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What is Galentine’s Day?

Fakey capitalist holiday or not, maybe there’s something to it. We see the inherent value in devoting an entire holiday to female friendships. Just don’t let them convince you that you’re obligated to buy chocolate and flowers; that’s where the spiral starts.

Here’s the fun “woo” women-owned business that Diana celebrated Galentine’s Day 2026 with, The Kismet Collective. If you’re much like us, we think you’ll like them as much as she did.

ANOTHER Haunted Music Studio In A Long Line Of Haunted Studios

What are the odds that Becky would have 4 haunted offices, basically back-to-back? Is she just an incredibly haunted person, as we speculate in this episode? Or is it the town she’s in?

Becky recently moved to a new studio to teach music. At first, she didn’t give much thought to the creaky building, or the cemetery it backed up to. But after the experience she had in this episode, she’s wondering why every office she’s in ends up being haunted.

A List of Becky’s Previous Haunted Offices, Studios, and Galleries

We actually have episodes documenting each of these haunted offices in and around Roswell, GA.

• Art Gallery She Owned
• Podcasting Office
• Home Office/Music Studio
• The Music Studio She Works at on Wednesdays

Have You Ever Worked in a Haunted Office?

So, Hainted Loves, whaddya think? Is Roswell, GA, really that haunted, or is it just Becky? Have you ever worked in a haunted building or location? How did you find out it was haunted? Did you know you can sign up to tell your story on the next episode of Homespun Haints? Hopefully you don’t need two weeks’ notice to have a spooky day!

The post Is My New Office Haunted? AGAIN? appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Hear theories behind the Brown Mountain Lights is on YouTube:

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What are the Brown Mountain Lights?

The Brown Mountain Lights are a series of mysterious and unexplained lights, observed near Brown Mountain in North Carolina. They have fascinated observers and perplexed scientists for over a century now. The mystery has given rise to numerous legends and theories about their nature and origins.

Where are the Brown Mountain Lights Located?

Brown Mountain is located in the Pisgah National Forest in western North Carolina, United States. This rugged area lies in the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains, part of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain itself is located between the towns of Morganton and Linville. It is accessible via several routes, including North Carolina Highway 181 and the scenic Blue Ridge Parkway.

History of The Brown Mountain Lights

The first recorded sightings of the Brown Mountain Lights date back to the early 20th century. Additionally, local Native American tribes reportedly told legends involving the lights long before settlers arrived. The phenomenon typically appears at night as glowing orbs that can vary in color and size. There’s no shortage of theories about the nature of the lights. Yet, no single theory seems to hold up to scrutiny.

Cause of The Brown Mountain Lights Phenomenon: Theories

Swamp Gas

Theory: One common explanation is that the lights are caused by swamp gas. Decaying vegetation releases methane, which can spontaneously ignite when it comes into contact with oxygen, creating brief flashes of light.

Criticism: This theory, however, fails to hold up under scrutiny because Brown Mountain and its surrounding areas are not swampy. The terrain is rocky and forested, which is not conducive to the accumulation of large amounts of decaying vegetation needed to produce swamp gas.

Foxfire

Theory: A naturalistic explanation for the Brown Mountain Lights is the phenomenon known as “foxfire.” Foxfire is a bioluminescence produced by certain types of fungi on decaying wood. The mushrooms glow when enzymes in the fungi react with organic compounds, creating a soft glow.

Criticism: Foxfire is a well-documented natural occurrence. Unfortunately, the theory does not stand up well. Foxfire typically emits a very faint light and is usually only visible at very close range. The lights observed at Brown Mountain, on the other hand, are often reported as brightly visible from great distances. Additionally, the lights move around, much like mushrooms generally don’t.

Saint Elmo’s Fire

Theory: Saint Elmo’s Fire is an electro-luminescent plasma caused by a strong electric field in the atmosphere. This stormy weather-related phenomenon manifests as a glowing violet light. It usually appears on pointed objects such as ship masts, airplane wings, longhorns of cattle, or even mountain peaks.

Criticism: Saint Elmo’s Fire, while visually similar to descriptions of the Brown Mountain Lights, does not fully account for them. Saint Elmo’s Fire is directly tied to atmospheric electricity during storms. Thus it would not occur regularly in clear weather conditions. Yet the Brown Mountain Lights often appear in clear weather.

Moreover, this phenomenon clings to conductive surfaces. Saint Elmo’s Fire does not move through the air or across great distances like the Brown Mountain Lights do. These discrepancies make it an unlikely explanation.

Ball Lightning

Theory: Ball lightning is another scientific phenomenon often suggested as a potential explanation for the Brown Mountain Lights. People describe this atmospheric electrical phenomenon as luminescent, spherical objects that vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. Unlike typical lightning, it can last longer and move in various directions.

Criticism: Ball lightning itself is unexplained. The true nature of ball lightning remains largely mysterious, as scientists are still not entirely sure what causes it or how it works. While it could theoretically explain the lights’ erratic movements and luminous appearance, ball lightning is exceedingly rare and poorly understood.

Additionally, ball lightning is usually associated with stormy conditions, which is not a consistent factor in sightings of the lights. The duration and behavior of ball lightning vary, but typically last considerably shorter than the observations of the lights. Plus, it just feels lazy to explain a mystery using another inexplicable mystery, no?

Geologic Activity

Theory: The release of piezoelectric charges caused by quartz compression due to tectonic movements, is another suggested cause. Quartz is abundant in the Appalachian Mountains, and stress on these rocks could indeed release electrical charges.

Criticism: The geologic activity theory sounds promising, but struggles to explain the frequency and behavior of the lights. No significant correlation has been found between observed lights and seismic activity in the area. Moreover, piezoelectric effects typically do not produce lights as bright as those on Brown Mountain.

Atmospheric Reflections of Manmade Headlights

Theory: A very practical explanation for some sightings of the Brown Mountain Lights is that they could be the headlights reflecting off clouds, mist, or other surfaces. Certain atmospheric conditions might refract light from more mundane sources and project it onto the clouds or other surfaces. This was, oddly, the conclusion of the research conducted on the phenomenon in the 1920s. You’d think researchers from that time period would be especially aware that headlights were a fairly recent development.

Criticism: This theory could plausibly explain some instances where the lights appear to follow a linear, predictable path. Yet many reports of the lights describe erratic movements that do not align with the predictable paths of vehicles. For instance, the lights are often reported as hovering, darting, or ascending, quite unlike vehicle headlights. Additionally, sightings have been recorded from angles and locations where roads or tracks are not in direct line of sight. Most damningly, reports of the lights predate vehicle traffic in the region. The absence of train tracks on the mountain probably excludes trains as a direct source of the lights as well. Furthermore, the lights have been reported during various weather conditions when such reflections would be highly unlikely.

Hoax

Theory: A more skeptical view is that some or all of the sightings could be hoaxes. This theory suggests that individuals could be using artificial lights, such as lanterns or modern drones equipped with LEDs, to create the illusion of mysterious lights for various reasons, ranging from pranks to attracting tourists.

Criticism: The possibility of some instances being hoaxes could be true, especially in more recent times with the availability of technology. Yet this theory does not convincingly explain the sightings that date back to before such technology. Additionally, the widespread and consistent nature of the reports makes it unlikely that all observations could be attributed to hoaxes. Sightings have been reported by scientists and government officials. These credible witnesses are less likely to be deceived by or participate in a hoax.

Alien Activity

Theory: A more fringe theory is that the lights are related to alien activity. This theory is bolstered by stories of unexplained disappearances and UFO sightings in the vicinity of Brown Mountain. Could there possibly be a secret alien base under the mountain?

Criticism: The alien theory relies heavily on anecdotes and lacks substantial verifiable proof. Additionally, similar atmospheric phenomena observed worldwide have not been convincingly linked to extraterrestrial activity. There’s probably a lot we don’t know still about extraterrestrials. Hopefully someday soon we’ll know more, but for now the theory is unverifiable.

Spirit Orbs or Ghosts

Theory: Some local folklore suggests that the lights are spirit orbs of Cherokee spirits, particularly from the souls of women searching for loved ones lost in battle. Alternately, Becky proposes it might be the spirit of a woman who met a ghastly end on Brown Mountain.

Criticism: There is no universally agreed upon explanation of the exact nature of spirit orbs, making it a less provable explanation. If you’ve directly observed a spirit orb with your naked eye, did it behave this way?

Where to See the Brown Mountain Lights: Directions

Intrigued enough to seek out those enigmatic lights on your own? There are several popular viewing locations that offer a chance to witness the phenomenon. Here’s a map to the Brown Mountain overlook on North Carolina Highway 181; one of the most accessible spots, providing a clear view of the mountain where the lights are often seen. This overlook is located just north of Morganton, NC, and can be reached by a short drive from the city.

Another prime location for viewing the Brown Mountain Lights is the Wiseman’s View in Linville Gorge, a more rugged, scenic vantage point. To reach Wiseman’s View, visitors can follow the signs from NC Highway 183 to Old NC 105 and continue to the Wiseman’s View parking area; from there, a short paved trail leads to the overlooks. Additionally, the Blue Ridge Parkway offers a good viewpoint at milepost 301 (Green Mountain overlook), which are easily accessible by car and provide panoramic views of the area where the lights have been spotted.

How to See the Brown Mountain Lights

Unfortunately, you’re unlikely to see the lights while briefly standing at these locations and looking frantically for 15 minutes. For the best chance of seeing the lights, plan to spend the night somewhere you can watch for them for several hours. Visit on a clear, dark night, ideally around new moon phases when less moonlight is present to obscure the phenomenon.

Because you’re unlikely to see the lights for yourself without spending hours or even days gazing into the distance, why not double up on your road trip goals and hit up The Brown Mountain Lights Festival? This tongue-in-cheek, alien-themed music festival takes place each October in Morganton, NC.

Photos and Videos of the Brown Mountain Lights

Good photographs of the Brown Mountain Lights are hard to capture, given the nocturnal and fleeting nature of the phenomenon. Here’s a video of the lights that made the news back in 2016. We’ll try to get a photo of the mysterious lights for you on our upcoming trip to Appalachia.

The post Brown Mountain Lights: Spooky Appalachian Legends appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Episode Summary About A Halloween Paranormal Experience

It’s common to feel alone in this world, especially when we’re going through periods of stress. But, if we get a little heads up that someone is watching us–someone who’s probably dead–is that comforting, or frightening?

Today, Diana relays a story of something that reached out to her in a way she couldn’t ignore. Have you ever had something like this happen to you? Listen and find out, today, on Homespun Haints.

Eastern State Penitentiary

We had such a fabulous evening at ESP! Not only did we get to tour a haunted jail, at times being nearly alone in very dark, crumbling cell block corridors, but we got to do so while also enjoying 5 well-assembled haunted house attractions. The haunted houses were set up within the cellblocks themselves. Do you understand the implications of this combination? A (fake) haunted house within a (real) haunted prison? The meta-scares were phenomenal.

On the downside, the prison grounds were probably too crowded with tourists and Halloween revelers to experience any real paranormal activity. We’ll have to go back some time when the grounds are less crowded, and see if we can feel anything significant. As it stands, the main thing we felt was entertained. Halloween Nights at ESP was a can’t-miss experience, paranormal or otherwise! Stay tuned for our review of their Hospital Wing Flashlight Ghost Tour, coming soon.

Healing Crystals

Here are the stones that make up Diana’s slightly paranormal Initiate Healthy Success bracelet, and what the crystal shop handout had to say about their meaning.

Chrysoprase: balances all life energies, Aids joyfulness, boosts business and success, alleviates fears and heart blockages.
Jade: self-reliance, improves life circumstances, activates connections to Divine, prosperity, abundance, luck, unconditional love, ancestor support.
Serpentine: Aids spiritual growth and understanding, boosts all healings, brings earth devic contact, general wellness.

She purchased the bracelet from one of her favorite crystal shops, called Crystal Waters Gallery in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, high up in the Ozarks. Check out their website or swing by if you’re ever on vacation there, and go buy yerself somethin’ nice. They won’t complain if you’re there for 45 minutes trying on every bracelet in the shop. Ask me how I know. 😉

Seeing Auras

Becky says Diana’s aura is yellow-green today. Ella the cat’s is blue. Becky explains her ability to see people’s auras as part of her synesthesia. But do inanimate objects have auras? Diana thinks she can sometimes see something that might be an aura around some items and people, using the method described in The Celestine Prophecy.

But the golden aura Diana saw around her bracelet, what was that all about? When she saw the glow, she immediately interpreted it as a supernatural occurrence, rather than a visual phenomenon. And, when she received the subsequent message, it was so clear that she couldn’t ignore it. But was it a paranormal experience; a real ancestral message coming through right after Halloween, while the veil is thinnest? Or was it a knee-jerk reaction to a negative thought, based on the habit she’s been building using the bracelet as a reminder? In either case, that must mean the bracelet is serving its intended purpose.

Ancestor Communication

Our culture isn’t really that focused on direct ancestor worship, here in the Southern United States. Many of us participate in rituals designed to honor our deceased ancestors. Some of us try to contact them through mediums or seances. It seems rare, however, for us to casually discuss direct supernatural messages we believe are from our ancestors. Why do you think that is? If you have a story about a message from a deceased ancestor, you should apply to tell it on the show, and you could be the next guest on Homespun Haints. Wouldn’t that be a spooky day?!

The post Diana’s Post Halloween Paranormal Experience appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Episode Summary: Disgusting Paranormal Stories

For years, Becky has given Diana shit about the haunted mirror she purchased at a yard sale and then recklessly hung in an energetically charged bathroom. But the story she tells me today tops every bizarre thing that has happened to her since she brought that cursed mirror home and put it over the potty. I’m still scratching my head about this story, and I really hope that you, dear Hainted Love, can help us figure out what the hell she saw in the mirror.

Dare to question your own reality? Listen to today’s episode for some black humor about the black hole within the black mirror over the blackwater in Diana’s haunted bathroom.

Episode Show Notes About Gross Haunted Bathroom Stories

Another Paranormal Story about Bathroom Portals

It might be too late now, but if you haven’t heard the prelude to this story, go check out the original toilet teleportation story. This has been happening to Diana since she was a tween. Nowadays they don’t disturb her as much as they once did. But she’s still quite bamboozled as to the nature of these experiences, and what they mean.

As a reminder, in the past few decades, more and more bonafide physicists have entertained the idea that there are invisible portals that connect different dimensions, magnetic fields, and worlds. We just have a hard time seeing them. In 2011, Harvard professor Lisa Randall published a book, Knocking on Heaven’s Door. In it, she describes unseen extra dimensions that exist alongside our own. Smithsonian has a great article about it.

Black Holes and White Holes

If these extra dimensions exist, then can they be accessed? Perhaps through black holes, explains Now. Or, more interestingly, perhaps we already know where some of them are. At least, in the case of magnetic portals, as described by this study from NASA.

According to some, a wormhole could exist between a black and a white hole. These could be “portals,” in a sense. They bend light. They mess with time. You know, basically that weird shit Diana saw in her haunted bathroom mirror. Hey, it’s a theory, at least! What’s yours?!

My Paranormal Period: a Traumatic Potty Story

Dear God, it’s Diana, and I want to know, why can’t I have a normal haunting experience like all my friends? How come when I have paranormal experiences, they tend to involve toilets and bodily fluids? Will I ever learn to shut my mouth before jokes about menstruating ectoplasm come out of it? Hainted Loves, we are continuously amazed and grateful that you stick with us despite our filthy dirty potty mouths and all the disgusting and only vaguely paranormal stories we tell.

And remember, these episodes are edited for content. Can you imagine what we sound like unfiltered? Well, our Patrons already know! We post the stories that end up too spicy and/or gross for the general public on our Patreon as well as our normal ghost story interviews ad-free. It’s a great sneak preview for what we sound like live. When we finally kick off our eventual live haunted world tour, we hope you’ll come and see us, and also, well, we warned you, Japan.

But why does Diana keep falling into these portals while in the bathroom? Would you buy this haunted mirror full of portals and hang it in your home? What room would you put it in? Would you attempt to trap people in it? Would you attempt to seal it off so nothing comes out of it? Whatever happens with it, it’s guaranteed to cause a spooky day!

The post Black Mirror, Black Hole appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Episode Summary

In this episode, our cohost Becky shares a story about returning to the family homestead after the death of her grandfather. This story is sad, funny, painful, and of course, tinged with the paranormal.

AI-generated transcript of this episode available upon request.

Episode Show Notes About The House of Octagons

What is the Octagon House?

We’ve brought up Becky’s grandparents’ octagon-shaped house a few times before. See episodes like You Know An Urban Legend Is From Florida If It Involves Beer Disappearing at Night, The One Who Still Waits For Her, and The Secrets of Octagons and Ghosts. While the Octagon House is a smorgasbord of spare parts cobbled together into a vaguely house-shaped, partially indoor/partially open-air maze of spiral staircases in the middle of nowhere, it still manages to shares some striking similarities with the sprawling urban Winchester Mystery House. Especially now that it’s builder and longtime resident has passed on. Sadly, because of some intrafamily drama surrounding the Octagon House, Becky will probably never get to finally break the rules and go in the attic to find Grandma’s misplaced darkroom. But let’s be real, she probably wouldn’t have anyway. It is a rule, after all.

Does the veil thin when we are at death’s door?

Grandma isn’t Becky’s only relative to see deceased loved ones near the end of her own life. There seem to be so many stories of people seeing dead loved ones just moments before they go. Is this a universal phenomenon? Are the dying really able to perceive the presence of the dead? Or is this just a failing meat computer’s last memory lightshow before shutting down; a version of “my life flashed before my eyes” where the beholder is not the main character? How can we ever know for sure?

Sasquatch Sounds + Stank = Skunk Ape?

Becky’s cousin Patrick heard voices giggling in those woods behind the Octagon House. Now Becky and her cousin Reagan have heard strange whooping sounds at dusk. Reagan grew up in that house, and she’s never heard that noise before. Could these be the voices of cryptids? After all, such things have been sighted nearby…at least according to the internet.

Those Florida cryptid sightings, however, were potentially something else. When the locals tell tales of a mysterious hairy manlike beast, they refer to him as a “skunk ape.” This creature, apparently told of in centuries-old lore by indigenous people who traversed the Everglades area, is similar to Big Foot of the Pacific Northwest. There are three main differences, apart from climate preference, that differentiate the skunk ape of the Florida wetlands from a sasquatch. The skunk ape is purportedly about half the size of a sasquatch, tends to be a redhead, and smells extremely foul. This last trait is a feature often noted by human witnesses who have gotten within a few feet of a skunk ape. Its odor has been described as a mixture of skunk spray and wet dog. But ask yourself honestly, if you split your outdoorsy time between a cool, misty pine forest and a dank, sweaty swamp, wouldn’t you pack more deodorant for the later trip?

The Entomology Etymology of What Bit Becky’s Butt

Not just everyone’s new favorite tongue-twister, this phrase may turn out to have actual medical significance. While rummaging through the remains of the Octagon House, Becky stood in a spiderweb in short shorts. Later that same day, her backside erupted in what she’s affectionately termed “PoxAss™.” Becky was slightly concerned that chiggers may have laid eggs under her delicate booty skin. This is actually a common point of confusion.

Chiggers, the common name for the itty bitty red biting larvae of Trombiculidae mites, sounds very similar to another insect. Jiggers (Tunga penetrans), a type of sub-Saharan sand fleas, can lay their eggs under your skin. There is plenty of sand in Florida, so one might expect to encounter sand fleas there. Which one indeed might, BUT the type of sand fleas that live in Florida are actually a species of Ceratopogonidae gnat, that are also called sandflies, no-see-ums, or biting midges; they don’t burrow into the skin, although they do bite. Strangely, in Florida, the term sand fleas also applies to a small crab (Emerita talpoida) sometimes used for fishing bait. Becky also had one of those bite her butt once while she swam in the Atlantic off the Florida coast.

What do you think about the strange unseen creatures, both large and tiny, haunting the House of Octagons?

Have you had a relative see deceased loved ones from their own death bed? Would you live out in the Everglades in a house without windows or central A/C, as long as you had a nice sturdy chain link fence for protection? Do you think sasquatch can shape-shift into a tiny gnat and lay eggs under your buttskin? Overall, this must have been a spooky day!

The post The House of Octagons appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Becky’s Haunted Basement

Oh, how the tables turn. Diana visited Becky in Atlanta, and slept in her basement. A creepy encounter with a haunted doll, a phantom wave seen through a window, and the sound of a doorknob turning gave her a sense that she wasn’t alone.

Episode Promos

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About the Guests, Diana and Becky

Our guests today co-host the podcast Homespun Haints, but you already know that. Every once in a while, we have to tell one of our own ghost stories. For example, we’ve told our own stories about

• Diana’s haunted basement ghost story.
• A haunted art gallery Becky owned.
• Becky’s haunted childhood.
• Becky’s haunted children.
• A haunted ski lodge Diana worked at in high school.
• A haunted archaeology dig where Becky received a supernatural message.
• Becky’s childhood “imaginary” frenemy.
• Diana falling into portals in bathrooms.
• Becky’s family vacation to a B&B at a haunted Irish castle ruin.

Does Becky have any more haunted dolls?

Maybe! Check out her current Etsy shop listings. You never know!

What are the odds we’d both have haunted basements?

Or…is it just Diana? We are currently taking bets for when Becky and Diana will have another ghostly experience to talk about. While we keep thinking surely we’ll run out of ghost stories, we always manage to have a spooky day!

The post But We Didn’t Know It Was Haunted! appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Episode Summary: the Read House Ghosts

Why can’t Becky and her husband agree on exactly what happened when they stayed the night at the Read House recently? Weren’t they both there hearing and seeing the same things? Was that ghostly sound just the air conditioner? And yet, despite being the professed skeptic of the family, why does Mr. Becky seem to get an equal – or perhaps even greater – amount of spectral attention?

Episode promo

If this story doesn’t have you sleeping uneasily, check out Scare You to Sleep, the sponsor of your next nightmare.

About the Guest, Becky

It’s our very own Becky, professional ghost stalker and ghost story teller, getting haunted AGAIN. Happy decaversary!

Who are the ghosts that haunt the Read House?

Our writer Kristy tells the story of Annalisa, the most famous of the Read House ghosts, plus some interesting history in this article. We hope you enjoyed all the sordid details Becky filled in in today’s episode.

Which room at the Read House is haunted?

Annalisa haunts room 311, the site of her tragic demise, and only room with bars on the windows. Room 311 isn’t usually available to the general public. Mainly because A. it’s part of the ghost tour, so it wouldn’t be very peaceful to stay in, and B. it’s so spooky and full of paranormal activity, that many guests can’t make it through the night.

But that changes during the month of October, when the room is opened up to overnight living guests for a very limited time, at $666.66 per night. Anybody wanna watch Becky and Diana attempt to spend the night in room 311? Hey, it might be in the cards soon! Follow us on social for updates.

Until next time, have a spooky day!

The post Meeting the Ghosts at the Read House in Chattanooga appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Listen to Diana tell the story here:

Episode Summary: The Mystery of the Hex House of Tulsa, OK

Becky and Diana are always talking about how their last businesses failed, and that’s why they’ve tied all their hopes and dreams to Homespun Haints. But were their unlucky businesses doomed due to supernatural influence? After all, you’ve heard the story of the ghosts that infested Becky’s gallery (yet never bothered the fudge-dealers next door).

Today, Diana shares the story of how she came to find out–far too late–that the parking lot across the street from her first business location hides a sinister secret. She also tells the confounding history thereof.

About the Guest: Diana

It’s The Diana, silly! Diana co-hosts the very podcast that you’re currently reading about. She also wrote the notes you’re reading right now. She’s aware she sounds like Elmo, using the third person, but doesn’t care. She’d refer to you in the third person too, if she knew your name and/or pronouns.

What is the Tulsa hex house case? (Spoilers)

In 1944, police investigated the home of 45 year old Carolann Smith, on the suspicion she had fraudulently obtained extra wartime ration booklets for fictitious family members from Lee Elementary School in Tulsa, Oklahoma. The jig was up when the students inadvertently narced on Smith, tattling to their teacher Alice that the “daughter” listed for 1 of the ration books was actually a dog. A dog who had been missing ever since the children witnessed Smith burying a small casket in the backyard.

Upon searching the house, police discovered plenty of evidence of excessive luxury, but no solid proof of fraud. They also discovered strange books and handwritten notes about magnetism, witchcraft, and mind control. But none of this could’ve prepared them for what they found in the cold, dark basement of the house: 2 unrelated young women, Nell Willetta Horner and Virginia Evans.

The questioning of the women only led to more questions. The two honestly seemed to believe that there was nothing wrong with their circumstances, and that Smith was leading them into a better life. A life where they were allowed no contact with their families, used false names, and perjured themselves by giving false testimony against a neighbor. Where they slept on orange crates in a barren basement, without heat or even comfortable blankets.

Why did Horner and Evans stay with Smith?

Isn’t that the age-old question? They left the house to go to work, so they weren’t being physically held captive. They testified that Smith even beat and starved them, but justified her actions as a spiritual purification practice, citing Scriptures in a way that must have made irrefutable sense to Evans and Horner.

So you’re probably suspecting that Carolann Smith, the owner of the hex house, was burned at the stake for practicing witchcraft in a Tulsa version of a classic American witch-hunt, eh?

Wrong.

She plead guilty only to falsely obtaining the ration books and mail fraud (she convinced Evans’ father to send her money to pay for a nurse for his “mentally ill” daughter). She was also found guilty of subordination (for coercing the women to commit perjury). All told, Smith served a year in prison. Apparently, coerced servitude and mystical mind control just wasn’t a “crime” she could be charged with.

The hex house itself apparently stood for a long time, and was a popular site for Halloween antics until being razed and paved into a parking lot, leaving a rather boring monument to this very puzzling legacy.

Where in Tulsa was the original hex house?

If you’re hoping to visit the house in this story, you’re out of luck. The house came down in the mid 1970’s. But you can visit the parking lot that covers what was once the basement where the women under Smith’s spell once slept.

It’s located at 10 E 21st St, in Tulsa, OK, 74114. At the time of this writing, if you pull it up on Google street view, you’ll notice IT IS CURRENTLY FOR SALE. Someone with too much time and money please please please buy this and attempt to excavate the basement. I’d imagine it’s full of concrete, but…what if it’s not?

What does Tulsa’s hex house have to do with the 4th of July?

Every year for decades, the main 4th of July fireworks display takes place at the river dividing Downtown Tulsa and West Tulsa. Because the festival draws so many spectators, parking near the river is at a premium. The parking lot at the former location of the hex house fills up quickly on the afternoon of the Fourth, with the cars of Tulsa residents who were willing to brave the intense heat hours early to avoid a long walk and/or public transit. Diana suspects that none of the patriotic party-goers have any clue they’re parking over a sinister secret.

But if they did, they’d have a spooky day.

The post The Cursed Parking Lot at Tulsa Freedom Fest appeared first on Homespun Haints.

Listen to this episode here:

Episode Summary: Diana’s Basement Ghost

The house Diana grew up in was built in the 1920’s, during Tulsa’s heyday. Her family lived in the house when she was born, and still does. At the beginning of 2020, Diana moved back into the same house, to help make repairs and spruce it up for her mom while her mom enjoys the retiree RV life for a bit.

If you recall, this was right about the time Becky and Diana started producing the very podcast you’re currently reading about. And as Becky always says, the more we talk about ghosts, the more ghosts seem to manifest for us. What was a vague childhood memory of weird feelings and dreams about the basement of this house became a whole new ballgame once we started obsessing over ghost stories here.

Episode Promo

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Episode Show Notes

About the Guest

It’s Diana! You know, our co-host. Yes, that Diana. Longtime listeners know it’s a Homespun Haints tradition to tell a story about one of our very own personal paranormal experiences every 10 episodes or so. Happy Decaversary!

FAQ

How old is the house?

The house was built in 1929-1930. Diana’s family has owned it since the mid 1970’s.

Has anyone died in the house?

No, there’s no record of anyone dying in the house. Nor are there any family or public records we’ve been able to locate referencing anyone meeting the description of the people Diana dreamt about.

Was the house built on an ancient burial ground?

Quite possibly. The surrounding land has some traumatic history, even recently. Much of Tulsa, and therefore probably this house, is actually located on Muscogee (Creek) reservation lands, which were settled by the Muscogee (Creek) and Cherokee people who were forced to relocate to the area in the 1830’s. The government broke their agreement with this sovereign nation to make Oklahoma into a state in 1907. About a decade before the house was built, nearly an entire neighborhood of African American families were massacred just a few miles north of the house. We are still to this day discovering and excavating the victims’ unmarked graves.

But “ancient”? Maybe that holds water, too. For thousands of years before Europeans invaded the area in the 1500’s, native peoples did inhabit this area. The Wichita and the Caddo presence in the area can be traced back into prehistory, and the Osage and Apachean-speaking people likely stayed or passed thorough the land that is now called Tulsa. The nomadic Clovis and Folsom cultures were hunting in the area 10,000-12,000 years ago. Archaeological evidence implies that people have lived on or passed over these lands for 20,000 to 30,000 years. And on and on through the ages, people lived, and therefore likely died, all around this area. That’s quite a lot of time for bodies to accumulate.

Have you opened the secret passageway yet?

We’re just waiting for Becky to visit Tulsa. Since she’s so excited to see what’s in the secret passageway, Diana can’t in good conscience open it without her present.

When will Becky be visiting this house?

Soon, hainted loves! We will open the secret passageway for the first time in decades on Sept 24, 2023. Wanna watch? Click here for your ticket to the live stream event! We’re gonna do some ghost hunting up in this basement.

When do we get to see this basement?

Here you go:

Who else has corroborated any of this basement ghost story?

• Emily Davis, psychic medium, mentioned seeing a motherly presence in Diana’s home right after we finished recording her interview. Where did she see the vision? Her view was of the wall that’s on the other side of the basement stairs in the photo above.
• April the Psychic Housewife felt something present during her interview.
• Annie Larson, psychic medium, detected something during her interview.
• Our guest Amanda had a dream about Diana’s basement that was eerily similar to Diana’s own most recent basement ghost dream.
• Diana’s mom’s friend’s toddler communicated with something through the floor grate that he identified as a famous anthropomorphic mouse.

What is hantavirus?

Hantavirus is a very rare virus that causes severe, life-threatening lung and kidney disease. This virus is transmitted by 4 types of rodents that live in the US: the cotton rat, rice rat, deer mouse, and white-footed mouse. We probably don’t need to worry about it much, as only about 800 cases were reported nationwide in the 26 years between 1993 and 2019. Only 8 of these reported cases were in Oklahoma. Also, any rodents sealed inside the secret passage would’ve likely died half a century ago and long since become inert tiny skeletons. How cute.

Thank you for listening to our show!

We love sharing our weird, spooky lives with you, hainted loves. Past decaversaries have included stories about a haunted art gallery, Becky’s haunted childhood, Becky’s haunted children, a haunted ski lodge, a haunted archaeology dig, Becky’s childhood “imaginary” frenemy, and Diana falling off the potty into a portal in her allegedly haunted bathroom. What do you think, how many paranormal experiences can Becky and Diana have before Episode 80? You’ll find out soon enough! Until next time, have a spooky day!

The post Finally, Diana’s Haunted Basement Ghost Story! appeared first on Homespun Haints.

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Episode Summary

In the grand tradition of our podcast’s “decaversaries,” every tenth episode we share one of our own personal paranormal experiences! You’ve heard snippets about Becky’s childhood “imaginary” frenemy. Now, at long last, here is the official biography of Hay, a ghost with anger management issues who came in through little 5 year old Becky’s window to complain at night.

Episode References

From the mouths of babes

These childhood experiences (and her own parents treating little Becky’s ghostly encounters as mere childhood whimsy) are what inspired Becky to believe her children when they say they see things that “aren’t there.” Which they do, although not as often as they’re getting older.

Becky’s wardrobe malfunction

Sometimes, staticky sweaters make for embarrassing experiences. In this case, over and over. Here’s a video we made of the experience.

Next, here’s the photo Becky shot of the thong she found stuck to her sleeve while taking the kids to a playground.

Episode podcast promo by Stories of Strangeness podcast.

Thank you for joining us for our 50th episode! But we couldn’t have made it this far without you, dear Hainted Loves. Until next time, have a spooky day!

The post I’d Be Angry Too If I Were That Dead: An Imaginary Friend Full of Rage appeared first on Homespun Haints.