Haunted Hospitality

Have you heard the phrase "little green men"? It had only been used in sci-fi until 1955, when 11 people in Kelly, Kentucky claimed that a spaceship landed near their farmhouse and a group of aliens tried to attack their home. Suddenly news stories were awash with the Suttons' tale of their extraterrestrial plight — with some taking it more seriously than others.

Today, there's no consensus about what happened to the Suttons that night in 1955. Some people fully believe they fought with aliens; others believe it was a hoax, or even perhaps a run in with owls. No matter what — it's clear from their statements and the police investigation that *something* happened there that night.

In this episode, we talk about the Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter and what we think actually happened there that night. Spoiler alert: we each believe different theories.

But first, Zoey's here with her Something Spooky/Dreamy: can people dream the future?

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/02/07/ep-97-the-little-not-green-men

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

In today's chaotic episode, Zoey discusses the ghosts of the Alamo. Robin, knowing full well that Zoey planned to cover the Alamo, is shocked that there are ghosts. Apparently, Robin was giddy with the thought that Zoey was going to make this a historical podcast. Well, Robin. Too bad. Can't have history without ghosts, as Zoey always says.

Though you do have to bear through some history taught by Prof Zoey. But don't worry, the ghosts are many and very close together. They include the people who died during the battle, a few who didn't but were grief stricken by the death, and a couple we don't know the stories of. The ghosts are coming after you in this one.

But, before we get into that, we start our Something Something Series about Sleep. Which is decided on the spot as Robin discusses why we dream and she and Zoey discuss various dreams and nightmares they've had. 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/01/31/ep-96-what-was-that-place-called-again-oh-right-the-alamo/

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

Ah, the Georgia Guidestones. How statuesque. How deeply problematic.

The Georgia Guidestones were a truly odd conglomeration of granite that popped up in rural Georgia in the 1980s. According to the only two people who ever saw him, a well-dressed man came into Elberton, Georgia, in 1979 on a mission to spread 10 very specific opinions on how he thought people ought to live and interact with the environment. Apparently he decided this was less "letter to the editor" territory and more "carve into very tall and astronomically significant granite via eight languages" territory.

Through the decades, questions, controversies, and conspiracy theories have swirled around these six large stones — ultimately leading to their destruction in the summer of 2022.

But first, Zoey's here with her Something Spooky: the Sallie House! Which is in Kansas! Which is not in the South! IYKYK.

(NOTE: Stonehenge is pictured. I couldn't find a public domain image of the Georgia Guidestones. Use your imagination and/or Google.)

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/01/24/ep-95-its-like-stonehenge-but-not

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

This week's episode is a tough one. We follow along as Zoey tells the story of Donald "Pee Wee" Gaskins, an infamous serial killer from South Carolina. Donald had a tough life, but he made it worse for everyone around him. He started his crimes when he was still a tween, and only ramped up as he made his way through life. 

Donald Gaskins claimed that he killed more than 100 people, but the police believe the number is more around 40. Either way it is a staggering amount. And murder wasn't his only crimes: sexual assault, burglary, kidnapping, robbery, battery, breaking and entering. His rap sheet is a mile long. 

Then at the end of the Episode Robin and Zoey discuss their thoughts and feelings on a few things and the way True Crime as a genre has been moving.

But first, Robin brings her Something Spooky into the mix and discusses 5 Horror Movies she'd like to watch and discuss this year. 

CW: Sexual Assault, Child Sexual Assault

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/01/17/ep-94-the-horrors-of-donald-pee-wee-gaskins/

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

Right beside the Alamo in San Antonio, Texas, the Emily Morgan Hotel looms 13 stories tall. Originally constructed in 1924, it got its start as a premier Medical Arts Building. And even almost 50 years since the building saw its last patient, there are still traces of that hospital today.

From the inexplicable antiseptic smell on the former surgical floor to the memory of a nurse walking down the hall, the Emily Morgan Hotel seems to like holding onto the past. And we haven't even mentioned the gargoyles built 100 years ago that are designed to look like suffering patients (seriously, what?!). 

In this episode, we explore the hotel's history, the folk legend it's named for, and the unusual happenings that have made it famous.

But first, Zoey is kicking off her first Something Spooky of 2023 with a Creature Corner: 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/01/10/ep-93-gargoyles-and-perfectly-timed-ghosts

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

Cemeteries. Ghosts. They seem to go hand in hand. Yet Haunted Hospitality has recorded almost 100 episodes, and not once have we talked about a Cemetery. So this week, Zoey brings in the new year by visiting the Colonial Park Cemetery and the Bonaventure Cemetery, both in Savannah, GA. 

The Colonial Park Cemetery is known for shadowy figures that dart between gravestones at night after the park is all closed and for housing a mass grave of Yellow Fever victims. And there may or may not be a 7 foot tall ghost of a child murderer.

Bonaventure Cemetery is known for it's beautiful gardens and plant life, and also Little Gracie. Gracie is a ghost that plays in the cemetery and is loved by locals and tourists alike. 

But first, Robin shares her New Year Non-Resolution and Zoey shares her New Year Goals. Then Robin shares some New Years Traditions from around the world. 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2023/01/03/ep-92-two-haunted-cemeteries-in-savannah-ga/

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

On the night of November 20, 1921, 19-year-old Nell Cropsey followed her boyfriend, Jim Wilcox, out into the hall of her family's house. It was late fall in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, with the Pasquotank river flowing close by. The young couple had spent the evening with Nell's family sitting around the fire in the dining room, with her excited for her upcoming trip to New York and him checking his watch repeatedly the whole evening long. He had asked her to come outside and talk for a moment.

No one knows for sure what happened during their conversation, but we do know that Nell's family never saw her alive again. 37 days later, her body was found floating in the Pasquotank river by her house. In this episode, we discuss Nell's disappearance, the subsequent trials, and what may have happened to her.

But first, Zoey is here with her Something Spooky: the Mari Lwyd.

Content warnings: suicide and domestic violence.

Sources: http://www.hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/12/27/ep-91-the-disappearance-and-death-of-nell-cropsey/

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

You've read the book "All My Friends are Dead" by Avery Monsen and Jory John, focusing on a little dinosaur that has lost all his loved ones. Well, for Velma Barfield, that book is reality. Velma Barfield grew up in rural North Carolina. When she was 17, she got married and had a happy life with her husband and two kids. But when both herself and her husband ended up with chronic pain that they self medicated through either drugs or alcohol, Velma's life was shrouded in Death. 

By the time Velma was 46 years old, she had lost one husband to a house fire, another husband to heart failure, a boyfriend to a car crash, her father to lung cancer, her mother to the stomach virus, and her fiancé to the flu. On top of that, Velma worked as a nurse to the elderly, and she lost three patients that she cared for. 

But it was soon revealed that Velma might not be as innocent as she seemed. Listen to this week's episode as Zoey shares the full details of how Velma turned from sympathetic nurse to being a prisoner on death row.

But first, robin tells us about Arizona's Red Ghost for her something spooky.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/12/20/ep-90-death-follows-velma-barfield/

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

Sometime in the late 1800s, a whole bunch of people decided it would be cool to contact the dead on a semi-regular basis. This wasn’t just a fringe phenomenon. Folks like Marie Curie and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle were all about it. But no one was as all about it as Ben and Sue Allen. 

Twice or thrice a week, they’d host a séance in their Nashville, Tennessee home, inviting their circle of well-to-do friends to bear witness to Sue’s uncanny ability to contact the spirit world. These evenings included everything from sassy remarks from the dearly departed to haunting visions of one member’s future self to The Thing: a creature that people described as a cat or a handless arm that manifested beneath the dining room table.

It spent the séances unbuttoning shoes, lifting the table, and generally creating wild (if invisible) havoc. People who didn’t believe in The Thing would sometimes run out of the séance in a terror, only for The Thing to follow them home. In this episode, we dive into this weird moment in humanity’s view of the supernatural and speculate on what exactly The Thing could be.

But first, Zoey is here with her Something Southern: payback against Robin’s laziness, Mad Libs Vacation edition.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/12/13/ep-89-spiritualism-seances-and-the-thing

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!

This week's episode we really embody our podcast name by visiting a Haunted Hotel! None other than the Driskill Hotel of Austin Texas. 

This hotel is haunted by the owner, a couple of brides, a little girl slash devil, a President, and a long time resident, and Zoey tells you all about each one. As the longest operating hotel in TX, no wonder there are a few ghosties out to play.

But first, as the weather gets slightly cold, Robin and Zoey share their Chilly Takes.

TW: Suicide

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/12/06/ep-88-dying-to-stay-at-the-driskill-hotel/

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!