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: 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: Yeah.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker: Good evening, good evening, where we are.
Speaker: across the country and around the world.
Speaker: you
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: I hope you guys are having a...
Speaker: One for Ghostbusters week.
Speaker: It is...
Speaker: the phenomenon that
Speaker: I swept the box offices back in 1984.
Speaker: that
Speaker: Mark's suite get premiered.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: there any of you guys
Speaker: Out there, it's...
Speaker: you know back then in 1984
Speaker: march student theater
Speaker: Or did she have to wait a little bit?
Speaker: To me, 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.
Speaker: you know
Speaker: No one else wants to watch it. I was sort of out of luck, but...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: Didn't really get to see it in theater, but...
Speaker: I get introduced by Fenerock.
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 plane or pool or...
Speaker: No.
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.
Speaker: Back then before DVDs, if you're...
Speaker: as old as i am
Speaker: You know, the young guys are like...
Speaker: Or what's a VHS?
Speaker: But 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 in a...
Speaker: but
Speaker: phs uh cassette
Speaker: It was basically a big old 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 and
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 happy to be part of it
Speaker: So...
Speaker: Today's episode...
Speaker: was brought to you by
Speaker: All right.
Speaker: was submitted by a long -time viewer
Speaker: email me and
Speaker: and uh requested uh
Speaker: this story and I looked into it
Speaker: And...
Speaker: It's pretty awesome.
Speaker: So...
Speaker: Our viewer...
Speaker: are traded.
Speaker: about this story.
Speaker: Today, her name is Kelly.
Speaker: So I hope I give this story justice.
Speaker: Thank you for submitting this.
Speaker: Wonderful story to me, Kelly, and I hope you enjoy it.
Speaker: So let's sit back.
Speaker: Relax.
Speaker: Peddle with your loved ones.
Speaker: We're cuddling that wonderful armchair.
Speaker: It's time.
Speaker: 4.
Speaker: C.
Speaker: How does our story begin?
Speaker: Shh.
Speaker: And three.
Speaker: View.
Speaker: Won't.
Speaker: and not else.
Speaker: We uh...
Speaker: We're young.
Speaker: in either an elementary school or
Speaker: even take now take her kids to the park and
Speaker: into the playground.
Speaker: You know what are you?
Speaker: Peace for, uh...
Speaker: You know, parking.
Speaker: Strike your own...
Speaker: You know, the kids play in the park.
Speaker: you
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: and for the same room
Speaker: Yeah, here I'm still looking.
Speaker: Pretty terrible, I didn't know what that was.
Speaker: And...
Speaker: You know, I don't think nothing of it. You know, it's going for price.
Speaker: Right.
Speaker: this place
Speaker: as we listen to is
Speaker: a very unique place.
Speaker: Today's story...
Speaker: His call.
Speaker: The legend.
Speaker: The Alabamas.
Speaker: Dead Children's Playground.
Speaker: you know they
Speaker: They called the Dead Children's Playground. It's actually known as Maple Hill Park.
Speaker: It's in Huntsville, Alabama. And we're unique.
Speaker: portion of this
Speaker: Unico.
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, normal playground.
Speaker: But this playground is unlike any others.
Speaker: Passer -by
Speaker: often say they could see the swings.
Speaker: moving on their own on a cord.
Speaker: as well as orbs and spectral figures.
Speaker: the playground is surrounded
Speaker: on three sides by limestone.
Speaker: That's one.
Speaker: by many caves in the area.
Speaker: giving in a shallow appearance.
Speaker: as leads itself to a spooky legend
Speaker: approximately to the historic cemetery.
Speaker: It doesn't hurt either.
Speaker: local teens called it
Speaker: the dead children's playground.
Speaker: McElroy name per 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 the 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
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: of seizing some of the patients
Speaker: are easing some of the patient's misery.
Speaker: Many patients.
Speaker: We're treated at home.
Speaker: A fridge.
Speaker: quarantine signs on the doors
Speaker: practice which resulted
Speaker: in the disease spreading.
Speaker: through the entire families
Speaker: These were often stacked on wagons.
Speaker: and held by moors by horses
Speaker: to try to prevent the spread of the disease
Speaker: Ring.
Speaker: Continued.
Speaker: Oh.
Speaker: are contained.
Speaker: children to leave the window
Speaker: hush and children.
Speaker: and leave their windows closed
Speaker: windows closed.
Speaker: even said a psalm
Speaker: In rhyme, that was a reminder.
Speaker: It goes this.
Speaker: Whoa.
Speaker: I had a bird.
Speaker: His name was
Speaker: Inza.
Speaker: They 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 puntsville
Speaker: on september 25th 1918
Speaker: within 10 days.
Speaker: they had spread the general population
Speaker: that Alabama
Speaker: dhp voted on october fifth
Speaker: article from
Speaker: bringing him
Speaker: News reported,
Speaker: cases of Spanish influenza.
Speaker: having
Speaker: increase to more than
Speaker: 1100 in Huntsville.
Speaker: According to Dr. C. A. Groh.
Speaker: Health.
Speaker: Officer of Madison County.
Speaker: there have been an additional three hundred cases
Speaker: and seven deaths for the past 24 hours
Speaker: on october seventh the governor of alabama
Speaker: or to the closure of the pub
Speaker: 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. By October 13, the
Speaker: Ahem News.
Speaker: was reported that only one
Speaker: local pharmacists and one local doctor remain uninfected
Speaker: A desperate situation exists in Huntsville.
Speaker: growing out of 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 sickened city
Speaker: although there was 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: Om.
Speaker: you know houses and cemeteries
Speaker: You know
Speaker: the counter to ghosts in the heart of dixie
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: a hundred thousand
Speaker: soldiers during the civil war
Speaker: Nearly 200 Confederate soldiers were buried there.
Speaker: addition as many union soldiers
Speaker: in the cemetery as well.
Speaker: you know in
Speaker: When they put this playground here,
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: You know...
Speaker: Many have reported sons of laughter, children calling out.
Speaker: There were...
Speaker: as they're not strong enough. Several people...
Speaker: Discovered orbs of light.
Speaker: Alright.
Speaker: at the the children's playground falls
Speaker: after having them developed.
Speaker: Very strange indeed.
Speaker: You know, I was...
Speaker: a cemetery.
Speaker: Used to be a...
Speaker: a twig of plot
Speaker: uh
Speaker: So to a planner.
Speaker: You're a pope.
Speaker: a Huntsville founder
Speaker: And it goes to the...
Speaker: but some it's 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 the construction of the playground
Speaker: Oh.
Speaker: was...
Speaker: The playground officially named Dolce Park.
Speaker: sites adjacent to the cemetery
Speaker: Toronto Bay, I know
Speaker: uh beach trees and limestone foundation
Speaker: So...
Speaker: It's grim nickname, Steen's.
Speaker: from children urban legends
Speaker: Uh,
Speaker: pristine for decades
Speaker: it was constructed in nineteen eighty five
Speaker: to build
Speaker: a space for children while families visited the graves.
Speaker: the playground's location near the barrel sites.
Speaker: spark fairy tales
Speaker: 2007.
Speaker: the city attempted to move the playground
Speaker: for a cemetery expansion.
Speaker: where the public
Speaker: Oh, 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 puttin around
Speaker: I have new equipment on there and new stuff, new steel yard equipment.
Speaker: And, um...
Speaker: It's also known as one of America's most haunted parks.
Speaker: it tracks paranormal enthusiasts due to the spoky lore and um
Speaker: Also in 1960s,
Speaker: both hotels claim children is abducted
Speaker: the nineteen sixties 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. 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 Lord.
Speaker: or could use the playground during the day.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: modern equipment like the swing'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: Finding the science behind it.
Speaker: We'll see.
Speaker: I believe it's...
Speaker: you know
Speaker: The limestone is a conductor.
Speaker: with the paranormal.
Speaker: It's like a...
Speaker: If you ever put like...
Speaker: Bye.
Speaker: A tinfoil or something on that.
Speaker: I know the antenna to...
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 voices are heard.
Speaker: and
Speaker: There's been a lot of books on it as well.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: author james king's novel of the dead
Speaker: 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 Lord making it
Speaker: a team hanging out and ghost hunter magnet
Speaker: I would love to.
Speaker: Go ahead and check it out.
Speaker: You know, so...
Speaker: When it was
Speaker: Preserve
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: places i guess they do tours
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: They tell you to...
Speaker: Bye.
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 proper.
Speaker: authorization to go visit there. Don't 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: if meters
Speaker: If you have them or get them.
Speaker: enhance paranormal investigations
Speaker: And...
Speaker: Um...
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: I encountered a ghost.
Speaker: there once while walking it.
Speaker: my great dame with some friends
Speaker: uber spoke that
Speaker: er spooked af
Speaker: But...
Speaker: Eventually,
Speaker: We discovered it was just a gardener.
Speaker: dressed up and scare people off.
Speaker: he almost got away with it too
Speaker: I know it isn't a joke there.
Speaker: apparently there's one here
Speaker: and then i used to go there
Speaker: as a board team back in the early 2000s.
Speaker: Honestly.
Speaker: every rose and um
Speaker: never was least creeped
Speaker: Oh.
Speaker: Whoa.
Speaker: you
Speaker: Enclave their own.
Speaker: if I remember correctly. Over 10 years ago,
Speaker: All my old friends pulled a pink there.
Speaker: by tying fishing line.
Speaker: those swings
Speaker: are hiding nearby
Speaker: They voted for another group of friends.
Speaker: to arrive to sear 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, you know,
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: let's see
Speaker: This happened a while a decade ago.
Speaker: Alas.
Speaker: So my memory might be left 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 and 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 know, just a handful that they were...
Speaker: Uh fluttered
Speaker: in the air like lightning bolts.
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: and probably a few other
Speaker: maintain 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: Kersey.
Speaker: uh gtfo i guess we've got the
Speaker: We got the F out of there.
Speaker: This was long time ago. We both...
Speaker: somewhat vivid
Speaker: imaginations
Speaker: I could have seen those. Could have been...
Speaker: some kind of
Speaker: and extreme weight.
Speaker: Er...
Speaker: trickery or impingsters
Speaker: where it might have been some trippy...
Speaker: No fire fries.
Speaker: or he didn't know.
Speaker: Okay.
Speaker: He's been there a handful of times, but...
Speaker: I don't see nothing yet.
Speaker: there's one that uh that um
Speaker: as one of the
Speaker: when 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 were, the swings were a swing.
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: and uh that's uh
Speaker: There's somewhere, 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. And...
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: Until then,
Speaker: Be safe then.
Speaker: Um...
Speaker: Adios, amigos. See you soon.
Speaker: and that's any new 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.
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