Unearthing the forgotten, the mysterious, and the legendary—one Southern story at a time. Hosted by Shannon Ballard, Southern Mysteries explores the rich and often untold history of the American South through a captivating mix of folklore, legends, unexplained mysteries, and true crime. Each episode uncovers a compelling tale from a Southern state, blending history with intrigue to reveal the fascinating stories that time left behind. While some episodes delve into chilling crimes, others spotlight legendary figures, ghostly lore, or baffling events.Sometimes the mystery is: why haven’t you heard the story?
Episodes
5 days ago
5 days ago
In February 1975, nine-year-old Marcia Trimble vanished while delivering Girl Scout cookies in Nashville’s Green Hills neighborhood, shattering the sense of safety surrounding one of the city’s most affluent communities. Her disappearance and murder became one of Tennessee’s most haunting cold cases, marked by suspicion, unanswered questions, and a mystery that lingered for decades.
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Episode Sources
- The Tennessean archival reporting on the disappearance, search, and investigation of Marcia Trimble (1975–2009): https://www.tennessean.com/
- Nashville Banner historical coverage via Nashville Public Library Digital Collections: https://digital.library.nashville.org/ (digital.library.nashville.org in Bing)
- Metro Nashville Police Department public statements and case summaries related to the Trimble investigation: https://www.nashville.gov/departments/police (nashville.gov in Bing)
- Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals opinion in State of Tennessee v. Jerome Sydney Barrett (2009): https://www.tncourts.gov/
- Davidson County Criminal Court filings and docket information for Barrett’s prosecution: https://sci.ccc.nashville.gov/ (sci.ccc.nashville.gov in Bing)
- Vanderbilt University archives documenting the murder of Sarah Des Prez and Barrett’s connection: https://www.library.vanderbilt.edu/speccol/
- Belmont University reporting and campus safety archives referencing the February 1975 assault linked to Barrett: https://www.belmont.edu/
- A&E Cold Case Files episode “The Girl Scout Murder” (Marcia Trimble case): https://www.aetv.com/shows/cold-case-files (aetv.com in Bing)
- Nashville Scene long‑form reporting on the Trimble case and the Womack investigation: https://www.nashvillescene.com/
- Interviews with Jeffrey Womack published across multiple decades, including retrospective reporting by The Tennessean: https://www.tennessean.com/
- Nashville Public Library Metro Archives: Belle Meade and Green Hills neighborhood development history, maps, and planning documents: https://library.nashville.org/research/metro-archives (library.nashville.org in Bing)
- U.S. Census Bureau demographic data for Nashville and Davidson County (1960–1980):
- Historical accounts of Belle Meade’s origins and incorporation as an independent city: https://www.citybellemeade.org/
- Reporting on the 1979 grand jury indictment of Jeffrey Womack via The Tennessean archives: https://www.tennessean.com/
- Coverage of the 2008–2009 DNA breakthroughs and Barrett’s prosecution from The Tennessean and AP News: https://apnews.com/
- Academic research on investigative tunnel vision and wrongful suspicion in 1970s policing (National Criminal Justice Reference Service): https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs
- Oral histories and interviews with Nashville residents who participated in the 1975 search efforts (Nashville Public Library Oral History Collections): https://library.nashville.org/research/oral-history (library.nashville.org in Bing)
- Contemporary reporting on changes in Tennessee missing‑child protocols influenced by the Trimble case (TBI & state legislative archives): https://www.tn.gov/tbi
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Mar 02, 2026
Monday Mar 02, 2026
A storm‑tossed blockade‑runner, a satchel of Confederate gold, and a woman whose secrets shaped the early days of the Civil War—this episode uncovers the life of famed spy Rose O’Neal Greenhow. From Washington parlors to prison cells to the dark waters off Fort Fisher, her story reveals the hidden world of Southern espionage and the final choice that bound her to the cause she refused to abandon.
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Episode Sources
- Greenhow, Rose O’Neal. My Imprisonment and the First Year of Abolition Rule at Washington. London: Richard Bentley, 1863.
- Pinkerton, Allan. The Spy of the Rebellion: Being a True History of the Spy System of the United States Army During the Late Rebellion. New York: G.W. Carleton & Co., 1883.
- Boyd, Belle. Belle Boyd in Camp and Prison. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1865.
- Van Lew, Elizabeth. Papers and correspondence, 1860–1870. Library of Virginia, Richmond.
- Davis, Jefferson. The Rise and Fall of the Confederate Government. New York: D. Appleton and Company, 1881.
- U.S. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1880–1901.
- National Archives and Records Administration. “Old Capitol Prison Records,” Record Group 393.
- Blanton, DeAnne. “Women Soldiers, Spies, and Patriots of the Civil War.” National Archives, 1993.
- Leonard, Elizabeth D. All the Daring of the Soldier: Women of the Civil War Armies. New York: W.W. Norton, 1999.
- Wheeler, Richard. Voices of 1861. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell, 1961.
- Clinton, Catherine. Southern Women in the Civil War. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000.
- McPherson, James M. Battle Cry of Freedom: The Civil War Era. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988.
- Browning, Robert M. From Cape Charles to Cape Fear: The North Atlantic Blockading Squadron During the Civil War. Tuscaloosa: University of Alabama Press, 1993.
- Fonvielle, Chris E. The Wilmington Campaign: Last Rays of Departing Hope. Campbell, CA: Savas Publishing, 1997.
- “Wilmington Daily Journal,” October 1864. Coverage of the wreck of the Condor and the death of Rose O’Neal Greenhow.
- “Richmond Enquirer,” 1861–1862. Reports on the arrest and imprisonment of Rose O’Neal Greenhow.
- “The New York Times,” August–September 1861. Coverage of Greenhow’s arrest and Pinkerton’s investigation.
- Library of Congress. “Civil War Glass Negatives and Related Prints,” Prints and Photographs Division.
- National Park Service. “First Battle of Manassas: Intelligence and Espionage,” Manassas National Battlefield Park.
- Sutherland, Daniel E. A Savage Conflict: The Decisive Role of Guerrillas in the American Civil War. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2009.
- Fishel, Edwin C. The Secret War for the Union: The Untold Story of Military Intelligence in the Civil War. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1996.
- Bakeless, John. Spies of the Confederacy. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott, 1970.
- Horan, James D. Confederate Agent: A True Story of the Civil War. New York: Crown Publishers, 1954.
- Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies, Series I, Vol. 10. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1900.
- North Carolina Office of Archives and History. “Fort Fisher and the Blockade Runners,” Raleigh, NC.
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Feb 16, 2026
Monday Feb 16, 2026
In 1970, Thomas Gilmore became the first Black sheriff in rural Greene County, Alabama. He refused to carry a gun. How did a man of peace earn the trust to enforce the law in a place shaped by deep racial divides? And why does his story remain largely unknown?
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Episode Sources
- Richard Bailey — Neither Carpetbaggers Nor Scalawags: Black Officeholders During the Reconstruction of Alabama, 1867–1878. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1572687
- Eric Foner — Freedom’s Lawmakers: A Directory of Black Officeholders During Reconstruction . https://uncpress.org/book/9780807858863/freedoms-lawmakers/
- Alabama Department of Archives & History — Reconstruction‑era election record. https://archives.alabama.gov
- Greene County Historical Society. https://www.greenecountyhistoricalsociety.org
- University of Alabama — Black Belt Heritage Collections. https://guides.lib.ua.edu/blackbelt
- Birmingham Civil Rights Institute — Oral Histories. https://www.bcri.org/oral-history-project
- U.S. Department of Justice — Voting Rights Act historical materials. https://www.justice.gov/crt/voting-rights-act-1965
- Frye Gaillard — Cradle of Freedom: Alabama and the Movement That Changed America . https://ugapress.org/book/9780820324722/cradle-of-freedom
- Marshall Frady — The Southerner . https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1358422
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference Archives. https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/southern-christian-leadership-conference-sclc
- Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Digital Gateway. https://snccdigital.org
- Birmingham News (historical archives). https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-birmingham-news/268/
- Tuscaloosa News (historical archives). https://www.newspapers.com/paper/the-tuscaloosa-news/2681/
- Equal Justice Initiative — Historical reports on policing in Alabama. https://eji.org/reports/
- Douglas A. Blackmon — Slavery by Another Name. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/18327/slavery-by-another-name-by-douglas-a-blackmon/
- Isabel Wilkerson — The Warmth of Other Suns. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/19076/the-warmth-of-other-suns-by-isabel-wilkerson/
- This Man Stands Alone (film about Thomas Gilmore). https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250463/
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Feb 02, 2026
Monday Feb 02, 2026
In June 1948, 21-year-old Mary Virginia Carpenter left Texarkana for college in Denton, Texas. She was last seen after a taxi dropped her near Brackenridge Hall at Texas State College for Women. The letter she promised her mother never came, and neither did Virginia. More than 70 years later, her disappearance remains one of Denton’s quiet, enduring mysteries.
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Episode Sources
- Denton Record‑Chronicle. Coverage of the disappearance of Virginia Carpenter. https://dentonrc.com
- Texarkana Gazette. Reporting on the Carpenter case and related community response. https://www.texarkanagazette.com
- Texas Woman’s University Libraries, Special Collections. Historical information on TSCW campus life and 1940s dorm policies. https://twu.edu/library/special-collections/ (twu.edu in Bing)
- Texas Rangers Hall of Fame and Museum. Background on Ranger Lewis C. Rigler and investigative practices. https://www.texasranger.org
- The Charley Project. “Mary Virginia Carpenter.” https://charleyproject.org/case/mary-virginia-carpenter (charleyproject.org)
- The Doe Network. Case File 1198DFTX. https://www.doenetwork.org/cases/1198dftx.html (doenetwork.org in Bing)
- Unsolved Mysteries Wiki. “Virginia Carpenter.” https://unsolvedmysteries.fandom.com/wiki/Virginia_Carpenter
- Texas Monthly. “The Phantom Killer.” https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/the-phantom-killer/
- FBI Vault. Archival documents related to mid‑20th‑century missing persons investigations. https://vault.fbi.gov
- Newspapers.com. Digitized historical newspapers used for timeline verification. https://www.newspapers.com
- Ancestry.com. U.S. Census and public records consulted for background verification. https://www.ancestry.com
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Jan 19, 2026
Monday Jan 19, 2026
Off the coast of South Carolina, on Edisto Island, a mausoleum at the back of an old churchyard has become the center of one of the state’s most persistent ghost stories. The name “Legare” is carved over the entrance, and for generations people have whispered that a young woman named Julia was buried alive inside. This episode follows the legend to the historical record and asks what we can really know about the woman whose name turned a family tomb into one of South Carolina’s most talked-about hauntings.
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Episode Sources
- "Tomb of Julia Legare." South Carolina Picture Project. https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/tomb-of-julia-legare.html
- "The Legend of Julia Legare." Edisto Beach. https://edistobeach.com/the-legend-of-julia-legare/
- "Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island." South Carolina Picture Project. https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/edisto-island-presbyterian.html
- Jaime Rubio. "The True Legend of Julia Legare – Fact vs Fiction." Dreaming Casually, Aug. 7, 2014. https://dreamingcasuallypoetry.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-true-legend-of-julia-legare-fact-vs.html
- "Julia Georgiana Seabrook Legare (1829–1852)." Find a Grave memorial 65651815. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65651815/julia-georgiana-legare
- "Hugh Swinton Legare (1847–1854)." Find a Grave memorial 65655039. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/65655039/hugh-swinton-legare
- "Presbyterian Church on Edisto Island Cemetery." RootsWeb transcription https://freepages.rootsweb.com/~cemphoto/history/sc/charleston/edisto/scehmedtall.html
- "Julia Georgianna (Seabrook) Legaré (1829–1852)." WikiTree profile Seabrook-911. https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Seabrook-911
- "Julia Georgiana Seabrook (1829–1852)." FamilySearch. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/M4KR-51C/julia-georgiana-seabrook-1829-1852
- "William Seabrook (1773–1836)." FamilySearch. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/LKLK-T93/william-seabrook-1773-1836
- "Robert Chisholm Seabrook (1821–1852)." FamilySearch. https://ancestors.familysearch.org/en/MZJY-FBZ/robert-chisholm-seabrook-1821-1852
- "Seabrook Plantation – Edisto Island – Charleston County." .https://south-carolina-plantations.com/charleston/seabrook.html
- "Cassina Point Plantation." South Carolina Picture Project. https://www.scpictureproject.org/charleston-county/cassina-point-plantation-2.html
- Historic Houses of South Carolina. J. H. Easterby et al. (PDF). https://archive.org/download/historichousesof00leid/historichousesof00leid.pdf
- "The South Carolina Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol. XVII." (PDF). https://www.carolana.com/SC/eBooks/SCHGM/The_South_Carolina_Historical_and_Genealogical_Magazine_Volume_XVII.pdf
- "James Hopkinson Papers, 1847–1921." ArchiveGrid / WorldCat summary. https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/archiveComponent/41963032
- "Slaves of James Hopkinson (1810–1875), South Carolina." https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Slaves_of_James_Hopkinson_%281810_-_1875%29%2C_South_Carolina
- "1865 List of Abandoned Plantations, Edisto Island, South Carolina." https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:1865_List_of_Abandoned_Plantations_Edisto_Island%2C_South_Carolina
- "Records of the Assistant Commissioner for the State of South Carolina, Bureau of Refugees, Freedmen, and Abandoned Lands – Berwick Legare, Edisto Island." Smithsonian NMAAHC Freedmen’s Bureau Digital Records. https://nmaahc.si.edu/freedmens-bureau/record/fbs-1662423774659-1662426204172-3
- "Lowcountry Ghost Stories." South Carolina Lowcountry Tourism. https://southcarolinalowcountry.com/lowcountry-ghost-stories/
- "Old Churchyard Cemetery" brochure, Parish Church of St. Helena, Beaufort (PDF). https://irp-cdn.multiscreensite.com/09fbc323/files/uploaded/Churchyard%20Brochure-website.pdf
- "Gullah Geechee Cultural Heritage Corridor." National Park Service. https://www.nps.gov/places/gullah-geechee-cultural-heritage-corridor.htm
- "Port Royal Experiment." South Carolina Lowcountry Tourism. https://southcarolinalowcountry.com/beaufort-the-port-royal-experiment/
- "Emancipation Day: The Freed People of Port Royal." South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium.https://www.scseagrant.org/emancipation-day-the-freed-people-of-port-royal/
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Dec 22, 2025
Monday Dec 22, 2025
In the summer of 1924, a railroad worker was found dead near tracks in Little Rock. Weeks later, his wife was found dead in another state. What followed was a series of headlines that pointed to one woman—Winona Spriggs. Her name would appear again and again over the next fifty years, linked to crime, escape, and murder. This is the story of a family broken, and of the woman who never stopped running.
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Episode Sources
- Arkansas Gazette (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1974
- Arkansas Democrat (Little Rock, AR), 1924–1954
- The Daily Oklahoman (Oklahoma City, OK), 1924–1954
- Tulsa Tribune (Tulsa, OK), 1924–1948
- Miami News-Record (Miami, OK), August 1946
- The Salinas Californian (Salinas, CA), 1953–1954
- The San Bernardino Sun (San Bernardino, CA), October–November 1974
- The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), March 16, 1954
- Associated Press (AP) wire reports, 1924–1954
- Pulaski County Circuit Court records (Arkansas)
- Oklahoma criminal investigation records (Miami, OK)
- California Superior Court records (Salinas, CA), 1954
- Arkansas State Penitentiary records and parole files
- Oklahoma Department of Corrections records
- California Department of Corrections records
- U.S. Census records (1910, 1920, 1930, 1940)
- Marriage and divorce records for Winona Spriggs / Winona Green / Winnie Ola Freeman
- Death records for J.R. Green, Lena Green, Robert Sheldon Wilkinson, Harold Jonassen, and Winnie Ola Freeman
- Library of Congress, Chronicling America newspaper archive
- Newspapers.com archival database
- Ancestry.com historical records
- Unknown Misandry blog: “Winnie Ola Freeman (Winona Green): The Cat Woman” (2014)
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Dec 08, 2025
Monday Dec 08, 2025
In December 1968, Barbara Jane Mackle was kidnapped from a motel room outside Atlanta, Georgia. The circumstances surrounding her abduction were so strange, investigators could barely make sense of them. The search for twenty year old Barbara Jane Mackle became a race against time that gripped her family and drew national attention.
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Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
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Episode Sources
- Miller, Gene. 83 Hours Till Dawn. Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1971.
- “FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives: Ruth Eisemann-Schier, 1969.” Federal Bureau of Investigation, Ten Most Wanted Program Archives.
- “Kidnapped Heiress Rescued from Buried Box.” The Miami Herald, December 21, 1968.
- “Barbara Mackle Found Alive.” The Atlanta Constitution, December 21, 1968.
- “Agents Seize Suspect in Mackle Kidnapping.” The Miami Herald, December 21–23, 1968.
- “Man Held in Heiress Kidnap Case.” The New York Times, December 22, 1968.
- “Girl in Box Case.” Los Angeles Times, December 22, 1968.
- “Suspect Caught in Marsh After Days on the Run.” Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale), December 1968.
- “Woman on FBI List Seized in Oklahoma.” The Oklahoman, February 8, 1969.
- United States v. Gary Steven Krist, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1969.
- United States v. Ruth Eisemann-Schier, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia, 1969.
- FBI, Supplemental Case Report: Kidnapping of Barbara Jane Mackle, December 1968 (declassified portions).
- Jordan, C.D. “Account of the Mackle Kidnapping Rescue.” Interview, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, 1970.
- Associated Press. “Heiress Found Alive in Buried Box; Ransom Paid.” December 21, 1968.
- United Press International. “Search Intensifies for Kidnappers After Ransom Drop Fails.” December 1968.
- “Krist Granted Medical License Despite Record.” The Indianapolis News, July 23, 1985.
- U.S. Department of Justice. “South Florida Man Sentenced in Cocaine Trafficking Case.” DOJ Press Release, 2006.
- “Eisemann-Schier Paroled and Deported.” The Miami Herald, 1973.
- Emory Wheel (Emory University). “Student Kidnapped from Decatur Motel.” December 18–22, 1968 coverage.
- “The Mackle Kidnapping Revisited.” People Magazine (retrospective feature), 1998.
- “Buried Alive: The 1968 Abduction of Barbara Mackle.” CNN.com, Crime Retrospective Series, 2003.
- “83 Hours in the Earth.” CBS News Sunday Morning, archival retrospective segment.
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Nov 24, 2025
Monday Nov 24, 2025
In 1877, a young woman arrived in Jefferson, Texas, wearing diamonds and traveling with a man who claimed to be her husband. Days later, her body was found in the woods, and her name was unknown. She became known as Diamond Bessie, and her death led to one of the most sensational murder trials in Texas history. This episode of Southern Mysteries explores her life, the circumstances of her murder, the trials of Abe Rothschild, and the legacy of a woman the town refused to forget.
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Episode Sources
- Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) entry on "Diamond Bessie"
- Handbook of Texas Online
- Library of Congress Newspaper Archives
- “East Texas in the 1800s: Jefferson and the Murder of Diamond Bessie,” Jefferson Historical Society
- Oakwood Cemetery, Jefferson Texas burial records
- University of North Texas Portal to Texas History
- The Diamond Bessie Murder Trial – Jefferson Playhouse historical archives
- “The Jefferson Murders” — archived article from The Dallas Morning News
- East Texas Tales by Bob Bowman
- Chronicling America – Historical newspaper records (Library of Congress)
- Marshall, Texas Capitol Hotel registration archives (via local historical society)
- “Diamond Bessie Reenactment Keeps History Alive” — Texas Highways
- Ancestry records and obituaries (Watertown, NY) for Annie Stone / Bessie Moore
- Archives of the Rothschild family business in Cincinnati (local historical collections)
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Nov 10, 2025
Monday Nov 10, 2025
In 1905, eight-year-old Kenneth Beasley, the son of North Carolina State Senator Samuel Beasley, walked out of his one-room schoolhouse in Poplar Branch, Currituck County—and vanished. What followed was one of the most haunting and controversial cases in North Carolina history. A bitter feud between two respected families, a trial built on circumstantial evidence, and a man’s death that left more questions than answers. Over a century later, the disappearance of the senator’s son remains unsolved. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, explore the loss, suspicion, and silence that still echo through the story of Kenneth Beasley—a mystery that has never let go of the Carolina coast.
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Want more Southern Mysteries? You can hear the Southern Mysteries show archive of 60+ episodes along with Patron exclusive podcast, Audacious: Tales of American Crime and more when you become a patron of the show. You can immediately access exclusive content now at patreon.com/southernmysteries
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Episode Sources
- State v. Harrison, 146 N.C. 540 (1907) – Official North Carolina Supreme Court opinion detailing the 1907 conviction of Joshua T. Harrison for the kidnapping of Kenneth Beasley; includes procedural history, evidence summary, and court rulings.
- The News and Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), February 1905 – Original newspaper publication of the anonymous letter alleging a man seen with a crying boy in a buggy near Barco on the day Kenneth Beasley disappeared.
- The Elizabeth City Economist (Elizabeth City, N.C.), March 1907 – Contemporary reporting on the Pasquotank County trial of Joshua Harrison; includes witness testimony summaries and public reaction to the guilty verdict.
- The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.), September 1907 – Coverage of Joshua Harrison’s suicide at the Gladstone Hotel following the Supreme Court’s decision; includes mention of the suicide note claiming innocence.
- The Richmond Times-Dispatch (Richmond, Va.), September 19, 1907 – Regional coverage of Harrison’s death and aftermath, quoting Senator Beasley’s reaction that Harrison “took his secret to the grave.”
- The Atlanta Georgian, September 1907 – Additional newspaper reporting on Harrison’s suicide, reprinting statements from North Carolina officials regarding the case outcome.
- Currituck County, North Carolina GenWeb Archives – Miscellaneous Newspaper Articles – Digitized transcriptions of early 20th-century reports on the Beasley case, including disappearance coverage, Harrison’s indictment, and excerpts from the Supreme Court opinion.
- Beach Glass Books – The Senator’s Son: The Shocking Disappearance of Kenneth Beasley, and the Trials of Joshua Harrison by Charles Oldham (2018) – Modern historical investigation into the case; draws from court records, newspaper archives, and local oral history.
- Most Notorious Podcast – Interview with Charles Oldham (December 7, 2023) – Discussion of the Beasley disappearance and Harrison’s trial; includes historical context on Currituck County politics and the culture of the early 1900s.
- Strange Company Blog – “Where is Kenneth Beasley?” (January 6, 2020) – Summary of the case using verified newspaper accounts; cites the News and Observer letter and the 1907 court proceedings.
- Find a Grave – Senator Samuel Mordecai Beasley (1863–1910) – Burial information and biographical details confirming Beasley’s death in Norfolk, Virginia.
- Find a Grave – Joshua Thomas Harrison (1839–1907) – Burial and genealogical data, confirming Harrison’s identity, family connections, and date of death.
- Currituck County Historical Society Records – Local archival notes and oral tradition references to the Beasley disappearance; confirm the location of Poplar Branch schoolhouse and family properties.
- North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources – State Archives, Raleigh – Holding references for Beasley and Harrison court and legislative documents, including the 1906–1907 Currituck Superior Court docket entries.
- U.S. Census Records, Currituck County (1900 & 1910) – Verification of Beasley and Harrison family members, occupations, and ages.
- Elmwood Cemetery Records (Norfolk, Virginia) – Burial registry confirming interment of Senator Samuel M. Beasley, 1910.
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.
Monday Oct 27, 2025
Monday Oct 27, 2025
Across the South, the word witch has been used to explain what people fear and cannot control. For generations, healers, midwives, conjurers and root workers carried knowledge their communities needed, yet often faced suspicion when tragedy struck. In this episode of Southern Mysteries, we explore the real lives and southern legends behind those branded as witches. From colonial courts to mountain cabins and coastal swamps, these stories reveal how the line between healing and haunting has always been thin and how fear can turn ordinary people into figures of folklore.
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Episode Sources
- Anderson, Jeffery E. Conjure in African American Society. Louisiana State University Press, 2005.
- American Folklife Center, Library of Congress — regional oral history collections on conjure, hoodoo, and midwifery.
- Anniston Hot Blast and Birmingham Age-Herald (Alabama newspapers), 1880s witchcraft coverage.
- Deep South Magazine. “Julia ‘Aunt Julie’ Brown: Debunking Her Voodoo Priestess Mythos.”
- Encyclopedia of Louisiana. “Marie Laveau.” Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities.
- Encyclopedia Virginia. “Sherwood, Grace (ca. 1660–1740).”
- Federal Writers’ Project. South Carolina Slave Narratives. Library of Congress, 1938.
- Ferry Plantation House Museum archives, Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Fett, Sharla M. Working Cures: Healing, Health, and Power on Southern Slave Plantations. University of North Carolina Press, 2002. - Foxfire 2: Houses and Appalachian Traditions. Edited by Eliot Wigginton. Anchor Books, 1973.
- Historic New Orleans Collection. “Julia Brown: Hoodoo, Hurricanes, and a Storm-Swamped Ruddock.”
- L’Observateur (St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana). “Voodoo Queen and Forces Unseen.”
- Library of Virginia. “The Case of Grace Sherwood, 1706.” Princess Anne County Court Records.
- Louisiana State Museum archives, St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, Louisiana.
- Long, Carolyn Morrow. A New Orleans Voudou Priestess: The Legend and Reality of Marie Laveau. University Press of Florida, 2006.
- Martha Ward. Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau. University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
- McTeer, J.E. Fifty Years as a Low Country Witch Doctor. University of South Carolina Press, 1971.
- Mental Floss. “The Legend and Truth of the Voodoo Priestess Who Haunts a Louisiana Swamp.”
- Milnes, Gerald. Signs, Cures, and Witchery: German Appalachian Folklore. University of Tennessee Press, 2007.
- National Park Service. “Marie Laveau’s Tomb – St. Louis Cemetery No. 1.”
- Norton, Mary Beth. In the Devil’s Snare: The Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692. Vintage Books, 2003.
- Princess Anne County Order Book, 1695–1709. Virginia State Library microfilm collection.
- Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. “Granny Women: Healers of the Southern Appalachians.”
- South Carolina Encyclopedia. “Dr. Buzzard.”
- South Magazine. “Lowcountry Root Doctors.”
- The State (Columbia, South Carolina). “In the mid-20th century, even the county sheriff was a witch doctor.”
- Swannanoa Valley Museum. “Mary Stepp Burnette Hayden: Midwife and Healer of Western North Carolina.”
- The St. John the Baptist Pioneer, October 1915, hurricane coverage.
- The Times-Picayune (New Orleans), October 1–3, 1915, storm and casualty reports; obituary, June 17, 1881.
- Virginia Memory, Library of Virginia. “Good Witch or Bad Witch? The Grace Sherwood Trial and Pardon.”
- Ward, Martha. Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau. University Press of Mississippi, 2004.
- Western Carolina University Digital Humanities Project. “Midwives and the Medicalization of Birth in Appalachia.”
- Wikipedia (used for verification of geography and storm data): “Frenier, Louisiana” and “1915 New Orleans Hurricane.”
- Wigginton, Eliot, ed. Foxfire 2: Houses and Appalachian Traditions. Anchor Books, 1973.
Episode Music
Out of the Mines, courtesy of Ross Gentry, Asheville, North Carolina.