Transcript
Speaker: There are stories everywhere you go.
Speaker: some more horrifying than others.
Speaker: We're here to investigate the stories.
Speaker: This is Ghost Stories in Nothing.
Speaker: unusual paranormal podcast
Speaker: with your host.
Speaker: Joe the Ghost Guy
Speaker: Last time on.
Speaker: ghost stories and the unusual paranormal podcast
Speaker: Joe the ghost guy told us about the very strange and scary place.
Speaker: The Waverly Hills Sanitarium.
Speaker: and the plague of the white death.
Speaker: this week.
Speaker: What place is he going to be telling us about next?
Speaker: Tune in on this episode of
Speaker: ghost stories and the unusual paranormal podcast
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Good evening, good evening, where we are.
Speaker: across the country and around the world.
Speaker: You are listening to ghost stories.
Speaker: and the Unusual Paranormal Podcast.
Speaker: I am indeed your host, Joe the Ghost Guy.
Speaker: And I hope everyone's having a good week so far.
Speaker: It's almost the weekend, which is always awesome.
Speaker: And hope everyone's going to have a good weekend.
Speaker: It's about that time.
Speaker: go fishing or go out camping.
Speaker: all that wonderful summer stuff.
Speaker: And I hope everyone gets to have fun.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: I hope you guys are having a...
Speaker: One for Ghostbusters week.
Speaker: is uh
Speaker: the phenomenon that
Speaker: swept the box offices back in 1984.
Speaker: that
Speaker: Mark's suite get premiered.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: any of you guys
Speaker: Out there, it's...
Speaker: you know back then in 1984.
Speaker: Bart Studem Theater.
Speaker: Or did you have to wait a little bit?
Speaker: I mean, you know, the nearest theater was 75 miles away.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: You know, if I'm the only one who wants to watch it and.
Speaker: you know
Speaker: No one else wants to watch it. I was sort of out of luck.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: Didn't really get to see it in theater, but...
Speaker: I get introduced by a friend of mine.
Speaker: friend of mine that
Speaker: Growing up, we always go over to our house.
Speaker: you know,
Speaker: Bunch of us will...
Speaker: you know, either playing or pool or...
Speaker: Yo.
Speaker: play games or whatever and
Speaker: And she said, go.
Speaker: you know let's watch movies i got a good movie to watch
Speaker: Happens to be Ghostbusters and...
Speaker: Back then before DVDs, if you're...
Speaker: as old as i am and
Speaker: You know, the young guys are like...
Speaker: Well, what's a VHS?
Speaker: well back in the day
Speaker: Movies came out on VHS. They didn't come out on DVDs as they do now.
Speaker: or now blu -ray
Speaker: But they came out at, you know...
Speaker: But...
Speaker: PHS cassette.
Speaker: It was basically a big ol' large cassette tape.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: you plug it in a vcr and
Speaker: and uh
Speaker: that's how we watched it and
Speaker: I got to...
Speaker: I think I got the bug when I watched it because it was a cool movie. I mean, I love...
Speaker: you know the
Speaker: the paranormal and even though i'm sensitive as well and had my own
Speaker: ghost stories.
Speaker: And it was really awesome.
Speaker: In fact, this...
Speaker: During Ghostbusters week, I end up watching the first one.
Speaker: and I got to watch...
Speaker: frozen empire
Speaker: So that was awesome.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: I hope you guys get to watch any of the Ghostbusters films.
Speaker: and enjoy the phenomena that...
Speaker: you know, started.
Speaker: those craze and
Speaker: I'm going to be part of it.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: Today's episode...
Speaker: was brought to you by
Speaker: Um,
Speaker: was submitted by a long time viewer
Speaker: She...
Speaker: Email me in.
Speaker: and requested
Speaker: this story and I looked into it
Speaker: And...
Speaker: It's pretty awesome.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: Our viewer...
Speaker: today that
Speaker: about this stream.
Speaker: uh today her name is kelly
Speaker: So I hope I give this story justice.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Thank you for submitting this.
Speaker: Wonderful story to me, Kelly, and I hope you enjoy it.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: So let's sit back.
Speaker: Relax.
Speaker: Peddle with your loved ones.
Speaker: we're cuddling that wonderful armchair
Speaker: Yes.
Speaker: It's time.
Speaker: 4.
Speaker: How does our story begin?
Speaker: Shh.
Speaker: And three.
Speaker: View.
Speaker: Won't.
Speaker: You know it.
Speaker: We...
Speaker: We're young.
Speaker: in either an elementary school or
Speaker: Even now, take our kids to the park.
Speaker: into the playground.
Speaker: You know what are you?
Speaker: Peace for, uh...
Speaker: You're parking.
Speaker: Start here in the...
Speaker: You know, the kids play in the park.
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: I'm going to send one.
Speaker: Yeah, here in school.
Speaker: Bye.
Speaker: playing tag and everything.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: You know, I don't think nothing of it. You know, it's a beautiful place.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: this place
Speaker: as we listen to.
Speaker: is
Speaker: a very unique place.
Speaker: Today's story...
Speaker: His call.
Speaker: The legend.
Speaker: The Alabamas' Dead Children's Playground.
Speaker: You know, they
Speaker: They called the Dead's Children Playground. It's actually known as Maple Hill Park.
Speaker: It's in Huntsville, Alabama.
Speaker: and very unique.
Speaker: portion of this
Speaker: UNIQUE!
Speaker: playground
Speaker: sits the historic Maple Hill Cemetery.
Speaker: That's Jason to his playground.
Speaker: I mean, it looks like any other
Speaker: Playground.
Speaker: featuring modern swing sets.
Speaker: jungle gyms.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: you know anything
Speaker: Monkey bars.
Speaker: Etc. You know, I'm never a playground.
Speaker: but this playground is unlike any others.
Speaker: Passerby.
Speaker: often say they could see the swings.
Speaker: moving on their own
Speaker: On the cord.
Speaker: as well as orbs and spectral figures.
Speaker: The playground is surrounded.
Speaker: on three sides by limestone.
Speaker: that form.
Speaker: by many caves in the area.
Speaker: giving in a shallow appearance.
Speaker: as leads itself to a spooky legends.
Speaker: proximally to the Stuart Cemetery.
Speaker: It doesn't hurt either.
Speaker: Vocal Teens called it
Speaker: the dead children's playground.
Speaker: Hey.
Speaker: A McElroy name for a place.
Speaker: still used by family.
Speaker: So how did the innocent place get its gruesome need?
Speaker: according to legend many children
Speaker: who died in Huntsville.
Speaker: during the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic.
Speaker: We're buried in the Maple Hill plots.
Speaker: adjoining to the playground.
Speaker: the spirits of those children.
Speaker: Some say came out after dark.
Speaker: to run and play
Speaker: as it might have.
Speaker: might have had
Speaker: have done in real life.
Speaker: online search
Speaker: turns up photos of unexplained
Speaker: shadows, and orbs.
Speaker: It is true of many children.
Speaker: as well as adults
Speaker: day during the worldwide penip
Speaker: pandemic.
Speaker: that killed an estimate of 50 million people.
Speaker: worldwide and hit.
Speaker: Huntsville, Alabama particularly hard
Speaker: The hospital beds were filled.
Speaker: The doctors were working long shifts.
Speaker: And in hopes.
Speaker: seizing some of the patients
Speaker: are easing some of the patient's misery.
Speaker: Many patients.
Speaker: were treated at home.
Speaker: A fridge.
Speaker: quarantine signs on the doors.
Speaker: the practice which resulted
Speaker: in the disease spreading.
Speaker: through the entire families
Speaker: Bies were often stacked on wagons.
Speaker: and held by moors by horses
Speaker: to try to prevent the spread of the disease
Speaker: Children.
Speaker: continued
Speaker: Bye.
Speaker: are contained.
Speaker: children to leave the window or
Speaker: Cushion children.
Speaker: and leave their windows closed.
Speaker: windows closed.
Speaker: you
Speaker: even said a song
Speaker: And Ryan, that was a reminder.
Speaker: It goes this.
Speaker: Boom.
Speaker: I had a bird.
Speaker: His name was...
Speaker: end zone.
Speaker: I opened the door.
Speaker: And.
Speaker: influenza.
Speaker: End quote.
Speaker: According to Alabama Department of Public Health.
Speaker: The deadly flu arrived in Alabama by way of Huntsville.
Speaker: on September 25th, 1918.
Speaker: within 10 days.
Speaker: It had spread the general population.
Speaker: that Alabama
Speaker: CHP voted on October 5th.
Speaker: Article from...
Speaker: bring it home
Speaker: News reported.
Speaker: cases of spanish influenza
Speaker: having
Speaker: increase to more than
Speaker: 1 ,100 in Huntsville.
Speaker: According to Dr. C .A. Groh.
Speaker: Health.
Speaker: uh officer of medicine county
Speaker: There have been an additional 300 cases.
Speaker: and seven deaths for the past 24 hours.
Speaker: On October 7th, the governor of Alabama
Speaker: or to the closure of the public places statewide.
Speaker: and clean stores.
Speaker: Schools.
Speaker: Churches.
Speaker: This kind of sounds a little familiar, don't it?
Speaker: Almost like COVID was.
Speaker: Uh.
Speaker: I guess we haven't learned our lesson.
Speaker: By October 13, the
Speaker: Braham News.
Speaker: was reporting that only one
Speaker: Local pharmacists and one local doctor remain uninfected.
Speaker: A desperate situation exists in Huntsville.
Speaker: growing out of a Spanish influenza epidemic.
Speaker: or druggist.
Speaker: Positions
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Prescription first, except one
Speaker: have been structured with the disease
Speaker: and
Speaker: This.
Speaker: distressing apparel
Speaker: reaching Montgomery last night in telegrams.
Speaker: for media help.
Speaker: for the second city.
Speaker: Although there is no official count of the number of children
Speaker: who died in huntsville during the pandemic
Speaker: Or how many were buried?
Speaker: Let's go.
Speaker: the number must have been in the hundreds
Speaker: And that was...
Speaker: That's crazy in several.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: you know places from
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: you know houses and cemeteries
Speaker: You know
Speaker: the counter ghost in the heart of dixie
Speaker: And um...
Speaker: And also with that.
Speaker: You know, you get the cemetery as well.
Speaker: according to the cemetery.
Speaker: department that the numerator
Speaker: could be as high as
Speaker: 100 ,000...
Speaker: soldiers during the Civil War.
Speaker: Nearly 200 Confederate soldiers were buried there.
Speaker: in addition as many Union soldiers.
Speaker: in the cemetery as well.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: you know and
Speaker: When they put this playground here,
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: You know...
Speaker: Many have reported sounds of laughter, children calling out.
Speaker: There were...
Speaker: as they're not strong enough. So the people...
Speaker: Discover the orbs of light.
Speaker: Alright.
Speaker: at the the children's playground photos
Speaker: after having them developed.
Speaker: Very strange indeed.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: you know
Speaker: You know, there was...
Speaker: A cemetery.
Speaker: Used to be a...
Speaker: A twig of plot.
Speaker: was our...
Speaker: So to a planner
Speaker: Leroy Pope
Speaker: Huntsville founder
Speaker: and it was so...
Speaker: but some
Speaker: so fiscally over time.
Speaker: and the cemetery expanded through the land purchases.
Speaker: Not only in 1873,
Speaker: to as...
Speaker: accommodate
Speaker: Huntsville's growing population.
Speaker: the construction of the playground.
Speaker: Oh, what is that?
Speaker: The playground officially named Dolce Park.
Speaker: sites adjacent to the cemetery.
Speaker: surrounded by an old
Speaker: uh beach trees and limestone foundation
Speaker: you
Speaker: It's grim nickname, Steen's.
Speaker: from children urban legends
Speaker: have.
Speaker: pristine for decades.
Speaker: It was constructed in 1985.
Speaker: to build.
Speaker: with space for children while families visited the graves.
Speaker: the playground's location near the barrel site.
Speaker: spark eerie tales
Speaker: 2007.
Speaker: The city attempted to move the playground.
Speaker: for a cemetery expansion.
Speaker: where the public
Speaker: uh punch girl
Speaker: pretty much protested and
Speaker: and an outcry
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Later.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: It was...
Speaker: It led to the restoration of the playground.
Speaker: and they end up putting around
Speaker: new equipment on there and new stuff, new steel yard equipment.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: It's also known as one of America's most haunted parks.
Speaker: it attracts paranormal enthusiasts due to the spooky lore
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Also in the 1960s,
Speaker: Both hotels claim children is abducted.
Speaker: The 1960s were found near the playground.
Speaker: Though no official records confirm this.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: Visitors with cartoons move on their own, children's after orbs.
Speaker: as we said, especially between...
Speaker: 10 and 3 a .m.
Speaker: I wonder why.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: The Alabama Paranormal Society in 2008
Speaker: investigators captured.
Speaker: a misty figure in a photo.
Speaker: after hearing a female voice adding to the lure.
Speaker: families are use
Speaker: or could use the playground during the day.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: modern equipment like the sweet's jungle gyms
Speaker: but the gates are locked after dark.
Speaker: possibly to detour the trespassers
Speaker: due to paranormal concerns.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: You know, there's a lot of factors that they try to...
Speaker: fighting the Saints behind it.
Speaker: Let's see.
Speaker: I believe it's...
Speaker: you know the limestone is a conductor
Speaker: with the Paranorm.
Speaker: It's like a...
Speaker: If you ever put like...
Speaker: Bye.
Speaker: a tin foil or something on that.
Speaker: I know the antenna too.
Speaker: Boost the signal. It's almost like that.
Speaker: Limestone is a...
Speaker: Or like...
Speaker: a booster.
Speaker: and the signal.
Speaker: and would...
Speaker: You know...
Speaker: mimic the ghostly phenomenon.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: you know, random verses are heard.
Speaker: and
Speaker: There's been a lot of books on it as well.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: author james king's novel the dead children's playground
Speaker: fictionizes the site as part of
Speaker: American Horror Stories.
Speaker: And some residents dismissed the hunting, while others...
Speaker: embrace the lure making it
Speaker: a team hanging out, and ghost hunter magnet.
Speaker: I would love to.
Speaker: Go over and check it out.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: And then also, uh...
Speaker: When it was...
Speaker: preserved
Speaker: the community.
Speaker: You know, even though it has a spooky name, but they...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: they went for it and i'm glad they brought it back
Speaker: And there's also...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: I guess they do tours.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: They tell you to...
Speaker: Burr.
Speaker: or you have to obtain permission to visit at night.
Speaker: as trespassing can lead to fines and arrests
Speaker: And make sure you get copper.
Speaker: authorization to go visit there don't just go there
Speaker: That's a good tip.
Speaker: And they do have ghosted tours.
Speaker: provides a contrast safe and access to the
Speaker: the sites.
Speaker: And also bringing flashlights, cameras.
Speaker: EF meters
Speaker: If you have them or get them.
Speaker: can enhance paranormal investigations
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Mmm.
Speaker: you
Speaker: Yeah, that's pretty it.
Speaker: As I was looking there, there's been a lot of people that have...
Speaker: You know, I had some stories and...
Speaker: Here's one that said...
Speaker: um
Speaker: I encountered a ghost.
Speaker: there once while walking it.
Speaker: my great dane with some friends
Speaker: we were spooked at
Speaker: Spooked AF.
Speaker: But...
Speaker: Eventually,
Speaker: We discovered it was just a gardener.
Speaker: dressed up as scared people are.
Speaker: He almost got away with it too.
Speaker: Thank you.
Speaker: load in some joke there.
Speaker: third way.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: There's one hit.
Speaker: and then i used to go there
Speaker: as a bird team back in the early 2000s.
Speaker: honestly
Speaker: Amber Rose and...
Speaker: never was least creeped
Speaker: out
Speaker: Tchau.
Speaker: Enclave their own.
Speaker: if I remember correctly.
Speaker: Over 10 years ago, some...
Speaker: All my old friends pulled a prank there.
Speaker: by telling fishing line
Speaker: those swings
Speaker: are hiding nearby.
Speaker: they wanted for another group of friends.
Speaker: to arrive to see the swings
Speaker: set in motion by invisible force.
Speaker: Pretty sure the friends weren't only the ones pulling the pranks there.
Speaker: No.
Speaker: There's some people that...
Speaker: No.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: let's see
Speaker: This happened a while a decade ago, perhaps.
Speaker: Tell us.
Speaker: So my memory might be a little foggy, but I'll give the...
Speaker: for the experience of all.
Speaker: a girl I was dating
Speaker: at the time
Speaker: took me to the DCP.
Speaker: because I've never been there before.
Speaker: but I heard rumors that it was haunted.
Speaker: You pulled up.
Speaker: We pulled up.
Speaker: a bit before dark it hung out
Speaker: by strung through the cemetery.
Speaker: Because...
Speaker: she thought the cemetery
Speaker: and the symmetries in general
Speaker: was a peaceful place
Speaker: We wandered back to the playground.
Speaker: as the sun began to set
Speaker: We hung around the playgrounds until dark.
Speaker: We walked around the playground a bit.
Speaker: till she noticed small lights.
Speaker: at the far end of the park.
Speaker: You're just a handful.
Speaker: that there was...
Speaker: uh fluttered
Speaker: in the air like lightning bugs.
Speaker: But that's what convinced they were.
Speaker: until i realized
Speaker: They were...
Speaker: but they were
Speaker: flourish.
Speaker: when trying to explain them away i suggest maybe it was car headlights
Speaker: reflecting through the trees
Speaker: I'm talking a few other
Speaker: I mean doing things like that.
Speaker: We watched a few minutes.
Speaker: Maybe a minute or two until.
Speaker: She came visibly nervous and uneasily.
Speaker: when we jumped out or jumped in her car and someone
Speaker: Curse the...
Speaker: uh gtfo i guess we've got the
Speaker: We got the F out of there.
Speaker: This was a long time ago.
Speaker: somewhat vivid.
Speaker: Imaginations.
Speaker: you
Speaker: I could have seen those. Could have been...
Speaker: some kind of
Speaker: and extreme rape.
Speaker: Er...
Speaker: particularly our impingsters.
Speaker: or it might have been some trippy...
Speaker: No fireflies.
Speaker: or he didn't know.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: He's been a handful of times, but.
Speaker: I won't see nothing yet, but...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: There's one that caught my eye that...
Speaker: as one of the...
Speaker: One of the people was there that
Speaker: She was walking down the...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: on the playground and everything.
Speaker: And she noticed that...
Speaker: one of the swings where the swings are swinging.
Speaker: and there was no wind.
Speaker: And she knows one of the...
Speaker: Swings.
Speaker: We're swinging him a little bit.
Speaker: or were swinging higher than the other one was
Speaker: And there was no rain, no nothing.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: And that's...
Speaker: There's someone, you know...
Speaker: Some of the stories there, but...
Speaker: anyone's burnout been there
Speaker: and want to drop a line, you can email me at...
Speaker: Good.
Speaker: ParanormalBullStories at gmail .com.
Speaker: And other sites.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: I hope you enjoyed the story.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: hope you have a
Speaker: A good weekend and...
Speaker: And stay safe, my friends.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: Until then,
Speaker: Be safe then.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: Adios, amigos. See you soon.
Speaker: episodes.
Speaker: on youtube at ghost stories and uh
Speaker: unusual paranormal podcast.
Speaker: And on TikTok at JoeTheGhostGuy.
Speaker: Please leave us a rating on our podcast. It will help us better with our investigations and podcast. And if you want to join our group, go to patron .com, find our show and become a paranormal investigator and become a member of the team.
Speaker: You can catch any episodes of our podcast by the following places.
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