Southern Gothic

Enter the dark, twisted underworld of vampires in the official podcast about AMC’s Interview with the Vampire. Each week, writer/comedian/vampire-enthusiast Naomi Ekperigin will be joined by the actors and writers behind this adaptation of Anne Rice's classic novel – unpacking the twists and turns of every episode. You'll hear exclusive behind the scenes stories from the set and writers' room, plus deep dives into the history of the vampire genre. Horror experts will share how the vampire lore has changed and morphed over time – and what has compelled us to follow these terrifying, seductive creatures across centuries. New podcast episodes are available each week following new episodes of Interview with the Vampire on AMC and AMC+. The AMC+ Interview with the Vampire Podcast is produced by AMC in conjunction with Pineapple Street Studios. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

At 107 North Fairfax St. in Alexandra, Virginia is a three-story building that became the location of one of Alexandria’s most enduring tales of love, loss, and hauntings: The Burning Bride. It was on the evening of June 27, 1868, perhaps the night before the couple was set to marry when 26 year-old Laura Schafer, excited for her upcoming nuptials accidentally spilled burning fuel from a kerosene lamp onto her dress. Within moments she was alight. At 11 in the morning on Sunday June 28, 1868, on what should have been her wedding day, Laura Schafer died of her injuries; her beloved fiancé at her side.  Yet many believe that Laura Schafer remains trapped in the house, forever reliving the horror of her death and unfulfilled life. Disclaimer: This episode of Southern Gothic contains includes a description of suicide, if you or a loved one is thinking about suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (Lifeline) at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or text the Crisis Text Line (text HELLO to 741741). Both services

Along the northwestern edge of Tennessee sits Reelfoot Lake. The only natural lake in the state, it's a flooded cypress forest that has more in common with the bayous of the deep south than other more open and expansive lakes of the surrounding area. Yet this lake dates back only two centuries and owes its creation to the massive New Madrid earthquakes that rocked the area in 1811-1812 and caused the Mississippi River to temporarily flow backward. Yet according to local legend the cause of those earthly upheavals was more than simply nature. Legend says that the origins of Reelfoot Lake can be traced back to the actions of a Chief of the Chickasaw people who once inhabited the now submerged land. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media:Join our New Facebook Group! Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGoth

According to local legend, visitors to Savannah’s Historic Wright Square have been known to encounter a young woman dressed in 18th-century style clothing. Some are said to have been approached and begged for their assistance in finding the woman’s lost son. Yet when folks begin to search the area, the girl disappears. Many believe this is the ghost of Alice Riley, the first woman executed in the colony of Georgia. Alice Riley arrived in the American Colonies in January of 1734 as an indentured servant who would work for about five to seven years to pay back her debt and earn her freedom. To pay back the cost of the voyage she would be sent to work for William Wise, a man of questionable character. It would be a tragic assignment that led to Wise dead and Alice Riley convicted of a murder that some believe she may not have actually committed.  Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media:Join our New Facebook Group! Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com

Legend says John Murrell’s father was a preacher and his mother took pride in teaching him how to steal, but that is just the first of many claims made about this infamous highwayman who was once accused of being the mastermind of a criminal organization known as the Mystic Clan. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media:Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The McRaven House of Vicksburg, Mississippi has earned a national reputation for the amount of paranormal activity said to occur there. The home was said to be first built in 1797 as the hideout for a notorious highwayman. Over the next 220+ years, McRaven was expanded twice, survived the brutal Siege of Vicksburg during the Civil War, served as a hospital during that same conflict, and been a home to numerous families. Largely unchanged since the additions were constructed, each section of McRaven House: Pioneer, Empire, and Greek Revival, remain excellent examples of the architecture and lifestyle of the time that they were constructed. This feat is so unique that in 1963 National Geographic Magazine did a feature on the home, calling it a “Time Capsule of the South.” Today open to the public for tours, McRaven House serves as one of the most complete and well-preserved homes in Vicksburg from the antebellum era. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic

One of the most well-known graves at the Old Burying Grounds in Beaufort, North Carolina is that of a young girl who purportedly died at sea and was buried there in a keg of rum. Who the girl is we will never know, but her legend lives on and her spirit purportedly haunts the three-century-old cemetery to this very day. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1910, Robert Broussard, a Louisiana member of the United States House of Representatives introduced a bill that he believed would address several problems that his local district in New Iberia was actively struggling with: first, the problem of water hyacinth taking over local waterways and the second was the country’s ongoing meat shortage. It was known simply as the American Hippo Bill. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media:Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Southern Gothic will be a vendor at the following upcoming events: Dark History & Horror Convention, Champaign, IL - August 19-20, 2022  True Crime Podcast Festival, Dallas, TX - August 26-28, 2022 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The legend of Julia Legare has been passed down for generations, likely due to the fact that it brings into focus a far-reaching human anxiety, the fear of being buried alive. In 1852, while visiting her relatives at their home in Ediso Island, South Carolina, 22-year-old Julia Legare fell ill. Her diagnosis was not good, Julia had been struck with diphtheria and there was little that they could do for her. Eventually, Julia just slipped further away deep into a coma, and after many days and nights passed their worst fear was realized, Julia succumbed to her fate.  After the doctor declared her deceased the family moved quickly to say their goodbyes and ready their beloved’s remains for burial. It is said that in the week following Julia’s burial, the faint sound of weeping and screaming could be heard emanating from the church cemetery, yet no one walked the grounds to see if they could find the source.  The mausoleum, located at the historic Presbyterian Church of Edisto Island, was not re-opened for over a

On Saturday, October 21, 1899 the New Orleans Times-Democrat ran an article under the headline: “Real Ghost Story. The Old Carrollton Jail Said to be Haunted.” Through the use of the exact words of the police officers, the article chronicles the eerie occurrences at the local jail. Built when the town of Carrollton took over as the new seat of Jefferson Parish in 1852. It was a bland brick and stucco building, two-stories tall with large doorways and heavily barred windows. Quite simply, it was bleak and hideous. Within a year of its completion, it was already beginning to resemble an “old ruin” with “evident signs of decay.” While many of the police officers who served at the Carrollton Jail stated that they didn’t believe in ghosts, most agreed that the strange things happening there seemed to defy rational explanation. And over time everyone stationed there experienced something unusual in some way shape or form; from footsteps and noises, furniture moving on its own, lights turning on and off, and objec

For many of the early mariners traveling to Beaufort, North Carolina they were reliant upon physical landmarks to help guide them safely through the shoals and into the harbor entrance. Some of the early maps and charts of Port Beaufort indicate that one such landmark was the “White House.”  Little remains that offers insight into the origin of Beaufort’s White House, but tradition maintains that what was once the White House is now the historic Hammock House. Identified as one of, if not, the oldest home in North Carolina, the Hammock House is full of history and tragedy from visitors both law-abiding and nefarious in the reputations.  As a result, the Hammock House has acquired more than its fair share of legends over the years, and according to local lore, the spirits of some of these guests still remain to this very day, everything from the echoes of ghostly screams to the clashing sounds of unseen sword fights. Additional Links from this Episode:The Unseen Paranormal Podcast featuring Brandon Schexnayd

On Wednesday, July 10, 1706, scores of people arrived at what is now known as Witch Duck Point on the Lynnhaven River in Virginia. They were there to witness a unique but brutal legal proceeding that would never again be carried out in the colony of Virginia– the trial of forty-six-year-old Grace Sherwood by ducking. It is unknown exactly what happened when she hit the water, but what was clear to the folks who came that day was that Grace Sherwood survived and therefore she must be a witch.  Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media:Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Travel about 85 miles south of Little Rock, Arkansas along Interstate 30 and you come to the town of Gurdon. In a remote area, several miles outside Gurdon sit railroad tracks for the Missouri Pacific Railroad. It is along a four-mile stretch of track that sightings of a floating, glowing orb have been reported for the last ninety years, now known as the Gurdon Light. While there are of course scientific theories that attempt to explain the origin of the Gurdon Light, many instead believe the phenomenon is linked to a single event in history, the murder of a railroad foreman in 1931. Perhaps not everything seen along the railroad tracks is scientifically explainable, and if not, how long has the area been that way? Is the light something that only dates to the 1930s, or is it something that has been there much longer? Perhaps the Gurdon Light has always been there, it just took people to give it a name… Additional Links from this Episode:Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3. Help Southern Gothic grow by b

According to Cherokee folklore, a deadly creature lives at the confluence of Valley and Hiwasee Rivers in Murphy, North Carolina. It is known simply as the Great Leech of Tlanusi’yĭ. This week’s minisode, The Great Leech of Tlanusi’yĭ, is a companion to Legend of the Moon-Eyed People, released on April 15, 2022. Additional Links from this Episode:The Southern Gothic Walking Tour will be at 7:00 pm on April 30, 2022 in Franklin, Tennessee! Be sure to get your tickets today over at Franklin Walking Tours by booking their August 30th Grim & Ghostly Tour! The tour will begin at Landmark Booksellers and conclude at the Resthaven Cemetery. Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media:Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Learn more about

Atop Fort Mountain, in the northwestern corner of Georgia, is an 885-foot-long rock wall that zigzags its way through the curves of the mountain. Though the ruins were constructed with stone from the surrounding region, the story behind it, when it was built, and by whom, remains a mystery. Theories arose to explain the structure’s origin, today most agree it was likely completed by Native people who lived in the area. But who were they? Legend says that a unique, ancient race of people once inhabited the highlands of lower Appalachia– a group known simply as the Moon-Eyed People. Often, described as light-skinned, with blonde hair and blue eyes; they were uniquely handicapped by their inability to see during the day The legend exists most prominently from the oral tradition of the Cherokee people, who purportedly encountered the ancient race upon their arrival to the region; however, the mystery as to who they were and where they went is far more complex. Southern Gothic Live Event: The Southern Gothic Walk

On the west side of Kingsport, Tennessee is Rotherwood, an old antebellum mansion overlooking the spot where the two forks of the Holston river come together. Today this red brick structure is privately owned, but according to local lore, it is home to more than just the living. For the last half a century, stories have placed at least two spirits on the ground of Rotherwood Mansion. First is the beautiful “Lady in White,” Rowena Ross who is forever searching for her lost love who died before they had a chance to marry. Second is the notorious Joshua Phipps who is said to have delighted in the torture of his enslaved workforce and ultimately died a horrifying death. But what is the truth behind the legends of Rotherwood, we may never know. Additional Links from this Episode:Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3. Listen to Brandon’s Interview on the Me & My Friends Podcast Watch current owner Dr. Lenita Thibault discuss the history of Rotherwood. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter

In 1878, a dredge crew working near the mouth of Bayou St. John in New Orleans uncovered a twenty-foot-long iron submarine. For years people thought the sub was the CSS Pioneer, the first of three submarines built by Horace Hunley, but in reality, the ship’s origin is still a mystery to this day. This week’s minisode, The Bayou St. John Submarine, is a companion to The Mystery of the Confederate Submarine H.L. Hunley released on February 7, 2022. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email contact@airwavemedia.com for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Sinkings of modern submarines always resulted in the discovery of the dead clustered near the exits in their desperate efforts to escape their cold metal coffins, because to sit silently and await one’s own demise simply defies human nature. The crew of the Hunley, however, looked quite different. Each man was still seated peacefully at his station.” - Rachel Lance, In the Waves On the night of February 17, 1864, an immense explosion took down the USS Housatonic, a massive warship that was part of the Federal forces’ twenty vessel blockade of the Charleston harbor. Yet the destruction came seemingly out of nowhere, as eyewitnesses in the crew claimed their only warning was the sight of a dark cigar shaped vessel headed straight towards them. What they soon found out was that this sloop-of-war was the victim of the first successful submarine attack in modern warfare. Unfortunately for the crew of the H.L. Hunley, who carried out this historic mission, the Confederate submarine did not make it back to shore, g

On the last episode of Southern Gothic we explored Huntingdon College’s most iconic haunting, The Red Lady of Huntingdon College; but this week, we head back down to Montgomery, Alabama to explore one of the campus’s lesser-known “spooks”– Frank the Library Ghost. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email contact@airwavemedia.com for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

“Nearly all colleges have ghosts, legends that have grown up around some supernatural occurrences generations of students tell to each other [...] but the finest of those ghost stories, those college ghost stories, is told here at Huntingdon College in Montgomery.” - Kathryn Tucker Windham, 1918 - 2011 Huntingdon College of Montgomery, Alabama regularly makes the lists of ‘most haunted’ universities in America as generations of students have claimed the ghost of a young woman haunts the fourth floor of Pratt Hall--an apparition that has become known as the Red Lady. Legend claims that this young woman named Martha left behind her home in New York to attend the institution, but upon her arrival, she was overcome by homesickness and the loneliness of being misunderstood by the other girls in her dormitory. As a result, Martha did something drastic that students continue to whisper about to this day.    But did Martha actually exist or is this just another tall tale to frighten freshmen? We will explore this qu