Reaper Tales

This week, Montana tells Samantha about the Sisters in Black. Three sisters who are experienced teachers at a female academy, are also experienced in the perfect mourning attire for every day wear. In this tale there's even a love story that will make you want to barf.

Resources:

https://rutherfordtnhistory.org/three-sisters-in-black-an-unsolved-mystery/

https://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/sisters-black-murder-ocey-snead-1909-article-1.432667

https://montgomerymuseum.org/the-black-sisters/

https://the-line-up.com/the-bizarre-drowning-of-ocey-snead

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ocey_Snead

This week, Samantha shares the tale of the Black Widow of Hazel Green. The facts may have been hard to come by, but the story is certainly interesting. One thing is for certain: 6 times a widow was definitely uncommon at the time (is it really any different today??) and more than enough reason for gossip and drama…and there’s plenty of both in this episode!

The Black Widow of Hazel Green, by Stanley J St. Clair

Wicked North Alabama, by Jacquelyn Procter Reeves

https://huntsvillehistorycollection.org/hhc/browse-person.php?a=person&pe=Adam%20Dale

https://historicmaurycounty.com/2021/09/10/the-black-widow-of-hazel-green/

https://digitalalabama.com/famous-legendary-and-notorious-alabamians/black-widow-of-hazel-green-alabama/4402

https://risingsun29.org/rsl29-history-pg-1

https://www.al.com/living/2015/06/readers_share_more_spooky_alab.html

https://www.tngenweb.org/smith/scenes/theblackwidow.htm

https://huntsvillehistorycollection.org/hhc/oh/docs/OH-006-v2n2.pdf?a=oh

https://huntsvillehistorycollection.org/hhc/oh/docs/OH-212.pdf?a=oh

This week, Samantha talks about two of the spookiest places in Huntsville: Maple Hill Cemetery and the Dead Children’s Playground. As the oldest (and largest) public cemetery in Huntsville, it is home to up to 100,000 grave sites….which means there’s plenty of opportunity for spirits to hang out and spend some time with visitors. And the playground right next to the cemetery is a perfect place for children to play…whether they’re alive or not!

https://youtu.be/detpZGDsSxA

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alabama/haunted-playground-al/

https://thehauntedplaces.com/story-dead-children-playground-huntsville-alabama/

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alabama/maple-hill-cemetery-al/

https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/alabama/haunted-playground-al/

https://www.alabamahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/dead-childrens-playground-at-maple-hill-cemetery.html

https://wearehuntsville.com/maple-hill-cemetery-most-haunted-places/

https://www.al.com/life/2020/10/the-legend-of-alabamas-dead-childrens-playground.html

https://wearehuntsville.com/5-huntsville-ghost-stories/

https://www.rocketcitynow.com/article/news/huntsvilles-exposed-hauntings-come-to-life/525-ff207b1f-1c50-4464-b771-abf8f7660510

https://everipedia.org/wiki/lang_en/Dead_Children's_Playground

https://www.southernspiritguide.org/at-play-in-the-field-of-the-dead-huntsville-alabama/

This week Montana tells Samantha about the Jane Collective. In the late 60's through the early 70's a group of women operating out of Chicago worked in secret to obtain safe abortions for women. In order to reach the Collective all the women had to do was call Jane.

Resources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Collective

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heather_Booth

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/abortion-jane-collective-chicago-180980244/

https://embryo.asu.edu/pages/jane-collective-1969-1973

https://theclio.com/tour/1830/3

http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/663.html

This week we are talking about Nannie Doss, AKA the “Giggling Granny.” A romantic at heart, nothing could deter her from seeking her one true soul mate…even the 5 husbands that just didn’t fit the bill. She probably had more monikers than anyone we’ve researched so far and most definitely had an interesting story to tell.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nannie_Doss

https://allthatsinteresting.com/nannie-doss-giggling-granny

https://www.alabamaheritage.com/from-the-vault/the-giggling-granny

http://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/h-3619

https://www.grunge.com/448088/the-giggling-granny-serial-killer-relied-on-this-method-to-murder-her-family/

https://murderpedia.org/female.D/d/doss-nannie.htm

Built in 1866 The West Virginia Penitentiary was once home to the most violent criminals. After its decommission in 1995, the former state penitentiary now offers day tours, paranormal investigations, escape rooms, a haunted house, and the occasional ghost siting.

Resources:

https://wvpentours.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WestVirginiaPenitentiary

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/west-virginia-penitentiary/

This week's case is actually a two-parter. It's about Tracie Hawlett and JB Beasley, two girls from Dothan Al who got lost late at night on their way to a party and were missing the next morning. By the following afternoon, they were found murdered with little evidence available to help find their killer. The case went unsolved for over 20 years, but may come to a conclusion later this year.

This week's case is actually a two-parter. It's about Tracie Hawlett and JB Beasley, two girls from Dothan Al who got lost late at night on their way to a party and were missing the next morning. By the following afternoon, they were found murdered with little evidence available to help find their killer. The case went unsolved for over 20 years, but may come to a conclusion later this year.

This week's episode is about Debbie Wolfe. The local police determined her death to be an accidental drowning. However, her family believe her death was a murder.

This episode is different from most, but no less interesting. With plenty of stories of illegal activities and a little about ghosts/hauntings. Three of Alabama's most famous caves (Shelta, Bangor, and DeSoto) were all, at one point, Speakeasy's. They each have their own histories, challenges, and endings. Samantha is going to go through each one with all the details she could "dig up".