It's hard to treat the earth badly if we revere her.
What if farming has always been a little bit magic? Local farmer and author Todd Elliott thinks it has, and that we'd take better care of the land if we saw it as alive.
In this episode of Kentucky Deceased, Dr. Eleanor Hasken-Wagner talks with Todd about his book The Cunning Farmer: Agrarian Magical Practices, Mythology, and Folklore. They discuss astrology, the spirits of the land, and the "Christian animism" of the Middle Ages. Todd also reads an excerpt about a moonlit walk to an abandoned farm, where he leaves offerings for the spirits and sees the long history of the land.
Do you have a strange story from Frankfort or Franklin County? Bumps in the night, lights in the skies, or whatever else have you, we'd love to hear them! Record your story at the link below and it may end up on a future episode of Kentucky Deceased.
Submit your story here
8 Oct 2026
The Man in the Armor
"The devil abode in him and dominated him."
John Upshaw Waring was a wealthy lawyer and a ruthless debt collector. He carried a pistol, a bowie knife, and a sword cane. For a quarter of a century, he left a trail of threats, stabbings, and lawsuits across Franklin and Woodford Counties.
In this episode of Kentucky Deceased, Dr. Eleanor Hasken-Wagner looks at the life and death of Waring. She covers his role in the Beauchamp-Sharp tragedy, his 1835 shooting of attorney Samuel Q. Richardson on the steps of Frankfort's Mansion House, and the rumor that he wore a full suit of armor under his clothes.
Do you have a strange story from Frankfort or Franklin County? Bumps in the night, lights in the skies, or whatever else have you, we'd love to hear them! Record your story at the link below and it may end up on a future episode of Kentucky Deceased.
Submit your story here
CONTENT WARNING
Murder, threats of violence, stabbings and shootings, dueling, and brief mention of enslavement.
1 Oct 2026
The Mud Murder
"Turn Murrow loose so I can kill him.
A Sunday boat trip turned into a street fight on St. Clair and Wapping, leaving one man dead - and multiple conflicting accounts as to how it happened.
In this season premiere of Kentucky Deceased, Dr. Eleanor Hasken-Wagner recounts the "Mud Murder" of 1924, a case that generated over fifteen witnesses and at least six trials across nearly a decade.
Do you have a strange story from Frankfort or Franklin County? Bumps in the night, lights in the skies, or whatever else have you, we'd love to hear them! Record your story here and it may end up on a future episode of Kentucky Deceased.
CONTENT WARNING
Murder and street violence
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Apple Podcasts (US)
4.7 / 5
14 ratings
Spotify
4.6 / 5
9 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 11 / 100
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