On a cold, snowy night, you hear it—a faint melody drifting through the air. The sound is beautiful yet unsettling, as if the voices belong to another time. You step outside, expecting to find cheerful carolers braving the winter chill, but there’s no one there. The singing fades, swallowed by the wind, leaving only questions behind.  

Who—or what—sings these haunting songs?

Light the fire, settle in, and join us as we explore the darker side of Christmas.

Anote: In today's episode we explore the chilling legend of phantom carolers—ghostly singers who haunt the winter nights. While not based on historical events, these tales are rooted in folklore and passed-down traditions, offering a glimpse into the eerie side of holiday storytelling. Join us for a journey into the darker corners of Christmas lore.

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios, with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe. Special thanks to this episode's guest, actor and voice artist Derek Stephen Brown, for narrating and bringing these tales to life.

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Episode Reference Material 

How Ghost Stories Became a Christmas Tradition in Victorian England

Why Do People Tell Christmas Ghost Stories

After Supper Ghost Stories 

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It was Christmas Day, 1929 and the Lawson family were preparing to celebrate. There was a cake being baked, hunting traditions being honored, and a family gathering in what should have been a joyful, peaceful holiday. But beneath that calm veneer, something far darker stirred.  

By the end of the day, the Lawson farmhouse would become the epicenter of a nightmare—a scene so gruesome it would stain the memory of Christmas forever. What drives a man to turn on his own family? What breaks inside someone to twist love into destruction?  

The answers, if they ever existed, are buried in time, along with Charles Lawson’s final, haunting secrets. This is the story of a family frozen in their final moments, of a crime that defies understanding, and of a legacy that still echoes nearly a century later.  

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Reference Material

White Christmas, Bloody Christmas by Trudy Smith


The Meaning of our Tears by Trudy Smith

The Lawson Family Murders by Criminal (Phoebe Judge)

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The house looms before you, shrouded in shadows, its countless windows like unblinking eyes. As you step inside, the air grows heavier, and the walls seem to shift around you. Staircases spiral into ceilings, doors open to nowhere—this is no ordinary home.  

This is the Winchester Mystery House, built by a woman haunted by grief and guilt, endlessly constructing to escape the spirits she believed were hunting her. Tonight, the house is waiting. Are you ready to step inside? 

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Source Material

All Things Interesting: Was Sarah Winchester?  
Winchester Mystery House History
The Winchester Mystery House: California’s Original Haunted Mansion? 
The True Story of the Winchester Mystery House, the Creepiest Mansion in the U.S.

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On Christmas Eve, 1945, the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia, erupted in flames. Amid the chaos, George and Jennie Sodder managed to rescue four of their ten children, but five others—Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jennie, and Betty—were believed to have perished in the fire. Yet, no remains were ever found. 

What begins as a tragedy soon twists into one of history's most chilling unsolved mysteries. Cryptic clues surface—a strange phone call, a missing ladder, cut wires, and a suspicious insurance salesman with veiled threats. Eyewitness accounts suggest the children may have been seen alive, far from the smouldering ruins of their home.

Were the children victims of the flames—or of a more sinister plot?

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Source Material

What Happened to the Sodder Children, the Siblings Who Went Up in Smoke in a West Virginia House Fire? by Smithsonian Magazine
What Really Happened to Children by Niles Jackson for the Sunday – Gazette
Mystery of Missing Children Haunts W. Va Town by Stacy Horn
Where are the children? by Audrey Stanton
The Sodder Children by Casefile
Christmas Eve Tragedy by Autumn D.F. Hopkins

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The air inside Chillingham Castle feels heavy, as if the stones themselves remember the horrors that unfolded here. Beneath the grandeur of its medieval walls lies a darker tale—the story of John Sage, or Dragfoot, a man whose cruelty echoes through the centuries.

On today's minisode we are exploring the history, the ghosts and the legends behind one of England’s most haunted castles.

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Source Material

Chillingham Castle Official Website
E. Harris, Ghost Tours England, personal communication, November 18, 2024
Chillingham Castle by Mark Fisher
Visit Northumberland 
Little House of Horrors: Chillingham Castle Medieval Wanderings: Chillingham Castle
John Dragfoot Sage: The Most Evil Ghost In Britain
The Ghosts of Chillingham Castle
The Haunted Palace Blog

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Beneath its dazzling beauty lies a dark and twisted tale. The Hope Diamond, a gemstone of unmatched brilliance, has passed through the hands of kings, thieves, and collectors, leaving behind a legacy of wealth, betrayal, and tragedy.

From its fabled origins to its glittering display in modern museums, whispers of a curse have followed the diamond for centuries. Its owners have faced ruin, madness, and untimely deaths—coincidences too chilling to ignore. Was the gem imbued with a malevolent force, or do its tragedies simply reflect the turbulent times it survived?

We are diving into the shadowy history of the Hope Diamond, peeling back layers of myth and reality to uncover the truth behind its haunting reputation. 

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Source Material

Smithsonian Institution - Hope Diamond
The Hope Diamond: The Legendary History of a Cursed Gem by Richard Kurin
National Geographic - Hope Diamond
History Channel - Hope Diamond
The Curse of the Hope Diamond - Live Science
The Secret History Of The Hope Diamond: How Pierre Cartier Sold A Cursed Jewel
The Hope Diamond Mystery & Curse
The Curse of The Hope Diamond

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Sarah Jane Robinson was a seemingly ordinary woman whose life took a sinister turn. Beneath her unassuming exterior lay a web of greed, betrayal, and death. Accused of a string of poisonings in 19th-century Massachusetts, Robinson’s story captivated and horrified the public, leaving a trail of unanswered questions. Was she a cunning killer driven by desperation, or was she a victim of circumstance and suspicion?

Today we are exploring the twists and turns of her case and the lingering shadows of her unsettling legacy.

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Source Material 

The Massachusetts Borgia by Murder by Gaslight
The Boston Borgia by The Morning Journal 
The official report of the trial of Sarah Jane Robinson

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In 19th-century India, a chilling name spreads terror across the land: Thug Behram. As the leader of the infamous Thuggee cult, he is said to have orchestrated a reign of murder and mayhem, claiming over 900 lives with his silken noose. His actions, shrouded in secrecy, are driven by a fanatical devotion to the goddess Kali, blurring the line between religious faith and cold-blooded violence.  

Through history, myth, and fear, we explore the dark world of Thug Behram, and ask the burning question: was his legend rooted in reality—or was it a tale spun from fear and power?

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Source Material 

Handkerchief, Coin, And A Reign Of Terror: India’s 18th Century Serial Killer Thug Behram Who Killed 931 People by Ajay Kumar 
Unveiling the Enigma of Thug Behram: India’s Notorious Serial Killer by JACK 
Thuggee Life: The Most Murderous Cult by Yesterday Unhinged 
How British Raj Ended Thuggee in India by Anurag Sanghi
Thug: The True Story of India’s Murderous Religion by Mike Dash 
The Deadly Dozen: India’s Most Notorious Serial Killers by Anirban Bhattacharyya 
Thug Behram by Khooni: The Crimes of India

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In 1912, a horrifying event rocked the small town of Villisca, Iowa: the Moore family and two young guests were found brutally murdered in their beds, struck down by an unknown killer with an axe. Despite extensive investigations, the case remains unsolved, leaving a shadow over the town and the house where the murders occurred

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Episode Source Material 

The Villisca Axe Murders by Iowa Cold Cases 
A Neighbor Grew Worried When Iowa Family Didn’t Come Out for Morning Chores. They’d Been Murdered with An Axe Overnight by Sean Neumann for People Magazine 
The Villisca Murder House Official Website 
Man on the Train: Solving a Century-Old Serial Killer Mystery by Bill James and Rachel McCarthy James


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Not long after she started her new life in the American Midwest, Belle Gunness begun methodically luring unsuspecting suitors through personal ads to her farm...only for them to later disappear without a trace. 

As the police began investigating her mysterious farmhouse fire, their shocking and gruesome discovery would reveal Belle as being one of America’s most infamous female serial killers.

Haunted History is produced by SoundBite Studios with host Megan Alda and writer/researcher Chloë Kibbe.

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Visit us at www.hauntedhistorypod.com to learn more.

Episode Source Material 

A nightmare at Murder Farm: The story of one of America’s most prolific serial killers by Strange Remains  
How a farm girl became the butcher of ‘lonely men’ by Larry Getlen 
The Story of Belle Gunness, One of America’s Most Prolific Serial Killers by Steven Casale 
Corpses in the Pig Pen: The Tale of Indiana’s Most Notorious Serial Killer by Lucas Reilly 
Castle Garden: Where Immigrants Came Before Ellis Island by The New York Historical Museum 
Matrimony, Inc: From Personal Ads to Swiping Right: A Story of America Looking For Love by Francesca Beauman
Heartland Serial Killers: Belle Gunness, Johann Hoch, and Murder for Profit in Gaslight Era Chicago by Richard C. Lindberg 
Hell’s Princess by Harold Schecter

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