hauntings Archives - Homespun Haints

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Afterlife

Diana Doty — Mon, 15 Mar 2021 04:00:00 +0000

Welcome to Homespun Haints, the storytelling podcast about ghosts where we interview people who have witnessed evidence of the paranormal!

Listen to this episode here:

Podcast About Ghost Evidence

Shawnna has always been sensitive to specters, as she learned from living in 2 haunted houses in Detroit as a kid. But none of that could’ve prepared her for the truly bizarre experience she and some girlfriends had one eerie night while attempting some light ghost summoning in the Indiana woods. Imagine yourself in the car with them, that night at the bridge…what would YOU have done, if you’d suddenly realized there was a fifth girl who wanted a ride, and she wouldn’t take “no” for an answer? Would you see this podcast episode’s story as evidence of ghost existence?

In today’s episode, a carload of spooked teen girls encounter odd apparitions in the dark Indiana woods, including a naked cowboy (ghost?), a forlorn dog, and a dead hitchhiker.

About the Guest: Shawnna

Today’s guest, Shawnna, is a fellow podcaster: she and her co-host Kristel host The Round Room, an oc-culture podcast. If you like your spooky paranormal with a side of true crime, go check it out. Shawnna’s podcast explores many of the same topics as our own. Listen as she and her co-host explore various true crime and paranormal cases with a large dash of irreverence. Some of these stories you won’t find anywhere else but on this podcast, so it’s worth a listen! You can follow them on Instagram @theroundroom or listen to the podcast here.

Shawnna, co-host of The Round Room podcast

References

The Edna Collings Bridge

Shawnna had heard the story of the Edna Collings Bridge deep in the dark Greencastle, Indiana woods, where little Edna and her dog are still waiting for her parents to pick them up after swimming. She wasn’t so sure she believed the urban legends surrounding this spooky landmark. But sometimes (like this time), the first-hand experience is more shocking than the hype! Would you honk 3 times?

Until next time, beware of hitchhiking ghosts, and have a spooky day!

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The Haunted Cornfield: Scary Stories from Hitler’s Hideout

Diana Doty — Mon, 19 Oct 2020 04:00:00 +0000

It took Amanda a long time to feel comfortable talking about the ghosts of her past, but listening to our podcast convinced her. She has had many ghostly encounters over the years, and is ready to share them for the very first time. In her words, “it takes a while for the spirits to show themselves, truly who they are, and what they’re about.” Listen to her memorable experiences encountering ghosts across the globe. As you do, imagine how YOU would determine if they were friends or fiends.

Listen to this episode right here:

This episode’s process drawing:

Episode summary

Amanda and her little sister grew up in a haunted house, and now her own children are having terrifying experiences. It comes as no shock that the hauntings continued when she moved to a base in Baumholder, Germany. This base was once known as Hitler’s Hideout. It was a former POW camp area where the Führer purportedly drowned his own soldiers.

Maybe ghost hunting down in those old Nazi tunnels wasn’t the best idea? Although it oddly wouldn’t be the first time American troops have tried to ghost-hunt in German tunnels. Anyway, since then, Amanda’s ghostly experiences are getting more and more frequent…and horrifying.

Photos from Germany

Amanda has shared some photos with us that she took in Germany. Not of the tunnels, but of ruins of the 14th century castle known as the Frauenberg. Do you see anything in the windows?

Ruins of the Frauenberg castle near Baumholder, named after the widow Loretta von Sponheim who lived here after the death of her husband in the early 14th century.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Baker.

Another shot of Frauenberg, photo courtesy of Amanda Baker.

Some ghostly things in Amanda’s apartment

This photo of Amanda’s apartment looks innocuous enough. Then you learn that there was no one actually standing in that room where that hand appears. And Amanda didn’t have a dog at the time.

Ghost entity and dog (right-hand side of frame). Photo courtesy of Amanda Baker.

Why are ghosts white?

Amanda’s childhood home may have been haunted by a classic Hollywood-style friendly ghost, who appeared as a whitish translucent full-body apparition who interacted directly with her. Where did the idea that ghosts are white come from, and is it accurate?

What was that in that corn field?

How the heck would you explain what happened that night at the abandoned farmhouse out on Oklahoma Flats Rd? Did an urban legend come to life right in front of her eyes?

What does smudging smell like in a haunted house?

You’re probably vaguely familiar with the concept of smudging, or burning plants like sage to influence energy, but we’re curious if you’ve ever experienced smudge smoke smelling worse than usual in places you associate with “bad” energy? Amanda has smelled burning rubber, and Becky has had experiences with randomly stinky sage as well.

We’ve also talked to guests who say that, when practicing smudging, the smoke will behave differently if it encounters bad energy. Does that mean that sage might be an energy detector as well as a potential energy balancer? (P.S. remember to avoid BRINGING the bad energy to the smudging practice by purchasing your sage from companies that attempt to honor indigenous cultures and their values).

Dreams About Ghosts and Podcast Hosts

If you’ve had an experience with ghosts, in Nazi tunnels or otherwise, then why not submit your story for a chance to tell it on the Homespun Haints Podcast? After we recorded this episode, Amanda had a dream about Diana’s basement ghosts that was eerily similar to Diana’s own most recent basement ghost dream. That gave both of them a spooky day!

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Haunted Waters of the Holston River

Becky Kilimnik — Tue, 29 Sep 2020 04:00:27 +0000

Many say that water can carry the memories of the dead and amplify their voices. Perhaps that’s what is going on along the banks of the Holston River, where the ghost of Rowena Ross still wanders in her wedding gown, or where Kingsport, Tennessee’s very own hellhound still howls in the nearby woods.

Of course, what is most terrifying about this river, besides its dangerous currents and ghostly visitors are the things, both living and dead, that reside under the water of the lakes it flows into. You’ll never think of the waterways of the East Tennessee Appalachians in the same way after you listen to the episode above. Would you swim in these waters, knowing what lies beneath?

Listen now:

The H Files

Welcome to The H Files: a limited-run miniseries where we delve deep into the folklore and science behind ghostly sightings and urban legends. This series began September 1 and will run every other Tuesday until November. If you would like to discuss anything you hear on the episode, please reach out to us in our Facebook Group or through Instagram. And, as always, if you have something you’d like to contribute to the show, please submit it for consideration.

References

Rotherwood Mansion

Primary source: Becky’s own memories of East Tennessee legends and folklore, dispensed during her youth in Kingsport, TN.

Becky picked up this lovely little book right as it was published.

Price, Charles Edwin. Haints, Witches, and Boogers: Tales from Upper East Tennessee. Winston-Salem, Blair. 1992

Justus, Anthony. “Rotherwood: House of Hell.” Haunted Spots Library. https://hauntedspotslibrary.wordpress.com/2016/03/02/rotherwood-house-of-hell/. Accessed 20 September, 2020.

Wright, Laura. “The Phipps Come to Rotherwood.” Virginia Creeper: The Appalachian History and Folklore Magazine. https://vacreeper.com/phipps-come-rotherwood/. Accessed 22 September, 2020.

Scoggins, Katherine. “History on Display at Rotherwood’s Bicentennial Celebration.” Kingsport Times News. https://www.timesnews.net/news/local-news/history-on-display-at-rotherwoods-bicentennial-celebration/article_97c287ca-f63d-56bf-9dd8-087b32cb7661.html. Accessed 23 September, 2020.

Things Living in Lakes

For more spooky stories from East Tennessee about creepy lakes, Becky recommends the book Demon in the Woods: Tall Tales and True from East Tennessee. We have talked a few times about Lake Lanier, north of Atlanta, which is haunted AF. But nothing compares to the scores of legendary cryptids living in the lakes of Scotland. Until next time, have a spooky day!

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