A paranormal podcast that debates ghost stories and you decide if they are real.
Ghostly
Claim This Podcastby Ghostly Paranormal Podcast
4.3(65 reviews)
214 episodes
Updated Weekly
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75
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality81
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YouTube76
Engagement95
Podcast Overview
A paranormal podcast that debates ghost stories and you decide if they are real.
Language
🇺🇲
Publishing Since
9/23/2018
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75
Podcast Authority
BetaGoodBased on show quality, social media presence, reviews, charts, and more
Quality81
Social0
YouTube76
Engagement95
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Recent Episodes
June 10, 2026
188 Leap Castle
Host Rebecca explores the chilling history and paranormal legends of Ireland's Leap Castle, interviewing guest Pat about its haunted reputation.
May 20, 2026
187 Trans-Allegheny Asylum West Virginia
Hosts Pat and Rebecca explore the haunted Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, uncovering its dark history and paranormal encounters.
May 6, 2026
186 Dead Children’s Playground
<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Is the Dead Children’s Playground in Huntsville, Alabama haunted?</h2> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Episode Summary</strong></h3> <p>This week on Ghostly, we’re heading deep into northern Alabama to the oldest and largest cemetery in the state, Maple Hill Cemetery in Huntsville, and the small, unassuming playground tucked against its limestone bluff that locals call <strong>The Dead Children’s Playground.</strong> Pat walks us through the cemetery’s history, from John Hunt’s 1804 cabin to the autumn of 1918 when the Spanish flu carried away hundreds of Madison County’s children. Rebecca brings the swings that move on their own at midnight, the little boy in suspenders nobody else could see, the spectral carriage of Governor Thomas Bibb, the rocking chair ghost of Mary Chambers Bibb, and the silent Lady in White who drifts between the 1800s headstones.</p> <p>This episode was inspired by our most recent <strong>Book Club</strong> pick — The Dead Children’s Playground by <strong>James Kaine</strong>, the first book in his American Horrors series.</p> <p><strong>Featured Book — The Dead Children’s Playground by James Kaine</strong></p> <p>A #1 bestseller in U.S. Horror on Amazon. BookLife by Publishers Weekly called it a story that “will chill readers to the bone.” Kaine based the entire novel on the actual legend at Maple Hill — and after this episode, you’ll never look at that playground the same way again.</p> <p>The story centers on two sisters: <strong>Kylie</strong> (9, a cancer survivor with a quiet bravery) and <strong>Kayla</strong> (19, an angry older sister who lost herself in years of her family’s fight to keep Kylie alive). When the family relocates to Huntsville for a fresh start, something old and sinister begins to stir near the playground at the edge of Maple Hill Cemetery.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://ghostlypodcast.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dc85ab703b9d2e67a1f473914&id=087b21bb5e&e=9ebad4ad3a">Grab your copy on Amazon »</a></strong></p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>In This Episode</strong></h3> <p><strong>Pat’s History Notes</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li>The founding of Huntsville — John Hunt’s 1804 spring, LeRoy Pope’s failed attempt to name the town “Twickenham,” and the 1822 purchase of two acres that became Maple Hill</li> <li>The first burial: infant Mary Frances Atwood in 1820</li> <li>A who’s-who of Maple Hill: 5 Alabama governors, 5 U.S. senators, 10 members of Congress, Albert Russel Erskine of Studebaker Motors, suffragist Priscilla Holmes Drake, and baseball’s Don Mincher</li> <li>187 unknown Confederate soldiers buried in the northern section — most killed by disease in training camps, not battle</li> <li>Autumn 1918: the Spanish flu in Huntsville, the Birmingham News reports of a “desperate situation,” and the rows of small headstones with lambs carved on top</li> <li>The rise of the Dead Children’s Playground next to the lower section of the cemetery</li> <li>A short, careful primer on the difference between <strong>Hoodoo</strong> (a folk magic practice rooted in the African American South) and <strong>Vodou/Voodoo</strong> (a religion born in West Africa and shaped by Haiti)</li> </ul> <p><strong>Rebecca’s Paranormal Evidence</strong></p> <ol start="1" class="wp-block-list"> <li><strong>The Self-Swinging Swings</strong> — decades of reports of swings moving in rhythmic sync on windless nights, plus three first-person comments from visitors (2020, 2020, and 2023) sourced from Alabama Haunted Houses</li> <li><strong>The Boy in Suspenders</strong> — a haunting YouTube comment from @thomasplouffe1363 on FOX54 News Huntsville’s video, describing a child playmate his mother insisted was never there</li> <li><strong>Governor Thomas Bibb’s Moonlight Carriage Ride</strong> — a spectral carriage and white horses returning to a grave that should never have been moved</li> <li><strong>Mary Chambers Bibb — The Rocking Chair Ghost</strong> — buried in her wedding dress, sitting up in her rocker, and answering knocks at her crypt</li> <li><strong>The Lady in White</strong> — the silent figure drifting through the 1800s section of Maple Hill</li> </ol> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Music Credits</strong></h3> <p>Music for this episode was performed by <strong>Michael Rivers</strong></p> <p>“Pat Facts” and “Ghost Story” themes by <strong>Mondo</strong></p> <p>“Time for a Debate” theme by <strong>Gail Gallagher</strong> — <a href="http://gailgallaghermusic.com">gailgallaghermusic.com</a></p> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Support the Show</strong></h3> <p>Love what we do? Join us on <strong>Patreon</strong> for bonus episodes, early access, and behind-the-scenes content. Every pledge helps us keep digging up the dead.</p> <p><strong><a href="https://www.patreon.com/ghostlypodcast">Become a Ghostly Patron »</a></strong></p> <p>And don’t forget to <strong>subscribe</strong>, <strong>rate</strong>, and <strong>leave a review</strong> wherever you get your podcasts. It’s the best way to help other believers and skeptics find the show.</p> <h3 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Show Notes & Sources</strong></h3> <p><strong>Maple Hill Cemetery — History & Overview</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maple_Hill_Cemetery_(Huntsville,_Alabama)">Maple Hill Cemetery — Wikipedia</a></li> <li><a href="https://hvilleblast.com/maple-hill-cemetery-is-an-alabama-treasure/">Maple Hill Cemetery Is An Alabama Treasure — Hville Blast</a></li> <li><a href="https://thebamabuzz.com/9-historic-huntsville-burials-in-maple-hill-cemetery-bonus-famous-burials/">9 Historic Graves in Maple Hill — The Bama Buzz</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=28791">Maple Hill Cemetery Historical Marker — HMDB</a></li> <li><a href="https://huntsvillehistorytours.org/mhc/">A Virtual Tour of Historic Maple Hill Cemetery — Huntsville History Tours</a></li> <li><a href="https://cityblog.huntsvilleal.gov/maple-hill-cemetery-stroll-brings-huntsville-history-life/">Maple Hill Cemetery Stroll Brings Huntsville History to Life — City of Huntsville</a></li> <li><a href="https://encyclopediaofalabama.org/article/leroy-pope/">LeRoy Pope — Encyclopedia of Alabama</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Dead Children’s Playground — Legend & Hauntings</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dead-children-s-playground-2">Dead Children’s Playground — Atlas Obscura</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.alabamahauntedhouses.com/real-haunt/dead-children-s-playground-at-maple-hill-cemetery.html">Dead Children’s Playground — Alabama Haunted Houses</a></li> <li><a href="https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-places/maple-hill-cemetery-and-the-dead-childrens-playground/">Maple Hill Cemetery and the Dead Children’s Playground — US Ghost Adventures</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.rocketcitynow.com/article/features/the-dead-childrens-playground-fact-ficton/525-b1c644ee-d957-4031-8971-824b5f6adce2">Dead Children’s Playground: Fact & Fiction — Rocket City Now (FOX54)</a></li> <li><a href="https://wearehuntsville.com/maple-hill-cemetery-most-haunted-places/">Most Haunted: Maple Hill Cemetery — Our Valley Events / We Are Huntsville</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.southernspiritguide.org/at-play-in-the-field-of-the-dead-huntsville-alabama/">At Play in the Field of the Dead — Southern Spirit Guide</a></li> <li><a href="https://wearehuntsville.com/the-moonlight-ride-at-maple-hill-a-huntsville-ghost-story/">The Moonlight Ride at Maple Hill — We Are Huntsville</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.rocketcitynow.com/video/news/local/haunted-huntsville-the-dead-childrens-playground/525-d88c6108-1ac4-4f3b-ae0e-b6790f6b486f">Haunted Huntsville — The Dead Children’s Playground — FOX54 / Rocket City Now</a></li> <li><a href="https://hvilleblast.com/the-startling-story-of-mary-chambers-bibb/">The Startling Story of the Mary Chambers Bibb Mausoleum — Hville Blast</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>The Dead Children’s Playground — Book by James Kaine</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://ghostlypodcast.us19.list-manage.com/track/click?u=dc85ab703b9d2e67a1f473914&id=087b21bb5e&e=9ebad4ad3a">Grab your copy on Amazon (Ghostly affiliate link)</a></li> </ul> <p><strong>Hoodoo & Voodoo — History & Origins</strong></p> <ul class="wp-block-list"> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoodoo_(spirituality)">Hoodoo (Spirituality) — Wikipedia</a></li> <li><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louisiana_Voodoo">Louisiana Voodoo — Wikipedia</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.ulc.org/ulc-blog/voodoo-vs-hoodoo-whats-the-difference">Voodoo vs. Hoodoo: What’s the Difference? — ULC</a></li> <li><a href="https://voodooneworleans.com/about-house-of-voodoo/louisiana-voodoo/">A History of Louisiana Voodoo — Marie Laveau’s House of Voodoo</a></li> <li><a href="https://www.frenchquarter.com/true-history-faith-behind-voodoo/">The True History and Faith Behind Voodoo — New Orleans French Quarter</a></li> <li><a href="https://louisianavoodoo.com/what-is-hoodoo/">What Is Hoodoo? — Louisiana Voodoo</a></li> <li><a href="https://strangeandtwisted.com/blogs/stories/the-shadowed-heart-of-new-orleans-unraveling-hoodoo-voodoo-and-the-enduring-mysticism-of-louisiana-witchcraft">New Orleans Witchcraft: The Legacy of Hoodoo and Voodoo — Strange & Twisted</a></li> </ul> <hr class="wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity"/> <p><strong>Hashtags</strong></p> <p>#GhostlyPodcast #HauntedAlabama #MapleHillCemetery #DeadChildrensPlayground #Huntsville #ParanormalPodcast #GhostStories #SouthernGothic #HauntedHistory #JamesKaine #AmericanHorrors #BookClub #1918FluPandemic #ThomasBibb #SpiritsOfAlabama #TrueHauntings #SkepticVsBeliever</p>
214 total episodes available with 28 transcripts
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