For more than a century, the Brown Mountain Lights have baffled scientists, inspired ghost stories, and drawn curious travelers to the rugged wilderness of western North Carolina. Nestled within the Linville Gorge Wilderness Area of Pisgah National Forest, Brown Mountain has become ground zero for one of America’s most enduring paranormal mysteries.

Eyewitnesses describe glowing orbs—white, red, even blue—rising from the mountain, flickering like lanterns, and vanishing into the night sky. Some believe these lights are the restless spirits of Cherokee warriors killed in an ancient battle. Others claim they’re tied to long-lost lovers, murdered wives, or even extraterrestrial visitors.

In this episode of Southern Gothic, we uncover the tangled roots of the Brown Mountain Lights legend. From 18th-century accounts and ghostly Appalachian folklore to Cold War UFO sightings and government investigations by the U.S. Geological Survey, we’ll explore how science, superstition, and storytelling have shaped one of North Carolina’s greatest unsolved mysteries.

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