Haunted Hospitality

For the first time in nearly a year, we're back to recording in-person at Zoey's dining room table — and something about this situation is making us unhinged! Welcome to the first of (at least) two truly chaotic episodes of Haunted Hospitality. We're kicking things off with one of Robin's longtime bucket list topics: the Battery Carriage House Inn in Charleston, South Carolina! (Now known as 20 South Battery.)

This antebellum structure has two very well known ghosts: the Gentleman Ghost (Room 10) and the Headless Torso (Room 8). The Gentleman Ghost is known for politely sliding into bed with guests, while the Headless Torso is known for being... evil? Horrible? Menacing? Potentially the ghost of Stede Bonnet?

But first, Zoey's here with her Something Spooky: two sentence horror stories!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/04/18/the-haunting-of-the-battery-carriage-house-inn

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In this week's episode, Zoey covers two spooky stories from Honey Island Swamp in Louisiana. This is a protected, 70,000 acre marshland home to all sorts of creatures and outlaws.

First, she tells us about the Honey Island Swamp Rat Killings, a story of two men who were killed and their bodies robbed. This lead to multiple mobs formed in town as the people chased down the two men they believed to be responsible for their deaths. Content warning for lynching.

Then, she tells us about the Honey Island Swamp Monster, aka the Cajun Sasquatch, and how one man started a legend.

But first! Robin brings us a Something Spooky from her time in Washington DC and covers some haunted locations there!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/04/11/ep-106-tales-from-honey-island-swamp/

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For Haunted Hospitality's second pod-iversary celebration episode, we're exploring three stories of spooky ladies from the South! We get wild with our first segment, so skip to minute 43 for this content.

First up: Four people were put on trial for witchcraft in South Carolina back in 1792. While this trial took place on a farm and wasn't actually legal, there were plenty of witnesses taking the stand. They accused Mary Ingleman, in particular, of some rather harsh tricks. On two separate occasions, she is accused of turning a man into horse, then using him as transportation as she goes about her business.

Second up: One fork in a North Carolina river is called Mermaid Point because Revolutionary War soldiers used to swear they saw mermaids lounging on a sandbar. Granted, this was usually late into the night as the soldiers stumbled home from the tavern.

Third up: This is the urban legend to end all urban legends! On a Mississippi backroad, next to the ruins of an old church, the three-legged lady is known to lurk. Locals will honk their horn, and she is said to chase their car to the end of the road. (CW: suicide)Thre

But first, Robin and Zoey are here with their Something Special: a "get to know us (again)!" Q&A.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/04/04/ep-105-witches-mermaids-and-the-three-legged-lady

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In this week's episode, Zoey covers the unsolved disappearance of Jennifer Kesse, a 24 year old woman who went missing from her condo in January 2006. Jennifer, who was known for always being in touch with loved ones, was reported missing on January 24th, 2005 around 3 pm after no one had heard from her since the previous night. However, because she was an adult, police assumed that she just got in a fight with her boyfriend and left.

Eventually the Kesse family was able to convince the police to search for her, but they did too little, too late. Despite numerous leads coming in constantly, all of the paths of investigation lead to a dead end. But that hasn't stopped Drew and Joyce Kesse, her parents. They are working to this day to try to find their daughter and even announced that they had a promising lead in January 2023.

You can find more information and photos of Jennifer at www.jenniferkesse.com including the tip line if you have any information. Keeping the case alive is an expensive process, so her parents are accepting donations at www.gofundme.com/help-us-find-jennifer-kesse. She is 5’8”, 125 lbs with Blonde hair and green eyes. She has a shamrock tattoo on her lower back, a birth mark on her left middle finger on the second joint down, a strawberry birthmark on her rib, and surgical scars on the inside of her left elbow. She was 24 when she went missing but would be 41 today.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/03/28/ep-104-the-ongoing-search-for-jennifer-kesse/

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On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy rode in the backseat of a dark blue convertible through the streets of Dallas, Texas, where up to 200,000 people stood on sidewalks to get their glimpse of the President. The route was public knowledge, pre-planned to get as big of an audience as possible. The President would be running for reelection soon, and he wanted to ensure he had the Texas vote. Then, at 12:30 p.m., three shots rang out.

In this episode, we cover JFK's assassination, the arrest and killing of Lee Harvey Oswald, and the investigations and theories that have spun out of this event in the decades since.

But first, Zoey explores ChatGPT in a combined Something Southern/Spooky.

CW: gore.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/03/21/ep-103-the-motorcade-in-dallas/

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In this week's episode, Zoey takes us to visit the Loretta Lynn Ranch. This 3,500 plot of land is home to the Queen of Country's home, plenty of things to do for those who like the outdoors, and ghosts!

While Loretta Lynn was alive, she would have been the first to tell you that her house is haunted. She had one rule: don't mess with the ghosts and they won't mess with you. In this episode, Zoey shares all the juicy, ghosty tidbits that the family and employees offered up. And the Loretta Lynn Ranch has it all: confederate soldiers, ghost photos, and a visit from our favorite ghost hunting reality TV show. 

But first, Robin brings us a Something Southern and Spooky and tells us about Huggin' Molly, a legend of a woman who likes to scare the crap out of kids - and Zoey.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/03/14/ep-102-the-queen-of-country-and-ghosts/

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It's time for another Frights in the Wild, where we scour the Internet for personal stories of people encountering creepy, scary, or generally hard-to-explain things out in nature. And boy, did this slate of encounters deliver! Both Robin and Zoey were scared to be alone after recording this episode. So if that's your jam, this episode is for you.

From mysterious hunched over creatures that inspire a shared dream, to a years-long haunting in an abandoned cemetery, to a possible instance of Black Eyed Children, to the scariest one of all: a group of friends go camping in the woods, but they are very much not alone.

But first, Zoey is here with her refreshingly non-scary Something Southern: peach cobbler!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/03/07/ep-101-frights-in-the-wild-3-that-woman-was-definitely-following-them

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Wow. 100 Episodes. We can hardly believe it. Thank you so much to everyone who continues to tune in and listen!

This episode, we're excited to finally announce that we are recording on Location at The Partridge Inn in Augusta, GA. In our hotel room, Zoey shares her notes about Emily, the resident ghost, and other spooky locations around Augusta. 

But first, Robin shares a Something Spooky sent in by faithful listener, Abby.

Thank you all again! We would never have gotten it this far without listeners like you. 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/02/28/ep-100-join-us-at-the-partridge-inn/

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The Female Stranger is one of Alexandria, Virginia's best known pieces of folklore. According to legend, a woman and her maybe-husband travelled from outside of the country to Alexandria in 1816, only for her to die from an illness a few weeks later. Though sad, this story wouldn't have lasted over 200 years if it weren't for one crucial detail: she and her husband were adamant that no one knew their names. Even her doctor and nurses were sworn to secrecy. 

After she died, her husband used borrowed money to pay for an elaborate marble headstone, inscribed with a Bible verse, a poem stanza, a sentence describing his own pain at her death, and her age — but not her name. The first line of the headstone says, "To the memory of a female stranger." This secrecy has left people familiar with the mystery no choice but to speculate. Today, theories span the gamut, with some believing the Female Stranger was in a star-crossed lovers situation and others believing she was Theodosia Burr, the lost-at-sea daughter of Aaron Burr.

But first, Zoey is here with her long-awaited Something Dreamy: lucid dreams!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/02/21/to-the-memory-of-a-female-stranger

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It's the dream of every true crime fan - being the one who finally puts the pieces together to solve a years old unsolved disappearance or mystery. And in this episode, we cover the case that was potentially helped by a Podcast to get closed for good. 

Tara Grinstead was a beauty queen and a high school teacher. She was well loved in her small down of Hawkinsville, GA. However, one day in 2005 she went home after a busy night out never to be seen again. Her car was still in the driveway of her house, her phone was charging, and her pets were home unharmed. No one knew what happened to her, and her body was never found.

Then Payne Lindsey, podcast host and documentary film maker, investigated what information we knew in 2016 and he was able to put the pieces together to inspire the police to finding the culprit.

But first, Robin shares her Something Dreamy and talks about Night Terrors!

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/02/14/ep-98-the-podcast-that-allegedly-solved-a-murder/

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