Southern Gothic

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In December of 1946, Atlanta woke to a nightmare unfolding in the heart of downtown. The Winecoff Hotel—once celebrated as a modern marvel and boldly advertised as “absolutely fireproof”—was swallowed by flames before sunrise, trapping hundreds of guests inside a building that was never supposed to burn. By morning, it would become the deadliest hotel fire in American history. For decades the Wine...

At the turn of the twentieth century, the American railroad was more than transportation — it was a symbol of speed, modernity, and danger, giving rise to some of the country’s most enduring folk legends. Among songs like “The Wreck of the Old 97” and “John Henry,” one ballad rose above the rest to become railroad folklore’s defining tale: “The Ballad of Casey Jones.” In this episode of Southern G...

Along a sharp bend in the Tallapoosa River in eastern Alabama sits one of the most important — and most haunting — battlefields in American history. In 1814, this quiet stretch of water became the site of a brutal clash between Red Stick Muscogee warriors and the forces of Major General Andrew Jackson, a fight that would reshape the future of the Southeast and forever alter the Muscogee Nation. Bu...

On August 23, 1912, four-year-old Bobby Dunbar went missing while his family was on a fishing trip at Swayze Lake in Louisiana. An eight-month search ensued, but the boy was eventually found in Mississippi– at least that’s what the Dunbars believed. Join us as we dive into one of the most well-known missing person cases in the history of the American South. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Fre...

The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you speak, the ideas you share - can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? We'll take you to the events, the times and the people that shaped our nation. And we'll show you how our history affected them, their families and affects you today. Hosted by Lin...

In a city famed for its grand antebellum mansions, Natchez’s oldest building feels like it belongs to another world entirely. Rough-hewn timbers, crooked shutters, and centuries of whispers cling to the walls of King’s Tavern, where legend says a young woman named Madeline met a grim fate at the hands of jealousy—and where, decades later, workers unearthed something chilling behind a fireplace: bo...

Tucked deep in the hills between Cookeville and Monterey, Tennessee, there’s a narrow, graffiti-covered bridge locals say you shouldn’t cross after dark. It’s called Crazy George’s Bridge, and according to legend, the spirit of an old railroad worker still wanders there—lantern swinging, searching for his missing head. They say if you whisper his name three times, you might just see him. Some clai...

Head east out of Washington, Georgia, and you’ll find a lonely little grave surrounded by a moss-covered stone wall — the final resting place of Captain Abram Simons, a Revolutionary War veteran, tavern keeper, and horseman known for living life on his own terms. Local legend says that when the Captain died in 1824, he was buried standing upright, musket at his side, so he could “meet the Devil fa...

Just outside Fayetteville, Arkansas, there’s a dip in the land the locals call Ghost Hollow — a quiet patch of woods where fog clings low and the wind carries a sound you’ll never forget. They say a young bride died here long ago, her wedding gown catching fire before she could reach the creek below. On still nights, her screams are said to echo through the hollow — a cry for help that never comes...

On the corner of Sixth and Park in Old Louisville stands a tree like no other — its gnarled trunk twisting back over itself, its branches draped with beads, ribbons, and charms left by visitors who whisper their wishes into the wind. Locals call it the Witches’ Tree, and legend says it grew from a curse. More than a century ago, the city cut down a sacred maple that once stood on that same spot —...

In the quiet community of Furman, Alabama, an old house still stands — its white siding fading beneath the moss-draped oaks, its brick chimneys watching over more than a century of secrets. But what chills folks most isn’t inside the Purifoy-Lipscomb House. It’s what lies just behind it. There, in a ring of earth where nothing grows, locals say you can still hear it — a man’s desperate voice risin...

Just off the coast of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, lies a tiny strip of sand and scrub known as Drunken Jack Island — a place born from rum, revelry, and one very unlucky pirate. Local legend says Jack was part of Blackbeard’s crew, left behind after a night of heavy drinking when the tide rolled out and the ship set sail without him. Stranded with nothing but barrels of rum and the company of...

On a hill above the Cane River in Natchitoches, Louisiana, three white columns stand where a grand antebellum mansion once rose — the only trace of a building that’s been gone for more than a century. For the students of Northwestern State University, they’re more than a landmark. They’re the heart of one of Louisiana’s most enduring ghost stories. They say a young woman once lived — and died — wi...

In the quiet mountain town of Lewisburg, West Virginia, stands a small limestone church that has watched over its congregation for more than two centuries. But among the old graves behind its walls, one monument draws more visitors — and more whispers — than any other: a white marble angel said to bring death to anyone who dares to kiss her cheek. Want to Listen to Southern Gothic Ad-Free? ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠...

Between the mountain towns of Hot Springs and Marshall, North Carolina, the French Broad River cuts through a gorge so narrow the cliffs seem to press in from both sides. It’s a stretch of water known for its beauty by day — and its whispers by night. Locals say the cries that echo off those stone walls aren’t carried by the wind, but by the ghosts of travelers who never made it past Chunn’s Taver...

Long before Florida’s theme parks and beach resorts, travelers came south to see a wonder of nature — the crystal waters of Silver Springs, so clear you can see straight through the earth. But beneath that glassy surface lies a place locals say was never meant to be seen — a dark, circular vent known as the Bridal Chamber. Legend tells of a love forbidden by pride, a promise sealed with a jeweled...

Reality is the real horror. Every Monday, poet and paranormal obsessive Heidi Wong unearths the chilling true stories behind the world’s most terrifying legends. From haunted dolls to cursed houses, each episode of Twisted Tales reveals the disturbing real-life events that inspired horror’s biggest blockbusters and the ones too twisted to make it to screen. Some stories are stranger than fiction....

In the heart of Holly Springs, Mississippi, an iron fence guards one of the town’s oldest homes — a stately white mansion built in 1837, known as Featherston Place. Its grand columns and sweeping porch have survived war, sickness, and time itself… but some say not everything inside ever moved on. For generations, visitors have whispered of footsteps on the stairs that stop halfway and vanish into...

Tucked deep in the red clay hills of Goochland County, Virginia, the Waller Mine once promised fortune to any man willing to dig for it. But like most gold rush tales, what glittered on the surface hid something much darker below. Locals still talk about the screams that once echoed from the abandoned house near the old mine — sounds of moaning, pleading, and a man calling out for help when no one...

The Union Station Hotel is one of the most historic landmarks in Nashville, TN — a relic from the golden age of the railroad. But beneath the marble floors and stained glass, some say a love story ended in tragedy… and never really ended at all. Guests in one particular room have reported flickering lights, phantom footsteps, and the sound of someone softly crying in the dark. Locals say it’s the...

In October of 1849, Edgar Allan Poe was found delirious and dying in the streets of Baltimore — wearing another man’s clothes and unable to explain how he’d gotten there. Days later, his rival published a venomous obituary… and with it, Poe’s final poem, Annabel Lee — a haunting tale of forbidden love and loss “in a kingdom by the sea.” Over a century later, Charleston, South Carolina, would claim...

Just outside the small town of Olive Hill, Kentucky, in the winter of 1968, the quiet home of John and Ora Callihan became the center of something strange. It began with the sound of breaking glass—a framed portrait of Christ shattering from within—then spread room by room as mirrors cracked, dishes burst, and furniture moved on its own. As neighbors whispered of curses and unseen forces, the nati...

Welcome to ⁠⁠How Haunted?⁠⁠ The paranormal podcast where each episode we explore the horrible history and terrifying ghost stories of one of the most haunted places on planet Earth. I’m Rob Kirkup: author, paranormal historian, and ghost hunter from the north-east of England. Allow me to be your guide as we dare to investigate in-depth the often dark and troubled history of each location, and of c...

In the winter of 1933, a revival took hold deep in the hills of Martin County, Kentucky. What began as a week of prayer and fasting soon slipped past the line between faith and fanaticism. Each night, hymns echoed through the holler—voices crying out in tongues, neighbors whispering that something wasn’t right. By the time the sheriff forced his way into that small farmhouse, the revival had becom...