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
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.
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