Author Archives: History Goes Bump

The Mermaid Inn, Ep. 255

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At the confluence of three rivers, sits the East Sussex town of Rye. This is an ancient medieval town that became an important harbor along the English Channel. In the town of Rye, one will find the historic Mermaid Inn. The original building no longer stands, but the current building dates back more than 600 years with the original old cellars still in place. There are several secret passages that were used by smugglers. Some of these smugglers were members of the Hawkhurst Gang and they used the Mermaid Inn as their hideout. The inn has seen a long turbulent history. Today, it is a restaurant, bar and hotel that reputedly has many spirits kicking about in its various rooms. There are stories of cold spots, chairs moving on their own and full-bodied apparitions. Let’s explore the history and hauntings of the Mermaid Inn! The Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Amy Harris Martinez and features Charles E. Peck calling his family after his death and This Month in History features the theatrical release of The Love Bug.

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Old Town Spring, Ep. 254

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Old Town Spring is just outside Houston in Texas and started as a railroad boomtown in the mid-1800s. It then became a farming community that grew cotton and sugar cane, followed by a saloon town and finally today, it is a quaint shopping district full of historic buildings brought in from other towns. This is home to the Texas Heritage Festival and Texas Crawfish Festival. It is also home to a plethora of ghosts, both young and old. Each shop seems to have its own story. Listener Dolly Ruther joins us to share her experiences with the history and haunting of Old Town Spring! The Moment in Oddity features the Nocatula Legend and This Month in History features the birth of Booker T. Washington.

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Yom HaShoah and the Nazi Death Camps, Ep. 253

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This year, 2018, the Jewish community observes Yom HaShoah starting at sundown on April 11th. Yom HaShoah is Holocaust Remembrance Day, a day that the country of Israel observes to commemorate the extermination of approximately six million Jews and five million others who perished in the Holocaust. Concentration camps were built in several areas of Europe to accomplish what the Nazis referred to as “The Final Solution.” A few of them still stand today as reminders of a very dark time in history. With the energy created by the torture and death that occurred in these camps, it is easy to believe that haunting activity would be experienced at them. No official paranormal investigations have taken place at any camp out of respect and because such investigations would seem sacrilegious, but there are many reports of weird things being reported by people who have visited. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Nazi Death Camps of the Holocaust. The Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Mari Cruz Aponte-Veliz and features Sedlec Ossuary, the Bone Church. This Month in History features Sandra Day O’Connor becoming first woman to preside over SCOTUS.

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Brookdale Lodge, Ep. 252

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Santa Cruz has come up several times on the podcast. The city is a redwood forested wonderland, but it is also a mystical and supernatural dreamland. One of the most well-known locations in Santa Cruz is the Brookdale Lodge, an establishment that has been around for over a hundred years. This was a place for the wealthy and famous to relax and later became a family getaway. Today, it is striving to recover from years of neglect to obtain some sense of its former glory. Some things left over from the past are ghosts. There is reputedly quite a bit of activity here. On this episode, our listener and Executive Producer Sasha Wolfe, interviews the members of Santa Cruz Ghost Hunters to talk about technique, theories and the Brookdale Lodge. Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Jennifer Durham and features two gravestones on Savannah Airport runway. This Month in History features the Bread Riot in Richmond, Virginia.

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Fort Leavenworth, Ep. 251

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Fort Leavenworth is the oldest permanent settlement in Kansas and is the oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C. The fort not only has a history as a place of protection for settlers traveling along Santa Fe Trail, but it also is where the Buffalo Soldiers came together during the Civil War. Today, Leavenworth is known as a maximum security prison for the Department of Defense. The fort is also known as one of the most haunted locations in Kansas. Several of the properties have unexplained activity. Join us and our listeners Breanne and Collin Sanford as we explore the history and hauntings of Fort Leavenworth. The Moment in Oddity features the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels and This Month in History features the opening of Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

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Himeji Castle, Ep. 250

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The country of Japan does not usually cross the mind when castles are mentioned. But Japan does have castles and Himeji Castle is the largest castle in Japan. The magnificent structure sits at the top of Himeyama, which is a point 150 feet above sea level. The castle is made up of 83 buildings and referred to as White Heron Castle because of its coloring, which is a brilliant white and the curved roofs resemble a bird in flight. Today, the castle is the most visited castle in Japan and is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. The site is also considered to be one of the most haunted locations in Japan with stories of Okiku’s Well, the Old Widow’s Stone and the death of Sakurai Genbei. Join us as we explore the history, legends and hauntings of Himeji Castle. The Moment in Oddity features Pope Gregory IX declaring cats are of Satan and This Month in History features Tolpuddle Martyrs banished to Australia. Our location was suggested by listener Jenni Watt.

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Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design, Ep.249

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The city of Lakewood is a suburb of Denver, Colorado. There was never a traditional downtown in the city, but there was a central business area along Colfax Avenue and it became home to the Jewish Consumptives’ Relief Society, which treated patients suffering from tuberculosis. When TB was no longer a threat, the property was opened as the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design. The college offers a curriculum in animation, photography, graphic design, fine arts and fashion design, but it also offers something else: ghosts. There have been many reports of supernatural activity on the campus and one of the people who has experienced that is our listener Kate Wilker, who suggested this location. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design! The Moment in Oddity was suggested by Nicole Dixon and features the Seaborn Goodall House and the This Month in History features British Parliament abolishes the slave trade.

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Legends of Venice, Ep. 248

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Venice is considered one of the most romantic cities in the world and it really is an extraordinary and unusual city. The city gives the illusion as though it is floating on water as most of its streets are canals. The centerpiece of Venice is its Grand Canal that is lined with buildings whose origins date back centuries. Venice itself was founded centuries ago and any city that old is sure to have its share of tales of ghosts and curses. One only has to glimpse just past the Venetian masks, Burano lace, Murano glass and gondolas to see the sordid and haunted past of Venice. Join us as we share a brief history of Venice and its legends and hauntings! The Moment in Oddity features the cursed Black Angel statue and was suggested by listener Elizabeth (Quoylette on Twitter)and This Month in History features the birth of William Bradford.

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Western Carolina University, Ep. 247

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Western Carolina University is located in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The small town is named for a legendary Cherokee warrior and the area has a strong connection to this tribe. The university is the fifth oldest in the UNC system and was established in 1889. What started off as a high school, grew to become a teaching school and then the university that it is today. As is the case with so many universities, it has seen its measure of death, some from tragic circumstances. This has left a spiritual residue in several of the buildings on campus. Our listener Sarah Hollingsworth is a former alum and tour guide for the school and she joins us to share the history and haunting experiences, including some of her own, at Western Carolina University. She also shares several of the legends from the area. The Moment in Oddity features the Mellified Man and This Month in History features King Kong premieres in New York City.

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Carnton Plantation., Ep. 246

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Franklin was a small town in Tennessee when the Civil War erupted. The war would bring the deadly Battle of Franklin to the city, leaving behind scars that would forever change the landscape of Franklin in various ways. Nearly forty years before the war, a plantation named Carnton would be built that would soon become the premier farm in the county. The plantation would play witness not only to the battle, but to political intrigue and much death and pain. For this reason, there are those who claim that Carnton is haunted. And there are many stories of paranormal experiences that feature many different spirits. Join us as we explore the history and hauntings of the Carnton Plantation! The Moment in Oddity was suggested by listener Elizabeth Fatica and features the Legend of “Mountain” Tom Clark. This Month in History features National Foundation Day in Japan. Our location was suggested by Tammie McCarroll-Burroughs!

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