Southern Ghost Stories

Latest Episodes:

The Butcher of Boise: Idaho's Jack the Ripper Mar 13, 2026

Show notes

Today we’re stepping outside our usual territory to haunt the Pacific Northwest for a tale of 1950s brutality and a lingering, botched justice. We’re digging into the case of Raymond Snowden, a drifter whose alcohol-fueled rage turned a Boise night out into a scene so savage the newspapers branded him "Idaho’s Jack the Ripper." From the frantic, 30-plus stabs that ended the life of widow Cora Lucyle Dean to the chillingly swift one-month turnaround from arrest to a death sentence, this story is a time capsule of mid-century crime and punishment. But the horror didn’t end at the trial; we’re going inside Cell House #5 at the Old Idaho State Penitentiary to recount Snowden’s final, agonizing fifteen minutes on a poorly measured rope. Whether it’s the botched execution or the sheer violence of the act, something still isn’t right within those sandstone walls—visitors still report disembodied whispers and a heavy, suffocating presence in the gallows room. Grab your coffee, or maybe something stronger, because we’re exploring why the man they couldn't hang cleanly might still be wandering the cell blocks.
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Small State, Big Crimes: The Mailbox, the Blue Van and Red Hannah Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

From the high-society betrayal of a 3,000-mile "murder by mail" plot in 1898 to the microscopic forensic breakthrough that caught the notorious Route 40 serial killer, Small State, Big Crimes proves that Delaware’s history is written in more than just legislation. Allen take you from the agonizing Victorian-era "Chocolate Box Murders" of Cordelia Botkin to the chilling mobile dungeon of Steven Brian Pennell, finally facing the crimson shadow of "Red Hannah"—the nation’s last judicial whipping post. This isn't a dry history lesson; it’s a visceral exploration of the First State’s most cold-blooded killers, landmark legal battles, and the brutal colonial traditions that lingered well into the modern age.
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Listener Questions and Why I Don't Do Ghost Hunting TV Mar 06, 2026

Show notes

In this special Q&A episode, we’re clearing out the inbox to tackle your most haunting questions, starting with a deep dive into Indiana’s most chilling lore—from the "sentient" balloons of the Culbertson Mansion to the ghostly footsteps of "The Gipper" at Notre Dame. I open up about the single creepiest place I’ve ever visited (the infamous "death chute" at Waverly Hills), why I’ve chosen the path of a historian over the manufactured drama of ghost-hunting TV shows, and the touching evidence that our pets might stay with us long after they’re gone. We also head to the desert to explore the "cursed" architecture and mafia burial grounds of Las Vegas’s Luxor, before wrapping up with why I finally stopped avoiding the legendary Bell Witch of Tennessee. Plus, mark your calendars: my new book, Pistols at Red River drops April 30th!
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Atlanta's Marble City of Silence: Oakland Cemetery Mar 04, 2026

Show notes

Beyond the majestic skyline of modern Atlanta, Georgia lies a 48-acre "Marble City of Silence" that refuses to stay quiet. This episode of the podcast tears down the red-brick Victorian walls of Oakland Cemetery to reveal a gritty, soil-stained history where the dead were often just in the way of progress. We’re moving past the polished tour brochures to explore the "Social Hierarchy of the Soil," from the nameless "Strangers" and displaced paupers to eccentric elites like Jasper N. Smith, the man who fought a literal stone necktie to a draw. We’ll stand on the high ground of 1864, where Confederate soldiers ducked behind family vaults during a hail of "iron rain," and trace the tragic five-hour promotion of Captain M. Allison. From skeptic cops chasing cedar-tree "ghosts" to the dark era of the "Resurrection Men" snatching bodies for medical schools, we’re digging into the legends, the ironies, and the literal shadows that make Oakland a place where the truth is far stranger than the hauntings.
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South Texas Shadows Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

Step into the humid, neon-lit nights of the Rio Grande Valley, where the line between urban legend and true crime is as thin as the coastal fog. We uncovers the grit and ghosts of South Texas, from the chilling 1993 contract killing of Joey Fischer fueled by curanderismo to the rhythmic clink-drag of Abram Ortiz’s shackles echoing through the Old Hidalgo County Jail. We’re diving deep into the "Hanging Tower," the dark rituals of obsessive socialites, and the bone-white wings of the Lechuza—the witch-owl that mimics a crying infant to lure you into the brush. These aren't just campfire stories; they are the blood-stained footnotes of the borderlands, told with the raw, unvarnished truth of a land where the monsters don't stay under the bed—they sit on your roof.
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Haunted Auburn Feb 25, 2026

Show notes

Forget the postcard version of the "loveliest village on the plains"; we’re digging into the red clay to find the bodies Auburn forgot to mention in the brochure. From a Confederate soldier in the theater basement who demands M&Ms to ensure a standing ovation, to the phantom watchman still pacing the Samford clock tower 160 years after his shift ended, this season uncovers the grit beneath the blue and orange. We’ll navigate the high-stakes superstition of the University Seal—where one wrong step can cost you a degree and curse your bloodline with Alabama fans—and investigate the 1858 cold-case murder of Jethro Walker, whose blood-soaked Bible still haunts the local lore. If you thought Auburn was just about Saturdays in the fall, pull up a chair; the ghosts of the Plains have a much longer memory.
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20,000 Volts in the Basement: The Execution of Toni Jo Henry Feb 20, 2026

Show notes

Most hauntings are just shadows and creaks, but the basement of the Calcasieu Parish Courthouse offers something far more visceral: the cloying scent of 1940s dime-store perfume and the sharp ozone of an electric chair. This is the story of Toni Jo Henry, a heroin-addicted "insurgent" who executed a stranger in a cold-blooded bid to break her boxer husband out of prison. From the violent "Sporting District" of Shreveport to the rice fields where a salesman met his end, we trace the "grit" of a woman who became a tabloid sensation and the only female Louisiana ever sent to the chair. When the state rolled "Gruesome Gertie" into a cramped basement to claim her life, they didn't just carry out a sentence—they burned Toni Jo into the limestone of Lake Charles forever. Decades later, the lights still flicker, the copy machines start by themselves, and the "Tiger Woman" refuses to vacate the site of her final, 20,000-volt walk.
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Blood in the Iron: The Sloss Furnaces Story Feb 18, 2026

Show notes

If you drive through Birmingham at night, the skyline is dominated by a rusted, steel ribcage that looks more like a skeletal remains than a landmark: Sloss Furnaces. From 1882 to 1971, this wasn't just the "Magic City's" industrial heart; it was a high-heat purgatory where the "Big Three"—ore, coal, and limestone—were forged alongside a brutalized workforce of convict laborers and desperate men. This isn't just a ghost story about "Slag" Wormwood’s spectral shoves or the phantom boots clanging on catwalks; it’s a documented history of a "blood price" where men like Theophilus Jowers were vaporized into 3,000-degree molten ore. Today, we’re peeling back the rust on this National Historic Landmark to honor the men who didn't just build the South—they were quite literally baked into the steel that holds it together.
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"Where Did I Go?": Ghosts, Exorcisms, and Curses in Spokane Feb 13, 2026

Show notes

From the restless shadows of Greenwood Cemetery to the exorcised hallways of Gonzaga University, Spokane is a city built on layers of secrets that refuse to stay buried. This episode takes you beyond the Lilac City’s scenic bridges and into its darkest corners: we’re climbing the "1,000 Steps" to meet the silhouettes watching from the basalt cliffs, investigating the violent hauntings of Monaghan Hall, and tracing the tragic, final steps of the lady who fell through the Davenport’s glass ceiling. We’re also diving into the modern-day folklore of Jimmy Marks and the "Gypsy Curse" that turned City Hall into a permanent haunt for a local king’s vengeance. It’s a deep-dive into the Inland Northwest’s most bone-chilling legends—where the history is documented, the sightings are undeniable, and the truth is much weirder than the ghost stories you heard as a kid.
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Satisfaction: The Execution of John Ridout Feb 11, 2026

Show notes

Forget the polished monuments and the polite plaques—early Toronto was a swampy frontier town where a bruised ego was often a death sentence. This episode dives into the mud of 1817 to unearth the Jarvis-Ridout duel, a tragedy that started with a misunderstood schoolhouse bill and ended with a teenage boy’s blood soaking into a cow pasture at Yonge and College. We’re breaking down the terrifying "Code Duello," the claustrophobic hour four men spent waiting for a storm to pass in a barn, and the grieving mother who spent the next decade screaming curses at her son's killer on the steps of the cathedral. It’s a gritty look at the "founding fathers" of the city and the violent, petty grudges that are still literally etched into the stone walls of downtown Toronto.
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Check out Allen's books on Amazon!
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Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials!
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Follow Allen on X
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Use code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at https://monstercitymadhouse.com

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