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For decades, people across Florida have reported seeing something large, hairy and foul-smelling moving through the swamps, mangroves and forests of the state. They call it the Skunk Ape. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint, we head into the Florida wilderness to trace the strange history of one of the South’s most famous cryptids. We’ll look at the terrifying 1977 encounters that drove the Stoeckman family from their home in Key Largo, a bizarre 1974 incident along U.S. 27, police encounters, the Florida legislator who actually tried to protect the creature, and the man who has spent most of his life searching Big Cypress for it. We’ll also dig into the 1997 wave of sightings, Dave Shealy and the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters, the mysterious Myakka photographs, possible escaped primates, black bears, modern videos and the question that has followed the legend for more than fifty years: Is the Skunk Ape simply one of Florida’s greatest pieces of folklore? Or is there really something out there in the swamp? Join us over on Patreon at the Hidden Pine Lodge

Few names are as deeply woven into the history and folklore of New Orleans as Marie Laveau. She was a real woman who became something much larger: a Voudou leader, healer, devout Catholic, confidante, and eventually the legendary Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. Nearly 150 years after her death, stories still surround her—secret ceremonies, gris-gris, Grand Zombi, courtroom magic, mysterious disappearances, ghostly encounters, and a tomb where generations of people have gone to ask Marie for help. But where does the real Marie Laveau end and the legend begin? In this Spooky Season episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast, we go back to nineteenth-century New Orleans to follow Marie’s life, the rise of New Orleans Voudou, the strange stories that followed her while she was alive, and the even stranger ones that began after she died. And maybe the biggest question of all: What if at least some of the stories about Marie Laveau were true? 🎃 Spooky Season has officially begun at The Southern Blueprint. If you enjoy Southern history, folklore, strange stories, books, travel, bourbon, the outdoors and everything else we explore here, come join us inside The Hidden Pine Lodge, the private club of The Southern Blueprint. Membership is just $4/month and includes exclusive Patreon content plus access to our private Discord and the community we’re building around all of this. Join The Hidden Pine Lodge on Patreon Subscribe to The Southern Blueprint Podcast, share this episode with someone who loves strange Southern stories, and come spend Spooky Season with us.

In July of 1987, 42-year-old Ann Robertson Jones was found murdered inside her home in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. At the time, Pigeon Forge was becoming one of the South’s most familiar family vacation destinations. Dollywood had opened the year before. Tourism was booming. Families were pouring into Sevier County for cabins, souvenir shops, mountain views, and the promise of a Smoky Mountain getaway. But beneath that bright image of Pigeon Forge is one of the darkest cases in the town’s history. Ann was a mother and local business owner who ran the Wild Hare T-shirt Shop in Settler’s Village. Her murder would lead investigators into a disturbing story involving Gary June Caughron, a 27-year-old man working near the shopping center, and April Ward, a 14-year-old girl whose testimony would become central to the case. This true crime episode follows the full story: the events leading up to Ann’s murder, the brutal crime scene, the nearly year-long investigation, April Ward’s statements, the evidence against Gary Caughron, the questions raised by the defense, the trial, the death sentence, the later appeals, and the parole fight decades later. This is a difficult and disturbing case, but it is also one that deserves to be told carefully, with Ann Robertson Jones kept at the center of the story.

In the summer of 2015, North Carolina experienced one of the most unusual shark-bite clusters in its recorded history. Over just twenty-four days, eight people were bitten along the coast, from Ocean Isle Beach and Oak Island to Surf City and the Outer Banks. Two teenagers lost arms during attacks that occurred less than ninety minutes apart, while several other swimmers suffered serious injuries in the days that followed. Support The Southern Blueprint by joining the Hidden Pine Lodge on Patreon. HERE Members receive additional content and full access to our private Discord community, where we continue the conversation about Southern history, mysteries, folklore, travel, books, bourbon, wildlife and the stories featured on the podcast. You can join through the Patreon link in the episode notes. In this Shark Week episode, we reconstruct each of the eight incidents, examine the environmental conditions that may have contributed to the cluster and explore why shark attacks create such intense public fear. We also look at the influence of Jaws, the actual odds of being bitten, the sharks found along Southern coastlines and North Carolina’s surprising prehistoric connection to the megalodon. This is the story of the summer North Carolina became the center of a national shark panic—and what those attacks reveal about fear, survival and the wild Atlantic just beyond the beach.

In 2006, Abraham Shakespeare went from working-class Floridian to multimillionaire overnight after winning a $30 million Florida lottery jackpot. For most people, that kind of money sounds like freedom. For Abraham Shakespeare, it became the beginning of a nightmare. As word of his fortune spread, so did the requests for money, the business schemes, the lawsuits, and the people looking to profit from his generosity. Abraham was known as a kind, trusting man who loved helping others—but that generosity made him vulnerable. Then he disappeared. Friends and family were told he had simply left town and wanted to be left alone. Strange text messages appeared. Suspicious phone calls were made. A typed letter surfaced claiming Abraham had started a new life. But something felt wrong. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast, we dive into the shocking true story of Abraham Shakespeare—one of the most disturbing lottery-related murder cases in American history. We’ll explore Dorice “Dee Dee” Moore, the manipulation, the undercover sting operation, the secret recordings, and the investigation that led detectives to a concrete slab in Plant City, Florida. This is a story of sudden wealth, betrayal, greed, and the dark side of winning big. Sometimes the greatest fortune can become the greatest curse. Let us know what you think of the show- leave us a 5-star rating and leave us a review! If you enjoy the show and want to support The Southern Blueprint, consider joining The Hidden Pine Lodge on Patreon for just $4 a month. Members get access to exclusive content, our private Discord community, behind-the-scenes conversations, the Hidden Pine Lodge Book Club, Bird Club, and much more. Your support helps keep the podcast and all Southern Blueprint content growing. Join us at The Hidden Pine Lodge and become part of the community.

In January of 1991, a bizarre story out of Channelview, Texas, became a national obsession. Wanda Holloway, a mother from a blue-collar town east of Houston, was accused of trying to hire a hitman to kill the mother of her daughter’s junior high cheerleading rival. But behind the “Pom-Pom Mom” headline was a deeper story about ambition, motherhood, resentment, small-town status, family dysfunction, and the danger of living through your children. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint, we trace Wanda’s life from her upbringing in Channelview, her fixation on her daughter Shanna’s cheerleading dreams, the rivalry with Verna and Amber Heath, the recorded conversations with Terry Harper, the trial, the overturned conviction, and the aftermath that followed. If you enjoy the show and want to support The Southern Blueprint, join us inside The Hidden Pine Lodge on Patreon for bonus content, Discord access, book club discussions, bird club posts, extra research, and deeper conversations about the stories we cover.

For more exclusive content, bonus episodes, book club discussions, access to our Discord community, The Aviary Bird Club, and behind-the-scenes Southern Blueprint content, join The Hidden Pine Lodge on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/c/TheHiddenPineLodge Anne Bonny is one of the most famous pirates in history, but she may also be one of the most mysterious. Born in Ireland and raised in colonial South Carolina, Anne Bonny defied nearly every expectation placed upon women in the early 1700s. Drawn into the dangerous world of Caribbean piracy, she left her husband, joined forces with the infamous Calico Jack Rackham, sailed alongside fellow female pirate Mary Read, and became one of the most feared women of the Golden Age of Piracy. In this episode of the Southern Blueprint Podcast, we separate documented history from pirate legend as we explore Anne Bonny's remarkable life. From her childhood in Charleston and the bustling ports of the Atlantic world to Nassau's pirate stronghold, daring raids in the Caribbean, her capture by pirate hunters, and the dramatic trial that sentenced her to death, we follow Anne's story from beginning to end. We also examine the enduring mysteries surrounding her life, including her relationship with Mary Read, the theories surrounding her disappearance after receiving a stay of execution, and the recently discovered Jamaican death record that may finally reveal what happened to one of history's most legendary pirates. Was Anne Bonny truly the ruthless pirate described in eighteenth-century accounts? Did she escape the gallows and return to the Carolinas? Join us as we explore the history, legends, treasure theories, and unanswered questions surrounding Anne Bonny, the Pirate Queen Legend.

On September 14, 1987, Circuit Court Judge Vincent Sherry and his wife, Biloxi city councilwoman Margaret Sherry, were found murdered inside their home on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. At first, the case seemed to point in several directions: local politics, city corruption, organized crime, revenge, or someone from Judge Sherry’s legal past. Margaret had been an outspoken critic of corruption in Biloxi and had told people she was working to expose what was happening inside the city. Vincent, meanwhile, had once practiced criminal defense law and had crossed paths with people connected to the Gulf Coast underworld. But as investigators dug deeper, the case moved away from the obvious and into something stranger: a lonely-hearts scam being run from inside Angola Prison, money moving through a Biloxi law office, and a loose network of criminals often associated with what became known as the Dixie Mafia. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast, we look at the murders of Vincent and Margaret Sherry, the rise of Kirksey McCord Nix’s prison-based scam operation, the role of Pete Halat, LaRa Sharpe, Mike Gillich, John Ransom, Thomas Leslie Holcomb, and the years-long fight by the Sherry family to uncover the truth. This episode also explores what the Dixie Mafia actually was — not a traditional Mafia family with a formal hierarchy, but a loose Southern criminal network built on favors, fear, corruption, money, silence, and violence. For background and reference, this episode draws in part from Mississippi Mud: Southern Justice and the Dixie Mafia by Edward Humes, along with court records, reporting, and public case summaries. To support the show and for additional episode material, photos, notes, and deeper dives, join The Hidden Pine Lodge, our Patreon community.

On November of 1999, a 24-year-old woman named Cherica Adams made a 911 call from a dark road in Charlotte, North Carolina. She had been shot four times. She was eight months pregnant. And before the call ended, she told police exactly who was responsible. That name was Rae Carruth — a first-round NFL draft pick for the Carolina Panthers. In this episode, we take a step back and look at the full picture — how it all came together, how it fell apart, and what happened in the years that followed. This is one of the most infamous true crime cases in North Carolina history — and one of the darkest moments connected to the NFL. The Hidden Pine Lodge If you want to support the podcast and be part of something a little more hands-on, check out The Hidden Pine Lodge over on Patreon. https://www.patreon.com/c/TheHiddenPineLodge It’s a growing community built around the same things you hear on the show — hiking, fly fishing, gardening, books, and just getting out and doing something with a little more purpose behind it. You’ll also get access to our private Discord, where we’ve got a book club, bird club, and a place to actually connect with people who are into the same things. It’s $4 a month, and it helps keep the podcast going while building something bigger around it.

In October 2006, one of the most disturbing crimes in New Orleans history unfolded in the heart of the French Quarter. Zack Bowen, an Iraq War veteran, and Addie Hall were known throughout the Quarter’s late-night bar scene. Friends described them as inseparable, passionate, and chaotic—two people drawn together by the intensity of post-Katrina New Orleans. But behind the music, the drinking, and the romantic mythology that surrounded them, their relationship was spiraling toward violence. On the night of October 4, 2006, inside a small apartment above a Voodoo shop on North Rampart Street, Zack Bowen strangled Addie Hall to death. What followed shocked even seasoned investigators. In the days after the murder, Bowen dismembered her body, left a written confession inside the apartment, and spray-painted messages across the walls. Twelve days later, after a drug-fueled spiral through the French Quarter, Bowen walked to the roof of the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel and jumped to his death. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast, we examine the full story behind the Zack Bowen and Addie Hall case—from their first meeting in the Quarter’s bar scene, to the chaos of Hurricane Katrina, to the disturbing confession that revealed what happened inside that apartment. This episode explores the timeline, the investigation, the myths surrounding the case, and the lasting impact the tragedy had on the people who survived it. Topics covered include: The relationship between Zack Bowen and Addie Hall Life in the French Quarter after Hurricane Katrina The events leading up to the October 2006 murder Bowen’s confession and the crime scene investigation The suicide at the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel The aftermath for their families and children If you enjoy deep-dive Southern true crime stories, be sure to subscribe to The Southern Blueprint Podcast and join our Patreon: The Hidden Pine Lodge for more stories from the history, culture, and darker corners of the South. It's a great way to support the work and the show!

Somewhere in the foothills of Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, a fortune may still be waiting. The Beale Treasure is one of America’s most enduring unsolved mysteries — a story of buried gold, encrypted messages, and a man named Thomas J Beale who vanished without a trace. First made public in an 1885 pamphlet known as the Beale Papers, the story describes a massive cache of gold and silver hidden in Bedford County, protected by three complex ciphers. Only one of those ciphers has ever been decoded — and even that solution is hotly debated. In this episode of the Southern Blueprint Podcast, we dig into the full history of the Beale Treasure: what the original documents actually say, how the ciphers work, why elite cryptographers and intelligence analysts took them seriously, and the red flags that suggest the story may be a hoax. From frontier timelines and missing records to modern treasure hunts and competing theories, this episode explores why the Beale mystery refuses to fade. Hoax, hidden vault, or something in between — the Beale Treasure remains one of the great unanswered questions in American history. For more info, additional content, and access to our private community, head over to our Patreon called the Hidden Pine Lodge. It's only $4 a month and it helps fund the show and it's just a whole lotta fun!

For a brief, wild stretch in the 1970s, South Carolina became one of the most important drug smuggling corridors in the United States — and in Part 2 of this series, the federal government finally strikes back. This episode dives deep into Operation Jackpot, one of the largest and most consequential drug investigations in American history. As marijuana and hashish pour into the Lowcountry in staggering quantities, law enforcement stops chasing boats and starts following the money — triggering a multi-agency crackdown that reaches far beyond the Carolina coast. We pick up with the pivotal Georgia airstrip bust, trace the smugglers’ pivot into high-profit hashish trafficking (including a notorious run tied to Lebanon), and follow the unraveling of the Gentleman Smugglers network as indictments, arrests, and international manhunts unfold. From Hilton Head, McClellanville, and Edisto Island to Costa Rica, Australia, and extradition courts overseas, this episode details how figures like Barry Foy, Les Riley, Lee Harvey, Barry Toombs, and others were caught — who fled, who surrendered, who disappeared for years, and who ultimately faced justice. We also examine how a young U.S. Attorney named Henry McMaster helped turn Operation Jackpot into a blueprint for modern federal prosecutions, using financial investigations, civil forfeiture, and enterprise-level cases to dismantle an entire smuggling ecosystem rather than just individual traffickers. This is the end of an outlaw era — the collapse of a coastal drug empire and the moment South Carolina became ground zero for a landmark federal case that reshaped how drug conspiracies are prosecuted in the United States. Also, come join us on Patreon at the Hidden Pine Lodge. https://www.patreon.com/c/TheHiddenPineLodge You’ll get expanded background on this episode, additional historical context, and access to our private Community Discord. Membership is just $4 a month and directly supports the show. Get the book- Operation Jackpot: by Jason Ryan

When most people think of American drug smuggling, they picture Miami and South Florida. Few realize that for a brief, wild stretch in the 1970s, South Carolina became one of the most important gateways for marijuana and hashish in the country. In this first installment of a two-part series, we dive into the rise of the Gentleman Smugglers—a loose network of intelligent, well-connected Southern outlaws who shunned violence, favored sailboats over speedboats, and lived lavish lives fueled by offshore smuggling runs. These weren’t cartel enforcers or street-level dealers. They were college dropouts, sailors, and risk-takers who believed they were smarter than the law. From Columbia, South Carolina, to Jamaica, Colombia, Key West, McClellanville, and Hilton Head Island, we follow the early careers of Barry Foy, Les Riley, and their expanding circle as they build a sophisticated drug pipeline along the Southern coast. Luxury yachts, midnight offloads, close calls at sea, and staggering amounts of cash define an era when chaos, improvisation, and nerve ruled the business. But while the smugglers were scaling up, law enforcement was quietly reorganizing. A new generation of federal investigators—and a young U.S. Attorney named Henry McMaster—were laying the groundwork for what would become Operation Jackpot, one of the largest drug investigations in American history. This episode sets the stage: the characters, the methods, the money, and the mistakes that would eventually bring everything crashing down. Part 2 picks up with the crackdown—fugitives, indictments, international escapes, and the final takedown. So be sure to follow the show so you get notified when Part 2 is up! Also , come join us on Patreon at the Hidden Pine Lodge There you will get more information about the episode and so much more content. You will also get access to our Community Discord. It's only $4 a month and it helps fund the show!

In this deep-dive episode of The Southern Blueprint, host Matt Swift returns to NASCAR after nearly two decades away… just as the sport enters one of the most chaotic and transformative moments in its modern history. This episode explores: • NASCAR’s moonshine roots and Southern identity• How the 1980s–90s became the sport’s golden era• The leadership missteps of the 2000s• Why many longtime fans drifted away• Jimmie Johnson’s dominance and fan fatigue. And Matt irrational dislike of Jimmie• The economic crash’s impact on attendance• Dale Jr.’s move to Hendrick and eventual retirement• Bubba Wallace, 2020, and NASCAR’s identity reckoning• The return of North Wilkesboro & Rockingham• The lawsuit shaking NASCAR’s leadership• Why — despite the chaos — the sport feels alive again With honesty, nostalgia, critique, and hope, Matt breaks down why he left, why he’s back, and why now may be the most important moment in NASCAR’s history.

In the dark swamps of Louisiana, where the moss hangs heavy and the night hums with life, stories still whisper of a creature that walks between man and monster. Known as the Rougarou — or Cajun werewolf — this beast has haunted the bayous for centuries. Born from French loup-garou legend and baptized in Catholic superstition, the Rougarou is said to punish sinners, stalk the unfaithful, and prowl the marshes under a blood moon. In this episode of The Southern Blueprint Podcast, we explore the true roots of the Rougarou legend — from its origins in French folklore and Cajun Catholicism, to its survival through centuries of Southern storytelling. We’ll trace how faith, fear, and the Louisiana landscape gave rise to one of the South’s most enduring monsters. Along the way, we uncover the folklore, festivals, and real-life encounters that keep the Rougarou alive today — from Houma’s Rougarou Fest to whispered sightings in Terrebonne Parish. If you love Southern folklore, haunted history, and Louisiana legends, this episode is for you. Join us over on Patreon at the Hidden Pine Lodge to discuss this episode and join a fun community of people like yourself. https://www.patreon.com/c/TheHiddenPineLodge