Cults, Crimes and Spirits

This week we dive into the mysterious and chilling tale of Lavinia Fisher. Fisher achieved notoriety as America's first female serial killer but was she truly a remorseless murderer or a victim of historical exaggeration? Join us as we separate fact from fiction in the Legend of Lavinia Fisher.

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Sources:

https://ghostcitytours.com/charleston/lavinia-fisher/

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/sc-laviniafisher/

http://www.murderbygaslight.com/2010/10/legend-of-lavinia-fisher.html

https://www.postandcourier.com/news/lavinia-fisher-of-charleston-nations-first-female-serial-killer-or-wrongly-accused/article_8cd5c8da-e60f-11e9-abd7-0712bc94dd35.html

https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/lavinia-fisher-americas-first-female-serial-killer-that-wasnt

In this week's episode we are discussing the first murder and execution in the peach state. Learn what happened in Savannah Georgia and whose ghost may still be wandering the cobblestone streets.

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Sources:

https://ghostcitytours.com/savannah/ghost-stories/alice-riley/#go-next-section

https://visitsavannah.com/article/history-savannah

https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2014/10/31/murder-lies-ghost-savannahs-wright-square/13526612007/

https://random-times.com/2020/07/29/the-ghost-of-alice-riley-and-the-legend-spanish-moss/

https://www.freemansrag.com/historical-ruminations/alice-riley-a-sad-savannah-story

Caskey, James. Haunted Savannah: The Official Guide to Savannah Haunted History Tour, 2010. Savannah, GA: Bonaventure Books, 2005.

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

Many people dream of a white Christmas but not one like the people of Palmertown, Virginia got when a local chemical dam broke on Christmas Eve, 1924, releasing years of built up chemical waste upon unsuspecting residents. This waste, often referred to as muck, left a path of death, destruction and devastation in is wake. According to the locals, there may be something paranormal going on there now. Find out what in this weeks episode!

We wish you Happy Holidays and a blessed New Year.

Sources:

https://www.mtnlaurel.com/history/1506-the-muck-dam-disaster-christmas-1924.html

https://theclio.com/entry/77037

https://heraldcourier.com/news/pieces-of-the-past-19-people-were-killed-in-1924-saltville-virginia-muck-dam-disaster/article_4fd19960-a921-5499-ba25-f4ad33a5f44b.html

The Great Saltville Disaster by Carl V. Eskridge

This week we are discussing the Peoples Temple cult and the Jonestown Massacre. We explore the mind of cult leader Jim Jones and what led to over 900 bodies being discovered in the jungles of South America.

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Sources:

https://www.grunge.com/1308875/what-happened-bodies-jonestown/

https://www.britannica.com/event/Jonestown

https://www.history.com/topics/crime/jonestown

https://apnews.com/article/eda81af2599d485ab09eb39d72754ade

https://www.biography.com/crime/jim-jones

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/jonestown-bio-jones/

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/history/retroindy/2013/11/18/peoples-temple/3634925/

https://apnews.com/article/eda81af2599d485ab09eb39d72754ade

https://time.com/longform/jonestown-aftermath/

On this week's episode we are sharing with you how to have the perfect spooky date night! Complete with dinner, a show, and a stay at a historic Inn and the best part, they are all HAUNTED!!! We are also joined with special guest Katy Brown, the Producing Artistic Director at the famous Barter Theatre. Katy shares with us some spooky stories involving their resident ghosts.

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Sources:

https://visitabingdonvirginia.com/directory/abingdon-spirit-tours https://haintmistressofabingdon.wordpress.com/

https://colonialghosts.com/apparitions-at-abingdon/

https://heraldcourier.com/news/owner-of-tavern-by-midnight-we-try-to-be-outta-here/article_b7b165ab-6c50-5c73-8e47-b8f92a8c888c.html

https://abingdontavern.net/about-us/

https://bartertheatre.com/

http://www.themartha.com/

Our uncle Brad joins us this week to help us tell some spooky family ghost stories. From seeing relatives who have passed, spiritual warfare, and why Andrea will never use a Ouija Board again. Join us on this interesting journey down memory lane.

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Friday the 13th is a day feared by many! But why? In this weeks episode we try to get to the bottom of this, as we explore possible orgins in Biblical times. We also discuss some interesting things that have happened on a Friday the 13th, you don't want to miss this.

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Sources:

https://www.travelandleisure.com/hotels-resorts/hotels-no-13th-floor

https://simpleflying.com/aircraft-row-13/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/2023/01/12/how-many-friday-the-13-th-movies-are-there/11032149002/

https://simpleflying.com/extreme-survival-the-story-of-uruguayan-air-force-flight-571/

https://buckrail.com/a-brief-history-friday-the-13th-and-its-origins-of-bad-luck/

https://www.history.com/topics/folklore/friday-the-13th

https://www.cnn.com/style/article/why-friday-13-unlucky-explained/index.html

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/13-things-friday-13.html

https://www.wbaltv.com/article/friday-the-13th-how-it-came-to-be-and-why-its-considered-unlucky/34672030

This week we discuss the fear known as Taphophobia, or the fear of being buried alive! When stories started to circulate in the 18th and 19th centuries about people being buried alive, some real others works of fiction, it incited fear. An invention known as safety coffins were created to put everyone's minds at ease. But did the safety coffins work and who was buried alive?

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Sources:

https://www.ripleys.com/weird-news/buried-alive/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/sponsored/people-feared-being-buried-alive-so-much-they-invented-these-special-safety-coffins-180970627/

https://burialsandbeyond.com/2019/03/27/buried-alive-a-short-history-of-premature-burial-and-safety-coffins/

https://edistobeach.com/the-legend-of-julia-legare/#:~:text=After%2015%20years%20had%20gone,She%20had%20been%20buried%20alive.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.counton2.com/haunted-history/buried-alive-the-haunting-story-of-julia-legare/amp/

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/50460/50460-h/50460-h.htm

https://www.weirdhistorian.com/proper-care-for-the-not-quite-dead-yet-the-london-association-for-the-prevention-of-premature-burial/

https://historycollection.com/buried-alive-common-victorian-era-doctors-used-10-methods-prevent/

https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/users-guide-to-definitive-death

https://alchetron.com/Angelo-Hays

What does serial killer Efren Saldivar and actor James Dean have in common? Find out in this weeks episode as we wish Nina a very happy birthday!

Follow us: https://linktr.ee/cultscrimesandspiritspodcast

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Sources:

https://allthatsinteresting.com/james-dean-death

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5670669/James-Dean-SAVED-paramedics-brace-broken-neck-says-TV-documentary.html

https://www.grunge.com/869325/tragic-details-revealed-in-james-deans-autopsy/

https://www.thejamesdeanmuseum.com/information.html

https://automotivehistory.org/james-dean-death-car/

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/james-dean-dies-in-car-accident

The Farmville Murders, committed by aspiring horrorcore rapper, Richard Samuel McCroskey, left a quiet Virginia community in shock. When four bodies were found decomposing in a nice suburban home, police followed the trail back to McCroskey who was in town to meet up with his online girlfriend for the first time.

Follow us: https://linktr.ee/cultscrimesandspiritspodcast

Email us: [email protected]

Sources:

https://richmond.com/news/the-unfolding-of-a-cruel-crime-in-farmville-and-a-strange-one/article_0e003269-f7a0-5434-ad01-2bd3057a7314.html

https://richmond.com/news/update-details-emerge-about-weapons-used-in-farmville-killings/article_3ec1937b-938b-52db-85a0-16ed686ba272.html

https://richmond.com/news/suspects-sister-expresses-remorse-in-farmville-slayings/article_a6264d54-be49-5c50-9a8a-e5809b12cd0a.html

https://richmond.com/news/police-look-at-role-lyrics-may-have-had-in-farmville-slayings/article_998559e3-80d5-538c-a0c9-3caf7b89f469.html

https://richmond.com/news/father-made-futile-trip-in-search-for-slain-daughter/article_f1baf2f6-bb64-50c7-bfac-85674d7b1ba3.html

https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/gruesome-details-revealed-in-virigina-killings/2088926/

https://www.newshub.co.nz/world/rapper-accused-of-killing-4-says-jesus-made-me-do-it-2009092306