Tennessee Tales Tuesday: The Execution of Big Mary the Elephant

Tennessee Tales Tuesday: The Execution of Big Mary the Elephant

In this episode of Southern Ghost Stories, host Allen Sircy takes listeners back to September 1916 for one of the strangest and most tragic chapters in Tennessee history: the public execution of Big Mary. As the five-ton star attraction of the Sparks World Famous Shows circus, Mary was beloved by audiences until a fatal encounter with an inexperienced handler during a parade in Kingsport sparked widespread public outrage. Driven by pressure from local towns and the media, circus officials and community leaders made the unprecedented decision to sentence the elephant to death. The resulting execution—carried out via a massive railroad crane in the town of Erwin—became an infamous moment in American history that continues to raise haunting questions about justice, spectacle, and revenge.  Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review! Check out Allen's books on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9 Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonline Follow Allen on X https://x.com/ATOAllen Use code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at  https://monstercitymadhouse.com [http://monstercitymadhouse.com/]

From the Vault: The Ghost of the Human Fly

The Rutherford County Courthouse in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, stands as a living piece of American history—and perhaps something more. In this long lost episode from the vault, we explore the incredible legacy of one of Tennessee’s few remaining antebellum courthouses, tracking its journey through Union occupation, daring Confederate raids, and bizarre World War II military drills. We’ll dive into the tragic 1923 spectacle of James "The Human Fly" Dearing, whose fatal daredevil stunt atop the courthouse tower left a mark on the town that lingers to this day. Join us as we uncover the history, the triumphs, and the ghostly activity that suggest some of Murfreesboro's past residents never truly left. Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review! Check out Allen's books on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9 Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonline Follow Allen on X https://x.com/ATOAllen Use code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at  https://monstercitymadhouse.com [http://monstercitymadhouse.com/]

Blood on the Marble & the Ghost of William Taulbee

On this episode of Southern Ghost Stories we are talking about what happened on a freezing February afternoon in 1890, when the halls of American power became a slaughterhouse. William Preston Taulbee—the charismatic Kentucky politician known as "The Mountain Orator"—stepped onto the marble stairs of the U.S. Capitol, only to find himself staring down the barrel of a revolver. The man holding the trigger wasn't a political rival, but a volatile, five-foot-tall newspaper reporter named Charles Kincaid. Discover the brutal history behind the true crime that shocked Washington D.C. and the restless phantom said to still wander the corridors of the United States Capitol. Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review! Check out Allen's books on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9 Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonline Follow Allen on X https://x.com/ATOAllen Use code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at  https://monstercitymadhouse.com [http://monstercitymadhouse.com/]

Mr. X & the Ghosts of Castle Warden

Before it was Ripley’s Believe It or Not, St. Augustine's Castle Warden was a luxury hotel that became the scene of a deadly 1944 tragedy. Officially, the third-floor fire that killed two women was an accident, but for over eighty years, rumors have persisted about a contentious divorce, a cover-up, and a mysterious figure known only as "Mr. X." Tonight, we investigate the chilling timeline of the fire, the true crime theories left in its wake, and the aggressive real ghost encounters that make this historic landmark one of the most haunted places in Florida. Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review! Check out Allen's books on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9 Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonline Follow Allen on X https://x.com/ATOAllen Use code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at  https://monstercitymadhouse.com [http://monstercitymadhouse.com/]

Tennessee Tales Tuesday: Buried Alive — The Curse of Sadie Baker

Today we’re diving into Coffee County, ennessee’s most chilling, century-old legend: the tragic curse of Sadie Baker. In the mid-1800s, a beautiful, mute stranger wandered into town, stole the heart of a wealthy local suitor, and paid the ultimate price when jealous townspeople branded her a witch. Forced into an open grave at Concord Cemetery and buried alive, she broke her lifelong silence with four terrifying final words that drove her accuser mad. Whether you're a skeptic or a believer brave enough to whisper her name three times at her headstone, this episode uncovers why Sadie's spirit still refuses to stay buried in Middle Tennessee. Be sure to like, subscribe and leave a review! Check out Allen's books on Amazon! https://amzn.to/3HEf2u9 Got a question or comment? Hit us up on our socials! Instagram https://www.instagram.com/southernghoststories/ Facebook https://www.facebook.com/southernghoststoriesonline Follow Allen on X https://x.com/ATOAllen Use code SAVE10 for 10% off your order over at  https://monstercitymadhouse.com [http://monstercitymadhouse.com/]