Podcast Haunted Hospitality

Hello everyone! It's been a HOT minute since Robin and Zoey have had a break from researching, recording, editing, and posting a Haunted Hospitality episode. I'm sure we'll tell you all about it in our next how's life section, but life got busy there for a while around the Thanksgiving Holiday. So we're taking a break this week, and we're sharing a…

Cassadaga, Florida is an unincorporated community in Volusia County, which is on the east coast of Florida. Cassadaga was founded by well known "Seer of Spiritualism" George P Colby. George was a trance medium, meaning he would conduct seances with the dead by going into a trance and allowing a spirit to speak through his body. He formed relationsh…

You've likely heard of the outlaws Bonnie and Clyde, but can you name one thing about them? When Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker met in 1930, they were two young adults from families struggling with poverty in Depression-era Texas. Already committing crimes, Clyde was soon incarcerated for vehicle theft. The two wrote to each other often while he wa…

In this week's episode, Zoey finally fulfills a promise they made in May of 2021, Episode 8. In that episode, they covered the first serial killers in the United States, the Harpe Brothers. The brothers occasionally worked closely with the Mason Gang and it's leader, Samuel Mason. Zoey promised back then that she'd cover Samuel Mason one day, and t…

In this installment of our Haunted Boozy Places series, we're covering a Tudor-style tavern on Florida's Atlantic coast. Known today as Ashley's Restaurant and Bar, the establishment first opened as Jack's Tavern shortly after the Prohibition era. Folks have long reported paranormal experiences in the building. Lights will turn on and off. People w…

You know him, you love him, you want to date him: Moth Man. This week Zoey talks about the Origin of Moth Man who we're technically including in the South since he was seen in the Appalachian Mountains. First seen in 1966, the cryptid was six or seven feet tall, light gray, had a wing span of 10 feet, and red eyes glowing in the headlights about tw…

The Place d'Armes Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana, is regularly listed among the most haunted hotels in the city. A quick internet search will tell you that a school burned down on the property over 200 years ago and the ghosts of the children who died in the fire now roam its halls. Luckily for the kids, it looks like the school didn't burn down a…

Zoey brings us back to San Antonio, Texas for another haunted story. You've heard of The Goat Man Bridge in Denton, now get ready for the Donkey Lady Bridge! This bridge has a very similar set up: a bridge, a farm animal themed ghost, and a tragic backstory. This ghost is a woman who had a donkey in life and looked like a donkey in death. Depending…

For the second installment of our Frights in the Backcountry series, we're exploring four stories of paranormal experiences in rural areas. The macabre sighting of a ghost family covered in blood, a mad dash to get away from disembodied laughter, a cup of coffee that ages way too quickly, and a voice that shouldn't be possible on the other end of t…

Today's episode is a true crime story of Glenn Turner, Randy Thompson, and the woman who connects them, Lynn Turner. Lynn and Glenn were married less than a year after meeting. Glenn worshiped the ground Lynn walked on, doted on her hand and foot, and loved her with all his heart. Lynn cheated on Glenn, was abusive and controlling, and spent all th…

We talk a lot about old buildings on this podcast, but what about old roads? Stagecoach Road in Marshall, Texas has been around since 1850, when it was first used as a pathway for — you guessed it — stagecoaches. Never paved, and surrounded by trees and steep banks, Stagecoach Road feels set apart from much of the world today: wilder, or a window i…

This week's episode is eerily like last week's, and we didn't plan it at all. Today Zoey is going to hold your hand, whisper assuring words, and give you the treat of a bad joke every now and then as we navigate a complex legal decision together. Don't be afraid, Zoey's here to guide you. They won't let you get lost. Okay, maybe we're exaggerating.…

James Chaney and Michael Schwerner spent the first six months of 1964 working together to increase voter registration among Black residents in Mississippi. This was a major goal of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) — which they both worked for — and the Civil Rights Movement as a whole. That year, they organized a voter registration hub at the…

Finishing up the third season of our Haunted College Tour Palooza, Zoey brings us an extra-long episode to talk about the many haunted buildings of the University of Montevallo. Along with the typical southern history of the civil war and enslavement, this school has a history of violence and death paired with a rural, historic college that brings …

On this stop of Haunted Hospitality's annual haunted college tour, we're going to the University of Georgia! Founded in Athens, Georgia in 1795, UGA is a public university with a very famous bulldog, over 30,000 students, and some spooky stories. Expect sightings of a historically inaccurate bride who brings with her either a blessing or a curse, a…

Continuing on the Haunted College Train, Zoey brings us Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia. This school may be small with a student body of about 800, but it has plenty of ghosts to go around. We have the helpful Eliza(Beth) in the theater workshop who helps you find lost items, a friendly nurse ghost in Swannanoa Hall who will check your temp…

For the second episode in this year's installment of our Haunted! College! Tour! Palooza!, we're taking you on a ghost tour of East Tennessee State University. Founded in 1911, ETSU has no shortage of campus lore. Expect stories of an invisible young boy playing with marbles, a stained glass ghost that now haunts the university's radio station, an …

That's right!! It's here!!!! For newcomers, every August, Zoey and Robin do what they call the "Haunted! College! Tour! Palooza!" where they cover a college or two in every episode. Their goal? To scare incoming freshmen! This year, Zoey kicks it off with Clemson University in Clemson, SC, the rival to USC - where Robin and Zoey both went to colleg…

Some stories of hauntings are isolated — old houses, barns, that kind of thing — and some are public: hotels, theme parks, tourists attractions, etc. If someone were to tell you about their own isolated haunting, which perhaps only their family experienced, you would have to base your assessment on how much you trusted that one person. Do you trust…

It's Robin's Birthday week! So Zoey went to Reddit and found four Frights in the City stories to share with everyone this week. The first story is about a woman who went to New Orleans on their Baby-moon and they had two spooky experience. The second story is a group of friends who saw a street that didn't normally exist and a woman with backwards …

For years, the Tennessee Children's Home Society had a sparkling reputation — a private adoption organization that went largely unregulated with the backing of wealthy and grateful adoptive parents, as well as Georgia Tann's relationships with high-ranking members of Memphis' political and societal landscape. But over time, people grew suspicious a…

In this week's episode, Zoey brings us a story you probably haven't heard before. Zoey knows about it through a personal connection, and she'd like to share the story of Walt Davis, a man who was giving to a fault. Walt was driving home one day when he saw a young homeless man named Daniel walking on the side of the road. Walt pulled over and learn…

Most of the time, the Earth works as it should. Water can be counted upon to rise, mist, and fall again when heavy. We get variations of this, of course: fog, snow, and hail, for example. But for the most part, the cycle is quite normal — except when it really, really isn't. In this episode, we explore two specific cases of odd precipitation: North…

We've covered the Emily Morgan Hotel, the Alamo, and now, the Menger Hotel. This hotel is estimated by experts to be home to 32 to 45 ghosts including, but not limited to, Teddy Roosevelt, Sallie the Chambermaid, Captain Richard King the Cow Baron, a lady in white, and a few kids running around. It's to be expected, with a long history of renovatio…

Welcome to the first installment of a new ongoing series: Frights in the Backcountry. We hunt the interwebs for personal accounts of spooky encounters and eerie events in rural areas of the American South. Think: backroads, small towns, and abandoned buildings. In this episode, we dive into four stories of encounters with the paranormal, including:…

Every so often, we get a case where you just look at it and say, "That can't be true." Not because the murder is so gruesome, or the killer is so stupid, but because the police haven't seemed to do their job properly. This is one of those cases. Holly Bobo, a sweet but shy young woman, was seen arguing with a man and then walking into the woods wit…

Vampires — they can't live with us, and they can't live without us. Because they're undead! Throughout history, different cultures have developed their own conceptions of vampires: how they originate and their potential to inflict pain upon the living. Whether sparkly, lurking down darkened alleyways, or menacingly chewing underground, vampires ten…

Have you ever been to one of those "haunted" houses with the actors that jump out at you? How about one where they were allowed to touch you? Ever want to experience it for real? Then head over to the Old Jail in St. Augustine, Florida. A project funded by none other then Henry Flagler to make the prison less scary looking to tourists, the Old Jail…

We're going full haunted house in this episode! The McRaven House in Vicksburg, Mississippi is old — very, very old. Its first two rooms were built over 200 years ago in 1797, with the rest of the house to follow in the years 1836 and 1849. Today, you can find it just off the end of a residential road, surrounded by trees and foliage that once loom…

In this week's episode, Zoey shares the case of Pamela Shelley, a woman from Ashdown, Arkansas. Pamela was found, shot, in her boyfriend's Texas home in 2001 after getting in an argument with her boyfriend, Ronnie. Pam and her two kids were set to move back to Arkansas with her first husband and the father of her children that same day due to frict…

By all accounts, July 4, 1965 was a fairly normal night for Madison and Marrs Cawein. They went out with their friends for Independence Day, and after some drinking and revelry, Marrs decided to turn in while Madison decided to stay out longer. She got back home around midnight, greeted the babysitter, and had a nightcap with the friend who drove h…

On Tuesday, August 19, 1952 around 11 pm Scoutmaster Sonny DesVergers was taking three Boy Scouts home after an event. They were driving on a road near West Palm Beach, Florida when they saw a bright light flash on a road called Military Trail. Being the proper Scoutmaster he was, Sonny decided to pull over and head towards the light, thinking that…

For the first time in nearly a year, we're back to recording in-person at Zoey's dining room table — and something about this situation is making us unhinged! Welcome to the first of (at least) two truly chaotic episodes of Haunted Hospitality. We're kicking things off with one of Robin's longtime bucket list topics: the Battery Carriage House Inn …

In this week's episode, Zoey covers two spooky stories from Honey Island Swamp in Louisiana. This is a protected, 70,000 acre marshland home to all sorts of creatures and outlaws. First, she tells us about the Honey Island Swamp Rat Killings, a story of two men who were killed and their bodies robbed. This lead to multiple mobs formed in town as th…

For Haunted Hospitality's second pod-iversary celebration episode, we're exploring three stories of spooky ladies from the South! We get wild with our first segment, so skip to minute 43 for this content. First up: Four people were put on trial for witchcraft in South Carolina back in 1792. While this trial took place on a farm and wasn't actually …

In this week's episode, Zoey covers the unsolved disappearance of Jennifer Kesse, a 24 year old woman who went missing from her condo in January 2006. Jennifer, who was known for always being in touch with loved ones, was reported missing on January 24th, 2005 around 3 pm after no one had heard from her since the previous night. However, because sh…

On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy rode in the backseat of a dark blue convertible through the streets of Dallas, Texas, where up to 200,000 people stood on sidewalks to get their glimpse of the President. The route was public knowledge, pre-planned to get as big of an audience as possible. The President would be running for reelection…

In this week's episode, Zoey takes us to visit the Loretta Lynn Ranch. This 3,500 plot of land is home to the Queen of Country's home, plenty of things to do for those who like the outdoors, and ghosts! While Loretta Lynn was alive, she would have been the first to tell you that her house is haunted. She had one rule: don't mess with the ghosts and…

It's time for another Frights in the Wild, where we scour the Internet for personal stories of people encountering creepy, scary, or generally hard-to-explain things out in nature. And boy, did this slate of encounters deliver! Both Robin and Zoey were scared to be alone after recording this episode. So if that's your jam, this episode is for you. …

Wow. 100 Episodes. We can hardly believe it. Thank you so much to everyone who continues to tune in and listen! This episode, we're excited to finally announce that we are recording on Location at The Partridge Inn in Augusta, GA. In our hotel room, Zoey shares her notes about Emily, the resident ghost, and other spooky locations around Augusta. Bu…

The Female Stranger is one of Alexandria, Virginia's best known pieces of folklore. According to legend, a woman and her maybe-husband travelled from outside of the country to Alexandria in 1816, only for her to die from an illness a few weeks later. Though sad, this story wouldn't have lasted over 200 years if it weren't for one crucial detail: sh…

It's the dream of every true crime fan - being the one who finally puts the pieces together to solve a years old unsolved disappearance or mystery. And in this episode, we cover the case that was potentially helped by a Podcast to get closed for good. Tara Grinstead was a beauty queen and a high school teacher. She was well loved in her small down …

Have you heard the phrase "little green men"? It had only been used in sci-fi until 1955, when 11 people in Kelly, Kentucky claimed that a spaceship landed near their farmhouse and a group of aliens tried to attack their home. Suddenly news stories were awash with the Suttons' tale of their extraterrestrial plight — with some taking it more serious…

In today's chaotic episode, Zoey discusses the ghosts of the Alamo. Robin, knowing full well that Zoey planned to cover the Alamo, is shocked that there are ghosts. Apparently, Robin was giddy with the thought that Zoey was going to make this a historical podcast. Well, Robin. Too bad. Can't have history without ghosts, as Zoey always says. Though …

Ah, the Georgia Guidestones. How statuesque. How deeply problematic. The Georgia Guidestones were a truly odd conglomeration of granite that popped up in rural Georgia in the 1980s. According to the only two people who ever saw him, a well-dressed man came into Elberton, Georgia, in 1979 on a mission to spread 10 very specific opinions on how he th…

This week's episode is a tough one. We follow along as Zoey tells the story of Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins, an infamous serial killer from South Carolina. Donald had a tough life, but he made it worse for everyone around him. He started his crimes when he was still a tween, and only ramped up as he made his way through life. Donald Gaskins claimed tha…

Right beside the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, the Emily Morgan Hotel looms 13 stories tall. Originally constructed in 1924, it got its start as a premier Medical Arts Building. And even almost 50 years since the building saw its last patient, there are still traces of that hospital today. From the inexplicable antiseptic smell on the former surgica…

Cemeteries. Ghosts. They seem to go hand in hand. Yet Haunted Hospitality has recorded almost 100 episodes, and not once have we talked about a Cemetery. So this week, Zoey brings in the new year by visiting the Colonial Park Cemetery and the Bonaventure Cemetery, both in Savannah, GA. The Colonial Park Cemetery is known for shadowy figures that da…

On the night of November 20, 1921, 19-year-old Nell Cropsey followed her boyfriend, Jim Wilcox, out into the hall of her family's house. It was late fall in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, with the Pasquotank river flowing close by. The young couple had spent the evening with Nell's family sitting around the fire in the dining room, with her excite…

You've read the book "All My Friends are Dead" by Avery Monsen and Jory John, focusing on a little dinosaur that has lost all his loved ones. Well, for Velma Barfield, that book is reality. Velma Barfield grew up in rural North Carolina. When she was 17, she got married and had a happy life with her husband and two kids. But when both herself and h…