Introducing: Southern Gothic | Legacy of the Battletown Witch

Hometown Ghost Stories

Places & Travel, True Crime, Society & Culture

4.6 • 658 Ratings

🗓️ 17 March 2025

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Introducing Southern Gothic! Southern Gothic is a podcast that explores the history behind some of the American South’s darkest days, greatest mysteries and most chilling ghost stories. Step into the world of the unknown and unravel the dark history, and infamous legends of the American South. Join us as we journey into the heart of this rich and fascinating region, uncovering its ghostly stories, haunted places, and eeriest tales through captivating storytelling, in-depth historical research, and an immersive audio soundscape. From the Bell Witch of Tennessee to the haunted Waverly Hills Sanatorium, the ghostly tales of the Myrtles Plantation, the Curse of Lake Lanier and beyond, get ready for an unforgettable experience that brings history to life and uncovers the truth behind classic tales of the paranormal. ---- This tale, passed down through generations of Battletown families, claims that a young woman buried in the old Elizabeth Daily Cemetery continues to haunt the hills and hollers after being unjustly killed for being a witch. Her name was Leah Smock, and while the lore may not be well-known outside of the state, this likely innocent woman has the dubious legacy of being the only witch to have been burned alive in the United States. Yet, the mystery of what truly happened to Leah Smock lingers to this day, as legend asserts that her spirit still roams the woods near her grave. As the folks from the Battletown Witch Festival say, “Even though she has a scary name, the true horror is what happened to her.” https://podfollow.com/southern-gothic https://battletownwitch.com/ https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/southern-gothic/id1348392537 https://www.southerngothicmedia.com/ https://open.spotify.com/show/6s2eCUQgs76SLGEwiBwYOn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	What is going on, folks? Welcome into hometown ghost stories. I am Jesse Wilkins, joined by Rob Coakley and Dave, and I know what you're thinking. Wow, it's Monday. I get a bonus episode on a Monday. Not really. Kind of. Here you go. Here's another show. This is Southern Gothic. Let me tell you about it. No, Dave's going to tell you about it. Go. So I've actually been a big fan of Southern Gothic for a while. Basically, the show's structured as if you're taking a ghost tour through the American South.
0:25.1	Every episode's complete with research, narration, and immersive sound design. Highly recommend it.
0:30.5	They've covered like the bigger stories, like the Bell Witch. They've covered the Curse of Lake Lanier, which we covered, and they've covered the Myrtle's Plantation also,
0:38.1	which is fantastic episodes. But they also cover lesser known things. So if you're into the deep
0:42.7	south and the haunting lore of those areas, this is definitely the podcast for you.
0:47.9	And that's what we want to share with you today is one of his lesser known ones. And this story
0:51.8	is absolutely insane. It's the Battletown Witch.
0:55.6	And not only did Brandon bring a stellar episode, he got in touch with the people in Battletown
1:01.7	and they helped curate this episode and tell him about the tale and they're even involved in it.
1:06.3	And they have a big festival every year for the Battletown Witch. I don't want to spoil the episode too much.
1:11.4	You're going to get into it now.
1:12.8	It is a terrifying and haunting tale.
1:16.1	Yes.
1:16.7	So our treat to you, a little episode of Southern Gothic.
1:21.0	If you're unfamiliar with the show, you follow them in all your favorite streaming platforms.
1:26.1	We'll see you guys on Tuesday.
1:28.0	That's tomorrow for another live episode of hometown ghost stories.
1:31.0	But for now, a special treat for you.
1:32.9	Check out Southern Gothic.
1:36.2	Southern Gothic.
1:42.1	Southern Gothic is a podcast that explores the history behind some of the American
1:47.2	South's darkest days, greatest mysteries, and most chilling ghost stories.
	...

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