Southern Gothic

This episode of Southern Gothic is the first in the three-part series "Birth of a City: New Orleans," a story that chronicles the inception of a great American city and the legends that evolved with it. Part I: The Casket Girls In 1721 the French founded the city of New Orleans as the mouth of the Mississippi River, but development was slow, so the city's leaders requested young women of marriageable age to be sent to the young colony. Unfortunately, little is known about the origins of these women, who some believe may have been the first vampires to immigrate to the New World. Women, who have become known as "The Casket Girls." Theme music for "Birth of a City: New Orleans" was written and performed by Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Adam Wright. Additional narration by Donna Elwin of the podcast A Paranormal Chicks. Visit SouthernGothicMedia.com for news, notes and access to special members-only episodes. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Private Nicodemus Kidd enlisted in the Confederate Army on July 10, 1861; however, the young private quickly fell victim to an horrendous disease while camped outside of the Confederate capital. A disease that would plague Confederate camps for the entire war, giving soldiers an horrific 1 in 5 chance of dying from illness and infection during the conflict. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Construction of Fort Jefferson began in the early 19th century to address the growing need for America to protect its shores. The resulting massive coastal fortress is the largest masonry structure on American soil; however, its history as a defensive outpost is far overshadowed by its time spent as a prison, housing Union Army deserters and none other than the very men convicted for successfully conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1926 Conley Snidow opened the Lake Shawnee Amusement Park in West Virginia, on land that many believe was once sacred to the indigenous tribes of the region. Echoes of the land's subsequent bloody history and the park's tragic demise are said to still resonate there today. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On March 22, 1957, Simon Warner, a self-described "crime doctor," was murdered at is home in Shelbyville, Tennessee for allegedly placing a Voodoo hex on a man who had come to him for help; and while Warner was certainly not a Voodoo practitioner, many believed he held supernatural powers. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

William Faulkner is arguably the most influential writer in the literary genre of Southern Gothic; and nowhere is his fascination with the aesthetic more apparent, than in his Oxford, Mississippi home Rowan Oak. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The religious practice of snake handling sprung up from the isolated rural communities of Appalachia in the early twentieth century; spreading throughout the south by way of an eccentric, charismatic and often troubled group of devout pastors. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1901, Nell Cropsey went missing from her home in Elizabeth City, North Carolina for thirty-seven days. Her long-time boyfriend was convicted of her murder soon after, but many believe that the mystery of her tragic death still remains unsolved over a century later. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast Join our Facebook Group! If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1796 John Brown, the founding father of the state of Kentucky, built a beautiful home where he and his family would entertain many of the new American political and social elite, but legend says that several of the famed Liberty Hall's guests still remain there today. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Join our Facebook Group! Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the rich and eerie history of the American South with this innovative and immersive podcast that will guide you through some of the region's most chilling ghost stories, folklore, and true crime. Help Southern Gothic grow by becoming a Patreon Supporter today! Connect with Southern Gothic Media: Join our Facebook Group! Website: SouthernGothicMedia.com Merch Store: https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/merch Pinterest: @SouthernGothicMedia Facebook: @SouthernGothicMedia Instagram: @SouthernGothicMedia Twitter: @SoGoPodcast If you are a sponsor looking to advertise on the show visit Airwave Media or email [email protected] for information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices