The Curse of Lorenzo Dow

“ [Today] there are almost no traces of the once-growing populace [...]. Yet some say that on starlit, moon-filled nights you can hear the sounds of the once-raucous residents partying into the early morning hours, shooting off their guns, and yelling at the top of their lungs.””

— Don Rhodes, 'Georgia Myths and Legends'

A Preacher’s Curse…A Ghost Town

In 1952 the Georgia Historical Commission erected a marker to commemorate the ghost town of Jacksonboro, Georgia, that many believe met its fate as the result of a preacher’s curse.

Established at the seat for Screven County in 1797, it would be gone within fifty years. Known as a rowdy, lawless pioneer town the Jacksonboro, Georgia met its match in Lorenzo Dow, one of the country’s first ‘celebrity’ evangelists.

It was a community that bawked at the thought they needed spiritual saving and refused to let Dow preach in town. In response to their evil ways, Dow layed a curse on the town…Jacksonboro would wither and die from its wickedness. He was right.

Additional Links From This Episode:

Sources:

Brown, Alan. Haunted Georgia: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Peach State. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2008.

Dominey, Craig. “Lorenzo Dow’s Georgia Curse.” The Moonlit Road (blog.) Accessed November 22, 2022. https://www.themoonlitroad.com/lorenzo-dows-georgia-curse/.  

Federal Writers Project. The WPA Guide to Georgia: The Peach State. San Antonio, TX: Trinity University Press, 2013. 

Fitzhugh, Pat. Ghostly Cries from Dixie. Ashland City, TN: Armand Press, 2009.

Hollingsworth, C.D., Sr. “The Seaborn Goodall Home.” Briar Creek Chapter, NSDAR. Accessed November 22, 2022. Daughters of the American Revolution. http://briercreek.georgiastatedar.org/theseaborngoodallhome.php. 

Malone, Tom. Essentials of Evangelism. Greenville, SC: Sword of the Lord Publishers, 1958. 

Rhodes, Don. Georgia Myths and Legends: The True Stories Behind History’s Mysteries. Guildford, CT: Globe Pequot, 2015.

Stuart, Bill. “Jacksonboro GA - A Cursed Town???” William L. Stuart (blog.) October 20, 2020. https://www.williamlstuart.com/jacksonboro-ga-a-cursed-town/. 

Wells, Jeffrey. “The Jacksonborough Curse.” Georgia Mysteries (blog.) April 27, 2008. http://georgiamysteries.blogspot.com/2008/04/jacksonborough-curse.html. 

White, George. Statistics of the State of Georgia. Savannah, GA: W. Thorne Williams, 1849. GoogleBooks.

Cursed Pillar of Georgia

For over a century August, Georgia boasted the presence of a strange pillar that many claimed was cursed by a disgruntled preacher who said anyone who dare touch the object will meet their fate

This episode of Southern Gothic is part of our Campfire Tales, a series of daily podcasts released during Halloween 2022!

The Ghost of Alice Riley

“This magnificent and storied square was also ominously known as ‘hanging square,’ the place where the condemned met their fate on the gallows in the eighteenth century. Knowing its past history, one cannot walk around it at night or on a bright sunny day without feeling, and perhaps faintly hearing, the cries, moans and groans of those who met their deaths dangling from the end of a sturdy rope.””

— Michael Harris & Linda Sickler, "Historic Haunts of Savannah"

The First Woman Executed in Georgia

According to local legend, visitors to Savannah’s Historic Wright Square have been known to encounter a young woman dressed in 18th-century style clothing. Some are said to have been approached and begged for their assistance in finding the woman’s lost son. Yet when folks begin to search the area, the girl disappears.  Many believe this is the ghost of Alice Riley, the first woman executed in the colony of Georgia.

Alice Riley arrived in the American Colonies in January of 1734 as an indentured servant who would work for about five to seven years to pay back her debt and earn her freedom. To pay back the cost of the voyage she would be sent to work for William Wise, a man of questionable character. It would be a tragic assignment that led to Wise dead and Alice Riley convicted of a murder that some believe she may not have actually committed.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3.

Sources:

“Alice Riley.” Murderpedia. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://murderpedia.org/female.R/r/riley-alice.htm. 

Brown, Alan. Haunted Georgia: Ghosts and Strange Phenomena of the Peach State. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2008.

Byrd, Georgia R. Haunted Savannah. Guilford, CT: Morris Book Publishing, 2011.

Caskey, James. Haunted Savannah: The Official Guide to Savannah Haunted History Tour, 2010. Savannah, GA: Bonaventure Books, 2005.

Freeman, Robert Michael. “Alice Riley: A Sad Savannah Story.” Freeman’s Rag (blog). April 28, 2018. https://www.freemansrag.com/historical-ruminations/alice-riley-a-sad-savannah-story

“The Ghost of Alice Riley: Savannah’s Most Famous Ghost Story.” Ghost City Tours. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://ghostcitytours.com/savannah/ghost-stories/alice-riley/. 

“The ghost of Alice Riley and the legend spanish moss.” Random-Times. July 29, 2020. https://random-times.com/2020/07/29/the-ghost-of-alice-riley-and-the-legend-spanish-moss/

Harris, Michael & Linda Sickler. Historic Haunts of Savannah. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2014.

Harris, Michael. “Murder & lies: The ghost of Savannah’s Wright Square.” Savannah Now | Savannah Morning News. October 30, 2014. https://www.savannahnow.com/story/news/2014/10/31/murder-lies-ghost-savannahs-wright-square/13526612007/

“History of Savannah.” Visit Savannah. Accessed August 15, 2022. https://www.visitsavannah.com/article/history-savannah. 

Michaels, Brenna & T.C. Michaels. Hidden History of Savannah. Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2019.

Temple, Sarah Gober & Kenneth Coleman. Georgia Journeys: Being an Account of the Lives of Georgia’s Original Settlers and Many Other Early Settlers. Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 2010.

The Great Leech of Tlanusi’yĭ

“The Leech Place…”

According to Cherokee folklore, a deadly creature lives at the confluence of Valley and Hiwasee Rivers in Murphy, North Carolina. It is known simply as the Great Leech of Tlanusi’yĭ.

This minisode is a companion to The Legend of the Moon-Eyed People.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Be sure to get your tickets today over at Franklin Walking Tours by booking their August 30th Grim & Ghostly Tour!

• Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3.

Sources:

Bluewaters. “Cherokee Legend of the Moon-Eyed People.” October 5, 2018. Blue Waters Mountain Lodge. https://bluewatersmtnl.com/cherokee-legend-of-the-moon-eyed-people/. 

Cherokee Videos. “Cherokee History & Stories - What Happened Here: The Leech Place.” YouTube video, 5:03. June 14, 2018. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WODyfMglc8. 

Mooney, Jame. Myths of the Cherokee. Washington, D.C.:Government Printing Office, 1900. Reprint, New York: Dover Publications, 2012.

The Legend of the Moon-Eyed People

“There is a dim but persistent tradition of a strange white race preceding the Cherokee, some of the stories even going so far as to locate their former settlements and to identify them as the authors of the ancient works found in the county.””

— James Mooney, "Myths of the Cherokee"

“These Wretches they expelled…”

Atop Fort Mountain, in the northwestern corner of Georgia, is an 885-foot-long rock wall that zigzags its way through the curves of the mountain. Though the ruins were constructed with stone from the surrounding region, the story behind it, when it was built, and by whom, remains a mystery. Theories arose to explain the structure’s origin, today most agree it was likely completed by Native people who lived in the area. But who were they?

Legend says that a unique, ancient race of people once inhabited the highlands of lower Appalachia– a group known simply as the Moon-Eyed People. Often, described as light-skinned, with blonde hair and blue eyes; they were uniquely handicapped by their inability to see during the day

The legend exists most prominently from the oral tradition of the Cherokee people, who purportedly encountered the ancient race upon their arrival to the region; however, the mystery as to who they were and where they went is far more complex.

Additional Links From This Episode:

• Purchase the Feminine Macabre, Vol. 3.

Sources:

Barton, Benjamin Smith. New Views on the origins of the Tribes and Nations of America. Philadelphia: John Bioren, 1797. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/newviewsoforigin00bartarch.  

Greenwood, Isaac J. The Reverend Morgan Jones and the Welsh Indians. Boston: David Clapp & Son, 1898. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/revmorganjoneswe00gree. 

Haywood, John. The Natural and Aboriginal History of Tennessee: Up To The First Settlements Therein By The White People In The Year 1768. Nashville, TN: George Wilson, 1823. Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/naturalaborigina00hayw. 

Johnsen, Bruce E. and Barry M. Pritzker, eds. “Ohio Valley Mound Culture.” Encyclopedia of American Indian History. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO Ltd., 2008. 

Koster, John. “Caitlin Was Not the First but Perhaps the Last to Believe the Mandans Wew Welsh Indians.” Wild West, February 2012. https://www.historynet.com/catlin-not-first-perhaps-last-believe-mandans-welsh-indians.htm. 

Mooney, Jame. Myths of the Cherokee. Washington, D.C.:Government Printing Office, 1900. Reprint, New York: Dover Publications, 2012.

“Mystery Shrouds Fort Mountain.” Last modified October 21, 2020. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=46359.

Rome News-Tribune (Rome, Ga.). “Whites built myth of Fort Mountain - but not stone wall.” August 28, 1994. https://news.google.com/newspapers.

Wafer, Lionel. Edited by George Parker Winship. A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America. London: The Crown in St. Paul’s Churchyard, 1699. Reprint, Cleveland, OH: Burrows Brothers Company, 1903. Google Books. https://books.google.com. 

The Curse on Barnsley Gardens

It would be the deepest disrespect to disturb the area…

In 1837 Godfrey Barnsley purchased 3,645 acres of land that had recently been opened for settlement by the state of Georgia. This and however, was taken by the state from the Cherokee people through the coercive Treaty of New Echota.

Legend says that the land Barnsley purchased and planned to build on was sacred ground for generations of Cherokee. Despite being warned of possible consequences, Barnsley built his family a grand mansion, known first as Woodlands, and later as Barnsley Gardens.

This unwillingness to respect the beliefs of the Cherokee people would be a tragic mistake that would lead to a series of unfortunate events for all of the Barnsley family who lived in the home.

The Surrency Family Poltergeist

Ghosts on the Rampage in Georgia…

In October 1872, a small Georgia community was bursting with visitors and curiosity seekers in an attempt to discover the truth behind mysterious happenings at the family home of Allen Powell Surrency.

In what many consider to be one of the most documented ghost story in American history, the Surrency family home seemingly became the epicenter of a destructive entity. From the benign—doors slammed open and closed and objects floated above the ground, to the life threatening—a child thrown from bed and another beaten by unseen hands.

Today, proponents of the paranormal say that the events in 1872 have the marks of poltergeist activity. The cause of such activity at the Surrency House remains a mystery.

The Sad Statue of Corinne Lawton

One of Bonaventure Cemetery’s Most Infamous Graves

After Corinne Elliott Lawton died in 1877, her parents commissioned a famous Italian sculptor to design the statue at her grave. The result still stands today in the historic Bonaventure Cemetery of Savannah, Georgia where the melancholy depiction of this beloved daughter has inspired a local legend about her death.

The Kennesaw House

The Kennesaw House of Marietta, Georgia was built beside the Western & Atlantic Railroad line in the 1840's; but over the course of this beautiful brick building's long life, it has seen numerous tragedies that has left many to believe that the building is haunted by spirits from the past. 

Lost Confederate Gold

As the end of the Civil War became imminent, Confederate President Jefferson Davis fled his capital city of Richmond, Virginia.  After leading the South for four years, he had high hopes to escape the country and rebuild a new Confederacy. So Davis took with him the entirety of the Confederate Treasury, a massive fortune of gold, silver and bullion.  Yet when the Confederate President was finally captured by Union forces, this gold was nowhere to be found.

To this day, speculation runs rampant over the whereabouts and fate of that lost Confederate gold, a mystery that has grown for over a century and a half, spurring the imaginations of historians and treasure hunters alike.

The Curse of Lake Lanier

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*Since this episode first came out more indepth research into Lake Lanier and the history of the area has been published. Consider checking out one of those works:

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The creation of Georgia's Lake Lanier came at a high cost for the people who had once settled there. As waters rose to engulf everything in its path, the Georgia landscape changed and entire towns were lost.

Today, many claim that the lake is not only cursed by the remnants of the underwater town below, but also haunted by some of the spirits from its past.

The Burning of Atlanta

The city of Atlanta, Georgia was a strategic stronghold for the Confederacy during the Civil War, serving as an integral railroad hub supplying the South with men, munitions and supplies.  But by the spring of 1864, as President Abraham Lincoln became desperate for a military victory, the city would become the direct target of the infamously aggressive Union General William T. Sherman and his philosophy of '“total war.”

The Wog of Nodoroc

Just east of Atlanta, Georgia is the mysterious site of an eerie, boggy marshland that once emitted a constant bluish smoke, devouring everything that came into contact with it’s boiling waters. The Creek named this site, and the violent mud volcano within it, Nodoroc, or “gateway to hell.” But if the treacherous geography of Nodoroc were not enough to inspire fear, the Creek also believed that a vicious beast guarded this entrance to the underworld. A beast that required human sacrifices to appease its hunger. A devil-dog known simply as the Wog.

This episode of Southern Gothic: The Monsters is a special members-only series for our supporters at Patreon. Consider becoming a supporter today and you will not only start receiving additional content immediately, but your support will help sustain Southern Gothic.

The Woolfolk Family Massacre

On August 6, 1887 one of Georgia’s darkest, and most infamous murders occurred at a farmhouse in Bibb County.  Nine members of Richard Woolfolk’s family were brutally slain with an axe. Suspicion immediately fell on his son Thomas, the only member of the household to survive the event, and a national media circus erupted.

Explore the events that led up to the brutal axe murder of an entire family; as well as the explosive trial that followed, captivating national media coverage…

The Madison County Grey

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.