French Quarter Vampire: Jacque Saint Germain

““There’s an old wives tale that when evil goes outside you need to brick it up so it can’t get back in.””

— Chip Blondeau, Owner of 1041 Royal Street

A mysterious and possibly even vampiric aristocrat

At the dawn of the twentieth century when a mysterious man arrived in New Orleans from France. Jacque Saint Germain was wealthy and handsome, and he exuded charm and intellect, boasting a mastery of languages and art. He became known amongst the high society in New Orleans for the elaborate parties he hosted at his home on Royal Street in the French Quarter.

Yet there was something odd about Saint Germain, he never seemed to eat in the presence of others, and he often told stories of events centuries in the past as though he had been there to see them happen. Rumors abounded about his origins and the eerie similarity he held to the portrait of the European Comte Saint Germain, a man Jacque claimed was his ancestor. The rumors turned to horror stories with the report of an assault on a woman; Jacque Saint Germain attacked her in an attempt to drink her blood. He was a vampire!

Just as mysteriously as he had arrived, Saint Germain vanished from the city, but in his wake, he left a tale that may have helped to inspire New Orleans’ reputation as a home for the undead.

Sources:

Crandle, Marita Woywood. New Orleans Vampires: History and Legend. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2017.

____. “A Vampire in New Orleans? The Mysterious Case of Jacque and the Comte de St. Germain.” Ancient Origins. Updated January 28, 2021. https://www.ancient-origins.net/unexplained-phenomena/vampire-new-orleans-mysterious-case-jacque-and-comte-de-st-germain-009019. 

Lorio, Christy. “One of the French Quarter's most photographed homes opens for tours this weekend.” NOLA.Com. Updated July 19, 2019. https://www.nola.com/

Middleton, Ryn. “Jacques St. Germain, The Infamous Louisiana Vampire.” Pelican State of Mind (blog). Pelican State Credit Union. Accessed April 4, 2023. https://pelicanstateofmind.com/louisiana-love/jacques-st-germain-louisiana-vampire/ .

Murphy, Michael. Fear Dat New Orleans: A Guide to the Voodoo, Vampires, Graveyards & Ghosts of the Crescent City. Woodstock, VT: Countryman Press, 2015.

Olmstead, Jamie. “The Taste of Blood: New Orleans Vampire Jacques Saint Germain.” Crone + Caskett (blog). May 18, 2018. https://croneandcasket.com/2018/05/18/new-orleans-vampire-saint-germain/. 

Sylvia, A.P. “Jacques St. Germain, Vampire of the French Quarter.” Locations of Lore (blog). October 15, 2022. https://locationsoflore.com/2022/10/15/jacques-st-germain-vampire/. 

“Vampires in the Deep South: or just New Orleans, really.” Library Blog (blog). Terrebonne Parish Library. Accessed April 4, 2023. https://mytpl.org/project/vampires-in-the-deep-south-the-casket-girls-and-comte-de-st-germain/.

The Baynard Mausoleum of Hilton Head Island

“One marble door on hinges still hangs and works perfectly, the other has been broken away. Within are 21 sections for receiving coffins and six of these are occupied. Two of the coffins are of cast iron, formed to hold snugly the bodies of their dead,[...] The other coffins are all of heart pine and except for having been broken open by vandals in search of jewelry are still in good condition.””

— The State, Columbia, SC, May 29, 1927

the Oldest Surviving Structure on the Island

Atop Hilton Head Island’s highest bluff overlooking the Calibogue Sound was a grand antebellum mansion that for William Eddings Baynard and his betrothed, Catherine Adelaide Scott, was their dream of a life they could spend together and a place to raise their future family. 

 In 1846 Baynard began construction on a family mausoleum in the Chapel of the Ease Cemetery. It was without a doubt, the grandest and most impressive tomb seen on the island at that time.

Yet while the Baynard Mausoleum has somehow stood the test of time, tragically, its mission to protect those interred there has not been fulfilled, as today it sits under those moss-covered oak trees entirely empty– a victim to over a century of vandalism and theft– making this truly unique and historic structure the center to some of the island’s most infamous legends and ghost lore. A legacy that continues on to this very day.

ADDITIONAL LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

• Watch a news report on the discovery of bones in the believed empty Baynard Crypt.

Sources:

“Anthropology class uncovers 100-year-old bones on Hilton Head Island.” WTOC. Updated September 29, 2015. https://www.wtoc.com.

Carmichael, Sherman. Eerie South Carolina: True Chilling Stories from the Palmetto Past. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2013.

Lauderdale, David. “Hilton Head’s Zion Chapel of the Ease makes national list.” (Hilton Head Island, SC). The Island Packet, October 19, 2017.

Matrana, Marc R. Lost Plantations of the South. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 2009.

Miller, Riley. “The Ghost in the Stone: Spooky stories tell tales of Hilton Head Island's distant past.” WJCL. Updated October 31, 2022. https://www.wjcl.com/article/hilton-head-ghost-stories/41823578#. 

Perry, Grace Fox. “New Activity Taking Place on Hilton Head.” (Beaufort, SC). The Beaufort Gazette, April 9, 1953. Newspapers.com.

Roberts, Nancy. South Carolina Ghosts: From the Coast to the Mountains. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2019.

Taylor, B.F. “Exploring Hilton Head is Interesting Experience.” (Columbia, SC). The State, May 29, 1927. Newspapers.com   

Thomas, Richard. “Hilton Head’s untold history: Captain Jack Stoney.” Local Life. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.locallifesc.com/hilton-heads-untold-history-captain-jack-stoney/. 

Thomas, Richard. “Hilton Head’s untold history: Grave Robbers once roamed Hilton Head.” Local Life. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://www.locallifesc.com/hilton-heads-untold-history-grave-robbers-once-roamed-hilton-head/

Wilson, Patty A. Cursed in the Carolinas: Stories of the Damned. Guilford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2017.

Wooster, Lyman. “The Stoneys, the Baynards, and Their Mansion.” The Heritage Library, The Heritage Library Foundation. Accessed March 26, 2023. https://heritagelib.org/the-stoneys-the-baynards-and-their-mansion. 

Zepke, Terrance. Ghosts of the Carolina Coasts. Sarasota, FL: Pineapple Press, 1999.

The Tragic End of the Steamboat Sultana

““It is with rgret i rit the folling sad noos wee was on our way to Camp Chase, got this fare on the evning of the 26th an left here on the moning aft the 27th at haff past 2 o’clock, proseded up the river 8 mils when the billers burst tore the boat all to peses sot her on fier, and burnd her to the water. tha was 1975 Solders on bord of which about 1200 were drowned. i must Con fess tha to the best of mi noledg [knowledge] brother William [Pvt. William Cowan Pickens, Co. B, 3rd TN Cav.] is A mong the lost. i hav not hurd of him Sens the explosion took plase an i hav no hop [hope] of ever hering of him eney more.” ”

— Letter from Samuel Pickens to Cynthia and Mary Pickens, April 28, 1865

The Titanic of the Mississippi River​​

On April 27, 1865, tragedy struck the Steamboat Sultana, causing the worst maritime disaster in United States history.

Overcrowded with former United States prisoners of war finally returning home after surviving the Civil War and time in notorious Confederate prisons, the Sultana would never complete the journey north.

On their way home, the ship's boiler suddenly exploded, unleashing a catastrophic inferno that threatened the lives of everyone on board. Despite the magnitude of this disaster, it was overshadowed at the time by the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln just days prior.

Join us as we delve into the heartbreaking story of the Steamboat Sultana and the lives forever impacted by this forgotten tragedy.

Additional Links for this Episode:

• Read the stories of Sultana survivors here.

Sources:

Berry, Chester D. Loss of the Sultana and Reminiscences of Survivors. Lansing, MI: Darius D. Thorp, 1892. GoogleBooks. 

“The Disaster.” The Sultana Association. Accessed February 24, 2023. https://www.thesultanaassociation.com/the-disaster. 

Elliott, Joseph Taylor. “The Sultana Disaster.” Indiana Historical Society Publications 7, no. 3 (1913). https://hdl.handle.net/2027/inu.30000132231808 

Hamilton, Jon. “The Shipwreck That Led Confederate Veterans to Risk All for Union Lives.” NPR. April 27, 2015. https://www.npr.org/2015/04/27/402515205. 

Huffman, Alan. Sultana: Surviving the Civil War, Prison, and the Worst Maritime Disaster in American History. New York: HarperCollins, 2009.

Potter, Jerry. The Sultana Tragedy: America’s Greatest Maritime Disaster. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing, 1997. 

Salecker, Gene Erik. Disaster on the Mississippi: The Sultana Explosion, April 27, 1865. Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1996.

“Stories from the Sultana.” The Sultana Disaster Museum. Accessed February 24, 2023. https://www.sultanadisastermuseum.com/stories-from-the-sultana. 

“The Sultana Disaster.” American Battlefield Trust. Accessed February 24, 2023. https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/sultana-disaster. 

Trudeau, Noah Andre. “Death on the River.” Naval History Magazine 23, no. 4 (August 2009): https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2009/august/death-river 

The Face in the Courthouse Window

“Since 1878 there has been the picture of a man’s face so indelibly stamped on a window of the the Pickens County Courthouse that it looks as if a photographer had snapped his lens and made the likeness on the glass pane. But it was no human photographer who reproduced that countenance, which reflects the anguish and terror filling the heart of a man who knew that he was face to face with violent death””

— Kathryn Tucker Windham, "13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffery"

Unmoved by Soap, Water, or Modern Cleaning Chemicals…

On April 5, 1865, just four days before General Robert E. Lee surrendered, effectively ending the Civil War, United States Army General John T. Croxton ordered the destruction of the Pickens County Courthouse in Carrolton, Alabama. Why he did it is unknown. The community however, would not be cowed and vowed to rebuild. Yet to their horror, the new courthouse would not last either. On November 16, 1876 the people of Pickens County watched helplessly as their new courthouse, was consumed by flames, just as its predecessor had been– it too was the victim of arson.

Legend, and history, placed the blame for the burning courthouse on the shoulders of Henry Wells, a formerly enslaved man who was said to be not the kindest of individuals and was in fact known to have participated in robberies. Though no evidence pointed to him as the courthouse arsonist, the community believed in his guilt, and it is said played a role in his death. According to legend, his fate at the hands of a lynch mob resulted in the vision of his face, permanently etched, in a window of the Pickens County Courthouse.

ADDITIONAL LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Watch Kathryn Tucker Window tell the story of the 'Face in the Courthouse Window.'

Sources:

Aheron, Piper Peters. Pickens County. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2000.

Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. London: Penguin, 1997.

Higdon, David and Brett Talley. Haunted Alabama Black Belt. Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2013.

“Mystery of the Pickens County Courthouse Face.” The Haunted Places. Accessed February 1, 2023. https://thehauntedplaces.com/mystery-pickens-county-courthouse-face/. 

Norman, Michael and Beth Scott. Haunted Heritage: A Definitive Collection of North American Ghost Stories. New York: Tom Doherty Associates, 2002.

Reid, Tim. “Alabama Ghost Stories: The Face in the Courthouse Window.” CBS 42 News. October 29, 2020. https://www.cbs42.com/news/local/alabama-ghost-stories-the-face-in-the-courthouse-window/. 

Windham, Kathryn Tucker and Margaret Gillis Figh. 13 Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2016.

Mystery of the Brown Mountain Lights

“[Perhaps] the most famous of all the Western North Carolina hills is up in Burke County, not far from Morganton [...] known as Brown Mountain. It isn’t, in truth much of a mountain as mountains go. [...] but its fame lies in certain mysterious lights that have long hovered over it during the night.” ”

— John Harden, "The Devil’s Tramping Ground and Other North Carolina Mystery Stories"

Lights of Unknown Origin

​​Deep in the heart of the Linville Gorge Wilderness of North Carolina lies a mystery that has confounded and eluded scientists, government researchers, and locals for generations. Along the low-lying ridge of Brown Mountain, strange lights have been spotted, hovering in mid-air.

Some attribute the phenomenon to natural causes such as marsh gas or ball lightning, while others believe it could be related to ghost lights or even UFO activity. Yet despite numerous studies and investigations, the true cause of the Brown Mountain Lights remains a mystery.

ADDITIONAL LINKS FROM THIS EPISODE:

Hear the song The Brown Mountain Light performed by Lulu Belle and Scotty, who informed a generaion about the mysterious lights.

Sources:

“The Brown Mountain Lights.” North Carolina Ghosts. Accessed January 24, 2023. https://northcarolinaghosts.com/mountains/brown-mountain-lights/. 

Carmichael, Sherman. Mysterious Tales of Western North Carolina. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2020.

Harden, John and Sue Harden. The Devil’s Tramping Ground and Other North Carolina Mystery Stories. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2000.

Hardy, Michael. “Our Avery Country: Digging into the history of the Brown Mountain Lights.” The Avery Journal. Last Modified October 15, 2015. https://www.averyjournal.com/. 

Jackson, Sherry. “The Mysterious Brown Mountain Lights.” Carolina Country (blog). Accessed January 24, 2023. https://www.carolinacountry.com/departments/feature-story/. 

Mansfield, George Rogers. “Origin of the Brown Mountain Light in North Carolina.” Geological Survey Circular, no. 646. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1971. https://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/1971/0646/report.pdf. 

Nickell, Joe. “The Brown Mountain Lights: Solved! (Again!)” Skeptical Inquirer. January/February 2016. https://skepticalinquirer.org/2016/04/the-brown-mountain-lights-solved-again/. 

Pitzer, Sara. North Carolina Myths and Legends. Lanham, MD: Rowan & Littlefield, 2015. 

Roberts, Nancy. Ghosts of the Carolinas. Columbia, SC: University of South Carolina Press, 2019.

Speer, Wade Edward. The Brown Mountain Lights: History, Science and Human Nature Explain an Appalachian Mystery. Jefferson, NC: McFarland and Company, 2017

Wilson, Patty. Haunted North Carolina: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Tar Heel State. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2009.

History of the Mausoleum

In 353 BCE, construction began on an elaborate structure meant to be the final resting place of Mausolus, a member of Persian royalty who ruled the small kingdom of Caria. The immense temple-like tomb was built on a hill overlooking the city of Halicrnassus.

While earthquakes would later destroy this grand monument in the 12th and 15th centuries, it earned the distinction of being considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Today, Mausolus’ name endures as the eponym for the tombs we now refer to as mausoleums.

This minisode is a companion to the episode, Little Nina’s Bleeding Mausoleum.

The Notorious Storyville of New Orleans

Let the Good Times Roll

In the early twentieth century, New Orleans Alderman Sidney Story promoted an ordinance to create a 38-block vice district that allowed legal sex work. Known by most as Storyville, this notorious red-light district not only helped give New Orleans its reputation as a city of sin but also became an integral part of early Jazz.

This minisode is a companion to the episode, The Fiery Tomb of Josie Arlington.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Listen to some of the music to come out of Storyville on our Spotify Playlist - Southern Gothic: Storyville, New Orleans

• “A Visit to Storyville, New Orleans’ Most Famous Red Light District.”

Sources:

Arceneaux, Pamela. Guidebooks to Sin: The Blue Books of Storyville, New Orleans. New Orleans: The Historic New Orleans Collection, 1982. 

Asher, Sally. “The Last Days of Storyville.” My New Orleans. September 29, 2017. https://www.myneworleans.com/last-days-of-storyville/. 

Historic New Orleans Collection. “Storyville: Madames and Music.” The Historic New Orleans Collection. Accessed December 12, 2022. https://www.hnoc.org/virtual/storyville. 

Long, Alecia P. “Josie Arlington.” 64 Parishes, updated May 13, 2019. https://64parishes.org/entry/josie-arlington. 

Rose, Al. Storyville, New Orleans. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1974.

The Fiery Tomb of Josie Arlington

“Even after death red lights for Josie…Thousands gathered every night. As a youth I watched with them, and I can recall the eerie effect, the frightened exclamations.””

— Harnett T. Kane, 'Queen New Orleans'

Storyville’s Queen of the Demimonde

Josie Arlington, one of the most infamous Madams in New Orleans’ red-light district, Storyville was born Mary Anna Deubler to impoverished German immigrants in 1864. Theories abound as to exactly why or when Josie entered the world of sex work, but by at least the age of seventeen she was working in the brothels of New Orleans.

Entrepreneurial in spirit, Josie worked to create a life greater than what she knew, first owning the ‘Chateau Lobrano,’ and then with the creation of Storyville, she built and operated The Arlington at 225 North Basin Street. The Arlington was considered one of the finest brothels in the city. Yet despite her flourishing business and increasing wealth, what Josie wanted most was be a respected woman of New Orleans society.

Josie would never get her wish in life, but she left behind a legacy that exceeds just her life. Even her tomb is unique, with carved torches and a bronze maiden knocking on the door. And if the stories are true the flames continue to burst into life and the maiden knocks on the door of the tomb, forever attempting to gain entry.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• “The Untold Story of a Storyville Madame who now rests in an unmarked grave.”

• “A Visit to Storyville, New Orleans’ Most Famous Red Light District.”

Sources:

Berry, Jason. City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press, 2018.

Crandle, Marita Woywod. Josie Arlington’s Storyville: The Life and Times of A New Orleans Madame. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2020.

Dominey, Craig. “The Flaming Tomb of Josie Arlington, Metairie Cemetery.” The Moonlit Road, accessed December 13, 2022. https://www.themoonlitroad.com/flaming-tomb-josie-arlington-metairie-cemetery/. 

Kane, Harnett T. Queen New Orleans: City by the River. New York: William Morrow & Company, 1949.

Landau, Emily Epstein. Spectacular Wickedness: Sex, Race, and Memory in Storyville, New Orleans. Baton Rouge, LA: Louisiana State University Press, 2013.

Long, Alecia P. “Josie Arlington.” 64 Parishes, updated May 13, 2019. https://64parishes.org/entry/josie-arlington. 

Paige. “The Life and Times of the Notorious Josie Arlington.” Owlcation, June 16, 2022. https://owlcation.com/humanities/The-Life-and-Times-of-the-Notorious-Josie-Arlington. 

Poole, Rebecca. “The Morales-Arlington Tomb: A Fiery Legend.” New Orleans Historical, updated July 18, 2019. https://neworleanshistorical.org/items/show/1479.

Rose, Al. Storyville, New Orleans. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 1974. 

Rosen, Ruth. The Lost Sisterhood: Prostitution in America, 1900-1918. Baltimore, MD: John Hopkins University Press, 1982.

Sillery, Barbara. The Haunting of Louisiana. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing Company, 2006.

Spoon, Leslie. “The untold story of a Storyville Madame who now rests in an unmarked grave.” WWLTV, updated February 13, 2020. https://www.wwltv.com/. 

Stuart, Bonnie. Haunted New Orleans: Southern Spirits, Garden District Ghosts, and Vampire Venues. Guilford, CT: Morris Book Publishing, 2012.

Taylor, Troy. Haunted New Orleans: History and Hauntings of the Crescent City. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2010.

The Curse of Lorenzo Dow

“ [Today] there are almost no traces of the once-growing populace [...]. Yet some say that on starlit, moon-filled nights you can hear the sounds of the once-raucous residents partying into the early morning hours, shooting off their guns, and yelling at the top of their lungs.””

— Don Rhodes, 'Georgia Myths and Legends'

A Preacher’s Curse…A Ghost Town

In 1952 the Georgia Historical Commission erected a marker to commemorate the ghost town of Jacksonboro, Georgia, that many believe met its fate as the result of a preacher’s curse.

Established at the seat for Screven County in 1797, it would be gone within fifty years. Known as a rowdy, lawless pioneer town the Jacksonboro, Georgia met its match in Lorenzo Dow, one of the country’s first ‘celebrity’ evangelists.

It was a community that bawked at the thought they needed spiritual saving and refused to let Dow preach in town. In response to their evil ways, Dow layed a curse on the town…Jacksonboro would wither and die from its wickedness. He was right.

Additional Links From This Episode:

Sources:

Brown, Alan. Haunted Georgia: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Peach State. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2008.

Dominey, Craig. “Lorenzo Dow’s Georgia Curse.” The Moonlit Road (blog.) Accessed November 22, 2022. https://www.themoonlitroad.com/lorenzo-dows-georgia-curse/.  

Federal Writers Project. The WPA Guide to Georgia: The Peach State. San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press, 2013. 

Fitzhugh, Pat. Ghostly Cries from Dixie. Ashland City, TN: Armand Press, 2009.

Hollingsworth, C.D., Sr. “The Seaborn Goodall Home.” Briar Creek Chapter, NSDAR. Accessed November 22, 2022. Daughters of the American Revolution. http://briercreek.georgiastatedar.org/theseaborngoodallhome.php. 

Malone, Tom. Essentials of Evangelism. Greenville, SC: Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1958. 

Rhodes, Don. Georgia Myths and Legends: The True Stories Behind History’s Mysteries. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2015.

Stuart, Bill. “Jacksonboro GA - A Cursed Town???” William L. Stuart (blog.) October 20, 2020. https://www.williamlstuart.com/jacksonboro-ga-a-cursed-town/. 

Wells, Jeffrey. “The Jacksonborough Curse.” Georgia Mysteries (blog.) April 27, 2008. http://georgiamysteries.blogspot.com/2008/04/jacksonborough-curse.html. 

White, George. Statistics of the State of Georgia. Savannah, GA: W. Thorne Williams, 1849. GoogleBooks.

Horrors of the Crescent Hotel

“Self proclaimed “America’s Most Haunted Hotel,” the Crescent indeed provides stiff competition for some notably famous (or infamous) historic hotels, such as the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado [...], the King’s Inn Tavern [in Natchez, Mississippi], and the Bird Cage Theatre in Tombstone, Arizona.””

— 'Haunted Legends of Arkansas,' Layne Livingston Anderson

The Castle in the Sky to A Hospital of Horrors

On May 20, 1886, the doors of the luxurious Crescent Hotel opened to the public in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. Nestled in the Ozarks, the “Castle in the Sky” would give its guests the opportunity to enjoy a stunning view while partaking in the healing powers of the natural spring water.

Unfortunately, the legacy of the Crescent didn’t live up to expectations that all hoped it would be. Today many claim the property is tarnished by traumas inflicted within this building, which for a time served as what many call a “Hospital of Horrors.” It is this horrific past that has cemented the Crescent’s legacy as America’s most haunted hotel.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Video analysis of Baker’s Bottles. Watch here!

Sources:

Amanda. “Unexplained Happenings at America’s Most Haunted Hotel.” Crescent Hotel (blog.)  Eureka! Historic Hotels. October 22, 2015. https://crescent-hotel.com/blog/unexplained-happenings-at-americas-most-haunted-hotel/. 

America’s Most Haunted Hotel. Last Modified 2022. https://www.americasmosthauntedhotel.com/. 

Anderson, Layne Livingston. Haunted Legends of Arkansas: Thirteen Haunted Sites in the (Super)Natural State. Little Rock, AK: Plum Street Publishers, 2015.

Crescent Hotel. “Crescent Hotel History.” Eureka! Historic Hotels. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://crescent-hotel.com/history.shtml. 

Flaxman, Larry. “1886 Crescent Hotel.” Larry Flaxman. Accessed November 8, 2022. https://larryflaxman.com/1886-crescent-hotel/. 

Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2018.

Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. “Healing Waters.” Shiloh Museum of Ozark History. Accessed November 9, 2022. https://shilohmuseum.org/project/healing-waters/. 

Spence, Stephen. “Pure Hoax: The Norman Baker Story.” The 1886 Crescent Hotel and Spa. 2007. Archive.org. https://web.archive.org/web/20101121070622/http://www.crescent-hotel.com/bakerstory.shtml. 

Steed, Bud. Haunted Northwest Arkansas. Mount Pleasant, SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2017.

Weiser-Alexander, Kathy. “The Haunted Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs.” Legends of America (blog.) Updated November 2021. https://www.legendsofamerica.com/ar-crescenthotel/.

The Dancing Ghost of Grancer Harrison

“Although certainly not everything written here is true, one can be assured that most old tales still told about ‘Grancer’ Harrison have some basis in fact, and many are true in their entirety.””

— The Montgomery Advertiser [Newspaper], February 23, 1969

Dance, dance, dance, while you may…

For decades, folks traveling along a long, lonely stretch of country road, just east of Kinston, Alabama have claimed to hear the faint sounds of a fiddle playing, or the tap tap tap of dancing feet emanating from an old, empty country cemetery. It’s said that those who hear this phantom music and dancing steps have had an encounter with one of Alabama’s most well-known spirits, the dancing ghost of ‘Grancer’ Harrison.

William ‘Grancer’ Harrison established a successful 2,500-acre cotton plantation on land just outside what is now Kinston. Though a planter, it was said that Harrison enjoyed nothing more than the company of his friends, so much so that several times a month he’d throw parties, barbecues, or horse races for all to enjoy.

It was said that not long after the parties finally stopped, spectral sounds of fiddle music and disembodied dancing began to emanate from the cemetery on Saturday nights. The parties may be over, but Grancer Harrison ain’t done just yet.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Purchase the Morbid Curious, Vol. 6.

• Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3.

Sources:

Brown, Alan. The Haunting of Alabama. Gretna, LA: Pelican Publishing, 2017.

Boutwell, Josh. “The haunted history of Kinston’s dancing, fiddling, Grancer Harrison.” October 21, 2020. The Southeast Sun. https://www.southeastsun.com/news.

Burgess, John A. “‘Grancer’ Still Dances 100 Years After.” The Montgomery Advertiser and Alabama Journal, February 23, 1969. Newspapers.com.  

Duncan, Andy. Alabama Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2009.

“Grancer’s Ghost.” William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Accessed October 12, 2022. https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/grancers-ghost/. 

Hauck, Dennis William. Haunted Places: The National Directory. New York: Penguin Books, 2002. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2018.

Ogden, Tom. Haunted Cemeteries: Creepy Crypts, Spine-Tingling Spirits, And Midnight Mayhem. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2010.

The Opp News (Opp, AL). “Grave Robbers Use Dynamite To Blast Open 100 Year Old Tomb.” June 6, 1963. Newspapers.com

Weeks, Paige. “Weeks of Terror: The Dancing Ghost of Coffee County (Grancer Harrison).” WDHN. October 18, 2019. https://www.wdhn.com/news. 

Windham, Kathryn Tucker and Margaret Gillis Figh. Thirteen Alabama Ghosts and Jeffrey. Tuscaloosa, AL: University of Alabama Press, 2014.

The Phantom Hitchhiker of Highway 365

This lonely stretch of Arkansas highway is believed by many to be haunted by the apparition of a “lady in white,” who many folks have claimed to pick up only to find out that she had disappeared before their very eyes.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

Pilot Knob's Vengeful Spirit

Folks claim that Kentucky’s Pilot Knob Cemetery is haunted by the spirit of young woman and her mother who were burnt to the stake in the early 20th century for suspected witchcraft.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

The Legend of Huggin' Molly

For over a century, folks in Abbeville, Alabama have claimed to have encountered an unknown entity that stalks children on the city’s streets at night, violently hugs them and screeches into their ears. It is infamously known as Huggin’ Molly.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

Seven Devils Bridge

Woodruff, South Carolina boasts the presence of a dark urban legend that claims the apparitions of seven executed enslaved men can be seen haunting an old bridge just outside of town.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

Cursed Pillar of Georgia

For over a century August, Georgia boasted the presence of a strange pillar that many claimed was cursed by a disgruntled preacher who said anyone who dare touch the object will meet their fate

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

Legend of the Dismal Swamp Hermit

The Great Dismal Swamp has a long, treacherous history filled with legends and folklore, some of which has taken place as recently as the twentieth century.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

The Specter of Skinflint

While most know of the California Gold Rush, few realize that the first gold rush was in North Carolina decades prior— and it is there that some say the apparition of a gold miner remains after being taken advantage of by a greedy landowner named Skinflint.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

The Bride of Taylortown

According to local legend, an old abandoned church tower that stands in Taylortown, Louisiana may be haunted by the apparition of a bride who was never even given the chance to walk down the aisle.

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!