohio holds many secrets from her long history and many legends have been born from it, such as ghost ships, mysterious murders, and creepy cryptids. Join Kat, Jen, and Christina for tonight's exciting episode about the Ro...

S5 Episode 105 HODAG He’s green, mean, and looks and eats white bulldogs- tonight we’re talking about Rhinelander, Wisconsin’s HODAG! Legend had it that this “Hodag” was the reincarnated spirit of the sturdy, hardworking oxen that dragged logs from the forest. Join Kat, Jen, and Christina for tonight's exciting episode about the creature with the head and paws of a giant cat but covered in scales...

EPISODE 104: BURIED ALIVE During the late Victorian Era, the fear of being buried alive was very much real. Waves of cholera epidemics ravaged North America and Europe, leaving victims in near-dead states. Mirroring the concerns of the time, rumors spread about people being buried alive, so much so that many “safety coffins” and other graveside alerts were invented and implemented to prevent prema...

S5 Episode 103 THE LAST GHOST HUNT AT BOBBY MACKEY'S Jen, Christina, and special guest and friend of the show, Kristine, visited Bobby's Mackey's before its demolition and tell Kat about their experiences. For those that are interested, everything from the bar will be auctioned off this fall. Join Christina in Tuscany May 2025! https://www.lisastatkus.com/christina-wald-a-sketching-obsession-in-tu...

S5 Episode 102 THE LAKE WORTH MONSTER AKA “GOATMAN” It is time for a little cryptid lore as Kat, Jen, and Christina discuss the Lake Worth Monster. Tonight’s show topic was suggested by Kat's friend and fellow cartoonist, Jason Poland, who creates the comic My Dad is Dracula (@mydadisdracula). A fellow cryptid enthusiast and a resident of the great state of Texas, he thought the Goatman was a good...

S5 Episode 101: ICE BOY AND THE WITCH'S TREE We start our new season in Louisville, Kentucky, talking about Christina’s trip to the Witch’s Tree while Kat share spooky stories from the Derby City, the Ice Boy. Join Christina in Tuscany May 2025! https://www.lisastatkus.com/christina-wald-a-sketching-obsession-in-tuscany-may-7th-16-2025/ Email us your hometown haunt story and we will read it on our...

Episode 100 Part III: SPOOKY STORIES PART THREE: More listener, host, and guest ghost stories! Thanks Mark and Kari for the 100th episode ghost story! Listen to Eerie Travels here: https://eerietravels.com/ Get Eerie Appalachia here: https://eerie-travels.square.site/shop/eerie-books/3ZJNFWAZ7NGGG6GNWDZPTGN3 PART ONE: Covered the history of the property, with the murder mystery of Pearl Bryan and...

S5 Episode 100 Part II BOBBY MACKEY’S MUSIC WORLD PART TWO: Covers from 1978 to present-day infamous Bobby Mackey's venue. PART ONE: Covered the history of the property, with the murder mystery of Pearl Bryan and mob ties to the location. https://youtu.be/nSjStbpMNfw PART THREE: More listener and guest ghost stories! Join Christina in Romania and Transylvania this June! https://sketchingtours.com/...

Episode 100: Bobby Mackey's Music World Part 1: Covers the history of the property, with the murder mystery of Pearl Bryan and mob ties to the location. PART TWO: Covers from 1978 to present-day Bobby Mackeys. PART THREE: More listener and guest ghost stories! Join Christina in Romania and Transylvania this June! https://sketchingtours.com/ Email us your hometown haunt story and we will read it on...

Episode 99 GREAT LAKES GHOST SHIPS & CEDAR POINT Join Kat, Jen, and Christina on a tour of the haunted Great Lakes of the United States on the show tonight. Our first stop is highlighting the ghost ships said to still sail, and then Jen recounts the haunted history of Cedar Point on the coast of Lake Erie. Join Christina in Romania and Transylvania this June! https://sketchingtours.com/ Email us y...

EXPLICIT LANGUAGE: Episode 98: Living in a Haunted House What is it like to live in a haunted house? Kelly Hodson and Shelly Suittor join Kat, Jen, and Christina with eyewitness experiences in Kelly's house in Bellbrook, Ohio that were documented on My Ghost Story streaming on Disney Plus. From swinging pots and pans to playing fetch with the dog, she has some stories to tell! Join Christina in Ro...