Why do these biting insects plague us so? This Southern legend - an ancient tale originally from the Tlingit people of Alaska - tells of a giant, a bloodthirsty heart, and a vengeful curse.

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

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"Where Mosquitoes Came From" was adapted from folklore and directed by Craig Dominey.

Storyteller: Veronica Byrd

Audio Production: Henry Howard

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are a massive online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers.

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

How far would you go for the love of your life? In this Louisiana tale, a young deputy is given a terrifying task to prove his worth: he must capture and kill the Loup Garou (or Rougarou), the shapeshifting werewolf of the Cajun swamplands.

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

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"The Sheriff and the Loup Garou" was written and told by Tom Coleman. Listen to more of his stories at https://cajunstoryteller.com

Director: Craig Dominey

Audio Production: Henry Howard

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are a massive online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers.

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

Meet Stingy Jack, a man so cunning he managed to trap the Devil himself. But when you strike a bargain with the Prince of Darkness, there is always a price to pay—one that leaves Jack wandering the night with a very strange lantern.

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

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"Why is a Jack-o-Lantern Named Jack?" was adapted from folklore and produced by Craig Dominey.

Storyteller: LaDoris Bias Davis

http://kuumbastorytellers.org/ladoris-bias-davis/

Audio Production: Henry Howard

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are a massive online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers.

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

What happens when a traveling preacher seeks revenge on an inhospitable farm couple?

This darkly funny ghost story—passed down from Ireland to the Arkansas hills—follows a man of the cloth who decides to teach his unkind hosts a lesson they'll never forget. But in the world of folklore, revenge often takes a very strange and unexpected shape.

Advisory: This is an un-sanitized traditional folktale featuring dark themes and descriptions of physical injury/remains, typical of classic Brothers Grimm-era stories.

Another version of this story by storyteller Bill Harley can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltKUDHBCEGA

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/themoonlitroad and X/Twitter https://www.x.com/themoonlitroad

"The Cow That Ate The Preacher" was adapted from folklore and directed by Craig Dominey

Storyteller: David Hirt

Music: Randall Franks - hear more of his work at https://randallfranks.com/

Audio Production: Henry Howard

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are a massive online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers.

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

Based on the true Christmas story of the annual CSX Santa Claus Special train, bringing Santa Claus by rail to remote Appalachian communities. 

Additional reading:

Visit Kingsport 

Guide to Seeing the CSX Santa Train

For more strange Southern folktales, including stories not on the podcast, visit https://themoonlitroad.com

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"The Santa Claus Special" was written and directed by Craig Dominey

Storyteller: Jim McAmis

Audio Production: Henry Howard

Santa Claus Clinchfield Train photo courtesy of the Kingsport Chamber of Commerce.

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

Christmas kids story about a scarecrow who teaches a holiday lesson to a grumpy snowman.

For more strange Southern folktales, including stories not on the podcast, visit https://themoonlitroad.com

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"The Snowman and the Scarecrow" was written by Jim McAmis and Craig Dominey

Storyteller: Jim McAmis

Audio Production: Henry Howard

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

Episode Summary: Would you spend the night in a house the rest of the world has abandoned to the dead? This episode takes us to historic Charleston for an adaptation of B.M. Croker's Victorian ghost story, "Number Ninety."

In this episode:

• The Challenge: A group of gentlemen at a social club issue a terrifying dare that cannot be ignored.

• The Setting: Number Ninety, a house with a reputation so dark that even the bravest locals avoid its shadow.

• The Encounter: A psychological and supernatural descent into a night that changes a man forever.

Listen in as we explore a masterclass in Victorian suspense, reimagined for the shadows of the American South.

Further reading: Wikipedia article on B.M. Croker

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/themoonlitroad and X/Twitter https://www.x.com/themoonlitroad

"Number Ninety" was told by John Gentile

Director: Craig Dominey

Audio Production: Henry Howard

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are a massive online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers.

The haunting conclusion to Ambrose Bierce's masterpiece. In 'The Spirit's Testimony,' a voice reaches out from beyond the grave to reveal the final, heartbreaking truth of that moonlit night. This third and final chapter completes the chilling mystery of a family destroyed by silence and the supernatural.

Part Three, STATEMENT OF THE LATE JULIA HETMAN, THROUGH THE MEDIUM BAYROLLES

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

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"The Moonlit Road, Part Three" was told by Trudy Leonard

Audio Production: Henry Howard

Music: Michael Thomas Roe

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD: The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are a massive online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers.

In Part Two of our Ambrose Bierce adaptation, the mystery deepens with 'The Confession of the Father.' Haunted by a spectral encounter on a dark road, a man is forced to confront the truth behind his wife's death. The second chapter in this chilling 3-part Southern Gothic masterpiece.

Part Two, STATEMENT OF CASPAR GRATTAN

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

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"The Moonlit Road, Part Two" was told by Thomas E. Fuller

Audio Production: Henry Howard

Music: Michael Thomas Roe

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD: The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are an online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers

Part One of our adaptation of Ambrose Bierce's masterpiece. A chilling mystery begins with the 'Statement of the Son,' as a family is shattered by a brutal murder. Experience one of American literature's most famous ghost stories told from three haunting perspectives.

Part One, STATEMENT OF JOEL HETMAN, JR.

FOR MORE STORIES: This is just one of the many legends found on the back roads. Visit our archive of Southern ghost stories and folklore at https://themoonlitroad.com.

Follow us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/themoonlitroad and X/Twitter https://www.x.com/themoonlitroad

"The Moonlit Road, Part One" was told by John Gentile

Audio Production: Henry Howard

Music: Michael Thomas Roe

The Moonlit Road Podcast is a production of The Moonlit Road, LLC.

ABOUT THE MOONLIT ROAD: The Moonlit Road has been exploring the dark back roads of the American South since 1999. We are a massive online archive of regional ghost stories, tall tales, and folklore from the Appalachians to the Gulf Coast, told by authentic local storytellers.