The Eliza Battle was once one of the most luxurious steamboats on Alabama’s waters, but her untimely demise by fire has left many to believe that she can still be seen on the Tombigbee River’s water– an omen of death.
This episode of Southern Gothic revisits a topic previously released on the podcast. To hear the original episode "The Lost City of Frenier" join us on Patreon for access to our archives!
On September 30, 1915 a vicious hurricane made its way through Southeastern Louisiana leaving almost 375 people dead and entire communities destroyed. One such town was the small farming community of Frenier, where a legend has since entered local lore with the claim that this particular’y gruesome storm was brought on by the curse of a local Voodoo priestess named Julia Brown.
Southport, North Carolina began as a small settlement of river pilots who made their money guiding ships through the dangerous waters of Cape Fear River, but the town’s beautiful environs quickly positioned it as the summer destination for wealthy Wilmington families. As can be expected from a coastal town, legends of men lost at sea are common; however, Southport boasts a truly unique North Carolina ghost story.
On August 23, 1882 Italian harpist Antonio "Tony" Caselletta drowned in a sailing accident on the Cape Fear river, leaving behind a wife and child. His body was then buried in the Old Smithville Cemetery; however, many claim that his spirit continues to play his beloved instrument in the beautiful seaside mansion that once served as the Hotel Brunswick in historic Southport, North Carolina.
After Corinne Elliott Lawton died in 1877, her parents commissioned a famous Italian sculptor to design the statue at her grave. The result still stands today in the historic Bonaventure Cemetery of Savannah, Georgia where the melancholy depiction of this beloved daughter has inspired a local legend about her death.
It is said that on warm summer and autumn nights, those standing on the banks of the Pascagoula river may hear the sound of a melodic humming emanating from beneath the river’s dark waters. The origin of the sound is unknown, but numerous legends have been told to explain the mystery of this Mississippi waterway.
Barnwell, Marion, ed. A Place Called Mississippi. Jackson, MS: University Press of Mississippi, 1997.
Cox, Dale. “Mississippi’s Singing River - The Mysterious Song of the Pascagoula.” March 17, 2014. Southern History. http://southernhistory.blogspot.com/2014/03/mississippis-singing-rivermysterious.html.
Cox, Dale. “The Pascagoula - Mississippi’s Singing River: A Mermaid in Mississippi?” March 16, 2014. ExploreSouthernHistory.com. https://www.exploresouthernhistory.com/pascagoula2.html.
Gayarré, Charles. History of Louisiana: The French Domination. New York: Redfield, 1854. https://books.google.com.
Norman, Michae and Beth Scottl. Historic Haunted America. New York: Tor Books, 2007.
Skinner, Charles M. Myths and Legends of Our Own Land: Lights and Shadows of the South. Philadelphia, PA: J.B. Lippincott, 1856.
Steed, Bud. Haunted Mississippi Gulf Coast. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2012.
In 1816 a mysterious couple arrived in Alexandria, Virginia and isolated themselves in a room at Gadsby’s Tavern. Unfortunately, the young woman was deathly ill and in spite of receiving assistance from a local doctor, she passed away. After burying his supposed wife, the man then disappeared. Speculation on their identities continues to this day, fueled by the eerie inscription in her tombstone: “To the memory of the Female Stranger…”
Legend says that on Old Bumcombe Road in South Carolina, a man was hanged in the mid 19th century for a crime he did not commit. As a result, the spirit of his loyal canine companion is believed to continue to seek vengeance for his death-- a spirit now known as the Ghost Hound of Goshen.
The Gullah people claim the existence of a mythical creature that they believe stalks the living by day in the hope of sucking their energy at night. This wicked creature is known simply as the Boo Hag.
Thurmond, West Virginia was incorporated in 1901, almost three decades after its founder Captain W. D. Thurmond took ownership of 73 acres of land bordering the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad line. The Confederate veteran envisioned a prosperous community to serve the many miners working in the coal mines of the New River Gorge, and reality quickly dwarfed his original dreams. By the beginning of the twentieth century, Thurmond became the most prosperous coal town in the state; however, much to Captain Thurmond’s chagrin, some of this success came from the notorious reputation of Thurmond’s Southside.
Between the vice of Southside and the location of Thurmond’s train depot, the community grew rapidly. People poured into town for both work and play. At the height of Thurmond’s boom fifteen passenger trains stopped at the historic train depot daily, serving as many as 95,000 passengers a year; but with every boom there is a bust, and once the coal industry began to wane, Thurmond could not survive.
Cajun folklore claims that in the swamps and bayous of Louisiana are supernatural entities that appear to travelers in the form of glowing balls. Much like the well known will-o'-the-wisp, those unlucky enough to be lured into the trap of these fiery spirits are often doomed to an early death. They are known simply as le Feu follet.
The Kennesaw House of Marietta, Georgia was built beside the Western & Atlantic Railroad line in the 1840's; but over the course of this beautiful brick building's long life, it has seen numerous tragedies that has left many to believe that the building is haunted by spirits from the past.
On May 25, 1904, a fire broke out in the business district of Yazoo City, Mississippi. By day's end, the fire had consumed much of the community, leaving nothing but ashes. Historians believe the fire started accidentally at the home of Herman Wise, but according to legend the cause was much more sinister-- revenge from the infamous Witch of Yazoo.
Watch Brandon tell the story of the "Witch of Yazoo City" live at the Palace Theatre in Gallatin, TN.
On Christmas Day in 1929, North Carolina farmer Charlie Lawson murdered his entire family before turning his gun onto himself. Almost a century has passed since this gruesome crime, but the question of motive has remained unanswered to this day.
In 1843 Nathan Bryan Whitfield began construction on a grand mansion in Demopolis, Alabama. The beautiful home, which he named Gaineswood, still stands as part of Whitfield's legacy; but some claim that echoes of a tragedy that occurred here remain as well. Echoes that purportedly come in the form of a mysterious, disembodied piano.
In 1925, cave explorer Floyd Collins discovered Sand Cave, not far from what would one day become Mammoth Cave National Park. Floyd, like many others in Kentucky cave country, had hoped to discover a cave of his own that he could profit from as a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, while attempting to uncover the secrets of his new found cave, Floyd Collins became trapped. The resulting rescue attempts fueled a media frenzy that stretched across the nation.
In 1885, publisher James B. Ward released a small pamphlet that contained three encrypted messages that purportedly told the whereabouts of an immense treasure. Unfortunately, after a century of attempts to decipher these mysterious codes, no trace of this hidden stash of gold, silver, and jewels has been found.
From 1847-1870, along the Black River in Catahoula Parish, Louisiana, two neighboring plantation owners engaged in a violent family feud. The cause of the dispute is still unknown, but whatever it may be, the result was the loss of numerous lives, including Confederate Brigadier General St. John Richardson Liddell.
The apparition of a grieving woman purportedly haunts the Chapel of the Cross cemetery in Mannsdale, Mississippi. Legend says this ghost is Helen Johnstone.-- the victim of one of Mississippi's most tragic tales of heartbreak and loss. Days before her wedding in 1859, Helen's beloved Henry Vick was struck down in a duel. The Johnstone family promised to one day bury the grief-stricken young woman in the plot next to her lost love, but unfortunately she was not, thus resulting in the many claims that her spirit will not leave.
One of the most significant issues that the early settlers of New Orleans encountered was where to bury their dead. The city’s swampy location has an exceptionally high water table, so when graves were dug, water quickly filled the holes. Caskets would float from their graves after heavy rains. The solution was not to bury the dead below ground, but rather inter their lost love ones in aboveground vaults. The result was beautiful cemeteries that have since come to be known as Cities of the Dead.
In New Orleans, there are 42 surviving historic cemeteries, with the oldest and most well-known being St. Louis Cemetery No. 1. The cemetery was established in 1789 and remains in use over two hundred years later. Occupying only 300 square feet, a single city block, St. Louis No. 1 remains the final resting place for thousands, welcoming each new internment as the newest residents of the New Orleans’ cities of the dead.
One of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War took place in the small town of Franklin, Tennessee. However, the rich history of this southern community is far deeper than what occurred on November 30, 1865, and no structure in this historic town exemplifies that past more than the Historic Franklin Masonic Hall-- a three story brick building that has stood for almost two centuries.
Stay tuned after this episode for a brief interview with Rachael Finch, the Executive Director of the Historic Franklin Masonic Hall Foundation.
