Podcast
Southern Ghost Stories
Hosted by Southern Ghost Stories · EN
American Hauntstorian Allen Sircy explores America’s haunted past — unearthing true ghost stories, graveyard legends, and forgotten folklore. Join him as he gives voice to haunted history and chilling tales that blur the line between fact and myth from every corner of the country.
52episodes
Episodes
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The Tanyard Horror & the Ghost of Herman Schilling
Yesterday00:25:08Tap to summarizeIn the autumn of 1874, a forbidden romance in Cincinnati triggered a wave of vengeance that culminated in one of the most gruesome crimes in American history: the Tanyard Horror. After a secret relationship with a saloon keeper's daughter ended in tragedy, young immigrant Herman Schilling was brutally ambushed by a grieving father and an angry cowrker, stabbed with a pitchfork, and shoved into a roaring tannery furnace. Long after the killers escaped the gallows, the ashes of Gamble Alley refused to cool, giving rise to terrifying folklore of a scorched, walking skeleton seeking eternal rest and an apparition that drove a desperate woman to madness. We're taking a deep dive into one of Cincinnati's forgotten ghost stories.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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Colonial Park Cemetery's 10,000 Forgotten Graves
3d ago00:21:50Tap to summarizeStep inside the iron gates of Savannah's Colonial Park Cemetery, where over ten thousand bodies are packed into just six acres—with entire sections resting right beneath the modern city sidewalks. In this episode of Southern Ghost Stories, American Hauntstorian Allen Sircy reveals that the true darkness of this historic burial ground goes far beyond phantom children and Civil War desecration. Instead, it’s a deep dive into a bizarre historical circus involving two Revolutionary War heavyweights, Button Gwinnett and Nathanael Greene. From a fatal duel at dawn to lost graves, botched exhumations, and the skeletal remains of national heroes being fought over like political trophies—including one founding father who spent a temporary vacation inside a historian's spare bedroom—this episode proves that history in Savannah doesn't just stay buried. It gets weird, loud, and incredibly unsettled. Oh, and there might be a ghost story or two...Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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Tennessee Tales Tuesday: Benjamin Allen & The Beast Under the Table
4d ago00:20:36Tap to summarizeIf you've ever driven down Ben Allen Road in Nashville, you’ve passed the namesake of one of the most eccentric and feared men in 19th-century Tennessee. Born into immense wealth, Benjamin Allen rejected the family banking business to master the occult, alchemy, and hypnosis. Operating out of a grand mansion on Spruce Street, Allen became a 33rd-Degree Mason by day and a practitioner of the dark arts by night. The rumors surrounding him were wild—from a cursed golden Buddha statue that appeared on his doorstep to his terrifying ability to plant his voice inside people's heads. But the real horror happened in the dining room, where Allen and his wife hosted late-night séances to summon an invisible, sulfur-smelling entity known only as "The Thing." In this episode, we dig into the bizarre life, the midnight Masonic funeral, and the terrifying supernatural legacy of Nashville's forgotten magician.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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From The Vault: Tootsie's—Nashville's Most Haunted Honky Tonk
5d ago00:13:12Tap to summarizeRecorded back in 2019 and recently recovered from an old hard drive, this lost episode of Southern Ghost Stories explores one of Nashville’s most iconic honky-tonks: Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge. Originally opened in 1960 by Hattie Louise “Tootsie” Bess—and famously painted purple by mistake—this legendary watering hole right behind the Ryman Auditorium became the unofficial green room for country music royalty. From Willie Nelson pitching "Crazy" over a beer to Tom T. Hall streaking through the bar on a lost bet, Tootsie’s has seen its fair share of wild history and music industry legends. But the rowdy behavior didn't stop when the living left. In this classic episode from the vault, we dive into the supernatural side of Lower Broadway, exploring the ghostly sightings of Hank Williams Sr. pacing the back alley, and the spirit of Tootsie herself, who is said to still keep watch over the bar—hat pin at the ready—ensuring the music never truly dies.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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Dr. Joseph McDowell: The Body Snatcher Guided by His Mother's Ghost
1w ago00:20:26Tap to summarizeNineteenth-century medicine was a grisly business where doctors had to break the law to learn their craft. In this episode, we dig into the dark world of "resurrectionists"—professional grave robbers who stalked cemeteries to supply medical schools with fresh cadavers. At the heart of the story is St. Louis’s most eccentric surgeon, Dr. Joseph Nash McDowell, a man who allegedly dodged an armed mob by hiding a stolen corpse in the rafters and posing as a dead body himself. From the terrifying legend of a girl who woke up on the dissection table to the ghostly intervention of McDowell’s own mother, we explore the thin, blood-stained line between scientific advancement and graveyard desecration.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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The Rougarou: The Cajun Werewolf
1w ago00:17:07Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Southern Ghost Stories, Allen Sircy deep-dives into the terrifying history of the Rougarou—the legendary Cajun werewolf that has haunted French settlements, eastern Canada, and the dark bayous of Louisiana for centuries. Far from a polished Hollywood movie monster, the Rougarou is a creature born of medieval European superstition, 16th-century French werewolf trials, and strict Catholic discipline, where breaking Lent or abandoning the church for seven years could trigger a monstrous curse. Sircy explores the chilling rules of the transformation, the eerie nature of the isolated swamps, and a bizarre, forgotten 19th-century frontier archive from Indiana. In that nightmarish account, a hard-fighting French settler named Charlot Page stabbed a red-eyed, snarling beast blocking his path, only to watch it instantly transform into his naked, bleeding neighbor, Jean Vital. Tune in to discover how this regional legend served as a potent psychological warning for generations.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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Tennessee Tales Tuesday: The President Who Wouldn’t Stay Buried
2w ago00:18:30Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Southern Ghost Stories, host Allen Sircy spotlights James K. Polk, the ruthlessly disciplined "Young Hickory" who radically transformed the U.S. map in just four years, only to become largely forgotten by modern history. After working himself to exhaustion and refusing to seek reelection, Polk's retirement plans quickly turned tragic when he succumbed to a brutal cholera outbreak just three months after leaving office. But the former president's journey didn't end in 1849; his body became the center of a chaotic series of relocations, his prized Nashville mansion was completely demolished—leaving a pizza franchise sitting on his original burial site—and his remains were moved multiple times before landing at the Tennessee Capitol. Decades after his passing, the restless legacy of Polk and his fiercely devoted wife, Sarah, lives on through eerie Nashville legends, from a mysterious woman in black seen weeping at their current tomb to disembodied voices echoing where their home once stood.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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From the Vault: The Sorrel Weed House — Savannah’s Most Haunted Place
2w ago00:19:34Tap to summarizeRecorded back in 2019 and recently recovered from an old hard drive, this lost episode of Southern Ghost Stories explores the infamous Sorrel Weed House in Savannah, Georgia — a mansion with a long history of tragedy, secrets, and reported paranormal activity. The episode dives into the deadly Siege of Savannah, the complicated life of Francis Sorrel, the mysterious deaths tied to the house, and the legends surrounding Molly and Matilda Sorrel. Allen and Chelsie also share their own strange experiences inside the house, from unexplained activity in the basement to eerie problems with electronics in the carriage house. From shadow figures and phantom footsteps to ghostly apparitions caught in mirrors, this episode covers why many consider the Sorrel Weed House one of the most haunted places in America.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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The Hopkinsville Goblins: The Siege, the Legend and the Shocking Truth
2w ago00:18:34Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Southern Ghost Stories, host Allen Sircy dives into the legendary 1955 siege of the Hopkinsville Goblins, where a terrified Kentucky family claimed their rural farmhouse was attacked by small, metallic, bulletproof creatures. While the incident quickly became one of the most famous close encounters in American history—spawning decades of UFO hysteria and theories ranging from extraterrestrials to Great Horned Owls—Sircy shares a shocking, boots-on-the-ground twist from a local woman tied to the farm. A chance encounter reveals a completely different, grounded explanation involving a landlord dispute, masked men, and a prank that spiraled entirely out of control, turning local folklore upside down. Tune in for a deep dive into how fear, darkness, and a little bit of rumor can turn an ordinary night into permanent American mythology!Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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Decapitated on the Gallows: The Eva Dugan Story
2w ago00:20:57Tap to summarizeIn this episode of Southern Ghost Stories, we dive into the horrifying true story of Eva Dugan, the first woman executed by the state of Arizona. What began as the mysterious disappearance of an elderly rancher outside Tucson quickly spiraled into one of the most controversial murder cases of the twentieth century involving a lonely desert grave, a mysterious drifter known only as “Jack,” accusations of greed and manipulation, and a public execution so gruesome it shocked the entire country. We explore the murder of Andrew Mathis, Eva’s sensational trial, her strange final days on death row, the discovery that she planned to take her own life before the hanging, and the horrifying moment the execution went terribly wrong in front of horrified witnesses.Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review!Check out Allen's books on Amazon!https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonlineFollow Allen on Xhttps://x.com/ATOAllenUse code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com
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