Haunted Hospitality

At midday on Monday, November 13, 1961, an oil tanker crew spotted Captain Julian Harvey, a retired airman, floating on a dinghy in the Atlantic Ocean. With him was the body of seven-year-old René Duperrault, the youngest member of a family that had been traveling for the past week with Harvey and his wife on a ship called the Bluebelle.

Once he was rescued and taken to the coast guard, Harvey told them how a storm swept in at midnight, breaking the masts and triggering a cascade of events where his only option was to flee the burning boat, alone. He said he came across René's body in the water and tried to save her life, but was unable to do so.

That would have been the official story of the Bluebelle, if not for a second ocean rescue days later. Three and a half days after the Bluebelle sank, eleven year old Terry Jo Duperrault was found barely clinging to life atop a disintegrating float. Her story about how the Bluebelle sank — and how she managed to survive for days on the ocean without food, water, or shelter — would change everything.

But first, Zoey is here with a Something Something that qualifies as a Something Southern AND a Something Spooky: the haunted Calcasieu Courthouse in Lake Charles, Louisiana!

CW: suicide.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/09/20/ep-77-the-sinking-of-the-bluebelle

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True crime is back! In case you're new here, this is a True Crime and Supernatural show. It's been a while, but this week Zoey brings back the true crime element with the story of Tyler Hadley, a Florida teen with troubles. 

Tyler's parents, Blake and Mary-Jo Hadley told him that by the end of the summer, they were going to put him into a drug rehab facility. Tyler made the decision to then kill both his parents, then throw a huge party. But the real kicker is that the bodies of his parents were still in the house while the teenagers were partying.

This week's episode is a grim one. But before we get into it, Robin lists off popular Southern foods and your hosts track how many they have had before. Robin, of course, scores high, but Zoey's score may surprise you.

CW: Mentions of Suicide. 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/09/13/ep-76-the-party-to-end-all-others/

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The American South isn't known for its castles, but maybe it should be. In this episode, we explore three different southern castles and their spooky reputations.

The Gassaway Mansion in Greenville, South Carolina is an interesting feat of architecture. This structure with its castle-like tower was built alongside the prosperity of the roaring twenties, just as its occupants felt the loss of the 1929 stock market crash. Rumors of hauntings have swirled around the mansion for decades, with many saying that the original owner, Walter L. Gassaway, never left. A special thanks to Abby for recommending this topic! And happy birthday!

Rhodes Hall looks exactly like a medieval castle that just happens to be across the street from a gas station in Midtown Atlanta. Built to glorify the Antebellum South, this building has a deeply troubled history to contend with. People say the original owners still live there, and they don't like visitors.

"The Castle" in Beaufort, South Carolina was built in the mid-1800s, but its most well known ghost hails from 16th century France. A foul-mouthed jester is said to roam the house and its grounds, having tea parties with children while insulting any adults within hearing distance.

But first, Zoey's Something Spooky is an update on the JonBenét Ramsey cold case.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/09/06/ep-75-the-south-has-castles-and-those-castles-have-ghosts

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We all knew it was coming, but it came too soon. This is the final part of Season Two of our Haunted College Tour Palooza. But fear not, it will make its return next year!

Closing us out for August 2022, Zoey shares the ghosts of the University of Virginia, a college with many notable alumni including Mr. Spooky himself, Edgar Allen Poe. Here we learn about secret societies, odd music halls, and a very haunted Farm.

Robin has selected the College of William and Mary, a college near Colonial Williamsburg. This place is MEGA haunted to the point that former student Margot Baden created an interactive map for students to submit their haunting experiences. 

But first, Robin shares a cryptid update on the Loch Ness Monster for her Something Spooky! Is she trying to take away the title of Cryptid Crown from Zoey? We shall see. 

We hope that all incoming freshmen are pleasantly scared and are armed with knowledge about their soon-to-be homes. Have a haunting happen to you? Write to us at [email protected]!

CW: Suicide

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/08/30/ep-74-haunted-college-tour-part-10-university-of-virginia-and-college-of-william-and-mary/

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For the ninth installment of our Haunted! College! Tour! Palooza!, we're heading to Arkansas. The University of Arkansas and Henderson State University are both filled with ghost stories that will make freshmen cower with fear into their Twin XL sheets.

Henderson State University is truly one of a kind with its famous Lady in Black, who is known to chase terrified students down like a Scooby Doo-style villain. We love colleges who love their weird ghosts, and Henderson State University sure loves her! We're also taking a peak into neighboring Ouachita Baptist University, who says the Lady in Black is actually THEIR ghost. Please everyone, there's enough of her to go around!

The University of Arkansas sports a haunted dorm-turned-frat house-turned-office-turned-hotel called the Inn at Carnall Hall. Here, you may see a headless and footless ghost in a dress floating through the halls. She may sit on your bed and watch you as you sleep, but don't worry, she's nice.

But first, Zoey is here with a Creature Corner about a rumored cryptid called a Melon Head. 

CW: suicide

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/08/23/ep-73-haunted-college-tour-part-9-university-of-arkansas-and-henderson-state-university/

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Here we are in the midpoint of our college tour-palooza! We hope you're learning a thing or two.

In this episode, Zoey talks about the famous ghost of Roy Simms from Texas A&M, but don't worry, he's not the only ghost on campus. The spirit of dog mascot Reveille V is on Kyle Field and you can hear how she makes her presence known.

Robin shares a few stories from Our Lady of the Lake University that are sure to frighten you especially if you aren't very fond of nuns.

But first, in her Something Southern, robin releases the official ranking for Haunted Southern Cities by doing something scarier than ever covered on the podcast: math.

CW: Suicide

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/08/16/ep-72-haunted-college-tour-part-8-texas-am-and-our-lady-of-the-lake-university/

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For the second installment of the second season of our Haunted College Tour Palooza, we're traveling (metaphorically, of course) to three colleges in Mississippi. The Mississippi University for Women, Delta State University, and Mississippi State University all come with paranormal encounters haunting their halls. 

Listen to learn about Mary (a Civil War-era nurse who never left Callaway Hall), a group of three students who slowly realized their shared house was haunted, and old classroom buildings with a vibe that can only be described as "creepy."

But first, Zoey's Something Southern + Spooky is all about a haunted Savannah house.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/08/09/ep-71-haunted-college-tour-part-7-mississippi-university-for-women-delta-state-university-and-mississippi-state-university/

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Welcome back to the 2nd annual Haunted College Tour-palooza by Haunted Hospitality! We'd like to remind everyone of our sole purpose in doing the College Tour - to scare incoming freshmen. So if you know anyone attending these colleges in the fall, be sure to send the episode their way!

In this episode, Zoey covers what she has dubbed the most haunted college in Kentucky, Western Kentucky University! To sum up all the haunts at this college: be very careful around the elevators. They're more likely to kill you than you think.

And Robin covers the Morehead State University. This one gives us a very theatrical ride from Nunn Hall all the way to a Virgin Mary statue that cries blood. 

But first, to kick us off on our tour, Robin and Zoey take the "What southern school fits you best" and realize how similar they really are. 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/08/02/ep-70-haunted-college-tour-part-6-western-kentucky-university-and-morehead-state-university/

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Have you ever wandered into the woods by yourself only to feel like you were being watched? If so, you aren't alone. In this episode, Robin scoured the internet for first person accounts of paranormal experiences in the Southern US wilderness. Expect five true horror stories spanning Appalachia, involving an arsonist ghost, a dopplegänger, a potential cryptid, and more — including the possible return of a weather woman/Lady in White we covered in our Old House Woods episode. Join us as we uncover what may be hiding in the trees.

But first, Zoey has a something spooky on why crossroads are a hotspot for paranormal experiences.

Join our Patreon at patreon.com/hauntedhospitality.

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/07/26/frights-in-the-wild/

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Robin is still out this week, so Zoey invited guest Brittany onto the podcast. Brittany is an equally southern friend of Robin and Zoey, the third in the trio, and Zoey's other Bridesmaid! 

In today's episode, Zoey covers the Patreon requested story of the Yorktown Memorial Hospital (thank you Haley for the recc!) in Yorktown, Texas. This hospital has been shut down and left to decompose since the 90s, had over 2000 deaths since it opened, and was run by nuns who are still seen at the property.

But before we get into the episode, Brittany brought a Something Southern and Spooky! As someone who frequented the SC State Museum, Brittany tells us about ghosts known to haunt it and shares her experience there.

Zoey also does a personal shout out to let you guys (or should she say y'all?) know that she's started streaming on Twitch! Follow her at https://www.twitch.tv/izerge. 

Sources: https://hauntedhospitality.wordpress.com/2022/07/19/ep-68-putting-the-hospital-into-haunted-hospitality/

Visit us on Social Media! Stay Spooky!