Supernatural South
About the Author
Sherry Malaver Parada is a Southern author whose early life was shaped by regional folklore and storytelling traditions. During her childhood, she was immersed in narratives of local legends, which fostered a lasting curiosity about the supernatural and unexplained. These formative experiences contributed to her enduring interest in myth and cultural narratives.
She earned a Master of Arts degree from the University of Providence, where her academic training included coursework in sociology and cultural anthropology. This interdisciplinary foundation enabled her to critically examine folklore, myths, legends, and cultural practices across diverse populations, further deepening her engagement with themes of mystery and the unknown.
In addition to her scholarly and creative pursuits, Malaver Parada serves as the director of a counseling center. Outside of her professional responsibilities, she is actively involved in animal advocacy and engages in various artistic endeavors, including writing, painting, drawing, and wildlife photography.
Supernatural South
Gothic Tales of Ghosts, Cryptids & Unexplained Phenomena
Sherry Malaver Parada
Supernatural South: Gothic Tales of Ghosts, Cryptids & Unexplained Phenomena
Copyright © 2026 by Sherry Malaver Parada. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, including internet usage, without written permission from Llewellyn Worldwide Ltd., except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner for the purpose of training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.
First Edition
First Printing, 2026
Cover design by Shannon McKuhen
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This work is dedicated to my mother, Brenda Wynn-Horn, whose exceptional talent as a writer and enduring commitment to intellectual and creative expression have been a profound source of inspiration. Her guidance, encouragement, and unwavering support were instrumental in my pursuit of a master’s degree and in the development of my identity as a writer. It is with deep gratitude that I recognize her lasting influence on my academic and personal achievements.
Introduction 1
Chapter 1: Ghosts and Haunted Locations 3
The Ghostly College Students 4
Homecoming Horror 5
The Allen House 8
The Crescent Hotel 9
The Gurdon Ghost Light 10
The LaLaurie Mansion 12
The Voodoo Queen 13
The Lemp Mansion 15
The Magnolia Plantation 18
The Ghost on the Mountaintop 21
The Arkansas State Capitol Building 22
The Ghostly Hitchhiker 23
Donkey Lady Bridge 24
The Devil’s Backbone 25
The Ghost Children on the Railroad Tracks 27
The Bell Witch 28
The Waverly Hills Sanatorium 30
The McRaven House 32
Contents
The Apparitions of the Myrtles Plantation 34
The Belvidere Mansion 36
The Haunted Georgia Tavern 38
The Haunted Sloss Furnaces 40
The Grey Man 43
The Haunted Lighthouse 45
Civil War Ghosts 47
The Kennesaw House 51
The Ghosts of Ole Miss 53
Chapter 2: Strange Creatures of the South 57
The Fouke Monster 57
The Ozark Howler 59
The Goat Man 62
The Mothman 65
The Gowrow 68
The Loup-Garou 71
The Chupacabra 74
The Cave Springs Mermaid 77
The Hoop Snake 80
The Booger Dog 82
The Dog Man of Arkansas 84
The Florida Skunk Ape 86
Whitey 89
Momo 93
The Lizard Man 97
The Giasticus 101
The Snawfus 102
The Sidehill Hoofer 103
The Wampus Cat 105
The Boo Hag 107
The Lake Norman Monster 109
Chapter 3: Unusual Events in the South 111
The Axeman of New Orleans 112
The Phantom Killer of Texarkana 115
The Witch of Yazoo City 120
The Bleeding House of Atlanta 122
The Ghost Ship of Gloria Colita 125
The Voodoo Hex of Shelbyville, Tennessee 128
The Lost Colony of Roanoke 131
Spontaneous Combustion in Florida 134
The Mysterious Murders in South Carolina 138
The Little Green Men Incident 139
The Aurora Alien 142
The Phantom Whistler 145
The Ghost Train 148
The Devil’s Tramping Ground 150
Witch’s Hollow 152
The Blood-Stained Mausoleum 155
The Lost City of the Florida Everglades 157
Haunted Lake Lanier 158
The Disappearance of the Cyclops 160
The Vanishing of Orion Williamson 162
The Curse of the Gardette-LaPretre Mansion 164
The Casket Girls 167
The Secret Treasure of the Alamo 171
The Disappearance of Flight 19 172
What Happened to Maud Crawford? 174
The Disappearance of the Sodder Children 175
The Betz Sphere 178
The Mysterious Rubber Boxes of Texas and Florida 181
The Dare Stone 183
Poverty Point 184
The Hoodoo Marker 185
Appalachia’s Mysterious
Moon-Eyed People 186
What Happened to Mary Shinn? 188
The Island That Disappeared 190
The Vampires of New Orleans 191
Conclusion 195
Bibliography 197
Introduction
As a child of the South, I grew up hearing stories that have been passed down for generations. I spent a great deal of time worrying about a Rougarou, which I was certain stalked our isolated farm at night. Every noise outside my window and every unknown howl in the night would keep me awake until daylight. A lot of people want to know why I am so fascinated with the unknown. I suppose that coming from a family of storytellers and my love of the library and bookmobile fostered my insatiable appetite for the mysterious, but I think that it’s more than that. Most of us are drawn to the unknown, at least we seem to be. Why else would there be so many scary movies about ghosts, werewolves, vampires, and mythical creatures? Why are there so many documentaries about Bigfoot? It is human nature to want to solve the unexplained. You cannot escape the barrage of television shows featuring paranormal investigations, UFO abductions, and cryptids. Perhaps modern technology has eroded so much of the
mysterious that a part of us still needs to believe in the unexplained. It is my sincerest hope that we never stop believing that there are things out there that cannot be explained by science. Some things should remain unknown, and unsolved.
Ghosts and Haunted Locations
The South is known for ghost stories. This is due to several factors. First, the South has a complex and dark past. The Civil War, slavery, and the brutality against Native Americans have created a trauma that echoes through time. Many paranormal experts believe that traumatic and violent events are the primary cause of hauntings. Another contributing factor to the wealth of ghost stories in the Southern United States is the South’s geographical location. Much of the South is rural. In addition, the swamps, bayous, old homes, and derelict plantations create the perfect background for spooky tales.
Perhaps the strongest argument for why so many ghost stories come from the South is the region’s tradition of storytelling. Settlers came to the South many years before television and radio were invented. After the sun set and the day was over, people entertained one another by telling stories. Some of these stories have been passed down for generations. The question that everyone wants to
know the answer to is, Are these stories real? The validity of these stories is left for the reader to decide. In some cases, the reader can investigate these stories for themselves. A lot of these locations are bed-and-breakfasts, and you can book a room for the night on the chance that you might have an encounter with a ghost.
The Ghostly College Students
Magnolia, Arkansas
Southern Arkansas University is a bucolic college campus located in Magnolia, Arkansas. According to locals, it is home to a cantankerous ghost that haunts the top floor of Bussey Hall. In an interview conducted with Brenda Wynn-Horn, a graduate of Southern Arkansas University, the details of the alleged haunting were explained. According to Wynn-Horn, the spirit is supposed to be that of a female college student who hanged herself in her room in the 1950s. The room is no longer used, so there is no reason for anyone to be in there. In addition, the room is kept locked at all times. However, there have been multiple reports of the light going on and off in that room for no reason. Students have reported seeing the phenomenon from the courtyard below. During the 1980s there was a rash of reports by residents of Bussey Hall claiming that supernatural events were happening in the dorms. One female student claimed that a towel flew across the room at her. Another student claimed that the lights were turning on and off by themselves. One student refused to go back in her room when the covers were jerked off her bed in the middle of the night. Yet another student reported that she had placed a loaf of bread on her windowsill, only to have it fly across the room and hit her door.
The ghost of Bussey Hall is not the only restless spirit reported to haunt the college campus. There seems to be a phantom in the theatre department. Legend has it that a former student named Beatrice won the leading role of a school production. On opening night, she was in a hurry to get to the theatre. On her way to the campus, she was tragically hit by a train. However, her spirit continues to linger. Students have seen her apparition walking on the stage. In addition, one student reported that he had seen a rocking chair, on the stage, begin rocking by itself.
Due to the amount of eyewitness accounts, it’s hard to discount the paranormal events that continue to occur at SAU. Southern Arkansas University would definitely be voted the college with the most school spirit.
Homecoming Horror Arkadelphia, Arkansas
The Homecoming Ghost is a well-known legend at Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. These two schools, which sit across the street from one another, have long-standing rivalries, particularly centered on their football teams and the annual homecoming game. However, this competitive history has also given rise to eerie ghost stories, with the most famous being that of the Homecoming Ghost, said to haunt both campuses.
Joe Horn, who attended Henderson State University, explained that the legend is centered on the tragic death of a young woman who was a student at one of the universities. There are two versions of the legend. According to one story, she was deeply in love with a football player who played for either Henderson State or Ouachita
Baptist (the specifics vary depending on the version). The young woman and her boyfriend planned to attend the homecoming game together, but tragedy struck, resulting in her untimely death before the event. The other version of the story holds that the girl was a student at Ouachita Baptist University, and she was in love with a student at Henderson State University. As the two universities are bitter rivals, the boy’s friends kept pressuring him to break up with the girl from Ouachita, which he did, right before homecoming. According to this version of the story, the girl was so distraught that she killed herself. The common thread in both stories is that her death was sudden, and she never got to attend the game with her beloved.
After her death, it is said that her spirit began to haunt the campuses of both Henderson State and Ouachita Baptist, particularly around homecoming. Some versions of the story suggest that she appears in the stands of the football stadium, still wearing her homecoming dress, watching the game she never got to attend in life. Others claim that she can be seen wandering the dorms, looking for her lost love or trying to make her way to the game.
Over the years, students from both universities have reported eerie sightings and experiences tied to the Homecoming Ghost. Some have claimed to see a young woman in a flowing dress walking across campus late at night, only for her to disappear when approached. Others say they’ve heard unexplained noises, such as footsteps, or felt a strange presence, especially in the dorms or near the football stadiums. The ghost is said to be particularly active around the football field during homecoming games. Some people claim to have seen her in the stands, sitting alone and
watching the game, while others have reported a chilling feeling when walking by certain sections of the bleachers. She is believed to be drawn to the event, still trying to experience the homecoming game that she missed.
The rivalry between Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University is one of the oldest in college football, dating back to the 1890s. The annual homecoming game, known as the Battle of the Ravine, is a highly anticipated event, and emotions run high for students, alumni, and fans alike. The close proximity of the two campuses, just a few hundred yards apart, adds to the intensity of the rivalry and has helped fuel this ghost story.
The Homecoming Ghost legend likely emerged as part of the campus lore, combining the excitement and passion of homecoming weekend with the timeless themes of love and loss. College ghost stories are common across the United States, often serving as cautionary tales or simply as a way to add intrigue and mystery to campus life. The Homecoming Ghost of Henderson and Ouachita fits within this tradition, blending the spirit of school rivalry with the chilling allure of a ghost story.
The Homecoming Ghost of Henderson State University and Ouachita Baptist University is a beloved and eerie part of local folklore in Arkadelphia, Arkansas. With her tragic backstory and her connection to the annual homecoming game, she remains a ghostly figure tied to both schools’ histories and traditions. Whether she’s truly haunting the campuses or simply a figment of the imagination, her story adds a layer of mystery to the already spirited rivalry between the two universities.
The Allen House
Monticello, Arkansas
Sometimes tragedy appears to follow a family. It would certainly seem that the Allen family was under a curse. In Mark Spencer’s A Haunted Love Story: The Ghosts of the Allen House, the details of the family’s devastating history can be learned.
The patriarch, Joseph L. Allen, was born in 1863. He had a stately home built in Monticello, Arkansas. He had made his wealth as a horse trader. He and his wife, Caddye, and their three children, Louise, Ladelle, and Lewie, moved into their spacious new home. In 1917, Joseph Allen died of a heart attack, leaving his wife and three children alone. His daughter, Ladelle, had married in 1914. She and her husband had one child before they divorced in 1927. Their son, Allen Bonner, died tragically young. Ladelle moved back into the family home, and in 1948, Ladelle killed herself by drinking cyanide. Her mother sealed her room after her daughter’s death. When Caddye died in 1956, the house was sold. The new owners divided it into individual apartments for students attending university. This is when stories began to surface about paranormal events taking place in the Allen House. People reported hearing children laughing, a woman crying, and footsteps late at night. Some residents reported seeing Ladelle’s image in one of the mirrors in the house.
The reason for Ladelle’s suicide may have been discovered by the current owner. He found letters written between Ladelle and a man she was having an affair with. According to the letters, Ladelle was involved with a married man, but he decided to break off his relationship with Ladelle.
If you are feeling brave, you can tour the Allen house. The current owners hold ghost tours during the month of October. Perhaps you might catch a glimpse of Ladelle or hear an unexplained noise coming from one of the rooms.
The Crescent Hotel
Eureka Springs, Arkansas
The Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, is one of the most haunted locations in America. In an interview conducted with Barbara Cathey, an Arkansas historian, the history and alleged hauntings of the Crescent Hotel were explained in detail.
The Crescent Hotel was built in 1886. It was originally built as a resort for the rich and famous. Eventually, the Crescent Hotel fell into disrepair. The hotel was bought and reopened as a women’s college. However, the women’s college was closed in 1924 but reopened as a community college from 1930 to 1934.
In 1937, Norman G. Baker opened his hospital in the Crescent Hotel. Although Baker had no medical training, it did not dissuade him from claiming to be a doctor who could cure cancer. He had previously practiced medicine in Iowa, without a license. He decided that Arkansas would be a good place to start over.
His “cure” for cancer consisted mainly of having his patients drink the area’s spring water. Numerous patients perished in the hotel. Dr. Baker was arrested for fraud and sentenced to four years in prison. Although, it appears that Dr. Baker and his patients still linger in the hotel. People have reported seeing a nurse push a gurney down the hallway. Other guests have reported seeing a man in a white coat, who appeared to be a doctor walking down the hall. A ghost named Theodora, a cancer patient of Dr. Baker,
Ghosts and Haunted Locations
is reported to haunt room 419. People have reported seeing ghosts in rooms 414 and 218.
Another ghost people report seeing is that of an Irishman named Michael. Michael is reported to have fallen to his death from the fourth floor during the initial construction of the hotel. He landed in what is now room 218.
During Baker’s time as owner of the Crescent Hotel, possibly hundreds of people died under his care. The basement served as a morgue, and the autopsy table is still there. It is even rumored that some of the patients’ remains are buried on the grounds.
The Crescent Hotel offers various ghost tours, but it is not the only place in Eureka Springs to go ghost hunting. The Basin Park Hotel hosts ghost tours conducted with paranormal investigators. In addition, you can book an underground ghost tour of Eureka Springs, Arkansas. The city of Eureka Springs is the ideal location for fans of the paranormal.
The Gurdon Ghost Light Gurdon, Arkansas
The Gurdon Ghost Light is a mysterious light seen hovering near the railroad tracks in Gurdon, Arkansas. It has been described as being blue, green, white, or orange. The light was first spotted in the early 1930s. The origin of the light is the subject of debate among locals. One story involves the murder of a railroad worker. Jennifer Jones explains the origin of this story in her article “The Gurdon Light,” which was published on The Dead History.1
1. Read it here: https://thedeadhistory.com/2020/02/11/the-gurdon-light/.
On December 4, 1931, Will McClain, a section foreman for the Missouri River Pacific Railroad, had not returned home from work. His wife reported him missing to the city marshal. The city marshal began investigating. Nobody had seen McClain since the previous day. Eventually, the marshal spotted Louie McBride, a laborer who worked under Will McClain. McBride was brought into the sheriff’s office for questioning. McBride quickly admitted to killing McClain. He agreed to take the marshal to the site of McClain’s body. As the marshal got closer to the site, he noticed a trail of blood that stretched on for yards. McClain’s body was discovered near a bloody shovel. Legend has it that McClain was found still clutching his lantern.
McBride told authorities that he had become enraged with McClain over being denied seniority rights during recent layoffs. McBride was found guilty of the murder and was sentenced to death. On July 8, 1932, McBride was executed at the Little Rock Penitentiary. Some people claim that the light is the ghost of Will McClain walking the railroad tracks.
Another theory about the Gurdon Ghost Light dates back even further. According to legend, a railroad worker was decapitated when he fell onto the tracks as an oncoming train ran over him. His head was never found, and people claim that he wanders the tracks searching for his missing head. The question remains: What is the origin of the Gurdon Ghost Light?
People have tried to solve the mystery for years. It has been proposed that the Gurdon Ghost Light is the reflection of passing cars on Interstate 30, but the lights have been reported since the 1930s, and the interstate was not built until the 1950s. Some people have put forth a theory that the light could be the result of
swamp gas. Other people claim that it is the result of light caused by electrical reactions from underground quartz crystals in the area. We may never know the real cause of the Gurdon Ghost Light, but it is an endearing legend of Gurdon, Arkansas, that will hopefully continue.
The LaLaurie Mansion
New Orleans, Louisiana
One of the most famous old Louisiana ghost stories is that of the LaLaurie Mansion in New Orleans. The mansion, located at 1140 Royal Street in the French Quarter, is infamous for its dark and tragic history. E. Randall Floyd relays the details of this story in Great Southern Mysteries.
In the early nineteenth century, the mansion was owned by Delphine LaLaurie, a wealthy socialite. It was said that LaLaurie was known for her cruelty toward her slaves. When a fire broke out at the mansion in 1834, firefighters and neighbors rushed to the scene, only to discover a horrifying scene in the mansion’s attic.
Upon entering the attic, they found a number of enslaved individuals who had been tortured and were in a state of extreme suffering. There were accounts of people being chained and mutilated in ghastly ways. Most of the slaves were emaciated, and witnesses reported that they must have been starved for a long period of time. The discovery led to outrage against LaLaurie, who fled the city and was never seen again.
Since then, the mansion has been the site of numerous ghost stories and paranormal claims. People have reported hearing ghostly moans and screams coming from the building, and some claim to have seen apparitions of tortured souls wandering the
premises. According to legend, Delphine LaLaurie once became enraged at one of the child slaves. She chased the little girl up to the top of the house. The small child became so terrified that she leapt to her death, rather than face the wrath of her cruel enslaver. More than one passerby has claimed to see a small figure fall from the top of the house. Could it be the ghost of the little girl, repeating her final moments for all eternity? The LaLaurie Mansion remains one of the most haunted locations in New Orleans, and it continues to attract those interested in its dark past and eerie reputation. The combination of historical tragedy and the supernatural has made the LaLaurie Mansion a lasting symbol of New Orleans’s rich and sometimes chilling history.
The Voodoo Queen
New Orleans, Louisiana
Many people are aware of the famous voodoo queen Marie Laveau. Martha Ward provides an in-depth look at the beguiling Ms. Laveau in her book Voodoo Queen: The Spirited Lives of Marie Laveau.
Who was Marie Laveau, and what were her origins? Some documents list her year of birth as 1794, while other documents list her birth as 1801. Marie Laveau was a beautiful Creole woman. Laveau built a reputation as an herbalist and midwife and had a hairdressing business, but her true business was voodoo. Laveau regularly attended Catholic Mass, but high society in New Orleans religiously went to her to solve their problems. Laveau held rituals at her home on St. Ann Street and by Lake Pontchartrain.
Get Ready for Cryptids, Cornbread, and a Whole Mess of Strange
Enjoy chilling tales of the Loup-Garou, the Boo Hag, the Moon-Eyed People, and many more supernatural entities in this collection of spooky Southern US encounters.
Beneath live oaks laden with Spanish moss, on humid nights thick with the scent of honeysuckle, creatures and spirits stalk the woods and towns of the American South. From Confederate ghosts to places haunted by history, from mysterious objects with suspected interstellar origins to the putrid stench of a humanoid monster, Sherry Malaver Parada takes you on a tour of the South’s peculiar happenings. Join her on a stroll under the magnolias with these macabre tales that have defined the term “Southern gothic.”
The mystery is thicker than Granny’s gravy, so grab a spoon and dig into some delicious stories.
Sherry Malaver Parada holds an MA in human services from the University of Providence and is the executive director at a counseling center. Her passions are education, research, folklore, urban legends, and writing. When she’s not writing grants for her job or books about her passions, Sherry enjoys painting, drawing, spending time with her pets, and going all out for Halloween. Learn more at Medium.com/@SherryMalaverParada.
© Sherry Malaver Parada